It wasn’t a fun, easy record to make,” says producer Bob Rock, speaking of Metallica’s self-titled fifth studio LP, popularly known as the Black Album. “Sure, we had some laughs, but things were difficult. I told the guys when we were done that I’d never work with them again. They felt the same way about me.”
In this track-by-track, Bob Rock (who would eventually work with Metallica again – on five different projects, no less) takes a track-by-track look back at the Black Album. “It’s probably the biggest accomplishment of my professional life,” he says. “I think the band would say the same thing.”
“ENTER SANDMAN”
I insisted on the band playing live in the studio. They had never done that before – all of their previous records were recorded in sections. I told them, “You’re a great live band. That vibe is crucial to the album.” On “Sandman”, I asked Jason to play more like a bass player and less like a guitarist. Put that with the new perspective Lars had on drums and we had a song with a killer groove.
At first, based on
