Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo revealed “The Frayed Ends Of Sanity” is his favorite deep cut of the band’s to play live. Trujillo appeared on MMA Junkie and explained why the 1988 . . . And Justice For All track tops his list, saying, “That is a song I think we’ve played twice, maybe — not more than three times. We did play it a couple of times on tour, but it is a rarity. That song is probably the craziest of the Metallica archive or catalogue. What I like about that particular song is that it has all the ingredients that I like about Metallica. It has the power grooves, the stuff that makes you headbang, but at the same time, it gets crazy in the middle section.”
He went on to say, “It feels progressive like that, and that’s what I actually like about it because there’s something that’s loose and reckless, but at the same time it’s tight, so it has to be a conceived body of music in that section. . . I don’t know if we will play that one again, but I hope so. That’s the one for me right there.”
While . . . And Justice For All is considered one of Metallica’s classics, it has been criticized almost since the day it was released in 1988 for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Jason Newsted‘s playing is virtually buried in the mix, which many fans and recording mixer Steve Thompson blame on drummer Lars Ulrich, who wanted the drums to sound a certain way even at the expense of the bass.
FAST FACTS
- Metallica‘s . . . And Justice For All was originally released on September 7th, 1988, on Elektra Records.
- It was Jason Newsted‘s first full-length album with Metallica after he replaced late bassist Cliff Burton in 1986.
- The album was the first by the band to sell more than a million copies and featured their first radio hit, “One”, which was also the basis of the group’s first music video.
- The record was nominated for the first-ever Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, but infamously lost to Jethro Tull’s Crest Of A Knave.
CHECK IT OUT: Metallica on May 28th, 2014 performing “The Frayed Ends Of Sanity” live in Helsinki, Finland: