Wow, man your tone is insanely close, I didn't expected this after a bunch of videos with James' photo and Barylla or Metallica Golden IR pack used... It's rare to see a truly IR cabinet or real equipment. I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s very boring to see those IRs instead of normal ones. Great job.
Thank you! Someone finally understood what Im trying to do! I really love all the custom Metallica song IRs, and i have a bunch of them. Id rather try to recreate what they were using with what I have and make tweaks.
@@BrianWGuitar Well, imagine I go to RUclips to look for a video about the tone of Metallica and what do I see? 100500 videos with photos of James Hetfield, title - Master of Puppets EXACT tone or It's so close it's copyrighted. Everything is a carbon copy, same photo, same title, same song IR and riff for 25 seconds. It’s terribly sad and boring, I don’t want RUclips and the search for a tone by a certain person to be exactly like this. For the first time I had fun after your video.
I heard James in an interview say a good show for us is when we are able to play the shortest straw without a mistake . Its probably a reason why they don’t play it so often because its a tough one to play
I think the song is likely hard to play tight, as a unit, live. The way it's structured leaves no room for mistakes. I'm sure they could work out the kinks if they were looking to add it for a tour and not just spur of the moment.
Shortest Straw is one of Metallica’s best tracks I love the whole album, it’s my favorite album in their discography and Shortest Straw is one of my top 3 songs of their entire discography The fact that the entire Justice album gets neglected most by the band is criminal
@@crailtap92 not more thrash or aggressive... Technical is overrated only by musicians, the average fan can give a damn about technicality, this why the easiest playing albums outsells the most technical... Nobody cares
@@truthhurts79 a lot of people care, not just musicians but seasoned listeners of music as well. You don’t speak for everyone just like I don’t speak for everyone.
Eye Of The Beholder is definitely one of my favorite tracks from Justice. From the comments I've read over the years fans either love it or hate it. I remember watching an interview with Lars a few years ago and he doesn't like it lol. He was basically saying he didn't know what the hell they were thinking when they wrote it. I don't know how many times it's been played live but I saw them perform it back in 89 during the Damaged Justice tour at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. There's two different recordings of that same show here on RUclips. Just search Metallica live in Philadelphia 1989. They also play Leper Messiah. It's pretty much the same set list as the Seattle 89 video except if I remember correctly they switched out those two songs for The Four Horsemen and The Thing That Should Not Be.
No, it did *not* bore us. It impressed us that those guys could write and perform that level of awesome! They've never measured up since, and they never will.
Great video!! 11th and 12th grade I was in a band with a couple guys. I was on drums and the guitar players knew every solo and riff of every song we listened to!! We’d play this and countless songs in my garage and it was definitely some of the greatest times of my life 😊
This whole album helped my rhythm playing so much. I was truly surprised when I found that it bored audiences because I was fucking stanging for just a little test of it, out in the middle of nowhere in Australia
Metallica fans back in the day also called them sellouts for having a video on MTV and said the video for One was boring. I really don't take a lot of what metalheads of a certain age group say too seriously. Lot of one track brain activity going on there
I feel like Justice opens at 11 and just improves with each song raising the bar just a pinch higher than the last. It’s one of few albums where I feel the B side is stronger than the A side and the A side is a masterpiece alone
This was always one of my favorite songs from the AJFA album. I can understand why it would only be played rarely in concerts, as the entire album is a complex prog-metal style. It’s nice to hear a discussion on this track, alongside a complete playthrough. Thank you for sharing.
@@SamBrockmann Oh, I am sure there are now metal bands so prog-heavy that they make Justice sound like AC/DC. Heck, we could just put on some Bach organ records and crank the volume really high.
@DTM-Books , no. At the time, it was not Prog (and still isn't). Keep in mind that we had already numerous examples of Prog, even if they weren't many Prog Metal examples (yet). Yes, Rush, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull.
…I have a “quick” and kinda serious personal question, …I am wondering, …why, and how did you end up choosing, and settling on these particular sets of combinations of hardware, (that guitar) and plug-ins, that you did, …in order for you to finally be happy, and fully satisfied with yourself, because deep down, …you know, …and truly believe, …indeed, …that thouest TONEQUEST hast FINALLY cometh to an end!!! …THOUEST HATH CAPTURED: “THE TONE”!!! …hold on, …but wait, …there’s more, …OH NOOOOOO!!! …there are SO many OTHER OPTIONS out there to choose from, and utilize, …for example, …those so-called “real” licensed Mesa boogie plugs??? (…what’s the deal with those stupid things anyway???) …hey, …don’t get me wrong, …I can’t find “THE TONE” either!!! …where in the ACTUAL F**K IS THIS THING HIDING??? …I have been for years on this same journey just as you, and others, to find “THE TONE”, with seemingly less, and less success as it goes along, …even by any means necessary sadly, …you know, with all of the many options that are out there, …they all “allow” us to get just one small chance, to roll the dice, maybe we’ll get lucky and find “THE TONE” …BUT, …by now, I’m convinced that all of the stuff that’s out there, isn’t really to HELP US, it’s there only to TEASE US, …and to take our MONEY, and TIME along with it!!! …with all of the numerous opportunities that we can get from plug-ins, to amp simms, to some actual hardware, (…like, …say, …REAL AMPS!!! …what in the F**K IS that??? …I never heard of such a thing, …that’s blasphemous!!!) …okay, …yeah, …yeah, …that’s right, …I even recently bought myself one of those EXPENSIVE-ASSED, mesa-boogie, John-Petrucci heads, and also, a QUAD CORTEX as well!!! (…why does getting “THE TONE” have to COST SO F**KING MUCH???) …WELL, …I’ve been fiddling around with those two back and forth for a while, …and, they sound great and all, (…but, …guess what, …just take one quick guess) …NO MATTER WHAT I DO, …OR TRY, …THERE’S STILL SOMETHING THAT JUST AIN’T QUITE RIGHT ABOUT IT, …I CAN’T REALLY PUT MY FINGER ON IT WHAT IT IS, …EVEN WHEN USING EQ MATCHING SOFTWARE, (THREE OF THEM: OZONE 11, BIAS FX, AND FABFILTER PRO-Q 3) …AND, …YET, …I STILL, …JUST, …CAN’T FIND: “THE TONE” …IT’S DRIVING ME OUT OF MY F**KING MIND!!! …ALL THIS I CANNOT BEAR TO (“HEAR”) MUCH LONGER, …CANNOT THE KINGDOM OF (“TONEQUEST”) TAKE ME HOME??? (…and, …don’t say it’s ALL because I don’t constantly “downpick” EVERYTHING “properly” either, …I call BS!!!!)
Amazing song in AJFA. Out of one and harvester of sorrow, this is another song that made me wanna learn to play the whole album, great video and cover.
@@BrianWGuitar Im happy to say that in 2 days ive learned most of the song just need to work on the solos. playing it makes me love the song even more.
this video made me revisit the song, i thought harvester of sorrow was cooler the first time i heard the shortest straw, but now i can finally make justice to it, understanding the complexity and stuff. thanks man, this video is amazing, you got a new sub
Saw a dude at the gym the other day wearing a Shortest Straw shirt who was likely born after Justice was released. I told him, that's a deep cut, I like that shirt!
Well done on the tone, pretty much the only thing the cover is suffering from is the lack of bend on the main riff note. It is one of the defining features since the notes are so close it gives it character. Nice work
And missing pretty much EVERY SINGLE SLIDE. Slides were a huge weapon for Hetfield on this album, and to not use them is contradictory to the entire era.
Yea I couldnt get the bend sounding how I wanted it so with the weekly time frame of trying to get these videos out I decided to just stick with what I could do.
…I have a “quick” and kinda serious personal question, …I am wondering, …why, and how did you end up choosing, and settling on these particular sets of combinations of hardware, (that guitar) and plug-ins, that you did, …in order for you to finally be happy, and fully satisfied with yourself, because deep down, …you know, …and truly believe, …indeed, …that thouest TONEQUEST hast FINALLY cometh to an end!!! …THOUEST HATH CAPTURED: “THE TONE”!!! …hold on, …but wait, …there’s more, …OH NOOOOOO!!! …there are SO many OTHER OPTIONS out there to choose from, and utilize, …for example, …those so-called “real” licensed Mesa boogie plugs??? (…what’s the deal with those stupid things anyway???) …hey, …don’t get me wrong, …I can’t find “THE TONE” either!!! …where in the ACTUAL F**K IS THIS THING HIDING??? …I have been for years on this same journey just as you, and others, to find “THE TONE”, with seemingly less, and less success as it goes along, …even by any means necessary sadly, …you know, with all of the many options that are out there, …they all “allow” us to get just one small chance, to roll the dice, maybe we’ll get lucky and find “THE TONE” …BUT, …by now, I’m convinced that all of the stuff that’s out there, isn’t really to HELP US, it’s there only to TEASE US, …and to take our MONEY, and TIME along with it!!! …with all of the numerous opportunities that we can get from plug-ins, to amp simms, to some actual hardware, (…like, …say, …REAL AMPS!!! …what in the F**K IS that??? …I never heard of such a thing, …that’s blasphemous!!!) …okay, …yeah, …yeah, …that’s right, …I even recently bought myself one of those EXPENSIVE-ASSED, mesa-boogie, John-Petrucci heads, and also, a QUAD CORTEX as well!!! (…why does getting “THE TONE” have to COST SO F**KING MUCH???) …WELL, …I’ve been fiddling around with those two back and forth for a while, …and, they sound great and all, (…but, …guess what, …just take one quick guess) …NO MATTER WHAT I DO, …OR TRY, …THERE’S STILL SOMETHING THAT JUST AIN’T QUITE RIGHT ABOUT IT, …I CAN’T REALLY PUT MY FINGER ON IT WHAT IT IS, …EVEN WHEN USING EQ MATCHING SOFTWARE, (THREE OF THEM: OZONE 11, BIAS FX, AND FABFILTER PRO-Q 3) …AND, …YET, …I STILL, …JUST, …CAN’T FIND: “THE TONE” …IT’S DRIVING ME OUT OF MY F**KING MIND!!! …ALL THIS I CANNOT BEAR TO (“HEAR”) MUCH LONGER, …CANNOT THE KINGDOM OF (“TONEQUEST”) TAKE ME HOME??? (…and, …don’t say it’s ALL because I don’t constantly “downpick” EVERYTHING “properly” either, …I call BS!!!!)
This has been/always will be my favorite Metallica song. It’s one of those songs you don’t appreciate it until you give it a couple listens. Then you’ll find yourself humming it. It also helps if you play guitar because it’s fun to play. I still randomly find myself singing the lyrics.
I got Justice when i was 11 after seeing the video for One on Headbanger's Ball. That album is the template for what i think metal should sound like. After buying the other three albums they'd put out i eagerly awaiting thr Black album and when I got it...damn was I disappointed. To me they stopped playing metal on that album. Good thing I still had Pantera.
AJFA is my foundation for learning guitar. It's was a major inspiration. If you like Pantera, check out Exhorder. It's like Pantera and Slayer had a baby
I remember my band learning this song when this album came out. The guitar solos were more challenging than the previous albums. I never learned any of those solos as well as I could play the "Black" album solos.
@@BrianWGuitar Mesa Boogie Quad Pre + Mesa Strategy 400, I have the photo from the studio. P.S: No slaving into JCM800 because it was done only for Kirk's solos.
Great video and cover mate. This is my favourite track on AJFA. Started trying to conquer it a couple of months into my guitar journey having no idea how difficult it actually was. Persevered and got there months later!
Love this whole album. I know a lot of people think it’s a little bloated and the songs are over-written and complicated for the sake of being complicated but I wouldn’t change a note on this record. And that pre chorus riff is so sick and fun to play
always loved this one from front to back. has a couple of my favorite metallica riffs, and it's a blast to play. not sure if it contributes to it not being played, but i recall reading that kirk hated his solo.
What. No way dude, shortest straw is my favorite track on that album and that's saying a lot because justice is my favorite Metallica album and IMO one of the 3 greatest metal albums of all time along with Megadeth rust in peace and Pantera vulgar display of power and props to you my dude, you nailed it on guitar
Along with One, this is my favorite AJFA track. The main riff is heavy af and reminds me of a marauding evil army engaging in scorched earth. Inmy early days I used to air drum the shit out of it! Amazing composition!
It’s funny, because normally, I only like to listen to their live concert recordings… But for some reason, this song just doesn’t work live and I don’t know why. The album version is absolutely phenomenal and my favorite song on the album. But whenever I hear them play live it just lacks groove and James voice never sounds like the album. Same same thing with eye of the beholder. One of my favorite songs but just doesn’t translate live I think.
I dont care if there are mistakes. I really appreciate you not putting any background track and letting us enjoy the pure tone. If you just play 0 0 0 0, I would listen to that for hours. Beautiful!
Most fans say their favorite Metallica album is MOP but mine is AJFA. I love the riffs, the lyrics, the arrangements, the drums and the overall vibe of the album. It's weird and ironic for me becase I play bass and we all know the story of bass and AJFA.
Lyrically, James was so in touch with scapegoating and how witch-hunts happen in order to project all negativity onto one person. That person who is scapegoated is invariably the most innocent and good person of the tribe. He probably was scapegoated himself whilst young but he also did it to Jason.
There are a few fan made remastered that bring Newsteds bass back up in the mix and the album is solid as is with him turned down in post, but truly shines with his baselines being audible
You nailed the tone, well done. You have a few too many transitional mutes in places, and a few wrong chords here and there, but I'd say thats still 98.875% accurate. Volume swell out of the stop = muy bueno.
I f'ckin love Shortest Straw!!! It's actually one of my favourite songs. AJFA is my favourite ever album. There's nothing else like it. They managed to create a very technical (almost kind of "Prog") album but still filled with the catchiest, memorable riffs and rhythms. It even managed to make Lars sound like a good drummer! 😉😆 when I first heard AJFA I was only about 12 years old, around autumn/winter 1989. My best friend gave me a tape (don't think it was his thing. He liked Motley Crue 🙄😏) and I'd listen to it on my walkman (yup, I'm that old!) while taking my dog out for a walk in the evening. Within a week, I became a Metallica devotee!!! I'd never heard anything like it! Somehow, it spoke to me. It still speaks for me. In my mind, and I think in many other Metallica fans' minds, this is Hetfield's finest work. I didn't know it in 1989, but I believe this is Hetfield coping with the death of Cliff. He's so angry! His guitar tone is the most crushing sound he's produced on any album. Lyrically song like Shortest Straw, Eye of the Beholder, and Frayed Ends of Sanity are poetry. I actually used loads of lines lyrics in my English coursework in school. One teacher held me back after class to tell me how much she loved some homework I submitted. She obviously wasn't familiar with One, but I couldn't tell her I'd stolen virtually the whole story! 😂 I can't play guitar anymore because my fingers are f'cked (arthritis) and it kills me that I can't play the middle section of To Live is to Die anymore. My favourite Metallica writing. Still makes me emotional whenever I listen to it. I love Hetfield's rhythm parts, the verse and beneath the solo. Superb.
Thats one hell of a story, thank you for leaving your experience. This album really is the epitome of what Metallica could do instrumentally. As much as people dont wanna believe in Lars’s ability he worked really hard to get to this part in his career from what ive read.
@BrianWGuitar Thank you chief! Yeah, that was precisely how I discovered Metallica. The tape my friend gave me wasn't wound to the beginning, so the first Metallica song I ever heard was Eye of the Beholder. Of course, One came right after and that was it. Totally changed my music world. I became obsessed with them, graffitiing (is that a word? 😆) MORE BEER!!! and EET FUK everywhere. 😂🤣 I refused to wear anything that wasn't totally black, my already long hair was wild and thick, I tried to shape my fluffy facial hair (I "matured" way earlier than my friends 😆) like James' picture in the AJFA inlay/sleeve. I really was a tragic Hetfield wannabe! As for Lars, I think most reasonable Metallica fans accept he's never been an "elite" drummer. 😆 But what you can say is that AJFA showcased his ability to be quite inventive. Hetfield & Ulrich aren't quite Lennon & McCartney, but I have seen how Ulrich does earn his song credits. He has the ability and vision to kind of tease out great riffs from James' and Kirk's demos and doodles. What he lacks in technical ability he makes up for with his ear for a tune. Speaking of Lars, I was at the gig at Donington when Lars was unwell and Joey Jordison & Dave Lombardo stood in for him. Cool as f'ck!!! 🤘😎 I've often wondered what James' thoughts were, whether he imagined what it would've been like to have someone with their ability in the band permanently. (I have heard the story that he & Cliff had discussed replacing Lars but, of course, we know what happened to Cliff, poor guy) 🤔😏😉😆 OK, I'm not writing any more. Even beginning to bore myself! 😂
The video discusses the history and significance of Metallica's song "The Shortest Straw," which despite its dynamic instrumentals and political themes, has received limited live performances. The song, demoed in 1987 and released on the album "And Justice for All," addresses political witch hunts, possibly referencing McCarthyism. Despite its rich musicality, it has been played live only 99 times, partly due to concerns that it bored audiences during tours. The guitarist's signal chain and instrumentals are also explored, highlighting its instructional value for guitarists. The video concludes by advocating for greater appreciation of the song and encourages viewers to explore more underrated tracks from the album.
Interesting video thanks! You've done really well with the tone but - and I say this with no malice - your open E triplets on the verse need tightening up 😊. Look forward to seeing more of your videos!
Us Metallica fans from the 80’s and early 90’s ( pre black album) loved the entire...AJFA album. I saw them live on that tour and believe me... NOBODY in the audience was bored. As a matter of fact, you were lucky to leave that show not battered, bruised or bleeding. Metallica just wanted to make simple pop music to appeal to the dumbed down masses AND they struggled to play a lot of those AJFA tracks... because studio magic makes bands sound more talented than they really are.
Wow, man your tone is insanely close, I didn't expected this after a bunch of videos with James' photo and Barylla or Metallica Golden IR pack used...
It's rare to see a truly IR cabinet or real equipment.
I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s very boring to see those IRs instead of normal ones.
Great job.
Thank you! Someone finally understood what Im trying to do! I really love all the custom Metallica song IRs, and i have a bunch of them. Id rather try to recreate what they were using with what I have and make tweaks.
@@BrianWGuitar Well, imagine I go to RUclips to look for a video about the tone of Metallica and what do I see? 100500 videos with photos of James Hetfield, title - Master of Puppets EXACT tone or It's so close it's copyrighted. Everything is a carbon copy, same photo, same title, same song IR and riff for 25 seconds. It’s terribly sad and boring, I don’t want RUclips and the search for a tone by a certain person to be exactly like this.
For the first time I had fun after your video.
@@yevhenfedorets6509 Hell yea im glad I could help!
@@BrianWGuitar Thank you!
@@yevhenfedorets6509 I think i know who you're talking about...
I heard James in an interview say a good show for us is when we are able to play the shortest straw without a mistake . Its probably a reason why they don’t play it so often because its a tough one to play
I could totally see it, i found out when trying to record the cover for this song. Its deceptively tricky!
They never do the 2nd solo which is a ripper with the slowed chugging riff In the background
It's not that hard. I don't understand. I guess the riffs have a specific feel that you miss if you aren't paying attention
I think the song is likely hard to play tight, as a unit, live. The way it's structured leaves no room for mistakes. I'm sure they could work out the kinks if they were looking to add it for a tour and not just spur of the moment.
Then they should practice it more often and it won’t be so difficult.
Tbh I think The Frayed Ends of Sanity is the killer track on Justice..
Weirdly its one of two that im not really fond of
@@BrianWGuitar Just goes to show, different strokes for different folks lol
I love that one as well. After the solo of kirk comes one of the best Metallica riffs for me
i see this opinion a lot tho
Yep, Frayend, specially after the 3 minute mark, is brutal. Some of James best rythm moments
Shortest Straw is one of Metallica’s best tracks
I love the whole album, it’s my favorite album in their discography and Shortest Straw is one of my top 3 songs of their entire discography
The fact that the entire Justice album gets neglected most by the band is criminal
It really is criminal that it gets often overlooked by them but they wrote really long complex songs so I get it.
It's because it's not as aggressive and thrash as the first 3
@@truthhurts79although it is heavier and more technical.
@@crailtap92 not more thrash or aggressive... Technical is overrated only by musicians, the average fan can give a damn about technicality, this why the easiest playing albums outsells the most technical... Nobody cares
@@truthhurts79 a lot of people care, not just musicians but seasoned listeners of music as well. You don’t speak for everyone just like I don’t speak for everyone.
Eye Of The Beholder is so overlooked. These two tracks are definitely some of my favorite Met tracks.
Eye Of The Beholder is definitely one of my favorite tracks from Justice. From the comments I've read over the years fans either love it or hate it. I remember watching an interview with Lars a few years ago and he doesn't like it lol. He was basically saying he didn't know what the hell they were thinking when they wrote it. I don't know how many times it's been played live but I saw them perform it back in 89 during the Damaged Justice tour at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. There's two different recordings of that same show here on RUclips. Just search Metallica live in Philadelphia 1989. They also play Leper Messiah. It's pretty much the same set list as the Seattle 89 video except if I remember correctly they switched out those two songs for The Four Horsemen and The Thing That Should Not Be.
Its a great song. And Lars doesn't like it because he can't play it live.
"The Shortest.Straw" for years was my favourite song on "...And Justice.." as I always thought it was the heaviest.
Its a solid choice from the album
I love it and eye of the beholder those 2 seem to be underrated as far as justice songs anyways. So groovey and heavy.
Totally agree
Dyers Eve to me I always felt was the heaviest but shortest straw is great.
Same.
I love everything about this song. The vocals, lyrics, the phrasing, the riffs, the solos and the drums. A perfect song.
Fucking truth.
Every song on "...And Justice For All" is the best song on "...And Justice For All."
I can almost get behind that statement, it really is a powerhouse of an album though.
No, it did *not* bore us. It impressed us that those guys could write and perform that level of awesome! They've never measured up since, and they never will.
Jesus Christ, Grandpa.
Yes. They have
@@nickrizzo4635 *ROTFL*
@@nickrizzo4635nah they’re straight Gaylord s
Great video!! 11th and 12th grade I was in a band with a couple guys. I was on drums and the guitar players knew every solo and riff of every song we listened to!! We’d play this and countless songs in my garage and it was definitely some of the greatest times of my life 😊
Justice for All will always be Metallica’s high water mark to me. Every track smokes.
The first song I ever learned to play on the bass. Underrated gem indeed!
Its definitely a sick song
On bass? LOL
Yeah, how did you hear what to play..lol
It was 6 minutes of rest
This whole album helped my rhythm playing so much. I was truly surprised when I found that it bored audiences because I was fucking stanging for just a little test of it, out in the middle of nowhere in Australia
Its definitely hard to write a very complex but engaging song for shows, so I definitely understand it now.
Metallica fans back in the day also called them sellouts for having a video on MTV and said the video for One was boring. I really don't take a lot of what metalheads of a certain age group say too seriously. Lot of one track brain activity going on there
Frayed ends of sanity would be bloody hard too. Best song on the justice album
I feel like Justice opens at 11 and just improves with each song raising the bar just a pinch higher than the last. It’s one of few albums where I feel the B side is stronger than the A side and the A side is a masterpiece alone
This was always one of my favorite songs from the AJFA album. I can understand why it would only be played rarely in concerts, as the entire album is a complex prog-metal style. It’s nice to hear a discussion on this track, alongside a complete playthrough. Thank you for sharing.
Yea they let their musician egos runaway and didnt think to maybe cut back and that led to them cutting way back on The Black Album
I don't think you know what prog metal is 😂😂
@@SamBrockmann Oh, I am sure there are now metal bands so prog-heavy that they make Justice sound like AC/DC. Heck, we could just put on some Bach organ records and crank the volume really high.
@DTM-Books , no. At the time, it was not Prog (and still isn't). Keep in mind that we had already numerous examples of Prog, even if they weren't many Prog Metal examples (yet). Yes, Rush, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull.
…I have a “quick” and kinda serious personal question, …I am wondering, …why, and how did you end up choosing, and settling on these particular sets of combinations of hardware, (that guitar) and plug-ins, that you did, …in order for you to finally be happy, and fully satisfied with yourself, because deep down, …you know, …and truly believe, …indeed, …that thouest TONEQUEST hast FINALLY cometh to an end!!!
…THOUEST HATH CAPTURED: “THE TONE”!!!
…hold on, …but wait, …there’s more, …OH NOOOOOO!!!
…there are SO many OTHER OPTIONS out there to choose from, and utilize, …for example, …those so-called “real” licensed Mesa boogie plugs??? (…what’s the deal with those stupid things anyway???)
…hey, …don’t get me wrong, …I can’t find “THE TONE” either!!! …where in the ACTUAL F**K IS THIS THING HIDING???
…I have been for years on this same journey just as you, and others, to find “THE TONE”, with seemingly less, and less success as it goes along, …even by any means necessary sadly, …you know, with all of the many options that are out there, …they all “allow” us to get just one small chance, to roll the dice, maybe we’ll get lucky and find “THE TONE” …BUT, …by now, I’m convinced that all of the stuff that’s out there, isn’t really to HELP US, it’s there only to TEASE US, …and to take our MONEY, and TIME along with it!!!
…with all of the numerous opportunities that we can get from plug-ins, to amp simms, to some actual hardware, (…like, …say, …REAL AMPS!!! …what in the F**K IS that??? …I never heard of such a thing, …that’s blasphemous!!!)
…okay, …yeah, …yeah, …that’s right, …I even recently bought myself one of those EXPENSIVE-ASSED, mesa-boogie, John-Petrucci heads, and also, a QUAD CORTEX as well!!! (…why does getting “THE TONE” have to COST SO F**KING MUCH???)
…WELL, …I’ve been fiddling around with those two back and forth for a while, …and, they sound great and all, (…but, …guess what, …just take one quick guess) …NO MATTER WHAT I DO, …OR TRY, …THERE’S STILL SOMETHING THAT JUST AIN’T QUITE RIGHT ABOUT IT, …I CAN’T REALLY PUT MY FINGER ON IT WHAT IT IS, …EVEN WHEN USING EQ MATCHING SOFTWARE, (THREE OF THEM: OZONE 11, BIAS FX, AND FABFILTER PRO-Q 3) …AND, …YET, …I STILL, …JUST, …CAN’T FIND: “THE TONE” …IT’S DRIVING ME OUT OF MY F**KING MIND!!!
…ALL THIS I CANNOT BEAR TO (“HEAR”) MUCH LONGER, …CANNOT THE KINGDOM OF (“TONEQUEST”) TAKE ME HOME???
(…and, …don’t say it’s ALL because I don’t constantly “downpick” EVERYTHING “properly” either, …I call BS!!!!)
I'm not a fan of Metallica, but I absolutely love ...and justice.
Thats why I find Metallica special, their albums reach very far out into the musical ether.
Amazing song in AJFA. Out of one and harvester of sorrow, this is another song that made me wanna learn to play the whole album, great video and cover.
Hey thank you! I cant wait to get to One and Harvester, top 10 Metallica songs for me.
@@BrianWGuitar Im happy to say that in 2 days ive learned most of the song just need to work on the solos. playing it makes me love the song even more.
@@x_xcdjx_x4622 yea its a fucking sick song
this video made me revisit the song, i thought harvester of sorrow was cooler the first time i heard the shortest straw, but now i can finally make justice to it, understanding the complexity and stuff. thanks man, this video is amazing, you got a new sub
I could play the entire Justice album when I was 15 minus all the solos, I could play a few but all lol. It was the complexity that made me love it.
Great track and served as a foundation for one of Kirk's best solos. Def underrated
I agree kirk does some great stuff here.
This so very true. Kirk is doing some cool progressive stuff here
Saw a dude at the gym the other day wearing a Shortest Straw shirt who was likely born after Justice was released. I told him, that's a deep cut, I like that shirt!
Thats me too XD. Born in 94
Great vid 👍 learned a lot, love this song
Hey thank you! Ive loved watching your channel! You make some really great content
that before chorus riff is just killer
Yea I think its fucking sick
Hell yeah
Great video.I loved it so passionate. You nailed the tone.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@BrianWGuitar putting up a full fear factory show covered by me tonight. Id love if you checken it out. Put a lot of work into learning their songs.
@@LeonLandgren-qt9pg Yea Id love to check it out! Ive never listened to Fear Factory but they have been on my list of bands to check out.
@@BrianWGuitar ruclips.net/video/Mybfci7sTME/видео.htmlsi=_O5ZwQmsz6QWQbkd this turned out pretty cool.
@@BrianWGuitar ruclips.net/video/Mybfci7sTME/видео.htmlsi=_O5ZwQmsz6QWQbkd i did this turned out cool.
i like the video format, i agree with your praise of it, great playing and tone too brother!
The 3 best examples of metal angst ever.
Shortest Straw
Frayed Ends of Sanity
Harvester of Sorrow
Can’t workout without this song. 🤘
Well done on the tone, pretty much the only thing the cover is suffering from is the lack of bend on the main riff note. It is one of the defining features since the notes are so close it gives it character. Nice work
And missing pretty much EVERY SINGLE SLIDE.
Slides were a huge weapon for Hetfield on this album, and to not use them is contradictory to the entire era.
Yea I couldnt get the bend sounding how I wanted it so with the weekly time frame of trying to get these videos out I decided to just stick with what I could do.
I am definitely sliding though
…I have a “quick” and kinda serious personal question, …I am wondering, …why, and how did you end up choosing, and settling on these particular sets of combinations of hardware, (that guitar) and plug-ins, that you did, …in order for you to finally be happy, and fully satisfied with yourself, because deep down, …you know, …and truly believe, …indeed, …that thouest TONEQUEST hast FINALLY cometh to an end!!!
…THOUEST HATH CAPTURED: “THE TONE”!!!
…hold on, …but wait, …there’s more, …OH NOOOOOO!!!
…there are SO many OTHER OPTIONS out there to choose from, and utilize, …for example, …those so-called “real” licensed Mesa boogie plugs??? (…what’s the deal with those stupid things anyway???)
…hey, …don’t get me wrong, …I can’t find “THE TONE” either!!! …where in the ACTUAL F**K IS THIS THING HIDING???
…I have been for years on this same journey just as you, and others, to find “THE TONE”, with seemingly less, and less success as it goes along, …even by any means necessary sadly, …you know, with all of the many options that are out there, …they all “allow” us to get just one small chance, to roll the dice, maybe we’ll get lucky and find “THE TONE” …BUT, …by now, I’m convinced that all of the stuff that’s out there, isn’t really to HELP US, it’s there only to TEASE US, …and to take our MONEY, and TIME along with it!!!
…with all of the numerous opportunities that we can get from plug-ins, to amp simms, to some actual hardware, (…like, …say, …REAL AMPS!!! …what in the F**K IS that??? …I never heard of such a thing, …that’s blasphemous!!!)
…okay, …yeah, …yeah, …that’s right, …I even recently bought myself one of those EXPENSIVE-ASSED, mesa-boogie, John-Petrucci heads, and also, a QUAD CORTEX as well!!! (…why does getting “THE TONE” have to COST SO F**KING MUCH???)
…WELL, …I’ve been fiddling around with those two back and forth for a while, …and, they sound great and all, (…but, …guess what, …just take one quick guess) …NO MATTER WHAT I DO, …OR TRY, …THERE’S STILL SOMETHING THAT JUST AIN’T QUITE RIGHT ABOUT IT, …I CAN’T REALLY PUT MY FINGER ON IT WHAT IT IS, …EVEN WHEN USING EQ MATCHING SOFTWARE, (THREE OF THEM: OZONE 11, BIAS FX, AND FABFILTER PRO-Q 3) …AND, …YET, …I STILL, …JUST, …CAN’T FIND: “THE TONE” …IT’S DRIVING ME OUT OF MY F**KING MIND!!!
…ALL THIS I CANNOT BEAR TO (“HEAR”) MUCH LONGER, …CANNOT THE KINGDOM OF (“TONEQUEST”) TAKE ME HOME???
(…and, …don’t say it’s ALL because I don’t constantly “downpick” EVERYTHING “properly” either, …I call BS!!!!)
"Shortest Straw" has always been my favorite track on "Justice ." Well, that and "Dyers Eve."
This has been/always will be my favorite Metallica song. It’s one of those songs you don’t appreciate it until you give it a couple listens. Then you’ll find yourself humming it. It also helps if you play guitar because it’s fun to play.
I still randomly find myself singing the lyrics.
I got Justice when i was 11 after seeing the video for One on Headbanger's Ball. That album is the template for what i think metal should sound like. After buying the other three albums they'd put out i eagerly awaiting thr Black album and when I got it...damn was I disappointed. To me they stopped playing metal on that album. Good thing I still had Pantera.
Although I think AJFA is an amazing album I think MOP was the perfect Metallica, AJFA got a little too lost in the riffing.
Same
AJFA is my foundation for learning guitar. It's was a major inspiration. If you like Pantera, check out Exhorder. It's like Pantera and Slayer had a baby
One of my favorite songs to play. It gets long, but it’s fun and a good warmup. Your tone is sick btw
Hey thank you!
My Fave on the Justice album , saw them play this when they toured with Gun n Roses, faith no more 1992 in Orlando
You killed it on the tone man. Well done.
Hey thank you!
I remember my band learning this song when this album came out. The guitar solos were more challenging than the previous albums. I never learned any of those solos as well as I could play the "Black" album solos.
In fact Rasmussen' s notes say it is mesa boogie quad preamp that used for recording of the song
Yes someone else pointed it out too! I forgot to check his notes for this one.
@@BrianWGuitar Mesa Boogie Quad Pre + Mesa Strategy 400, I have the photo from the studio.
P.S: No slaving into JCM800 because it was done only for Kirk's solos.
Bro. Your tone is absolutely amazing.
Thanks for listening
Fantastic playing man. You don't see many people playing Metallica songs so accurately!
He took a lot of liberties with this one.
Omitted many important Hetfield techniques.
@@adameves5970 maybe you could do a video showing said techniques!
One of my favorite Metallica songs. It is NEVER boring!
Great video and cover mate. This is my favourite track on AJFA. Started trying to conquer it a couple of months into my guitar journey having no idea how difficult it actually was. Persevered and got there months later!
Yea I didnt realize how hard it was going to be either, its deceptively tricky
Love this whole album. I know a lot of people think it’s a little bloated and the songs are over-written and complicated for the sake of being complicated but I wouldn’t change a note on this record. And that pre chorus riff is so sick and fun to play
Justice tour was one of the top 3 shows I’ve seen…and queensryche opened for them on top of it
Nice, thoughtful video. Learned some new facts. Nice tone. Good luck for reaching 1000 subscribers 🤘✌️
Thanks a ton
a hockey jersey and amazing guitar tone? You have earned my sub sir.
always loved this one from front to back. has a couple of my favorite metallica riffs, and it's a blast to play. not sure if it contributes to it not being played, but i recall reading that kirk hated his solo.
3:40 on the notes by Flemming its a Mesa boogie quad pre amp. In to a aphex. Into a boogie poweramp. Its the only song with the studio pre amp
Great playing dude. Very solid. Enjoyed this video.
Glad you enjoyed it
One of my favorites. All the songs on Justice are great imo.
What. No way dude, shortest straw is my favorite track on that album and that's saying a lot because justice is my favorite Metallica album and IMO one of the 3 greatest metal albums of all time along with Megadeth rust in peace and Pantera vulgar display of power and props to you my dude, you nailed it on guitar
Hey thanks man, that was a really nice comment!
You really nailed the tone.
Along with One, this is my favorite AJFA track. The main riff is heavy af and reminds me of a marauding evil army engaging in scorched earth. Inmy early days I used to air drum the shit out of it! Amazing composition!
Its a helluva song!
One of the most fun songs ever to play on guitar! One of the best tracks on the best heavy album of all time..
It’s funny, because normally, I only like to listen to their live concert recordings… But for some reason, this song just doesn’t work live and I don’t know why. The album version is absolutely phenomenal and my favorite song on the album. But whenever I hear them play live it just lacks groove and James voice never sounds like the album. Same same thing with eye of the beholder. One of my favorite songs but just doesn’t translate live I think.
always loved to play straw. great riffs, great groove… wasnt that difficult as far as i can remember. dyers eve, on the other hand…
Absolutely love this song
I was fortunate to see Metallica play this song live once
Im really jealous, that would be so cool
@@BrianWGuitar It was a banger. Saw them live in Sacramento, CA, 2018 and they played it live. You can find it on their RUclips channel
It's been a favorite ever since I first heard it in 88.
Never actually heard a good live version. 😭
Dude its so hard to find on YT
This song drew a short straw for being played live for sure. Great Vid, Nice tone and playing.
Thank you!
I dont care if there are mistakes. I really appreciate you not putting any background track and letting us enjoy the pure tone. If you just play 0 0 0 0, I would listen to that for hours. Beautiful!
Thank you so much 😊
Seriously though. Dude! That playing and tone are dead on! Awesome.
Hey, thank you!
Great channel man, been loving the videos!
Nice commentary and analysis
Glad you enjoy it!
Every song on And Justice is perfect
Your effort to replicate the guitar tone is very impressive. It sounds very close, love it
Hey thank you!
The song was originally written in C# standard, not sure if you mention it
Yea I think I heard that after making the whole thing, but thank you!
Most fans say their favorite Metallica album is MOP but mine is AJFA. I love the riffs, the lyrics, the arrangements, the drums and the overall vibe of the album. It's weird and ironic for me becase I play bass and we all know the story of bass and AJFA.
I guess they don't play it very often cause it's fuckin brutal on James voice!
🤘🤘🤘
One of the heaviest on Justice Imo. 1st time i heard it i loved it. Around '94 i was 10.
My fav tallica song!
Lyrically, James was so in touch with scapegoating and how witch-hunts happen in order to project all negativity onto one person. That person who is scapegoated is invariably the most innocent and good person of the tribe. He probably was scapegoated himself whilst young but he also did it to Jason.
Great song and riff.
Unbelievable tone dude! Even with a "bad" /weak recording sound. It sounds great 🤘🤘🤘
Only found your channel, your videos rule… hope the channel grows and grows 🔥🤘🔥
I appreciate that!
Dyers Eve and Eye of the Beholder deserve some playing shuffles live
My favourite Metallica's song
how many times was this played live?
i love this song i feel like ironically jason’s bass should pop more in the opening to give it more umph if ykwim😊
Yea if only!
There are a few fan made remastered that bring Newsteds bass back up in the mix and the album is solid as is with him turned down in post, but truly shines with his baselines being audible
I remember learning this on guitar in 12th grade when i was 17
You nailed the tone, well done.
You have a few too many transitional mutes in places, and a few wrong chords here and there, but I'd say thats still 98.875% accurate. Volume swell out of the stop = muy bueno.
You are insufferable. Post a video of you playing it, buddy.
Well said! My favorite song and a highly underrated song from this record is Harvester of Sorrow. (in my opinion)
Mine is One but Harvester or Blackened is a close second.
Great video. Superb performance at the end. Great work sir.
Thanks for watching
Shortest Straw is my favorite song on the Justice album, by far.
I f'ckin love Shortest Straw!!! It's actually one of my favourite songs. AJFA is my favourite ever album. There's nothing else like it. They managed to create a very technical (almost kind of "Prog") album but still filled with the catchiest, memorable riffs and rhythms. It even managed to make Lars sound like a good drummer! 😉😆 when I first heard AJFA I was only about 12 years old, around autumn/winter 1989. My best friend gave me a tape (don't think it was his thing. He liked Motley Crue 🙄😏) and I'd listen to it on my walkman (yup, I'm that old!) while taking my dog out for a walk in the evening. Within a week, I became a Metallica devotee!!! I'd never heard anything like it! Somehow, it spoke to me. It still speaks for me.
In my mind, and I think in many other Metallica fans' minds, this is Hetfield's finest work. I didn't know it in 1989, but I believe this is Hetfield coping with the death of Cliff. He's so angry! His guitar tone is the most crushing sound he's produced on any album. Lyrically song like Shortest Straw, Eye of the Beholder, and Frayed Ends of Sanity are poetry. I actually used loads of lines lyrics in my English coursework in school. One teacher held me back after class to tell me how much she loved some homework I submitted. She obviously wasn't familiar with One, but I couldn't tell her I'd stolen virtually the whole story! 😂
I can't play guitar anymore because my fingers are f'cked (arthritis) and it kills me that I can't play the middle section of To Live is to Die anymore. My favourite Metallica writing. Still makes me emotional whenever I listen to it.
I love Hetfield's rhythm parts, the verse and beneath the solo. Superb.
Thats one hell of a story, thank you for leaving your experience. This album really is the epitome of what Metallica could do instrumentally. As much as people dont wanna believe in Lars’s ability he worked really hard to get to this part in his career from what ive read.
@BrianWGuitar Thank you chief! Yeah, that was precisely how I discovered Metallica. The tape my friend gave me wasn't wound to the beginning, so the first Metallica song I ever heard was Eye of the Beholder. Of course, One came right after and that was it. Totally changed my music world. I became obsessed with them, graffitiing (is that a word? 😆) MORE BEER!!! and EET FUK everywhere. 😂🤣 I refused to wear anything that wasn't totally black, my already long hair was wild and thick, I tried to shape my fluffy facial hair (I "matured" way earlier than my friends 😆) like James' picture in the AJFA inlay/sleeve. I really was a tragic Hetfield wannabe!
As for Lars, I think most reasonable Metallica fans accept he's never been an "elite" drummer. 😆 But what you can say is that AJFA showcased his ability to be quite inventive. Hetfield & Ulrich aren't quite Lennon & McCartney, but I have seen how Ulrich does earn his song credits. He has the ability and vision to kind of tease out great riffs from James' and Kirk's demos and doodles. What he lacks in technical ability he makes up for with his ear for a tune.
Speaking of Lars, I was at the gig at Donington when Lars was unwell and Joey Jordison & Dave Lombardo stood in for him. Cool as f'ck!!! 🤘😎 I've often wondered what James' thoughts were, whether he imagined what it would've been like to have someone with their ability in the band permanently. (I have heard the story that he & Cliff had discussed replacing Lars but, of course, we know what happened to Cliff, poor guy) 🤔😏😉😆
OK, I'm not writing any more. Even beginning to bore myself! 😂
Nice! Cheers! Liked! Subbed! Shared! Cheers and greetings from Scotland! 🤘🏽🍻🏴
Hey thanks brother! 🤘🏻. 🇺🇸🤝🏴
Honestly im surprised it was played so many times as 99, I thought it was much less...
To be fair 99 times is such a small amount for them.
@@BrianWGuitar frayed ends of sanity is propbably even more rare
And Justice For All always was, is, and always will be my favorite Metallica album. It's just so raw. YAH bless!!!
Love the guitar solo for this song!
They were supposed to make a vehicular combat game like Twisted Metal and the teaser trailer had the Shortest Straw in it way back in the way way back
Yea I think I remember reading about that somewhere too
The video discusses the history and significance of Metallica's song "The Shortest Straw," which despite its dynamic instrumentals and political themes, has received limited live performances. The song, demoed in 1987 and released on the album "And Justice for All," addresses political witch hunts, possibly referencing McCarthyism. Despite its rich musicality, it has been played live only 99 times, partly due to concerns that it bored audiences during tours. The guitarist's signal chain and instrumentals are also explored, highlighting its instructional value for guitarists. The video concludes by advocating for greater appreciation of the song and encourages viewers to explore more underrated tracks from the album.
Shortest straw is hugely underrated!! nice job!
Yes! Thank you!
Can say even more the shortened The Shortest Steaw live.
Witah that "additional" solo it would be cooler live
This is definitely one of my favorite Metallica tracks 🤘
eye of the beholder and dyers eve are my favourite songs from and justice for all
Good cover man, guitar tone sounded right on, pretty wild.
Hey, thanks!
….Harvester of sorrow arpeggio riff is for me much fun to play.
Interesting video thanks! You've done really well with the tone but - and I say this with no malice - your open E triplets on the verse need tightening up 😊. Look forward to seeing more of your videos!
No for sure it was my biggest struggle point on the track
That was very well played sir!
indeed one of my faves and underrated.
Us Metallica fans from the 80’s and early 90’s ( pre black album) loved the entire...AJFA album. I saw them live on that tour and believe me... NOBODY in the audience was bored. As a matter of fact, you were lucky to leave that show not battered, bruised or bleeding.
Metallica just wanted to make simple pop music to appeal to the dumbed down masses AND they struggled to play a lot of those AJFA tracks... because studio magic makes bands sound more talented than they really are.
when I was growing up, there was a local bully who would play this song on a boombox when he was coming to mess with you
Thats a fucking wild story.
Liked and subscribed!!! I love this song. One of my favs from …Ajfa. My fav album from Metallica
Its a fucking solid choice for sure
KILLER TONE MAN! well done!