Ride the Lightning 18758 225363629 2008-07-13T08:30:13Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{for|the album by Marshmallow Coast|Ride the Lightning (Marshmallow Coast album)}} {{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums --> | Name = Ride the Lightning | Type = studio | Artist = [[Metallica]] | Cover = Ridethelightning.jpg | Released = [[July 27]], [[1984]]<ref>[http://www.metallica.com/timeline.asp?page=events&n_categoryid=808&year=1984 Metallica.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> | Recorded = September 1983 - June 1984 at Sweet Silence Studios in [[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]] | Genre = [[Thrash metal]], [[speed metal]] | Length = 47:24 | Label = [[Megaforce Records|Megaforce]], [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] | | Producer = Metallica, [[Flemming Rasmussen]] | Reviews = *[[Allmusic]] {{rating-5|4.5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2hdsa93gb23h link] *''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' {{rating-5|5}}{{Fact|date=July 2008}} *''[[Kerrang!]]'' {{rating-5|5}} | Last album = ''[[Kill 'Em All]]''<br />(1983) | This album = '''''Ride the Lightning'''''<br />(1984) | Next album = ''[[Master of Puppets]]''<br />(1986) }} '''''Ride the Lightning''''' is the second album by [[United States|American]] [[thrash metal]] band [[Metallica]], released on July 27, 1984 by [[Megaforce Records]] and re-released by [[Elektra Records]] on November 19, 1984.<ref>[http://www.metallica.com/timeline.asp?page=events&n_categoryid=808&year=1984 Metallica.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone. ==Reception and influence== ''Ride the Lightning'' is often hailed by fans as a classic of the [[thrash metal]] genre,<ref>[http://www.epinions.com/musc_mu-125330 Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Ride The Lightning by Metallica at Epinions.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and a vital bridge between the band's albums ''[[Kill 'Em All]]'' and ''[[Master of Puppets]]'', pushing the thrash metal of the debut into progressive territory more fully-realized on ''Master of Puppets'' and ''[[...And Justice for All (album)|...And Justice for All]]''. ''Ride the Lightning'' retains the speed of ''Kill 'Em All'' on songs like "Trapped Under Ice" and "Fight Fire with Fire", but also contains the first of Metallica's longer, more symphonically arranged tracks, such as "[[Fade to Black (song)|Fade to Black]]" and the nearly 9-minute closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu". ''Ride the Lightning'' was listed at #3 on a list compiled by metal-rules.com of the [http://metal-rules.com/polls/index.php?id=6 Top 100 Metal Albums of All Time] and #5 by IGN Music on the [http://music.ign.com/articles/755/755929p6.html Top 25 Metal Albums]. [[Q (magazine)|Q]] (Summer/01, p.127) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Reaffirms their status as the pre-eminent metal band of the modern era....They broke with the conventions of thrash metal to record the genre's first power ballad in 'Fade to Black'". [[Kerrang!]] (p.50) - "[The album included] melody, maturity and musical intelligence. It was these traits which helped them broaden metal's scope." "[[Creeping Death]]" was covered by [[Wales|Welsh]] [[metalcore]] band [[Bullet for My Valentine]] on [[Kerrang!]]'s 25th Anniversary Higher Voltage complication disk, and by [[alternative metal]] band [[Drowning Pool]] at [[Ozzfest]] 2002. "Escape" was covered by [[death metal]] band [[Gojira (band)|Gojira]] on their 2005 album ''[[From Mars to Sirius]]''. ==Track listing== {{tracklist | writing_credits = yes | title1 = Fight Fire with Fire | writer1 = [[James Hetfield]], [[Lars Ulrich]], [[Cliff Burton]] | length1 = 4:45 | title2 = Ride the Lightning | writer2 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, [[Dave Mustaine]] | length2 = 6:37 | title3 = [[For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica song)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]] | writer3 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton | length3 = 5:10 | title4 = [[Fade to Black (song)|Fade to Black]] | writer4 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, [[Kirk Hammett]] | length4 = 6:57 | title5 = Trapped Under Ice | writer5 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett | length5 = 4:04 | title6 = Escape | writer6 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett | length6 = 4:24 | title7 = [[Creeping Death]] | writer7 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett | length7 = 6:36 | title8 = The Call of Ktulu | writer8 = Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Mustaine | length8 = 8:54 }} "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call of Ktulu" were the last Metallica songs to feature Dave Mustaine in the credits. ==Personnel== *[[James Hetfield]] – [[rhythm guitar]], [[singer|lead vocals]], acoustic guitar on "Fade to Black" *[[Lars Ulrich]] – [[drum kit|drums]] *[[Cliff Burton]] – [[bass guitar]], [[backing vocals]] *[[Kirk Hammett]] – [[lead guitar]] ==Singles== *"[[Fade to Black (song)|Fade to Black]]" was released as a promo single in 1984. *"[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica song)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]" was released as a promo single with two versions of the song, an edited version on side A and the album version on side B. *"[[Creeping Death]]" was released as an [[Extended play|EP]], with the B-side also known as "[[Garage Days Revisited]]" (precursor to 1987's "[[The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited]]"): covers of "[[Am I Evil?]]" (originally by [[Diamond Head (band)|Diamond Head]]) and "Blitzkrieg" (originally by [[Blitzkrieg (band)|Blitzkrieg]]). ==Charting Positions== ===Album=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Chart !! Position |- | 1984 | The Billboard 200 | #100 |- | 1985 | UK Albums Chart | #87 |- |} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Metallica}} [[Category:Metallica albums]] [[Category:1984 albums]] [[Category:Elektra Records albums]] [[Category:Thrash metal albums]] [[bn:রাইড দ্য লাইটনিং]] [[bg:Ride the Lightning]] [[ca:Ride the Lightning]] [[cs:Ride the Lightning]] [[da:Ride the Lightning]] [[de:Ride The Lightning]] [[et:Ride the Lightning]] [[es:Ride the Lightning]] [[fr:Ride the Lightning]] [[hr:Ride the Lightning]] [[id:Ride the Lightning]] [[it:Ride the Lightning]] [[he:Ride the Lightning]] [[la:Ride the Lightning]] [[lt:Ride the Lightning]] [[hu:Ride the Lightning]] [[nl:Ride the Lightning]] [[ja:ライド・ザ・ライトニング]] [[no:Ride the Lightning]] [[pl:Ride the Lightning]] [[pt:Ride the Lightning]] [[ro:Ride the Lightning]] [[ru:Ride the Lightning]] [[simple:Ride the Lightning]] [[sk:Ride the Lightning]] [[fi:Ride the Lightning]] [[sv:Ride the Lightning]] [[tr:Ride the Lightning]] [[vls:Ride The Lightning]]