Garage Days Re-Revisited

Covers of favorite songs recorded in a soundproofed garage after James Hetfield broke his arm.

$5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited stands as the first extended play by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 21, 1987, by Elektra Records. This release captures covers of late-'70s and early-'80s new wave of British heavy metal bands and punk rock music, all rehearsed in Lars Ulrich's soundproofed garage before being recorded in Los Angeles over a six-day span. It marks the group's first output following the death of bassist Cliff Burton and serves as the debut featuring his successor, Jason Newsted.

Quick Facts

Type

Extended Play

Key figures

James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
Kirk Hammett
Jason Newsted
Csaba Petocz

Primary medium

Cassette
Vinyl
CD

Lore & Background

With Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington approaching, UK label Vertigo Records urged the band to release new material. Initial songwriting with Jason Newsted yielded only a demo for "Blackened," but disaster struck when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield broke his arm skateboarding, halting guitar work for weeks. Facing these obstacles, Metallica chose to record covers of their favorite songs instead of pushing new originals. Newsted used his construction worker experience to soundproof Lars Ulrich's garage in El Cerrito, California, turning it into a rehearsal space. While rehearsing Paralex's "White Lightning," Kirk Hammett switched to Killing Joke's "The Wait," which the band then recorded. They also considered dropping tracks like Bow Wow's "Signal Fire" and Gaskin's "I'm No Fool." The Misfits' "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" were combined into one track despite originating five years apart on different albums. The EP ends with a wildly off-key segment of Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills," sparking speculation about mid-80s tensions between the British legends and American newcomers.

Reader's Guide

To understand this unique release, note the specific personnel: James Hetfield on rhythm guitar and vocals, Kirk Hammett on lead guitar, Jason Newsted on bass (credited as "Master J Newkid"), and Lars Ulrich on drums. Production was handled by Metallica themselves, described in liner notes as "not very produced," with engineer Csaba "The Hut" Petocz assisting Greg Dennen and Marnie Riley. Recording and mixing took place at A&M and Conway Studios. Original mastering was done by Ron Lewter at The Mastering Lab, while remastering for later releases was handled by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The original North American vinyl release arranged tracks 1 and 2 on Side A, with tracks 3, 4, and 5 on Side B.

Did You Know?

The EP title was set at $5.98 specifically to stop retailers from overcharging, with a cassette sticker warning fans to "STEAL IT!" if charged more.
UK pressings omitted "The Wait" to comply with local music-industry rules regarding EP length limits.