10. August 2008 by Matt.

First of all, this:

Seriously? WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK? You barked at your child’s teacher, and are shocked that they called child services on you?! Did you fall out of the stupid-ass tree and hit every branch on the way down? These goddamn furries need to be stopped. It’s just like we said waaay back in one of the early WooJew episodes…furries are corrupting our children. Won’t somone please think of the children?  I hope yours kicks you in the junk and then emancipates himself. No child should have to go through “scheduled furry hour”.

Next up: Compuserve predicts the future!

Really, I don’t need to say anything more. As a computer enthusiast, this makes me giggle!

I’ve got a few music related things today as well:
My second favorite band, The Moxy, has been added to iTunes! You can now download the “Step Down” single in iTunes Plus format for just 99 cents! If you haven’t already, please do. This band is awesome and needs everyone’s support! Oh and visit their web site to purchase a limited edtion t-shirt. I already have mine and it’s awesome!

Earlier this week I stumbled on a new band, Charlotte Sometimes. I picked up her CD for 8 bucks, and it’s highly enjoyable. The lead single, “How I Could Just Kill A Man” is very catchy and will likely be stuck in your head for weeks. The rest of the album is in the same vein, with catchy lyrics and upbeat light rock. Check her out:

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22. July 2008 by Matt.

One of my favorite new bands, The Moxy, has finally unleashed their own website, www.themoxysound.com. They have their brand new video, “Step Down” on there, and you can also buy an mp3 of the song and the very first limited edition Moxy t-shirt! You can also visit their myspace, www.myspace.com/themoxysound, to hear clips from two other songs. I love these guys and can’t wait to see them become as big as they deserve to be!
If you haven’t already, definately check them out.

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13. July 2008 by Matt.

This past weekend can only be described as a “lost weekend” for me, for reasons I won’t go into here. One of the few things that sticks out is that I received a copy of 2002’s WWE Anthology CD set from England. I had a U.S. copy but one of the discs is missing and I decided to replace it. It is long out of print in the U.S., so the cheapest way to get it was to order from Europe.
Whilst importing this album into my computer, I decided to go find all my old WWF/E CDs and give them another listening to. Here’s what I thought…

The Wrestling Album (1985)

This was the very first WWF album. Instead of entrance themes, this album is mainly a jokey recording featuring various superstars singing. Yes, Roddy Piper and Nikolai Volkoff “sing”! The only saving grace to this album is the inclusion of Derringer’s “Real American”, which long time wrestling fans will recognize as Hulk Hogan’s theme song. I wouldn’t purchase this album again, but download it if you are curious.
My rating: D

WWF: Full Metal The Album (1995)

Ten years later WWF released the first entrance theme album, entitled “Full Metal”. Despite the title this CD is recognized as WWF The Music Volume 1, and it’s worthy of that distinction. The album opens with two tracks performed by members of Anthrax and Type-O Negative. These two songs actually became merged together later on and were the main theme song for WWF RAW is WAR from 1996 until 2002. It’s interesting to hear them as they were originally presented.
Entrance theme wise we have Diesel, Goldust, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart and The Undertaker among others. My favorite tracks include Bret Hart’s theme, Shawn Michaels theme and Hakushi’s theme. Anyone remember that guy? This CD is not something I’d recommend to non-wrestling fans, but anyone who was a fan back in the 90’s will enjoy this bit of nostalgia.
My rating: C

WWF: The Music, Volume 2 (1997)

WWF Volume 2 features WWF composer Jim Johnston experimenting with remixes for the first time. The album opens up with a slow, orchestral rendition of the Undertaker’s theme song. This is one of my favorite WWF tracks. We also get early versions of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme and Mankind’s original theme song. Also featured are one of The Rock’s very first themes, The Nation of Domination’s theme, Sunny’s theme and an odd remix of Shawn Michaels’ theme, “Sexy Boy”, that appears to have been sung by a drunk cowboy.
My rating: B-
WWF: The Music, Volume 3 (1998)

This was the first time that a theme music CD went mainstream. I remember picking this up at Target for crying out loud! This one is a straight theme music CD, no remixes or wrestlers singing. This one is essential for anyone who was a fan of wrestling during the Attitude era. In this album Jim Johnston begins to compose actual 3 mintue songs instead of 1 minute loops only meant for use on TV.
As with Volume 2, this one opens with a theme song for The Undertaker, but immediatly you’ll realize that is is a different Undertaker than was represented on Volume 2. This is how theme music is supposed to be, representative of the personality of the character. Taker’s theme is a rousing guitar driven affair with gothic bells and synths. We also get Edge’s first theme, Kane’s theme and perenial favorite The Brood’s theme, which to this day if one of my favorites. Rounding out the album are D-Generation X’s full theme song and Stone Cold’s 2nd theme, which is the faster one that he still uses to this day.
My rating: A
WWF: The Music Vol, 4 (1999)

Volume 4 brought us newer rendtions of songs from Edge, The Undertaker and The Rock, as well as themes for newer wrestlers Chris Jericho and the Big Show. The main reason for owning this album is the inclusion of Triple H’s solo theme, “My Time”. This was the song he used during his initial main event push and is well worth the price of admission. All around more polished than Volume 3, this is a worthy followup, and essential for any Attitude era fan.
My rating: A

WWF: The Music Vol, 5 (2001)

Volume 5 was a long time coming in it’s day. Unfortuatly it was a bit of a let down. While the album did include Triple H’s new (and still current) theme song “The Game”, the rest of the tracks were ultimatly a let down. It’s as if Jim Johnston took a vacation on this one. The final track on this one is The Rock singing about Pie. WTF? No. Just no.
My rating: C

WWF Forceable Entry (2002)

A return to form for Jim Johnston, this album features popular rock bands performing superstars theme songs, a trend which continues today. While some of the songs aren’t as memorable as their original counterparts, others shine. Drowning Pool’s “The Game” is great, as is Our Lady Peace’s “Whatever”. For me, the stand out track is Disturbed’s take on Stone Cold’s theme. I didn’t think anyone could put words to “Glass Shatters” but by the grace of God they did, and did it well. I wish Austin would have used this theme for longer than he did. We also have RVD’s long running theme song, Union Underground’s RAW theme song that was used from 2002 until 2006, and Boy Hits Car’s rendition of Lita’s theme, which she used until she retired in 2007. Some songs on this album are still used today including Matt Hardy’s “Live For The Moment” and Kane’s “Slow Chemical”. I highly recommend this album to wrestling fans and to fans of hard rock. Probably my favorite WWF album!
My rating: A

WWE Anthology (2002)

The first WWE named album is a three disc deluxe set featuring songs from the 80’s, 90’s and today. Disc one is the Federation era and contains many classic WWE themes including themes for Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior, Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Mankind and more. They crammed 33 songs on this disc, since most of them are only 2 minutes long. Again, the early theme songs were really only meant to play in arenas for 1 minute or so, so this is ok. Disc two is amazing. This is the Attitude era disc and features all of the big theme songs from 1997 to 2001. While many of these songs also appeared on previous WWF CDs, some presented here are remixes or alternate versions which makes them different enough. Disc 3 is the “Now” era, which features then current theme songs for The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Christian and others. My favorite on this disc is “Game” which is actually a tranistional theme Triple H used between “My Time” and “The Game” by Motorhead. Elements are both songs are apparent. The main reason to own this 3 disc set is the inclusion of the Corporate Ministry’s first theme song. Holy shit this song rocks. Sadly, the more popular second version did not make it on the CD, although a CD quality rip was included on early promo copies. One thing I should note, DO NOT BUY THE AMERICAN VERSION. Disc 2 was misprinted and each track starts 2 seconds into the songs, cutting off the intros. The U.S. version also came in a very thin cardboard sleeve thing, but the European version comes in a full size triple digipak and has no issues on disc 2.
My rating: A+

Themeaddict: WWE The Music Vol.6 (2004)

Volume 6 brought back Motorhead for the highly anticipated “Evolution” theme song. Many newer superstars were featured on this album including JBL, Christian, Carlito and Chavo Guererro. Volume 6 was also a first for two things. This was the first WWE CD released through the Columbia Records label, and the first to include a DVD, with videos for each song.
My rating: B+

WWE Wreckless Intent (2006)

WI is one of my favorite WWE CDs. This album features Randy Orton’s “Burn In My Light” theme song, along with new tunes for Batista and Triple H. Other stand outs are CM Punk’s theme song, “This Fire Burns” by Killswitch Engage and Sikk The Shocker’s “I’m Comin’” MVP’s theme. A majority of the songs on this CD are still used every week on WWE programming.
My rating: A+

WWE The Music Vol. 7 (2007)

Volume 7 was released to iTunes only, and is still only available for download. This album contains 21 tracks, all of which are Jim Johnston creations…no big name bands here. The first handful of tracks are great, but the quality slips during the middle portion. The last few tracks are decent as well. Standouts include Cryme Tyme’s theme, Elijah Burke’s theme and Gregory Helms theme. While I’d have prefered for this to be released on a CD, I don’t mind this method of distributing WWE themes, if it means getting some lesser popular wrestler’s themes who normally would not have made it to CD.
My rating: C+

WWE RAW: The Greatest Hits (2008)

Taken as a GH compilation, WWE RAW, is a fantastic addition to the WWE library. The only trouble is, each and every song, save for two, have already been released elsewhere. Still, if you just want to pick up one CD to fullfill your WWE music needs, this one will do it. Covering everyone from John Cena and Triple H to the Rock, Stone Cold and Undertaker, this CD has all of the big names of the last 15 years. You’ll be hard pressed to find a song you won’t like on here.
My rating: (As a Greatest Hits) A
WWE The Music, Vol 8 (2008)
*reprinted from an earlier blog post*

WWE The Music Volume 8 represents the WWE trying to reclaim lossess after the Christmas release of RAW: The Music, which contained only two new songs, the rest were previously released. Taken as a “best of” it wasn’t a bad CD, but the type of people who would buy this sort of CD already owned all the original releases.
Despite how shitty the WWE product is at the moment, Jim Johnston, the WWE composer still makes the most of what he’s given and produces pretty decent music. I’ve always been a fan of WWE music so it should come as no surprise that I have been awaiting this one.
The CD definetley feels rushed, especially compared to some of the previous, and much better, albumsincluding Forceable Entry and Wreckless Intent. That said, there are still a few tracks that I enjoy, including “No More Words” by EndeverafteR, which is Jeff Hardy’s new theme song. It sounds crappy as an arena entrance tune, but it’s a good song on the CD. Theory of a Deadman have re-recorded Vince McMahon’s well known theme, “No Chance In Hell”. It’s pretty good. Not as good as the original, but Theory always puts out solid material for WWE and this song continues that. Saliva also puts out another track for the WWE, “Don’t Question My Heart” the new ECW theme. It’s ok. I like Saliva, but this one is a let down. Saliva generally puts out catchy, melodic hard rock, but this one’s just not catchy….or melodic. It’s very generic sounding.
John Morrison’s new theme song isn’t bad. I like how it’s a throw back to 60’s/70’s rock, much like his gimmick, so the song works for him. It could use some stronger vocals though. Shelton Benjamin’s theme is re-recorded, but I’m not sure why. This new one isn’t that good…it’s just a slower, plodding affair. Mr. Kennedy’s theme has been redone again, despite being one of the two new songs on the last release. It’s awful. Airborne does it, and it just sucks. The original is much, much better. Chris Jericho gets yet another remix…and it’s decent. A bit slow, but it’s a welcome departure from his early 2000’s themes. Aiden performs Ashley’s new theme song for the Wal-Mart version, although the song isn’t near the standards of thier own albums. Santino Marella’s theme is also a bonus track, and it’s surprisngly good.
So, if you’re a WWE fan, it’s worth checking out, but anyone else will do best to avoid this one.
My rating: B

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15. June 2008 by Matt.

This is a collection of B-sides and rare recordings from the early days of Weezer. Think of it as Weezer Album 2.5. It’s a great record, and if you’re new to Weezer this is the perfect place to get you started!
This file is being freely distributed on the Weezer forums and I thought I’d share it here. It’s really quite spectacular. You really need to listen to the tracks in order to get the full effect. The guy who put this together added alot of cool transitions and other hidden goodies!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/pkf4uy

1. You Gave Your Love To Me Softly
2. Waiting On You
3. I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams/Mrs. Young
4. Susanne
5. You Won’t Get With Me Tonight
6. Devotion
7. Velouria
8. Jamie
9. Longtime Sunshine
10. Mykel & Carli
11. Jamie (Acoustic) [Hidden Track]

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9. June 2008 by Matt.

I’ve really been on a Weezer kick since the Red Album hoopla started a few weeks back. I’ve picked up a handful of Weezer discs in the last week including:

Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo

This is a neat little gem. It’s all demos and home recordings that Rivers did from 1992-2007.  Some of my favorites include the slower demo for Buddy Holly, the various “Songs From The Black Hole” demos, 1997’s Crazy One and 2004’s I Was Made For You. For a demo disc, most of these songs are surprisingly fleshed out. Along with the very detailed booklet, these songs give you a nice journey through Rivers’ musical life, and Weezer’s history.

The Good Life Austraillian EP

Apparently this one is a holy grail of Weezer singles for the hardcore fans. Kinda like any of the GLS HIM singles. I dunno, I found it on half.com for 12 bucks. Anyways this bad boy features 2 b-sides from the Pinkerton era, both of which were originally demos for “Songs From The Black Hole”. One, “I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams” is the first Weezer song to be sung by someone other than Rivers. Rachel Haden from the Rentals handles the vocal duties. I love this song so much! Also included are two live acoustic songs, The Good Life and Pink Triangle, both from a performance Weezer did at a school cafeteria as part of a contest. Fantastic versions of both of these songs!

I also ordered Hash Pipe and Island In The Sun singles for a few bucks each off half.com. They both feature 3 b-sides! I also just ordered a UK copy of the Red album, that features 2 new bonus tracks. Woot!

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4. June 2008 by Steven.

So we created cover art for Woojew The Music Volume 1 last night and I have to say I’m rather impressed. It took some time but I think it is creative and fun and really tells a lot about the show, ourselves and the project. We will be releasing after the Keg party on Friday. I will put up a copy of it on here and we will start creating some ads as well in case you want any of your friends to check out a copy.

Remember you can get your copy either at the party on Friday or by contacting Matt at matt@woojew.com. No cost to you, we will ship it directly to you, hell, we’ll even autograph it if you want.

One day it’ll be worth something, just you watch.

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1. June 2008 by Matt.

On Tuesday, Weezer releases their sixth album (and third self-titled). I’ve been able to hear the entire album for a few days now and I have to say, I’m more excited about this CD than I was the first time I heard The Blue Album. Do I feel that Red is better than Blue? Let’s find out…

When I first saw the cover I thought, “Oh hell.” Rivers Cuomo looking like a cowboy? Brian Bell looking like a chic homeless man? What are they trying to do? Then I heard the title of the first single, “Pork and Beans”. Shit, another Maladroit, I thought. For those who do not know, Maladroit was Weezer’s 2002 album. I thought, and still think, it sucks. I recently decided to listen to the album again from start to finish and I still can’t get into it. Hardcore Weezer fans love it though. Guess I’m “too mainstream”.
Then I finally heard “PnB”. Wow. My first reaction. This is the same sort of Weezer that performed 2005’s Make Believe and 2001’s Green Album.  The lyrics are unbelieveably catchy, which isn’t much of a stretch for Rivers, and the music is tight and crunchy. Yeah, poor choice of words, but when you hear the song you’ll agree. Rivers is nearing age 40, and his lyrics, as well as music have matured with him. He pokes fun at this fact in the lyrics to “PnB”. “They say I need some rogaine to put in my hair. Working out at the gym to fit my underwear. You’d hate for the kids to think you lost your cool.”  Rivers still manages to come across as that youthful, nerdy rocker that has been his trademark since 1994’s Blue Album, yet he’s grown. It’s a wonderful juxtoposition, and gives me hope that when I near 40 I’ll still be as “cool”, or not, as I am now in my 20’s.
“Pork and Beans” is a wonderful first single and I’m not alone in thinking this. As of now the track sits at the top of the Modern Rock charts. But what about the rest of the songs? Here are some of my favorites:
1. Troublemaker. A thunderous, rocking opener. Musically very similar to the guitar driven Green Album, lyrically much closer to 1996’s Pinkerton. Up till this point, Pinkerton has represented Weezer at their most mature lyrically. After the lack of commercial success of the album, Rivers scaled back on subsequent releases, but has slowly been returning to form. With the very first track of Red, he has done just that. I suspect that Troublemaker will become an anthem for rebellious high schoolers this summer, or this fall.
2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn).  TGMTEL is strange, catchy, and progressive all at once. Opening with a random cheering crowd which turns into the sounds of blaring sirens you can’t help but be at least somewhat intrigued. Soon Rivers oddly country/rap sounding lyrics come in full force. It sounds very different, but very Weezer all the same. “I’m the baddest of the bad. I’m the best that you’ve ever had.”  This soon gives way to a short acoustic segment followed by a military march styled background with a choir singing, “After the havoc that I’m gonna reak, no more words will critics have to speak. “  Rivers then proclaims himself to be the greatest man that ever lived. Tongue in cheek much?
4. Heartsongs. This one is a ballad in which Rivers recalls the songs that have inspired him. It’s really a touching homage to past and present artists. Anyone who listened to music in the 1980’s and 90’s will feel a bit nostalgic along with Rivers. My favorite part is the buildup bridge in which Rivers recalls the first time he heard a copy of Nirvana’s Nevermind. This buildup continues into a rousing final verse that culminates with Weezer playing their own shows and their own “heartsongs”. A lot of Weezer fans do not like this song, but I think it’s a lovely addition to Red.
6. Dreamin’. Dreamin’ is the closest track here to a Blue Album song. In fact, if this song turned out to be something that was originally written for Blue, I would not be surprised. The slow breakdown duet between Brian Bell and Rivers is something new for a Weezer song, and very much welcomed. Dreamin’ reminds me a bit of some of the classic Lennon-McCartney partnerships.
7. Thought I Knew. TIK is Brian Bell’s song. This is the first time on a Weezer album proper that someone other than Rivers has sung a track. Bell is more than up to the task. This one has a very upbeat, techno feel and serves as a bridge between the primary Rivers’ tracks and those sung by the other memebers of Weezer that fill up the second half of the album.
8. Cold Dark World is Scott Shriner’s first track on the album. Co-written by Shriner and Rivers, this is a slower brooding track. There is a definite anger streak throughout the song. Reminds me of alot of the Finnish stuff I listen to. I don’t think I could see Rivers singing it. Shriner is suprisingly good on the mic, I wouldn’t mind future songs with him taking on the lead vocals.
Bonus Tracks:
11. Miss Sweeney. Pinkerton 2008. That’s the best way to describe this one. The verses are Rivers talking to Miss Sweeney in an office setting, giving her directions and such. The choruses are where Rivers breaks down and confesses his love for Miss Sweeney. After the first chorus he initially renegs, but by the second one he goes into full force just gushing the love he feels for this woman. Fantastic track that should have been on the album proper.
12. Pig. Pig is a sad ballad about a pig. Yes, a real pig. “This song details the life of a pig including playing in the mud as a piglet, falling in love, getting married, raising children and eventually being slaughtered.” It’s very touching, actually.
14. King. This is Scott Shriner’s second solo track and a kick ass one at that. The song starts out acoustically with Shriner warning and outsider at his “disco” that he is king in this town. The outsider is drunk and hitting on women. Shriner is basically protecting his kool-aid. The song revolves around Shriner letting this guy know that he is in charge around here and that if he wants to be left alone then he needs to back off. The song reaches a melodic crecsendo where the full band’s instruments kick in,
“You see I own this town
you best not come around
if you wanna get by then cool it down
if you wanna start something
know one thing: i’m king.”
King is definatly a different kind of Weezer than we’re used to, but it’s good. Shriner needs to write and sing more!

So, what do I think about The Red Album? It’s King. I would easily rank it up with Blue and Pinkerton. It has a few tracks that I’m just not entirely into, although they may grow on me.  Red is definetly off to a better start with me than Maladroit or even Make Believe. Don’t get me wrong, I like MB, but the last half of that album doesn’t do it for me. Red is an album that I can listen to from start to finish. I highly recommend it to anyone reading this. It’s that good. Get the Deluxe edition with the 4 bonus tracks if you can, because those are some of the highlights of this strange, delicious trip.  My overall rating? A-

My Weezer album rankings:
1. The Blue Album A
2. Pinkerton A
3. The Red Album A-
4. The Green Album B
5. Make Believe B-
6. Maladroit D

Want to get ahold of the standard album for cheap? Circuit City has it for $5.99 this week (in stores and online)! 6 bucks for an amazing album, you can’t pass that up! http://entertainment.circuitcity.com/Music/Album.aspx?prodid=GEFB001113502.2&store=Movies&si=ccity-prod&channel=b2c&partner=cc&catOid=-13219

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31. May 2008 by Matt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Matthew Schlein
WooJew Entertainment
matt@woojew.com
http://www.woojew.com

“WooJew The Music: Volume 1″ to be Released Friday, June 6th, 2008.

Ft. Worth, Texas, 5/31/08 - WooJew The Music: Volume 1 will be officially released on Friday, June 6th, 2008. WooJew TMV1 is a compilation album featuring songs and artists that have been previously featured on the WooJew Podcast.

This album will be available free of charge. It will initially be given out at “Steven’s Graduation Kegger” on the evening of June 6th, 2008. Those not in attendance may request a copy, free of charge, by e-mailing their name and address to matt@woojew.com. Please include “WooJew The Music” in the subject line.

Highlights of the album include newly remastered tracks from Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden. Also included are hard to find b-sides from Weezer and Nightwish, along with a new version of Apocalyptica’s “I’m Not Jesus”, featuring guest vocals from Corey Taylor.

Matt Schlein oversaw the creation of this album for WooJew to ensure the highest audio quality. The masters of each track were personally chosen by Schlein for the most superior audio quality and fidelity possible. WooJew The Music: Volume 1 will be pressed on Lightscribe printable CD-Rs, allowing the track listing to be professionally printed right on the disc.

Track list:
1. Metallica - Devil’s Dance
2. Alkaline Trio - Queen Of Pain
3. Michael Andrews and Gary Jules - Mad World
4. Theory Of A Deadman - No Surprise
5. The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2006 Version, from the album Love)
6. Eminem (featuring Dido) - Stan
7. The Juliana Theory - We’re Nothing Without You
8. Riddlin’ Kids - Stop The World
9. Weezer - You Gave Your Love To Me Softly
10. Megan McCauley - I’ll Pay You To Shoot Him
11. Apocalyptica (featuring Corey Taylor) - I’m Not Jesus (Single/American album mix)
12. Alice Cooper - Steven (2003 Remaster)
13. Jay-Z and Linkin Park - Points Of Authority, 99 Problems, One Step Closer
14. Cross Canadian Ragweed - Dimebag
15. Nightwish - Escapist
16. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast (2008 Remaster)
17. HIM - The Kiss Of Dawn

WooJew The Music: Volume 1 is not being made for profit. This album is intended to serve as a promotional tool for the artists featured. WooJew Entertainment firmly believes that artists should be compensated for their work and insists that recipients purchase the works of the featured artists if they enjoy the material presented.

ABOUT WooJew Entertainment- WooJew Entertainment was formed in 2007 by Steven Kirby and Matthew Schlein. It is dedicated to entertaining the massess through various forms of media including audio, video and text.
- END -

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30. May 2008 by Matt.

Who are these people, and what have they done with Metallica?

The band has a long, storied history of clashing with fans online, but along with its label, it hopes to make amends with a new website called Mission: Metallica, offering fans a chance to “experience the new album before it’s done” that will offer its upcoming album in the unprotected MP3 format — no digital rights management attached.

When the two-years-in-the-making album is finally ready to be released, members of the site will be able to download it in the DRM-free MP3 format (320 Kbps) — quite a big step for the band that sued the original Napster. The album will also be available in vinyl and CD formats, each of which will also come with release-day digital download versions.

But the album’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to the band, which plans to use the site to open up to its fans, somewhat in the style of Some Kind of Monster.

“Mission: Metallica is your inside look at the past two years of riffing, writing and recording,” reads a note on the site, which was created by the band’s label, Warner Music Group. “[It’s] proof that we’ve actually been doing shit most of this time! We’re gonna open the floodgates and share with you photos, videos, riffs and a lot more.”

Metallica has been watching what Radiohead and Trent Reznor have been up to, and it would appear that this is its attempt to provide a similar experience designed to bring fans and the band closer together. However, unlike those bands, Metallica won’t offer its album for free.

This represents a big move for Metallica and its major label overlord away from DRM and towards unprotected music. And since it requires the creation of a profile, the site will also likely become a sort of social network for Metallica fans as the album is released and the band goes on tour in support of it.

That said, the band and its label still have one foot in the old music industry. Mission: Metallica offers fans certain things for free (mostly in the form of video footage and teasers for the album), but the decision not to offer a free version of the album looks major label-ish when compared to Radiohead’s and Nine Inch Nails’ full album giveaways.

Fans have several options when signing up for Mission: Metallica, from free all the way up to $125.

Free membership

Fly-on-the-wall footage of the album being written and recorded
Pre-release excerpts from the upcoming album
A chance to pre-order the album and download it immediately upon its release
Photos and other material from Lars Ulrich’s vault of historical Metallica items, including rare and live tracks
Entry into a contest to win free passes to every show
Metallica events (when the band goes on vacation in Europe this summer, fans will be able to virtually tag along)
Digital Album

$12 pre-order
320 Kbps MP3 delivered on the release date
CD Album

$20 pre-order
Includes CD plus MP3 download delivered on the release date
Platinum membership

Price varies: Platinum membership costs $25 with the MP3 version of the album, $33 with the CD+MP3 version or $125 for the CD, the MP3s, a vinyl box set with five 180-gram LPs and a Mission: Metallica lithograph.
Digital, CD or vinyl copy of the album when it comes out — in all cases, you get the whole album in the unprotected MP3 format (320 Kbps) on the release date.
Live show downloads
Extended video footage, photos and ringtones of new riffs
Entry into a contest for festival show tickets, including air, hotel, and band meet-and-greet
$10 discount on band merchandise

In May of 2000, when Lars Ulrich personally delivered a 60,000-page printout of the Napster users who were sharing Metallica songs, he probably never suspected that the online backlash against his band would still be running at full steam eight years later.

Sometimes, hindsight is everything.

The band’s unveiling of a fan-outreach program called Mission: Metallica, including DRM-free downloads and access to unreleased material, reflects a new understanding on their part about how the internet works: Give people what they want or they’ll get it from somewhere else.

But when we first posted about Metallica’s plans for some sort of Radiohead-style release, the response was overwhelmingly negative. Of the 75 comments at this writing, not all are negative (even though the worst of the negatives are unprintable. Except they’ve already been printed. Look them up).

“Wow, you’re looking into using the Internet,” wrote Lewis Salem. “Good for you, Lars. We have been looking into using it for 14 years. When you got up and demonized Shawn Fanning, you made a complete ass of yourself. How pompous.”

A user called Kanye West took the matter into the realm of parody: “Metallica hates black people.”

When the band announced that its plan did not include giving the album away for free, as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have done, fans became even more hostile.

“Too little, too late. I don’t even listen to metal, but I’m going to download this album illegally out of spite. Metallica sucks,” wrote Ched.

Danijel followed that up with “Stay off of the internet, Napster-killing pieces of shit hypocrites.”

P.W. explained his decision to stop following the band as part of his embrace of MP3s, despite the fact that Metallica is selling its next album in the format: “Up yours, Metallica. (I) don’t buy your crap anymore and don’t listen to your stuff after the late ’90s. You wanted me to pick between MP3s and Metallica? I did. You lost.”

Contrast this with the love fans have shown for Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, the two bands Lars Ulrich said Metallica had been keeping an eye on while devising its own strategy.

About Radiohead’s In Rainbows, commenter Bennet wrote, “I’m glad I could shell out 40 pounds for the discbox, the album is great and the bonus disc should be great,” while Falha explained that any version of an afterlife would be acceptable, so long as they play Radiohead: “I don’t know if there’s a heaven or a hell. I just hope that wherever I go, I can listen to Radiohead. Thank you so much!”

Nine Inch Nails received similar praise and gratitude from Listening Post readers for Ghosts I-IV. “Finally a music release system that I can get into. Pay the artist not the corporation,” wrote Beriale. “Thank you NIN.” Julie said she downloaded the album via torrent for free but decided to pay for it anyway: “First, I went to their site and downloaded the amazing GhostI. Then, after listening to it all night long, I went back and paid 5 bucks for the complete download, I loved it so much. How’s that for marketing? Thank you NIN for nailing this down! Will music start our next revolution?”

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23. May 2008 by Matt.

This is the new Weezer video, “Pork and Beans” from the upcoming “Red Album”, out in June. This has got to be one of the most meta videos I have ever seen! It’s alot like that recent episode of South Park that featured internet stars. But this one actually has the real people from the Youtube videos. It’s nuts!

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