Take a photo of a barcode or cover
beaconatnight 's review for:
Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece
by Dave Mustaine
When it comes to art, I most respect dedication and passion. The troubled production of Megadeth's Rust in Peace album shows that they are not needed for greatness. The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece is less the story of writing songs than it is about getting clean.
To be honest, I was surprised just by how much the story was about drugs. Sure, it's nonfiction about a popular heavy metal act, so you should expect your fair share of sex, drugs & rock'n'roll. Actually, the entire first half of the book was on various drugs and alcohol related failures and how Dave and "Junior" got into the habit of complementing their regular cocaine use with snorting heroin.
It's amazing to think that this turned out to be a success story. Chuck Behler and Jeff Young, who played on So Far, So Good... So What!, had to be replaced and it took a very long time to fill the guitar position. As the book makes clear, in some respects Marty Friedman wasn't the perfect fit for the band, but he sure know how to play. But it was a long way until then. For a long time it feels the guys were content with carefree jamming (noticably with Slash from Guns n’ Roses). It was only when their record company threatened them to be dropped that they got their shit together. Well, it took many more returns to rehab until Dave took it seriously on a personal level.
The actual recording session is even more puzzling. The songs certainly weren't the result of continuous hard work. Did they come out of nowhere in a spontaneous outburst of creativity? Before entering the studio Ellefson wondered whether he could even play soberly. Mustaine had a relapse and left again early on. In fact, he was in rehab for most of the recording. Yet, what came out at the end was easily their best album (even though I shamefully admit that I love Youthanasia).
I find it quite interesting how they themselves interpret their history. To their minds the album was conceived in their darkest moments and recorded when they sorted things out. Frankly,, that's not really how they told the story. Actually, the disputes over who wrote the songs and who deserves what (not the least financially) were particularly noteworthy. It must require quite the ego to claim it's your album when you had hardly been in the studio. Similarly, I thought it was kind of funny that the book is published with Mustaine as its writer when clearly – and explicitly – the story is told by many different voices.
It's not a very exciting story and it might even leave you somewhat disillusioned about the creation of powerful art, but it certainly feels like a very honest account of what happened at the time. It moreover offers great insights into the big-money show biz before grunge fully took over. The portrayal of the different characters involved is perhaps the strongest aspect of the book. However, as a fan of the music I hoped to learn a bit more about how it came to be. But maybe that's the point – it somehow came to be when the originators had been preoccupied with their own personal demons.
Rating: 3/5
To be honest, I was surprised just by how much the story was about drugs. Sure, it's nonfiction about a popular heavy metal act, so you should expect your fair share of sex, drugs & rock'n'roll. Actually, the entire first half of the book was on various drugs and alcohol related failures and how Dave and "Junior" got into the habit of complementing their regular cocaine use with snorting heroin.
It's amazing to think that this turned out to be a success story. Chuck Behler and Jeff Young, who played on So Far, So Good... So What!, had to be replaced and it took a very long time to fill the guitar position. As the book makes clear, in some respects Marty Friedman wasn't the perfect fit for the band, but he sure know how to play. But it was a long way until then. For a long time it feels the guys were content with carefree jamming (noticably with Slash from Guns n’ Roses). It was only when their record company threatened them to be dropped that they got their shit together. Well, it took many more returns to rehab until Dave took it seriously on a personal level.
The actual recording session is even more puzzling. The songs certainly weren't the result of continuous hard work. Did they come out of nowhere in a spontaneous outburst of creativity? Before entering the studio Ellefson wondered whether he could even play soberly. Mustaine had a relapse and left again early on. In fact, he was in rehab for most of the recording. Yet, what came out at the end was easily their best album (even though I shamefully admit that I love Youthanasia).
I find it quite interesting how they themselves interpret their history. To their minds the album was conceived in their darkest moments and recorded when they sorted things out. Frankly,, that's not really how they told the story. Actually, the disputes over who wrote the songs and who deserves what (not the least financially) were particularly noteworthy. It must require quite the ego to claim it's your album when you had hardly been in the studio. Similarly, I thought it was kind of funny that the book is published with Mustaine as its writer when clearly – and explicitly – the story is told by many different voices.
It's not a very exciting story and it might even leave you somewhat disillusioned about the creation of powerful art, but it certainly feels like a very honest account of what happened at the time. It moreover offers great insights into the big-money show biz before grunge fully took over. The portrayal of the different characters involved is perhaps the strongest aspect of the book. However, as a fan of the music I hoped to learn a bit more about how it came to be. But maybe that's the point – it somehow came to be when the originators had been preoccupied with their own personal demons.
Rating: 3/5