Garage Inc.

Garage Inc. is a cover/compilation album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on November 23, 1998 through Elektra Records. Over 2.5 million copies have been sold in the U.S. as certified by the RIAA. It includes cover songs, B-side covers, and the The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited, which had gone out of print since its original release in 1987. The title is a combination of Garage Days Revisited and their song "Damage, Inc." The album features songs by artists that have influenced Metallica, including many bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.

■ Penthouse (12/10/99, p. 122) - 4 Stars (out of 5) -"Gloriously hard as the album is, you can't miss Metallica's good natured side coming through."

■ Entertainment Weekly (12/18/98, p. 84) - "We'll have to wait until Metallica's next 'proper' album to find out if this trip to the garage recharges their batteries. Still, all things considered, Garage Inc. is an intermittently exhilarating joyride." - Rating: B

■ CMJ (12/21/98, p. 29) - "Those who still relate to the adolescent angst of the 'Metallicas' earliest days will find plenty to like on Garage Inc."

■ In 2005, the album was ranked number 500 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

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by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

For many years, Metallica's 1987 EP Garage Days Re-Revisited was the most sought-after item in their catalog; it was constantly bootlegged in the '90s, and often supplemented by a host of covers Metallica had released on singles and compilations throughout the years. By 1998, the band had understandably grown frustrated with this situation and decided to confront the problem head-on by reissuing all these rarities. Savvy businessmen that they are, they also realized they needed to give hardcore fans who already owned all the covers a reason to purchase the new set -- hence, the expansion of the Garage Days EP to the double-disc blowout Garage, Inc. The second disc's rarities are balanced by the first disc's new covers, the bulk of which were recorded following the Reload tour. It shouldn't come as a surprise that these covers recall the blooze 'n' boogie heavy rock of the Loads, but what is a surprise is that Metallica seems to have found their footing in this style through other people's songs. Whether it's Bob Seger, Blue Öyster Cult, Thin Lizzy, Nick Cave, or the all-star jam on Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone," the band effortlessly makes the songs seem like their own, through a bizarre mix of respect and ballsy irreverence. Sure, it may not be nearly as raw as early Metallica, but it is a better listen than either of the Load records. And if raw is what you want, the equally diverse disc two provides all the thrills you could hope for. At one time, it might have seemed a little odd that Metallica would cover Budgie, Diamond Head, the Misfits, and Queen, but if Garage, Inc. proves anything, it's that the group's musical instincts, risks, and sense of humor have made them the greatest metal band of the '80s and '90s.