The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited

The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited
EP by Metallica
Released	August 21, 1987
Recorded	July 1987 at A&M Studios, Santa Monica, California; Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	25:05
Label	Elektra, Vertigo
Producer	Metallica
Metallica extended plays chronology
Master of Puppets (1986) The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited (1987) ...And Justice for All (1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]

The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited is an extended play by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 21, 1987 by Elektra Records. The extended play consisted entirely of covers of late-'70s and early-'80s new wave of British heavy metal bands and hardcore punk music rehearsed in Lars Ulrich's soundproofed garage and then recorded in Los Angeles over the course of six days. It was the group's first recording to feature its new bassist Jason Newsted, and also the band's first release following the death of second bassist Cliff Burton.

Recording

With Metallica scheduled to play the 1987 Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington, the band's UK label Vertigo Records suggested them to release an extended play for the situation. With songwriting attempts with new bassist Jason Newsted only resulting in a demo for "Blackened" and frontman James Hetfield breaking his arm skateboarding, Metallica resorted to recording covers, just like the European "Creeping Death" single led to two B-sides labeled "Garage Days Revisited". Newsted used his construction experience to install soundproofing on Lars Ulrich's garage in El Cerrito, California, where the band would rehearse. While rehearsing "White Lightning" by New wave of British heavy metal band Paralex, Kirk Hammett instead started playing "The Wait" by post-punk group Killing Joke, making Metallica choose that song. Other tracks considered but dropped included "Signal Thunder" by Japanese band Bow Wow, and another NWOBHM song, Gaskin's "I'm No Fool". The title had The $5.98 E.P. included in an effort to ensure that fans were not overcharged for it.^[3] The original cassette release included a sticker which read "If they try to charge more, STEAL IT!" The official United States CD release of the EP amended the title (and the price) to The $9.98 CD because the retail price of CDs was much higher than cassettes; other countries (such as Australia) still displayed The $5.98 E.P. with a sticker stating that this was the "title" and not the price. "The Wait" was omitted from the UK pressings in order to conform to local music-industry rules regarding the length of EPs.

Though The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited has been out of print since 1989 and is considered a collector's item, all five tracks were later included on the 1998 double-album Garage Inc., along with a number of other covers Metallica had recorded throughout its career as well as a collection of entirely new recordings.^[4] The cover of the CD also was used as a basis for the Garage Inc. back cover, which showed the original Garage Days cover with pictures of the member's faces, circa 1998, taped over the original faces, along with Garage Inc. covering the original album name.^[5]

The EP's sleevenotes are noteworthy as a nomination for the first use of the word "hella"; James Hetfield is quoted as saying that the studios "hella sucked".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original artist	Length
1.	"Helpless"	Sean Harris, Brian Tatler	Diamond Head	6:39
2.	"The Small Hours"	John Mortimer	Holocaust	6:43
3.	"The Wait"	Jaz Coleman, Geordie Walker, Martin Glover, Paul Ferguson	Killing Joke	4:55
4.	"Crash Course in Brain Surgery"	Burke Shelley, Tony Bourge, Ray Phillips	Budgie	3:10
5.	"Last Caress/Green Hell"	Glenn Danzig	Misfits	3:30
Total length:				25:05

Personnel

• James Hetfield — Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Kirk Hammett — Lead guitar
• Jason Newsted — Bass, backing vocals (credited as "Master J. Newkid")^[6]
• Lars Ulrich — Drums

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1987	Billboard 200	28
	UK Singles Chart	27

Certification

Country	Sales	Certification
United States	1,000,000	Platinum[7]

See also

• Garage Inc.
• A Garage Dayz Nite

References

1. Huey, Steve. "Metallica The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
2. Kot, Greg (December 1, 1991). "A Guide to Metallica's Recordings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
3. Garage Inc. liner notes. Retrieved 2011-05-31
4. No Rest for Metallica as It Prepares for Covers Album
5. 42. METALLICA Part Three – ‘Re–Re-Re-Re-Re Visiting Inc.’
6. The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited liner notes. Retrieved 2011-05-31
7. "Gold & Platinum - April 23, 2010". RIAA. 1990-07-23. Retrieved 2010-04-24.