Beatallica!

April 6, 2004 4:11 PM

Beatallica's sound is pretty simple: all Beatles cover songs, but done in the style of Metallica. Totally illegal, but available on many P2P networks for free download and via bittorrent. Blackened the USSR, indeed.
posted by mathowie (36 comments total)

Color me shocked. A double post from our gracious host.
posted by psmealey at 4:19 PM on April 6, 2004

Well, it was an old URL, and they've got a new album, so I'll leave it up.
posted by mathowie at 4:23 PM on April 6, 2004

Metallica ceased to be music I would consider listening to when the first RIAA noise was made and they were right there in the forefront bleating about their lost money.

I also smashed the two Metallica CD's I did have.

Wankers.
posted by fenriq at 4:25 PM on April 6, 2004

Hey dudes!

I'm Beatallica's webmaster. Yeah, the new tunes went up on April 1, and the traffic has been insane! See that little number below the logo on the introductory screen? That's how many visitors we've had since April 1.

On Day One, I served about 40 GB of mp3's, so I had to take them down. But you can still get the music via the magic of BitTorrent. There are instructions in the "news" section. They're also shared on several p2p networks. We encourage people to set up their own local mirrors as well.
posted by starkeffect at 4:29 PM on April 6, 2004

I liked A Garage Day's Night quite a bit. I'm looking forward to checking these out. Yeaagh.
posted by psmealey at 4:31 PM on April 6, 2004

psmealey: they recently released a new album. It's not really a double.
posted by Dark Messiah at 4:33 PM on April 6, 2004

Incidentally, if you just want to get the music without visiting the site, here is the link to the torrent:

Beatallica [2004 EP] torrent

But please do visit the site when we're not getting slammed. Lots of things to see.
posted by starkeffect at 4:39 PM on April 6, 2004

Thanks, starkeffect -- for some reason I was having trouble with the torrent links from the site, but the one you posted in this thread worked perfectly.

And I love the music, too. The best thing this side of Hayseed Dixie.
posted by Zonker at 5:15 PM on April 6, 2004

I'm seeding both torrents.
posted by waxpancake at 5:19 PM on April 6, 2004

That's weird, Zonker.. I just tried the ones on the site and they work for me! Perhaps my server belched momentarily.
posted by starkeffect at 5:21 PM on April 6, 2004

Thanks starkeffect, the torrent worked fine for me. And Zonker (re: hayseed dixie), it's funny, i was thinking the same thing.
posted by quin at 5:43 PM on April 6, 2004

I uploaded all the tracks here.

starkeffect, if you want to link directly to all the mp3s on my server, feel free.
posted by mathowie at 6:16 PM on April 6, 2004

Thanks, mathowie!

[raises a cold in tribute]

Let me know if the traffic gets to be too much, m'kay?
posted by starkeffect at 6:25 PM on April 6, 2004

This is the best thing I've found on MetaFilter this year. Very cool!
posted by Stuart_R at 6:35 PM on April 6, 2004

"Blackened the USSR"

Now thats funny
posted by rosswald at 6:41 PM on April 6, 2004

(er, that should be a cold ONE, "for a ONE that is not cold is scarcely a ONE at all")
posted by starkeffect at 7:40 PM on April 6, 2004

[this is good]

"Hey Dude" is great and, on reflection, just asking for it.
posted by dg at 7:48 PM on April 6, 2004

Cracking up, rocking out, and banging head simultaneously. This is bloody effin' great!!! Suuuperrrrr... GEEEENIUSSS!!

btw, I'm with fenriq. (remember: "Metallica GOOOOOOD!!! Napster BAAAAAAD!!!"?) hehehe. Definitely glued to the industry teat, those guys.

Saw 'em with Cliff, 1985, Brendan Byrne Arena (the only real name for that venue), opened for Ozzy (w/Jake)... utterly ferocious. Ozzy sounded anemic (!?) after them. I learned much respect that night... only to lose it at the aforementioned bleating.

Anyway, Beafuckintallica REWLZ!!! _|m/
posted by zoogleplex at 8:15 PM on April 6, 2004

Don't forget Apocalyptica - cello trio (sometimes quartet) plays (amon other things) Metallica covers.

And there's Brutallica too, of course.
posted by spazzm at 8:40 PM on April 6, 2004

Hey Matt, are we sure it's totally illegal? Since it's an original recording (no samples), and obviously satirical or a parody in nature...?

These guys might actually be in the clear. The Grey Album is an infringement because it uses massives samples without permission. This is more like... "celebrity impersonation." :)
posted by zoogleplex at 9:09 PM on April 6, 2004

Wow, and now I have to put another post up... so I can be the... (wait for it...)

...One After 9:09.

:D
posted by zoogleplex at 9:10 PM on April 6, 2004

It may be protected parody, really.
posted by abcde at 9:21 PM on April 6, 2004

'cry burton cry'
posted by NationalKato at 9:33 PM on April 6, 2004

Just because it's a parody doesn't mean they're in the clear; for example.

In any case, selling CD's is financially unfeasible due to publishing fees, so we're relying on donations and T-shirt sales to cover our costs, just like George Michael.
posted by starkeffect at 9:49 PM on April 6, 2004

Since much of the lyrics seem to be original, its more of a stylistic tribute, musically to metallica, and lyrically to the beatles, though I am not intimately familiar with either.

Though given how litigious Metallica has proven to be, and the protection of the perpetual cash-crop of the beatles is in the best interest of the publishers, you never know...
posted by lkc at 10:51 PM on April 6, 2004

Actually if you read the interviews with them, a couple Metallica band members have heard it and said they liked it.

Still, I think they'd have to pay the cover song fees to legally mutter any beatles lyrics. I think they're in the clear legally, Metallica-wise.
posted by mathowie at 11:44 PM on April 6, 2004

That's not so clear.. there are Metallica riffs used occasionally throughout the songs. "Sandman" for example.

The legality of these songs is as gray as the cover.
posted by starkeffect at 11:51 PM on April 6, 2004

Interesting. I just listened to one song, and it was the style of metallica, but I know all their songs and the riff isn't one of theirs.
posted by justgary at 12:06 AM on April 7, 2004

good stuff, thanks everybody
posted by matteo at 12:48 AM on April 7, 2004

starkeffect: dualplover in Australia can do a small run of CDs (not just CDRs) for an exceptionally reasonable price. They're more about supporting independent artists than they are about the profit. If they think what you're doing is cool and you let them distribute in Australia they might even do your run for cost.
posted by snarfodox at 2:05 AM on April 7, 2004

I also smashed the two Metallica CD's I did have.

This is an irrational reaction, they already have your money, why should they care. Next time donate them to someone else who might otherwise buy them or to a charity shop; both options potentially undercutting Metallica sales.
posted by biffa at 2:05 AM on April 7, 2004

If Beatallica experiences any legal problems from using the riff from 'Enter Sandman' then Scatterbrain are well and truly screwed for 'Down With The Ship'.
posted by snarfodox at 2:30 AM on April 7, 2004

snarfodox: It's just too risky to sell CD's without clearances, especially given EMI's and Metallica's litigious reputations. If we were just some local band doing a small run we'd probably be well-enough under the radar to get away with it, but I'm pretty sure we're being monitored.

</tinfoil>
posted by starkeffect at 9:16 AM on April 7, 2004

Oh, and add Michael Jackson to that list of potential suers, since he owns the publishing rights to nearly all Beatles songs.
posted by starkeffect at 9:36 AM on April 7, 2004

music.metafilter makes baby cortex cry
posted by cortex at 3:32 PM on April 7, 2004

There's also, oddly enough, a Grey Album style Metallica/Jay-Z blend.
posted by toothless joe at 10:28 PM on April 7, 2004