80s Jams #14: Metallica "One" (1988)

"One" became Metallica's first Top 40 hit in early 1989, based almost entirely on the single's gold-level sales -- pop radio certainly wasn't about to play a seven-and-a-half-minute progressive thrash metal epic about an armless, legless soldier deprived of all sensory input. The various sections and components of "One" are seamlessly integrated and flow logically from one to the next, unlike some Metallica epics, which felt like series of good riffs connected without much in the way of transitions. It sums up the band's tremendous range of musical expression in one shining epic, and as such is arguably the defining individual moment of their career. "One" has the power to frighten, to disturb intelligently, to awe listeners with its sheer force; it's simply one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. -- http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:wxftxxtdldje