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The Day Dave Mustaine Punched James Hetfield from Metallica – Screamin’ Scott

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Author Screamin' Scott
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: DAve Mustaine of Megadeath performs at Ozzfest at the Manuel Amphitheater on September 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ABA)

Some of rock’s greatest rivalries have come to blows. Some of the famous fisticuffs include Chris and Rich Robinson for The Black Crowes, the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, and the band members of Poison and Motley Crue, all except Mick Mars, who they would be afraid he would fall into a million pieces if he fell over. Nothing beats the rivalry that included the days when Dave Mustaine was a member of Metallica. As the story was told, they gave Dave his walking papers and a bus ticket and said goodbye. This story includes a studio and a dog and a fight between Dave and James.

Dave Mustaine says he was "dumb" to punch James Hetfield when he was in Metallica

Dave Mustaine has shared some regrets from his tumultuous days in Metallica, calling the incident where he punched James Hetfield "dumb".

'Metallica' & The 9 Other Best-Selling Albums During the SoundScan Era

Metallica released their self-titled fifth studio album on August 12, 1991. Affectionately known as “The Black Album,” the LP became a game-changer for the band. It also had a massive impact on the music industry at large thanks to the game-changing technology then known as SoundScan, which premiered on March 1, 1991.

Per a feature piece from Billboard, “SoundScan, which is now known as MRC Data, measured album sales as they happened — stores scanned bar codes at the checkout register — and over the next few months [after its launch] it upended the conventional music business wisdom about what sold, as well as when and how. It revealed the popularity of several genres — alternative rock, country, hip-hop, harder metal — that had been seen as commercially marginal compared to bread-and-butter pop-rock bands.”

Basically, SoundScan provided real-time data of what was actually selling at record stores and other retailers, and it has provided proof of Metallica’s popularity.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of “The Black Album.” Metallica appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2021 and read 1-star Amazon reviews of the LP. Fortunately, they were good sports about the whole thing. Then again, when you make Metallica money, it takes more than a bizarre review to truly ruin your day.

So, which was the best 1-star review of “The Black Album”? One review that stood out read, “I bought this when it came out. I was horrified when I listened to it. I threw it off a bridge and watched a truck smash it.”

That being said, just how popular are the metal icons? “The Black Album” is the biggest-selling record in the United States since the launch of SoundScan.

Metallica, however, has some very unique company on the list of the biggest-selling albums of the SoundScan era. Scroll through the gallery below to see which titles join them in the top ten.

Born in Mt Clemens, Screamin’ Scott has been a part of the Detroit airwaves for 30-plus years. With 40 years of experience in radio. When he’s not out on the streets for WCSX, you can find him devoting time to local charities with his, “Screamin Angels”; and for 16 years with Rock 4 Tots charity. And last 10 years with his local band, "Chit!." Screamin Scott likes to write about nostalgic Detroit area memories, classic rock, and local metro Detroit topics.

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