Ride The Lightning
Festival Of Britain Guide South Bank Exhibition London 1951 -
Ride The Lightning 
Don’t let that classical-guitar opening to “Fight Fire with Fire” fool you–Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Thematically, it explores death and dying from myriad points of view: nuclear war (”Fight Fire with Fire”), electric-chair execution (the title track) and drowning (”Trapped Under Ice”). Interestingly, the best track on this album is probably “Fade to Black”, a slower, more introspective song about suicide. There’s also “Creeping Death”, which remains a concert favourite. An excellent mix of rapid-fire guitar riffs, rip-roaring solos and singer James Hetfield’s trademark growl, this is thrash metal at its finest. –Genevieve Williams
List Price: ?14.99
Amazon Price: ?6.98
Used Price: ?4.86
Customer Review: The classic Thrash album, absolutely perfect!
This is my personal favourite. One of the most important albums in Metal, a standard upon which it’s peers were measured, and has influenced more modern metal bands that I can list here. The fact that it was a second effort froma bunch of kids barely out of their teens only cements the genius that is this album. There are 8 out and out classics on this album - or put another way the ENTIRE album. From the genre defining opening of ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ with it’s classical guitar opening, right into all out metal fury, the pace does not let up through title track to ‘Creeping Death’. Only when you get to ‘Fade to Black’ does the pace change, but what a change. Melodic and beautiful, ‘Fade to Black’ could have easily been a complete ballad, but the fact is it launches into a full throated metal chorus only elevates the song beyond the Thrash label. This was the song that transcended Metal into something else, and has proven very difficult for other bands to imitate (only Pantera I think ever came close). Again, remember that Metallica’s members were only just into their 20’s! How many bands these days write such a stunning follow up so early in their careers? Even the instrumental ‘The Call of Ktulu’ is an operatic experiment in fusing clasical with metal. Truly one of the best albums ever written.
Customer Review: Metal perfection!!!!
Jesus how can an album now nearly a quarter of a century old still sound so fresh and exciting! Yep before metallica lost the plot and released mediocre albums (ie St Anger) they were producing monsters like these. Now I have owned this album for over 15 years and when I still listen to it today it still thrills as much as the first time I heard it. Songs such as For Whom The Bell Tolls and Creeping Death are as devastatingly crushing and the quality of material on this album has rarely been bettered. The only weak point on the album is the instrumental track on the end (Call Of Cthula) but it doesn’t distract you from the brilliance of this album. I’ll be very surprised if Death Magnetic (due for release soon) will be half as good as this. If you’re new to Metallica or looking for a starting point you won’t go far wrong with this. Metal Perfection!!
Five Days in London: May 1940 (Yale Nota Bene) 
List Price: ?7.99
Amazon Price: ?5.99
Used Price: ?1.42
Customer Review: Churchill holds the line
Churchill had been wrong so many times before on every issue that he touched, so the fact that he was made British Prime Minister, at a very dark hour in British history, was in itself amazing. The reason that he was given the role was that it was obvious that a strong leader was needed. It was his ability to turn a very sceptical Conservative party, a divided cabinet and a fearful country around to the idea that they, and they on their own, could fight on. These were the five days that shaped British history. The book is a well written account of how a very significant decision was made through the efforts of one man. He may have been wrong on everything else but he was right on the one thing that really mattered for Britain and indeed Europe, Hitler.
Customer Review: A pivital decision in western history
The decision by the British War Cabinet as France was falling in May 1940 to fight on and not enter into negotiations with Hitler, had a profound effect on the outcome of the Second World War and subsequent history. The decision to fight on was not universally held within Cabinet and this book recalls circumstances and the pressures that played a part in the Cabinet’s deliberations. This book will not disappoint and is a must read for any one with an interest in war history. The underlying facts deserve to be better known. Lukas has done history a fine service with this book. Highly recommended.
Greater London Street Atlas 
Covers over 15, square miles of Central and Greater LondonDetails railway and underground stations and car parksIndex to over 75,000 streets (Ref:7244812)
List Price: ?16.99
Amazon Price: ?11.89
Used Price: ?11.45
