LLOYD GRANT: "I Don't Think METALLICA Wants To Say I Am An Original Member Because The Band Weren't Really Formed Then"

Metallica got their start on June 14, 1982 when Metal Blade's Metal Massacre I compilation got released.

Metallica (incorrectly spelled Mettallica on the first pressing) contributed "Hit The Lights" featuring the lineup of vocalist James Hetfield, guitarists Dave Mustaine and Lloyd Grant , bassist Ron McGovney (who may or may not have played on the song), and drummer Lars Ulrich. A second pressing of Metal Massacre I featured a new version of "Hit The Lights" with Mustaine playing both guitar solos and that was that – Grant's sole contribution to the band was a guitar solo.

So should Grant be considered an original member of Metallica? According to Grant himself in an interview with Reality Check TV during the NAMM convention, Metallica wasn't totally formed back then and he's not sure if they'd consider him an original member. Though Grant does note that he and Ulrich jammed quite a bit back then.

"I don't think Metallica wants to say I am an original member because the band weren't really formed then," said Grant. "It was, like, I was looking for people to play with and we had a magazine, or a weekly [publication] that comes out on every Thursday, and Lars [Ulrich] put an ad in and I answered the ad. And we started jamming and so forth."

While that first version of "Hit The Lights" isn't readily available, it's still floating around on YouTube. And it's not like Metallica has totally buried Grant's legacy – they invited both him and McGovney to jam "Hit The Lights" with them during their 30th anniversary shows in 2011 at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA.