Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!
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Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! is the debut album by Megadeth. It was originally released in 1985 on Combat Records. The deluxe edition, completely remixed and remastered, with a new cover and several bonus was released by Loud Records in 2002.
Track Listing (1985)
- "Last Rites/Loved To Death"
- "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good"
- "Skull Beneath The Skin"
- "These Boots"
- "Rattlehead"
- "Chosen Ones"
- "Looking Down The Cross"
- "Mechanix"
Track listing (2002)
- "Last Rites/Loved to Deth" – 4:40
- "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" – 3:06
- "The Skull Beneath The Skin" – 3:47
- "Rattlehead" – 3:43
- "Chosen Ones" – 2:55
- "Looking Down The Cross" – 5:02
- "Mechanix" – 4:22
- "These Boots"
- "Last Rites/Loved To Deth" (demo)
- "Mechanix" (demo)
- "The Skull Beneath The Skin" (demo)
Notes
"These Boots" is a cover (with lyrics that parody the original) of the Nancy Sinatra song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". Lee Hazlewood, the original author, deemed Mustaine's changes to be "vile and offensive" and demanded that he remove the song. The cover of the song was removed from all pressings of the album released after 1995. The 2002 release partially includes the song, with all of the lyrics that were changed from Hazlewood's version censored with a beep. In the deluxe edition liner notes, Mustaine is strongly critical of Hazlewood, as he had been paid royalties for 10 years before he objected.The 2002 release has a different cover to the 1985 release. According to David Ellefson (in the deluxe edition liner notes), the record label did not properly reproduce the artwork Megadeth wanted, and instead sent them finished copies of the album with the 1985 cover. Unfortunately, it was too close to the release date to make any changes, so they were forced to leave it as is.
This left the band unhappy, as the cover that Megadeth originally submitted to Combat Records corresponded strongly with the lyrics of "The Skull Beneath The Skin", while the Combat version was missing many of the references to the aforementioned song. The 2002 release has an updated version of the picture of Vic Rattlehead originally submitted to Combat.
Several of the track names are spelt differently on the original release's sleeve.
Personnel
- Dave Mustaine - guitar, vocals, piano
- Chris Poland - guitar
- David Ellefson - bass guitar, back-up vocals
- Gar Samuelson - drums, tympani
Track listing
- "Last Rites" is an instrumental; the title refers to the Roman Catholic tradition of Anointing of the Sick. At live shows before the release of the album, the piano part at the start was played by Dave Mustaine on the guitar.
- "Loved To Deth" is a song about a man who kills a woman who he loves but doesn't love him, so no one else can have her.
- "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" is about a hitman based on the comic book character, The Punisher, who kills his employer after he is paid. This title to the song was featured in the film "Major Payne."
- "The Skull Beneath The Skin" is about a black magic ritual that involves the creation of Megadeth's mascot, Vic Rattlehead, explaining the steel visor, the metal caps on his ears, and the iron staples that hold his jaw shut.
- "Rattlehead" is a description of a live Megadeth concert. The last part of the song talks about seeing Vic Rattlehead at the concert.
- "Chosen Ones" is about the scene in the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the Knights of the Round Table fight the Killer Rabbit. Many believe it is about Crusaders marching to the Middle East to fight the Muslims, which Mustaine has said is completely false. Chosen Ones is a reference to how King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table were the ones chosen by God to find the Holy Grail.
- "Looking Down The Cross" is about the crucifixion of Jesus and his final thoughts before He died. In the song, Dave suggests that Jesus might have been wishing for vengeance, but only spoke of forgiveness.
- "Mechanix" is about a horny gas station attendant. It was re-written and recorded with new lyrics by Metallica as "The Four Horsemen" for their first album, Kill 'Em All. The original "Mechanix" can be found on Metallica's rare No Life 'Til Leather demo or Bay Area Thrashers bootleg, with James Hetfield singing.
| Megadeth |
| Dave Mustaine | Glen Drover | James Lomenzo | Shawn Drover |
| David Ellefson | Chris Poland | Lee Rausch | Gar Samuelson | Jeff Young | Chuck Behler | Nick Menza | Marty Friedman | Jimmy DeGrasso | Al Pitrelli | James MacDonough |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! | Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? | So Far, So Good... So What! | Rust in Peace | Countdown to Extinction | Youthanasia | Cryptic Writings | Risk | The World Needs a Hero | The System Has Failed | United Abominations |
| Live albums: Live Trax | Rude Awakening |
| Compilations: | Still Alive... And Well? | Back to the Start |
| Extended plays: Hidden Treasures | Cryptic Sounds |
| Videos and DVDs: Rusted Pieces | Exposure of a Dream | Rude Awakening | Video Hits | Arsenal of Megadeth |
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