Megadeth Producer on Dave Mustaine, Chris Poland, David Ellefson, Gar Samuelson-Peace-1986-Interview

[@BubbaZen10]

When i met Dave the first thing i said to him was "Did anyone ever tell you you look like Dave Mustaine?"(i wasnt sure, his hair was really red and he was in sweats) He looks at me, and in that voice goes DO I?! I was all whoa, it IS you! Very next thing i said was I don't wanna bother you, i see you're with your kid (we were both going to see LOTR II) but i just wanna tell you Peace Sells is THE greatest heavy metal album of all time! Got to have a nice discussion for 5 minutes or so in the concession line. At the end, he looks me dead in the eye and goes "What did you say your name was again?" I hadn't said, but i go Colin. Again, looks me dead in the eye, shakes my hand and goes "Dave." I felt a feeling of power when he did that. Still get chills thinking about it. One of the cooler things in my life. God bless ya Dave, glad you're still here. And get over it and forgive Junior!!

[@BubbaZen10]

Btw, he bought Goobers

[@ingleringlet-snipps3rd449]

@@BubbaZen10 Awesome man! How tall was he and what was he wearing? I assume he was trying to blend in?

[@BubbaZen10]

@@ingleringlet-snipps3rd449 He was just wearing sweat pants and a t shirt. I wasnt totally sure it was him at first. Id say maybe 5'10" or so. Not real tall but not short either.

[@ingleringlet-snipps3rd449]

@@BubbaZen10 Sounds about right. He sounds very driven and focused. Perhaps, he is not like most people as he projects a lot of intensity. Extremely successful people are this way. I have met more than a few in my time. Congrats on meeting The Master! I appreciate that you shared your personal story.

[@BubbaZen10]

@@ingleringlet-snipps3rd449 👍Yeah it was cool. He made a real impression on me. Very positive. I was almost afraid to approach him, but he was real nice.

[@Panzersonor1967]

Poland is criminally underrated!! He’s in a class by himself.

[@lrn_news9171]

I was blown away by how incredibly smooth his playing was when listening to his isolated guitar tracks, no hint of any sloppy playing. He could have played these leads on a clean tone and it would still have sounded clean and precise. I couldn't do that to save my life. Even comparing to Marty Friedman his leafs were smoother. Criminally underrated is right.

[@greenman717]

Chris is better than Marty

[@Panzersonor1967]

@@NubsWithGuns Thanks-you, too! 😂

[@chickentwisties2298]

​@@greenman717 agreed Chris stuff way more complex all Marty does is sweeps

[@vonclod123]

A fantastic player, I loved the stuff he did after MD. Return To Metropolis, and Damn The Machine, unique player and sound.

[@shorerocks]

"Peace Sells", to me, still is a masterpiece. Song, playing, arrangements... and what a production. What a sound. 35 years after buying the vinyl, I am still blown away.

[@BubbaZen10]

THE greatest heavy metal album ever. (In my not humble at all opinion)

[@AkPurustry789]

@@BubbaZen10 definitely peace sells is exceptional. Even better than Rust in Peace...i wonder why people fail to notice.

[@BubbaZen10]

@@AkPurustry789 Rust in Peace was when i got to see them tho, and was truly incredible. I think that era was the best LIVE Megadeth. Marty Friedman is incredible!

[@MariUSukulele]

i agree!

[@mushroom13cfh]

People buying alot now days lol. Megadeth just a mouthpiece for the system they used to hate

[@karlsalocks]

Chris and Gar color the sound on Peace Sells pretty significantly. Great, great players

[@fullinbloom]

No doubt. They make that album unique.

[@Metalbass10000]

Chris Poland has solo metal material that is great!

[@macadoo2530]

That is how drums sound when played by a great.

[@karlsalocks]

@@macadoo2530 He has that effortless sounds that great players have for sure

[@macadoo2530]

@@karlsalocks you could have 5 drummers sit at his kit and none of em would pull the sounds out of it like Gar did.

[@paulbaglio6295]

The original lineup was the greatest. Hands down.

[@bryansteele832]

I pretty much only like Megadeth from Killing is my business to Youthanasia.

[@michaelcosyn1717]

No doubt on that

[@joellopez499]

I agree but we can’t lie the rust in peace setup was wild

[@paulbaglio6295]

@@joellopez499 100%... the original was lightning in a bottle though 😁🤘🏻

[@zzzhuh]

"I was just blown away by Chris Poland's playing" This guy got to listen to him play stuff that we never heard because it wasn't recorded, or was lost to time. It's ironic to think that Dave was the best guitarist out of Metallica, and was the one who out partied them, but he isn't the best in Megadeth, and Chris/Gar out partied him. Great find btw! Thanks for sharing this.

[@SteveBello]

Why hire a great player only to be annoyed by it? So stupid.

[@Metalbass10000]

@@SteveBello EGO causes things you'd NEVER predict

[@Metalbass10000]

Kirk is so much better than what he plays on Metallica albums. He took lessons with Satriani, just like Vai, Larry Lalonde (Possessed, Primus), Alex Skolnick (Testament), and others. Kirk was playing much more creative, interesting leads on, "...And Justice For All," but James, and Bob Rock (worst thing to ever happen to Metallica), wanted simple pentatonic stuff. Megadeth has almost always had guitarists who were better than Mustaine, a couple were marginally better (Jeff something?). Marty Friedman, Chris Broderick, and Chris Poland are all very different, but all are world class level great guitarists, but I think Kiko is the best, not just because his lead playing is awesome, but he's also very versatile and well informed about many different types/genres of music, and music forms from around the world. He's also a very good songwriter. With a MUSICIAN like Dirk Verbeuren playing drums, who views writing the drum parts for every song as a composition, like any other instrument, who pays attention to the structure and flow of the song, who pays attention to the dynamics of the song, who pays attention to the lyrics and the vocal delivery, and who will construct every part of the song to build, or evolve, or change abruptly or gradually, as the song calls for (plus he is a master of subtlety, ghost notes, and polyrhythms, as much as of blast beats), this may be the best Megadeth album since Peace Sells or Rust...

[@Fackunator]

@@Metalbass10000 except Kirk always played pentatonic stuff, ESPECIALLY in Justice. God what a shit take my dude

[@Metalbass10000]

@@Fackunator who has a shit take, my dude? Not fluent in English, maybe? I never said he doesn't use a Pentatonic scale. I said that his lead playing on ...AND Justice For All was more creative and interesting on than the more simplified and wah dominated, basic minor pentatonic that he has played on more recent albums. Try reading, maybe comprehending a little, before you open your cake hole. My dude.

[@mikestarfas6725]

Dave pretty much confirms everything said here in his book. They were a thrash metal/jazz fusion band with so much talent that players had to take a step back for the greater good of the band. Great chemistry as well 👍

[@brycemcgarrity5367]

What did they call Megadeth style back the jazz fusion punk rock? Something close to that? I think it’s fitting making the greatest thrash metal band of all time.

[@richardcurtis1912]

Chris AND Gar worked for B.C.Rich not Jackson.

[@pawlpoche8736]

Super clear production on Peace sells! I use to have a massive audio system And Peace sells sounded amazing on it …and so many other songs Edit: I came back to say listen to Return to Metalopilos! By Chris Poland

[@subaie3]

The fall of babylon is musical pornography

[@outerspace6236]

Wake Up Dead was so thrashy! That punchy breakdown that sets up the end of the song is one of the best in thrash metal history. One by one these albums were so explosive, fast and furious. Massive works by Slayer, Exodus, Metal Church, Metallica. Thrash was the tip of the spear and guys like Dave Lombardo, Mustaine, Hetfield were Spartan champions of their craft.

[@markandersen793]

Yeah, Dave Mustaine is the king of thrash, he's written so many classic riffs.

[@itchy-scratchy]

I saw the original line up twice. I saw Metallica too. The difference was so clear Megadeth were way better musicians. They sounded so close to the albums it was insane. I actually found the first show I saw on KZbin.........It's epic.

[@biorythmicshifter]

Peace Sells is an achievement for music period, it transcends heavy metal or thrash. It’s a bonafide work of art. The guitars, bass and drums are all performed at a world class level. Personally, I believe the bass performance is probably one of the best metal bass performances ever. I’ve listened to this album countless times over the years and it never gets old.

[@therollband1290]

Hell yeah! I have always thought that Megadeth sound hinges on the guitar and bass. It’s criminal that Junior doesn’t get more credit

[@WillWilsonII]

At least you appreciate the bass. Dave said it was a step above playing a kazoo. Dave's famous for his playing, and even more famous for getting kicked out of a band 40 years ago

[@paulbaglio6295]

Be proud... easily in the top 10 albums in metal.

[@maxsteiner8268]

In their documentary , it was mentioned Chris could play circles around Dave. This just helps to confirm that.

[@emt5330]

It was said by Dave himself.

[@josephhenry1012]

Dave never forgave him for that either

[@one80srocker89]

It's crazy looking back and when this album came out how much a contribution it made to the Metal soundtracks of our lives especially with the rise of Headbangers Ball. But the lyrics to "Peace Sells (but who's buying)" caught our attention then continues to make more sense with each phase of life as we have grown through and ridden the political waves in our lives.

[@Powermad-bu4em]

I want to watch the news. This IS the news! A HUGE memory from my childhood.

[@eversosleight]

Listening to Peace Sells on vinyl yesterday and just listening to Poland playing on there is like something magical that i can't even put into words.

[@BaphometsLounge]

Chris Poland is from Dunkirk, NY (so sez Wikipedia, I heard he was from Silver Creek, NY) which is about 40 minutes south of Buffalo, NY. I grew up in Angola, NY not to far away and remembered hearing about him when I was a youngster. These interviews are so amazing and insightful, I so look forward to them week in and week out.

[@fullinbloom]

Glad you enjoy them. Thank you so much for listening.

[@jeremytooktoshina8820]

I think Chris worked at B. C. Rich factory before hand. I seen a poor quality short video here on KZbin. Sounded like he said I got it back, I made this one. Heard stories that he had made 3 all together. First time hearing that he was or is a good guitar tech. Bet he is...he is an amazing guitar player!

[@martymartin2894]

Megadeths system has failed is an underrated great album. Chris Poland leads are great on it also.

[@brycemcgarrity5367]

It’s oh right. Chris’s leads are the best part

[@martymartin2894]

@@brycemcgarrity5367 i think ure wrong i love every song on that album and one of the all time greatest drummers is on it aswell vinny caliouta probably spelt wrong.

[@joshuamcguire4860]

Great album! My fave of the 2000s for megadeth!!

[@malcolmkyeremeh5444]

@@martymartin2894 Vinnie Colaiuta and his drum fills were absolutely amazing on TSHF

[@markandersen793]

@@malcolmkyeremeh5444 One of the greatest jazz fusion drummers of all time.

[@Baraka_Obama_]

Chris Poland is my favorite guitar player hands down sooo much dam talent!!

[@MB-oc1nw]

Best Megadeth lineup

[@chrisnizer5702]

Chris Poland worked for B.C. Rich guitar, and so did Gar Samuelson if I remember correctly. When they were recording Peace Sell's they all had B.C. Rich guitars (Warlock for Chris Poland, Rich Bich for Dave Mustaine, Warlock Bass for Dave Ellefson.)

[@jeremyrobertson7267]

Dave actually used the bc Rich bich and a st3 it says in the album credits

[@Cognitively_m_paired_4_Kamala]

Why and how would Gar have a BC Rich guitar endorsement when he was a drummer?

[@chrisnizer5702]

@@Cognitively_m_paired_4_Kamala Gar was a General Manager at B.C. Rich guitars. Something that 20 seconds of due diligence would have told you. It's not exactly top secret .Yes he was a drummer but he was also a musician and needed a day job between gigs. Gar was no dumbass, dude had skills in many aspects of the music business. There's a couple videos of him in his home studio during the early 90's working with some musicians. Check 'em out when you get a chance.

[@Cognitively_m_paired_4_Kamala]

@@chrisnizer5702 well, I just did what you would call my due diligence and looked up due diligence. Maybe had you done your due diligence, you would realize you didn't do your due diligence before using due diligence way out of any context that anyone who did their due diligence would use due diligence. Are you with me so far? If not, please look up due diligence. Now please excuse me while I go to the bathroom and take care of some due diligence. 🤨😁😀😗😗😁✌️

[@kawythowy867]

LOVE MEGADETH!

[@AndrewGrey22]

Too bad it took all this time for Chris to get the recognition he deserves.

[@gtrjoe68]

Chris and Marty, the best.

[@acemechanical275]

Ever notice the back of peace sells depicts the World Trade Center in ruins?

[@JohnHenrySheridan]

Awesome !

[@selfoblivionalex6262]

chris and Gar set the stage for Megadeth, Dave mentions in his book that before Poland joined Megadeth, Dave was strickly cover leads and vocals.

[@amoruzz]

Best album 👍

[@chrisquinn9104]

I’m still smitten with CP

[@WillWilsonII]

Dave, how do you like having your own band? "I love it. Who needs Metallica?" Really? Because they told me to ask tou to come back. "Really?! YES! I'll be right there! See you guys later!" Nah man, just kidding. They're not thinking about you. "Yeah well I don't need them. They're not that good."

[@jeremyrobertson7267]

He worked for bc Rich, so did gar and his brother

[@adamwarlock3530]

If Dave was as bad as everyone says, Friedman wouldnt have stuck with him for 10 years. After Rust in Peace, he couldve wrote his own ticket. But, he knew he was part of a great thing, which was lead and created by Dave Mustaine. Friedman even said Mustaine is Megadeth.

[@americanagothic7851]

They were doing speed too

[@trueblueozzy939]

So Chris and gar on the gear? What this so they could put up with (Dave love me mustaine?) or were they all on the gear,,, as a young fella listening to this I was awestruck and somewhat looked up to these guys especially putting together such a powerhouse band after Metallica,, I guess that saying is true that it’s best not you meet your idols because you may be disappointed,,,, looking back I I need not wonder anymore on who wanted the “spotlight “ on him. I stopped buying megadeth albums after rust in peace. 🤷‍♂️ good luck to them all 👍🏼😉

[@duncandistortion]

I wasn't a fan of the first two albums at all but liked some tracks & same applied to rust but liked more, but countdown is when it came to liking all tracks from then on.

[@Qthetar]

You like more popish sound of Megadeth

[@Quin-px5cu]

You're crazy man

[@bryansteele832]

I thought Gar worked at the Gibson factory?

[@noelabrera6634]

No problem then

[@jeffblacky]

Drugs didn’t effect drums ? Shut my drummer fucked up every show we did . After we got a new drummer he got drunk before the show . The last drummer practice for a month , then decided metal was too much and went back to playing rock

[@Cugelclever]

Yeah, but your drummer isn't Gar Samuelson.

[@jeffblacky]

@@Cugelclever same results - fired

[@lrn_news9171]

@@jeffblacky Depends how high you are on heroin. He may not have been nodding off on the drum kit lol Much of the time you just feel a nice calm and stress free "normal".

[@jeffblacky]

@@lrn_news9171 i been around drug addicts all my life from the 70's , heroin , PCP , Shermans , Blue Cheer , Tab Add , DNT , Acid , Lithium. I've seen it in people and in band members .. it depends on the person and how their body reacts to it , some good some bad. My brother was a hype for 22 years , he always high and felt good , but when my sister took some she had a different reaction to it. So this Megadeth guy felt great playing , that's fine i seen Hendrix in 1970 and he was high as a kite and played his material , my first lead vocalist in my first band , was a coke head , sounded great when he was high , but sounded like shit sober. In closing as i said before - no materal how bad ass you are it will lead to one thing in common in all bands = fired.

[@lrn_news9171]

@@jeffblacky So it "depends on the person" that's not what you said in your original comment, you clearly challenged the idea that heroin use didn't affect Gar's playing, which it clearly didn't because you can watch live performances and you can also hear it from the albums producer himself. Chris Poland played guitar so smoothly that it's near supernatural, listen to his isolated guitar tracks, it's insane.

[@mushroom13cfh]

Dave mustaine is just a mouth piece for the system he used to be against. Its truly sad

[@ThisUnderWorldOfDarkness]

Yeah, you can perform while you're high as a kite. But that's only temporary. As soon as you ingest substances the body identifies it as a toxin and immediately starts trying to remove it from the system. For the body to remove the toxins from the body it burns up "minerals, enzymes, proteins & vitamins" from out of the body. Over time the body becomes weaker if all the nutrients are not replaced. After a decade or so of substance abuses everyone's bodies start to deteriorate and can no longer perform up to par. Then the singers start having problems with their voices. They can't hit the high notes and the guitar players start to need to have hip replacement surgeries because the joints in the hips have had the minerals pulled out from them, thus weakening and eventually destroying the hips. Dave said the reason why he quit doing heroin was because it was breaking up the band and feared dying from it. What this producer is saying is true only if taken as a compartmentalized statement designed for the moment. Long term use of hard drugs eventually fucks you up so bad they literally turn you into a piece of sh*t. If heroin use were as innocent as this producer was saying ...there wouldn't be all there heroin overdoses all over the place. Ask the producer, "How well do musicians perform in the middle of a heroin overdose?" I get the spirit in what this producer is saying. Just his flippant attitude about it is rubbing me the wrong way.

[@SickOfItAll-do1cf]

Same, he pissed me off too with that attitude

[@mrwilliamwonder]

Not every drug user overdoses….you’re mind has been brainwashed.

[@M98-j9k]

I bet the heroine was flowing

[@jimmywood3735]

I just don’t buy it! Everything I hear about Chris Poland is he was just a guy who worked at a guitar factory. Listen to his playing. Chris had to have handlers teaching him from a young age.

[@jeffjones3040]

Whatever, loser.

[@jimmywood3735]

@@jeffjones3040 that wasn’t Even a insult I made Jack Ass!!!

[@divingduck1970]

@@jimmywood3735 For the record, I don't see anything but praise in your comment.

[@jimmywood3735]

@@divingduck1970 There is nothing about chris Poland’s playing that i dont like. He is one of my favorites. He has his own style. Im just saying he was groomed from a early age to play that well. His mom was a professional vocalist. So they had connections.

[@jeremyrobertson7267]

@@jimmywood3735 this is before kids played video games or talked shit online, which makes a big difference too!!!! An electric guitar was probably more like a nerdy kid is with their Xbox today, if that makes any sense!?