Across four decades and 16 albums — including Megadeth's latest, The Sick, the Dying... And the Dead — Dave Mustaine has made his name making snarling, hyper-adrenalized thrash metal. But Mustaine's music has always also belied influences beyond his chosen genre: from classical and jazz elements, to Megadeth's adventurous covers of punk, blues and even Nancy Sinantra songs.
So, perhaps it should have been no surprise that when we solicited fan questions for Mustaine for a feature in our Fall 2022 Issue, one diehard named Matthew Stanton asked what non-metal albums the Megadeth ringleaders would recommend for open-minded metalheads. Check out his selections below.
Crowded House - Crowded House
I always liked the first [self-titled] Crowded House record. I thought that was great because it reminded me of a new Beatles.
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Another one I would say is Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, with headphones — listen to it with headphones on.
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
And then the third one, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John. That's more excellent songwriting, and the guitar player he had at the time, Davey Johnstone, was an awesome player. "All the Girls Love Alice," what a great song! I would love to do that song as a cover.