The Craving (album)

For other uses, see The Craving (disambiguation).

The Craving is the debut and only album by American rock band MD.45, released on July 23, 1996, on Slab Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. A remastered version was released in 2004 on Capitol Records which features the original vocals by Lee Ving removed and re-recorded by the band's guitarist, Dave Mustaine. Mustaine stated that he replaced Ving's original vocal tracks "to entice interest from Megadeth fans who might have overlooked the original."^[1]

The Craving
Studio album by MD.45
Released	July 23, 1996
Genre	Heavy metal punk rock
Length	40:41
Label	Slab Records, Capitol Records
Producer	Dave Mustaine

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link

Many of the songs from the album were originally written for Megadeth, but due to the band almost breaking up, Mustaine decided to start a side project instead.^[2]

On June 24, 2023, Megadeth and Lee Ving performed the song "Nothing is Something" live at a concert in Tampa, Florida. This marks the only time an MD.45 song has been performed live.^[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Hell's Motel"	Dave Mustaine, Lee Ving	Mustaine	4:41
2.	"Day the Music Died"	Mustaine	Mustaine	4:37
3.	"Fight Hate"	Ving	Mustaine	2:50
4.	"Designer Behavior"	Mustaine	Mustaine	3:34
5.	"The Creed"	Mustaine	Mustaine	5:00
6.	"My Town"	Mustaine, Ving	Mustaine	3:07
7.	"Voices"	Mustaine, Ving	Mustaine	3:36
8.	"Nothing Is Something"	Mustaine	Mustaine, Ving, LeMieux, DeGrasso	3:52
9.	"Hearts Will Bleed"	Ving	Mustaine	3:24
10.	"No Pain"	Ving	Mustaine	2:51
11.	"Roadman"	Ving	Mustaine	3:08

2004 bonus tracks

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
12.	"Chutney"	Mustaine	Mustaine	4:22
13.	"Segue"	(instrumental)	Raymond Scott (adaptation from "Powerhouse")	1:24
14.	"The Creed" (Megadeth demo)	Mustaine	Mustaine	5:20

Personnel

Original release

• Lee Ving – vocals, harmonica
• Dave Mustaine – guitar
• Kelly LeMieux – bass
• Jimmy DeGrasso – drums

2004 remix and remaster

• Dave Mustaine – vocals, guitar
• Kelly LeMieux – bass
• Jimmy DeGrasso – drums

Megadeth (performs only on "The Creed" (Megadeth Demo))

• Dave Mustaine – vocals, guitar
• Marty Friedman – guitar
• Dave Ellefson – bass
• Nick Menza – drums

Production Produced by Dave Mustaine Recorded by Billy Moss, assisted by Aaron Carey Mixed and vocals recorded by Max Norman and Dave Mustaine, assisted by Mike Tacci and Laurence Jacobson Mastered by Wally Traugott

2004 remix and remaster Produced by Dave Mustaine Mixed by Ralph Patlan and Dave Mustaine Engineered by Ralph Patlan, assisted by Lance Dean Edited by Lance Dean and Scott "Sarge" Harrison, assisted by Bo Caldwell and Dave McRobb Mastered by Tom Baker

References

1. Mustaine p. 274
2. "Watch: MEGADETH Joined By FEAR's LEE VING For Performance Of 'Nothing Is Something' From MD.45". Blabbermouth. June 25, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023. Two decades ago, Mustaine told Classic Rock magazine that "a lot of" the music on "The Craving" "was intended for MEGADETH, but every time I turned around, Marty [Friedman, then-MEGADETH guitarist] had a solo record coming out; Nick [Menza, then-MEGADETH drummer] had his own solo project. Y'know, was this MEGADETH or not? I said, 'You don't see me going off to play with anybody else. If I'm not doing it, then none of you guys are. And if I do it, then we all can — but I might not come back.' By the time I got into the studio with Lee, I figured it was a case of goodbye. But we got back together after a little period of time."
3. "Go Behind The Scenes Of MEGADETH's Concert In Tampa". Blabbermouth. July 6, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.

• Mustaine, Dave (2010). Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. New York, New York, USA: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-171437-5.