Metallica album Master of Puppets to be preserved by National Recording Registry

Metallica's Master of Puppets has become the first heavy metal album to be added to America's National Recording Registry.

The government-run library picks 25 recordings judged to be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

It keeps the best-quality originals to safeguard for future generations.

Master of Puppets was Metallica's third album and was released in 1986 after being recorded in Denmark.

"It shows the group moving away from its thrash metal history and reputation and exploring new ideas," the Library of Congress said in a statement.

In 2003, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time

"Thrash, a reaction against the pop metal of the early 1980s, aimed to renew metal by emphasising speed and aggression," it said, while crediting Master of Puppets with aiming to "break free of thrash orthodoxy".

Metallica are this year's Record Store Day ambassadors, which takes place on Saturday 16 April.

They're due to release their 10th studio album later this year or in early 2017, their first since 2008's Death Magnetic.

Metallica are made up of guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, frontman James Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo

Other selections included Gloria Gaynor's 1978 single I Will Survive, an iconic track of the disco era.

Originally a B-side inspired by a romantic break-up, I Will Survive has emerged as an anthem of the feminist and gay rights movements.

"It is my privilege and honour to use it to inspire people around the world of every nationality, race, creed, colour and age group to join me as I sing and live the words: I Will Survive," Gaynor said in a statement on the song's selection.

The Library of Congress also chose two recordings of Mack the Knife - a pop standard whose German original was co-written for a musical by Bertolt Brecht.

It was also performed separately in 1959 by jazz legend Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin.

Other recordings included another classic jazz work, John Coltrane's spiritual 1964 album A Love Supreme, as well as Motown greats The Supremes' single Where Did Our Love Go and one of Billy Joel's signature songs, Piano Man.

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