As far as Metallica goes...definately Kill 'Em All (the first album) is great for beginners.
Seek and Destroy, Am I Evil, are probably the easiest to learn and are definately a blast to play. My band will sometimes play those songs for fun during practice. We're all from the same generation and like a lot of the same music.
I started learning guitar because of Randy Rhoads..but Yngwie J. Malmsteen is my biggest influence.