The History Of: Cliff Burton

In the early 1980’s, a 20 year-old bassist named Cliff Burton joined a Bay-area band called Trauma. In August 1982, he was spotted at a gig at LA’s Troubadour by two guys called Lars and James, who described him as “the most head banging bassist they had ever seen”. This meeting went on to be life-changing for them all.

Cliff Burton was born in 1962, in San Francisco. His parents were hippies, and from them he got his laid-back attitude and his own unique style. He studied piano from the age of 6, was incredibly bright, and studied music at junior college.

At about the age of thirteen, Cliff picked up the bass guitar and fell in love with it, saying - ”When I started, I decided to devote my life to it and not get sidetracked by all the other bull**** life has to offer”. His brother had just died from a brain aneurysm, and Cliff vowed to “be the best bassist for my brother." He took lessons for two years, before outgrowing his teachers.

His first band was called EZ Street, named after a strip club in San Mateo. The band slowly disintegrated, but his skill and dedication to the bass led to him joining a local band called Trauma. At around 21, Cliff told his parents he was utterly determined to become a professional bassist. His parents agreed to pay for his rent and food for four years - if he hadn’t made some kind of progress by then, he would have to get a different job.

Cliff's time with Trauma, whose one-song demo, ‘Such A Shame’ was transferred to vinyl on Metal Massacre II, led to his meeting with Lars and James. James’ quote about that evening sums up Cliff’s skill and attitude perfectly: "We heard this wild solo going on and thought, 'I don't see any guitar player up there.' It turned out it was the bass player, Cliff, with a wah wah pedal and this mop of hair. He didn't care whether people were there. He was looking down at his bass playing."

The band decided he had to be their bassist, and fired Ron Mcgovney, Metallica’s original bassist. At first, Cliff declined their offer, but he was becoming increasingly unhappy in Trauma. Cliff’s parents recall - “Trauma wanted him to go plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk. He wanted to play lead bass and they said, ‘No way’”. Two years into the deal with his parents, Cliff agreed to join Metallica, but had two requests. One was that the band relocate to the Bay Area, the second that he could play lead bass.

“When they finally got together he'd say, "I wanna play lead bass. I want some spot in here where I can go off. And they said, "You can play anything you want, just come with us." They gave him a five-minute solo.” Jan Burton

Fans of Metallica who saw them during Cliff’s years with the band will no doubt have been treated to one of these bass solos. Even after joining Metallica, Cliff still practiced between four and six hours a day. He showed great commitment to the band, especially on the first tour back east. At one point, all their equipment was stolen except three guitars.

Cliff was completely committed to the band, even teaching James Hetfield music theory. Examples of his unique talent can be found in numerous Metallica songs. Cliff’s solo, Anesthesia (Kill ‘Em All), is considered by some to be the best bass solo ever, and was apparently improvised. He also played a melodic and haunting part in the Call Of Ktulu (Ride The Lightning), and used effects like wah and distortion in his music. Cliff was largely responsible for the hauntingly beautiful Orion, from the Master Of Puppets album. This song was played at his funeral.

Cliff’s life was cut drastically short by that now-infamous day in Sweden. That night, Cliff played Star Spangled Banner for his bass solo. That night the band drew cards to decide who would have which bunk on the tour bus. Cliff drew the Ace Of Spades, assigning him to Kirk Hammett’s bunk. That night, the driver lost control of the bus and tried to correct the skid. Cliff was thrown from the bus and pinned underneath. A crane was brought to the scene to lift the bus from Cliff, but it slipped back down. It isn’t known whether Cliff was still alive at this point.

There is still speculation about the accident. The driver claims that he hit a patch of black ice, but James Hetfield has since said that the road searched the road for ice and none found. There were claims that the driver was drunk. To this day, nobody will ever know what caused the bus to skid and end the life of one of the most influential bassists ever.

There is no doubt that Cliff’s death was a tragedy, and although he died 18 years ago, Cliff is still a huge influence to bassists worldwide. Adverts were taken out by fans in magazines like Kerrang to pay tribute to him and his music. Metallica at first refused to carry on as a band, but later hired Jason Newstead, who unfortunately was regarded for most of his time in the band as ‘Cliff’s Replacement’. He later quit, and Rob Trujillo now plays bass for Metallica.

Though he achieved worldwide fame with Metallica, Cliff always remained grounded, never considering himself a star. His parents said he was "an appreciative and thoughtful son”, recalling:
“Once, a little boy came up to the door, early in the morning and wanted Cliff to sign his shirt. So Cliff staggered to the door - and said ‘Sure, of course I'll sign it.’” “I once called him up and said 'How do you like being a rock star?', and he was furious. He asked me never to refer to him that way again,” Sister, Connie

Cliff died on the 27th of September, 1986. His funeral was held on the 7th of October that year in his hometown of Castro Valley, California. Orion was played at the funeral. Cliff was cremated, and later his ashes were spread by his friends and family at Maxwell Ranch, a 'place he very much loved'.

Equipment

Cliff used:

Basses:
Rickenbacker 4001
Aria Pro II
Alembic Spoiler

Amps:
Mesa Boogie 4"x12" Cabinets & 1"x15" Cabinets
Ampeg SVT-1540HE Classis Series Enclosure

Effects:
Morley Power Wah Boost
Electro Harmonix Big Muff

Sources

metallicaworld.co.uk
nunnie.com
cliff-god.com
tuli.cc.lut.fi
encycmet.com

Comments

[KirkHammet]

cool

[keverev]

very interesting

[runaway]

nice article

[WhiteKnight123]

Very good 5 stars!

[discziplin]

great article.
5stars

[marijnnijs]

damn so tragic................why do all the good ones have to go huh??assholes like hitler even get to live their 50th birthday........cliff rules

[Heresjonny99]

we miss you cliff, rock on in heaven bro with that magic sound you showed us all, rock and roll bro

[LinkinParkFreak]

nice article

rock on cliff
you were a huge influence around the world
RIP

[Resiliance]

R.I.P.

[Until_it_sleeps]

a 20 year-old bassist named Cliff Burton

and although he died 18 years ago,

Got some points messsed up, but it was a decent article.

[Until_it_sleeps]

omfg, I thought it said though he died 18 years old... my bad

[Thegeetarnoob]

Very good article. Really informative.

[alexxx152]

cliff rules... rip....

[imatraditionman]

splendid article

[DildoBangins]

You forgot the last part. Cliff's legend lives on because Metallica lives on... as a pop band. If Metallica were not a pop band today, you wouldn't have heard of them or Cliff Burton. If any of the other bands with superior bass players had lived on as Metallica, as a pop band, you would have another yourself another hero. You might even realize that Cliff was mediocre, even for his time.

[Lick_Soloist]

Very nice article, Well put

[Heresjonny99]

hey dildobangings....*** you ass face, and get some class

[erling]

god I wish he was alive today..best bassist ever

[ANewFoundPride]

CLIFF BURTON WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST BASSIT EVER. I LOVED HIS STAR SPANGLED BANNER ON THE BASS. TOTALLY KICK A$$!!

[SireGreat]

jam with hendrix in the afterlife cliff.

[Diceman42]

well written article. 5

[DildoBangins]

Everyone and their brother has played the Star Spangled Banner on electric guitar and bass ever since Hendrix did it at Woodstock. The difference is that Jimi's version had real significance, politically and musically. Cliff is only the best bassist that YOU all know of. There's a lot of better bassists from Cliff's era and before that are not currently part of the pop scene, so naturally you don't know them.

[Weebl]

Oh stfu, stop thinking your so damn great just cos youve heard of some other bassist who isnt in a famous band, not a pop band a famous METAL band.

Good Article, 5 stars.

[horazonblade]

Well, you could be the great bass player in existence, but if you never get heard or your music never catches on then you know what you get? Jack squat. He is influential because he was heard by so many, and he was skillful. DildoBangins, I see what your saying, and it make sence mostly, but Cliff deserves respect as a great -and- famous bass player, and as a musican (Which can be two very different things, trust me).

[DildoBangins]

Here's an example. What about Tim Bogert? Vanilla Fudge and Cactus WERE popular, but since they're not associated with current pop bands like Metallica, you don't know much about him, do you? He came before Cliff and has had more influence on metal bass than Cliff.

I already explained to you kids why pop is not an actual genre of music, but an artificial genre you use to lump new music that kids that sit at a different table than you at lunch listen to together. If you care to discuss that particular point, please refer to my original post on the bass forum. The genre of music Metallica plays is Metal, but they are a pop band. The fact that you don't like the word you have hijacked, "pop", applied to one of your bands does not change that fact.

All musicians; all people, deserve to be respected. His death was tragic. But why don't you mourn everyone else who has suffered a tragic death similarly? If you were not infatuated with him you wouldn't continue to mourn Cliff the way you all do. That infatuation is not the problem, only the sympton of the larger problem which I have addressed in detail on the bass forum.

[Heresjonny99]

dude....your just retarded, "pop" means its popular, meaning it has to be good in some way or another or else it wouldnt be popular because no one wants to listen to shitty music like you and your pudding or fudge or whatever the *** you call it

[gottaleyy]

hey dildo bangins,stop being an a.s.shole.
And metallica isnt "pop"

[stinger167]

o man who cares whos the best cliff kicked way too much ass on the 4 string

[deapcyfer]

METALLICA IS POP AND FOREVER WILL BE POP. Ever since ride the lightning they have been. and dildo, i'm right with ya, how the *** is Cliff Burton the greatest bassist ever, i highly doubt he was capable of playing something the caliber of the bass solo in Metropolis Pt. 1 (that's Dream Theater for all of you don't know jack shit about music metallica lovers). Even Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is better than Cliff was....don't say someone is the best, just because you like them, make sure they're actually the best..that'd be like if I said Slash is the best guitar player ever just because he's my favorite...when in all reality, we all know there were quite a few better than him (Jimmy Page, John Petrucci, Michael Angelo, Joe Satriani). Get a clue!

[RatiugLink]

RIP Cliff

METALLICA IS POP AND FOREVER WILL BE POP. Ever since ride the lightning they have been. and dildo, i'm right with ya, how the *** is Cliff Burton the greatest bassist ever, i highly doubt he was capable of playing something the caliber of the bass solo in Metropolis Pt. 1 (that's Dream Theater for all of you don't know jack shit about music metallica lovers). Even Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is better than Cliff was....don't say someone is the best, just because you like them, make sure they're actually the best..that'd be like if I said Slash is the best guitar player ever just because he's my favorite...when in all reality, we all know there were quite a few better than him (Jimmy Page, John Petrucci, Michael Angelo, Joe Satriani). Get a clue!

I wouldn't say he's THE best, but he's definately up there. Have you not heard him solo?!

Yes, the solo in Metropolis Pt. 1 kicks ass. It isn't necessarily better, it's played entirely differently. Apples and oranges, man. Live and let live.

The word "pop" simply means popular. Metallica are popular. Get over it.

If you meant they're "pop" as in Britney-Spears-pop, then you need to go into rehab, because I'm sorry to inform you that you are drunk.

[DildoBangins]

Jonny, I owned all of Metallica's albums. Would I have bought them ALL if I though Metallica flat out sucked? Vanilla Fudge was before Metallica was even formed. My point is that Metallica is still around and still pop, and that is why you know who they are.

RatiugLink, of course I've heard Cliff play. I wouldn't tell you that you think too highly of him if I hadn't. Have you heard what players like Tim Bogert, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Jaco, etc. did in the 60's/70's? That is before Metallica, mark you. And yes, Metallica have been popular for quite a number of years.

[Sum1]

people take different perspectives on pop, and that is why there is some anger stemming from your comments, but if you truly look at the word metallica is pop, as said before they were since ride the lightning seeing as how its possibly one of the most popular metal albums.. but pop also seems to refer to britney spears, n sync and all those crappy people

and with that said, cliff is a great bassist, possibly the greatest bassit.. i love him.. RIP cliff.. as said before jam with all the greats in the afterlife

[Heresjonny99]

ok ok ok, we all have our different views. cliff burton was a great bassist, people like slash and joe satriani are awesome guitarists, but justin timberlake is gay, and i think thats the most important thing here, and i think we all agree on that

[short circut]

the first cliff burton article was 100 times better than this one but this one is still good

[maiden explorer]

i dont care about the article, cliff in death ur soul,sound & gr8ness will live on

[alienfingersCR]

yeah, cliff r.i.p boy, the controversy is that for me as bass player he's not a miracle he was good but not amazing, he just wanted attention and made bass guitar more popular

[guitarghetto]

Anyone who's talkin shit about Cliff, listen to Anesthesia,

[Enter the Tool]

Cliff, you seriously kicked ass.. Very tragic.
-Salute.-

[bassdrum]

I share a birthday with him

[slash_rhoads]

such a sorry he died

[BSabbath69]

Cliff Was Great But Gezzer Butler Was And is better

[muted_silence]

Good article

[theantilife666]

He was prolly a good guy. Gotta like that he signs a stalker kids t-shirt, touching. Good bassist. Rest.

[DildoBangins]

Many people think about words like "pop", "mainstream", and "underground" in a very superficial sense. Let me redefine them for you properly. There is a good deal of mainstream music that is passed off as "underground" because the idea of "underground" music has appeal to the target audience. Remember, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MAINSTREAM MUSIC. It is perfectly possible that a talented band could be successful. If you want to view my original point about why pop is not a genre, search for it on the bass forum.

Pop (Correct) - Refers to current popular music; anything that happens to be selling, regardless of the genre. Pop IS NOT a genre of music.

Genre - Category of music (songs) with some important musical traits in common. For example, latin music will have certain beats and a heavy amount of percussion. Swing (Big Band) will have a lot of horns playing arrangements with heavy accents on the 2 and 4. Blues music will most likely utilize the blues progression (and jazz and rock use it a lot too). "Pop" music, using the incorrect definition, does not have any binding musical attributes to speak, and therefore is not a real genre.

Pop (Incorrect) - A "genre" where we lump together all of the music that we deem artifical that the kids who sit at another lunch table listen to. This would include Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, who in reality lip synch over instrumentation from a wide variety of genres.

Mainstream - Music that is signed onto a major record label, or a label that is "known" and has had some gold or platinum records. Also, music that is very well distributed (through such means as internet downloading; if you have a song that is as downloaded as much as "The Star Wars Kid", for example, you'd be pretty well known).

Underground - Music that is not signed to a "known" record label or distributed in large quantities. Bands with gold and/or platinum albums are not underground.

[quo_vadis]

very well done article, what a horrible way to die, that bass solo is certainly not the best bass solo ever written, mayb the most known but not the best.

[Adam Burgess]

that was a great article man!!! 5 stars

[dogsballs]

5 moons dude!! that gives me a better view of metalllica aswell. wot good guys!

[willio]

CLIFF RULZ

[buckethead101]

long live cliff burton. I have a funny thing why legends died like Randy Rhoads. I hope you write a column about Randy Rhoads someday...That's all. TNX

[Dave_Grohl]

cliff was a champ, but imagine if jaymz pulled the ace of spades! metallica woulda finished after master of puppets

[buckethead101]

5 stars man

[numetaldude]

dildobangins is perfectly right on that last post.. and his other posts make perfect sense too though it's all a matter of opinion..

[r_lightning]

yeah!! thats excactly what I've been waiting for! Burton is my hero and always will be!! Great article, rock on dude

[BC516208]

I am a very big fan of Metallica and a big fan of cliff, he brought that kickass attitude to the rythym of all great Metallica songs! RIP dude keep rockin in heaven!!!

P.S. Great Article

[Wrangles]

DildoBangins u rely are a dildo

[metal_fanatic]

great article. Metallica WAS a great band.

i agree that cliff was a great bassist, but cmon, 'one of the most influential bassists ever'?! u gotta be kidding me. he wasn't that great

[charger356]

DildoBangins, shut the hell up! You are insulting a dead man, you douche. The bottom line is that Cliff Burton was one among the most influential bassists of all time.

Sure, maybe there are people who mourn over his death that didn't know him much, but you are complaining over something that is impossible. How can you mourn over the death of someone you haven't heard of? I see obituaries in the paper all the time, but I don't cry for each and every one of them. I didn't know them!

In conclusion, DildoBangins is a heart-less, ignorant ass clown that likes to whine about "Vanilla Fudge". And Cliff Burton IS the most influential bassist OF ALL TIME.

[MetalUpTheAss]

Well done article, the parts I recognized from other websites (somewhat) were given credit to. Deserving of Cliff's Legacy. Good job.

RIP, Cliff.

[Weebl]

i agree that cliff was a great bassist, but cmon, 'one of the most influential bassists ever'?! u gotta be kidding me. he wasn't that great

Do you realise the difference between influential and talent? Mark Hoppus is also influential but he doesnt have any talent. Cliff had a lot of talent, however he wasnt the greatest, but he was definatly one of the most influential, considering he has influenced millions of bassists.

[DildoBangins]

Charger Three Five Six,

If Mark Hoppus died, and in eighteen years children enthusiastically mourned him as you do Cliff, would you tell me to shut the hell up for insulting a dead man when I told the kids that Mark Hoppus wasn't half as influential as they thought?

Weebl,

Is Metallica's music more sophistaced than Blink182's? Yes. Is it more influential? No, not really. Did Cliff Burton really have more chops than Mark Hoppus? No, not really. He did have a wah and a fuzz though (so do most guitar players and a great deal of bass players, even before him too).

I don't particularly enjoy Blink182, but I am not going to be so naive as to tell you that Mark Hoppus sucks because blink plays rather unsophistacated music. The fact of the matter is that Blink will probably inspire more kids to pick up bass than Burton-era Metallica ever did. If those kids grow into music beyond Blink182 simplicity, they will have taken the step that you will not by stepping beyond Cliff Burton.

[GhostOfWar]

Hey Dildobangins, get a life you loner. Dont talk about things you dont understand and go suck mark hoppussy.

[Danny7]

Thats a good point, but then Mark Hoppus has done *** all to rock music, (although I do like Blink-182), Burton may not have been the hero of metal that some people make him out to be, but to be honest.. you can't say Cliff hasn't influenced bass playing at all.

Yeah, when people say "CLIFF RAWKS!!!!!!!!!!1111" then they're being ignorant, but when people say that he was a good bassist (not the best, but good all the while) who played a very big part in Metallica, and has influenced a generation of bassists since his death.

Good article though. 5 stars.

And RIP Cliff. .

That solo in Orion, although not really fast or whatever, its just.. wierd in the way I get a cool feeling inside me when it comes on. Its like relaxing but haunting at the same time.

[bass_maiden]

This article wasn't meant to be the 'history of cliff burton' I posted it as 'most influential bassists-Cliff Burton' but I think it got changed slightly. I know there was another Cliff article and I didn't mean to replicate it.
You can't tell me that Cliff isn't influential... he mght not technically be the best, but he was, and is, a huge influence on bassists. He showed bass as more than a second-rate instrument and made people wana play his songs. That, to me, is an influential bassist. And to the guy who said Steve Harris is a better bassist, he's the subject of my next 'influential bassists' article

[Shea3Blink]

dildo your a freakin idiot, i love mark hoppous but cliff burton is in fact way better, dont try 2 sounds smart cuz no one cares what you think

[zeppelin420]

imagine if kirk had kept his bunk... what a bummer.

[Jimi444]

it was a nice article i gave it five stars (;

[Deth2Emo]

Basses:
Rickenbacker 4001
Aria Pro II
Alembic Spoiler

i know u can get the rickenbacker but can u still but these other basses

[Necronomicon]

I never really noticed the bass in early metallica...

[Weebl]

This article wasn't meant to be the 'history of cliff burton' I posted it as 'most influential bassists-Cliff Burton' but I think it got changed slightly. I know there was another Cliff article and I didn't mean to replicate it.

Yea, you should try asking them to change that, otherwise it kinda defeats the point....

And dildo, your an idiot, i dont even think i have to explain why...

[DildoBangins]

My point is that Mark Hoppus influences just as many beginners, if not more, but the majority of you will dismiss him as nothing more than a crappy schmuck in some pop band. When I say that Cliff wasn't as influential as you give him credit for, I mean that his contribution to bass wasn't significant and groundbreaking. Cliff Burton didn't break any more ground in the bass world than Mark Hoppus. I have already explained in detail why you are not so familiar with the more groundbreakering players. Do you have to break ground to be a decent bass player? No.

Weebl,

I don't think it's a matter of you not having to explain, more like not being able to. You have already conceded to me that you don't want to go anywhere with your playing. You are forever a beginner, by your own choice, and as such you are in no position to call me an idiot. Feebly insulting me won't get you anywhere.

[Weebl]

Stop reading to much into what i say and making false assumptions about everything. I said im not playing for anything other than fun, that doesnt mean im beginner though. Secondly the point that you just made about mark hoppus was my point in the first place, you cant just dismiss my point by agreeing with it, and i could explain why your an idiot but you just have your head so far up your own ass you would just ignore whatever i say and reply with some bullshit about whatever you're angry about at the moment.

[Duff_McGee]

RIP Cliff, you're one of the greats man.....

[Donahue2]

Hey Dildo. Do you realize how much you're whining? "Boo Hoo! Metallica's pop!" You're like those losers that complain about what's punk and what isn't punk. Who gives a f***! Go complain somewhere else to other idiots that share the same bullsh*t opinion as you, this is a tribute to Cliff Burton's life. Show some respect and bitch somewhere else.

[DildoBangins]

Weebl,

I'm not the one who is angry, who is slinging insults because he cannot present a valid argument. I take it from what you've said that you don't take your playing seriously. As such, you are not in a position to have a role in this discussion, which is meant for those that do wish to take their playing seriously, and grow as musicians.

If you're not a beginner, how many paying gigs do you do a week? What genres of music does your band play? I myself am a professional musician, and I do about four gigs a week right now, but soon will be doing more (tourist season is beginning in my area). I play everything from jazz to "pop". I didn't want to bring experience into this because it was not my intention to hold my experience over your heads. But you must not be so naive to assume that, simply because you have known so many kids of your age to talk "out of their asses", as it were, that everyone that has something to say that you don't particularly like is doing likewise. Are you some sort of musical messiah? Are your opinions about music the one true way of seeing things? Of course not. Neither are mine. But I have picked up a few things in my years that would be of help to you if you could dismount from your high horse.

[Donahue2]

I myself am a professional musician

If you were a professional musician you'd like music and you wouldn't care about what other people like and don't like. The conclusion i've gathered so far about you is that you're a joke. I horrible, horrible joke.

[Persistent-Lazy]

You people need to start respecting your elders. You look like your in that "teenage rebellion stage" where nobody understands you and thinks your fu*king prick, so you join a website with a bunch of other fu*king pricks so you can feel all high and mighty. And when someone comes along and presents a logical explanation about why your all a bunch of mindless pawns you freak out and defend your opinions by saying "Your an idiot, I dont think I have to explain why...". and stick to your narrow points of view without even trying to comprehend the big picture.

[Weebl]

I can present a valid argument, i just dont feel like wasting the time just to have you dismiss it with some totally unrelated crap.

[Persistent-Lazy]

Unrelated? Would you mind using up some of your valuable time to critique my post and tell me why it's unrelated crap?

[Weebl]

I wasnt talking to you i was talking to dildo

[Boddah_rock]

wow you people are almost as dumb as the stupid *** who wrote this article, its clear he didnt pay attention in english class, another thing if you ***ing morons want to post something at least take the time to use your ***ing spell check

[Weebl]

Uhhh...just copy this and put it into word. There will be no errors in it at all. Whos the fucking idiot now?

[Donahue2]

that's pretty smart, considering there's no spell check in this little message box you stupid idiot.

[Weebl]

If you were talking to me i copied the article and put it into word and ran the spell check in that...

[Donahue2]

i wasnt, im on your side man

[wisE]

Cliff Burton as well as any other bass player can be inspirational to anybody by the style of play. Everybody has certain heros. However, you can never mention that anybody is the best in the world. There is no such position to label a person that way. I agree with what cyfer had to say. If slash is his favorite guitar player, then saying it doesn't mean that slash actually is. He had mentioned there are many other greater than what slash would be. He may be your own personal favorite but you can't put him on a poll to say he owns everybody else. Look at somebody like Tom from RAGE / Audioslave. Somebody who is a rhythm player and likes to do a different style may pinpoint to him being the best person ever bcuz his solos are very unique in the fact he uses digitech whammys a lot of times to get that sound. But hes not the only person who's ever done it. Check out some of the underground bands who never got a chance to get signed or are not in a supergroup that have a simular being of that style of playing. Example.. Van Halen and Randy Rhoads. Both of them are more a less know for starting finger tapping. Now i don't know the whole story on it who actually started it. I read in a guitar magazine that it was eddie who actually did. He did it at shows and used to turn his back so the crowd couldn't see what he was doing. Then i've had people tell me that Randy Rhoads was doing it long before Eddie. Then you coulda had somebody who was a no-namer and in a band that started it and never was really big. Depending on the style of your play, your idols are going to be different.. So if its your idol, sulking over his death is not a problem if he was the reason why u started playing bass. Maybe the very first time they ever were interested in playing they heard Cliff play, or maybe Flea. Then of course they aren't going to have the musical vocabulary on who started it. The whole session on hand here was the "History Of Cliff Burton". Its supposed to show you how he was a class act guy, very nice, and enjoyed what he did not start an argument on who the best bassist in the world is. If you wanna know who the best bassist in the world is.. here.... NOBODY.. never will be either.. Somebody will always come along and out-do another person..

[Weebl]

Very true....but this article was actually supposed to be on why cliff was influential.

[guitarjared]

yeah u guys are pretty cool......i bet most of u losers live with your parents and have nothing better to do than sit at home and make fun of other bands. god, ***in losers, get a life and just play the ***in music. it's just music, come on people, just enjoy it, music is a beautiful thing. hope u fatass nerds are happy.

[Donahue2]

People just need to like what they like and stop pissing into other peoples preferences.

[BHD]

I'm not even a bassist, I read that, found I had "(Anesthesia) Whipping Teeth" on my PC... Listened once... And suddenly! Some how!! I don't know how!!! But it's been played 29 times today!!!! I wonder how that happened?! *avoids eye contact*
This dude is a DUDE

[Spike6sic6]

I always thought the song they played was To Live Is To Die...Hum anyway,great article!

[VelvetÆnema33]

Not too bad artical... could of been imporved...

I'd really like to see a thing about Iommi... Most of these bands that are concidered great today were said to be infuenced by Sabbath... and you know its his guitar that made that band, and ozzy

[Rockin_Out89]

Good Article, 5 stars. Les Claypool is my favorite bassist next to him.

[ShoeLaces907]

I for one applaud Dildo's intestinal fortitude. He's got well thought out but not overbearing arguements that he's presenting in a logic, rational fashion. Good show. It's good to see that at least SOME people are willing to think for themselves and not blindly worship the accepted music idols. Bravo for someone having an opinion that wasn't given to them.

[sephiroth5789]

good article

[Donahue2]

shut up, Shoelaces. Just because people know who Cliff Burton is doesn't mean he shouldnt be thought of fondly. You people are idiots.

[Traeger]

Hahahaha if you just took all that time to read this list of comments then your as dumb as me. And that dildo character. Cliff was awesome

[Nilefan]

Seems to me that dildo isn't a teenager...Yes, I waste my time to wrote this shit. I'm in vacations...

[LastRockShow]

Ok, I don't care if Metallica are pop. I don't give a ***ing shit whether any band is pop or punk or metal or not. They're just ***ing labels. If you like the music, who gives a hell what kind of band or artist they are? Why should it matter? Music is about expressing yourself and writing what YOU like and what YOU would like to hear.

Take Blink-182 for example. Sure, they don't have good guitar parts...they go for catchy. Yeah, their lyrics aren't the greatest in the world...but I once heard that many comedians wish they were musicians, and vice versa. Blink found a way to combine the 2...and they play it because they like it. And, of course, you can tell they have fun with it from their music videos and live shows.

Back to Cliff - Maybe he wasn't the best bassist. Hell I'm sure he wasn't. He was really good, though. He created riffs that were clever and catchy. That's what really matters to me in music. In the end, he was a really good bassist and it shouldn't be a concern of yours why anyone likes him or not.

[ShoeLaces907]

Donahue, thanks for putting words in my mouth. I wasn't criticizing Cliff Burton, but rather I was criticizing people's sad trait of worshipping their idols blindly. Dildo has presented what roughly amounts to a challenge to those who hold Cliff Burton in such high regard, but all his defenders have been able to answer back is "uh..screw you. You're an idiot. Cliff rules". That isn't a valid argument, it's immature flaming by those who are shocked that someone has the audacity to take their hero down a peg. That makes me wonder: how many of these people actually listened to Cliff Burton and said "I really his bass playing" and how many people simply think he's great because he was the bass player for Metallica? I got no problem for Cliff Burton. I'd just personally like to see a valid arguement of some sort as to why he was so good.

[bass_maiden]

He was good to me because I sat down and heard Orion and though 'wow... I wana learn to play that...'. I don't think he's the best bassist ever because there is no 'best bassist' and Cliff himself said that. But he is my idol and my biggest influence...
And to the guy who said 'he's a stupid *** he can't even spell' I'm a she, not a he. And this was written in Word, so there are no spelling mistakes thanx you very much

[Voldragon]

Maybe Cliff wasnt the best ever bassist but he was damn good he deserves respect. R.I.P

[chinko]

cliff was a brilliant bassist, but there are millions of better ones out there. jaco anyone?

and for the dude that said steve harris was better, since when did steve get to do a solo!?!

[Weebl]

Steve will never solo because he said he thinks bass solos are self indulgent and boring.....

[nirvanafan11111]

dildo bangins i like the way u argue and u obviously hav an extended,open minded view to music, because although yeh cliff was a gd bassist so is rob trujillo and jason newsted and jason newsted was probably more influentual as a bassist than cliff simply because he was with the band for longer(1987-2001) and so to sya tht cliff was more influential is ignorant and b4 i get attacked coz of my name nirvana are my fav band for a good reason andi dnt care how simple their music was i also love tallica and a great deal of ova bands

[Guitargeek706]

Theres no such thing as the best bass player or best guitar player, stop thinking about it that way, its not gonna get you anywhere. Cliff was amazing, if you can't admit that your just trying to act like you know something about music by comparing him to other and you think you can impress people on a tab website forum. WOW I LOVE YOU DILDO BAGGINS GREAT NAME BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW SO MUCH WHEEEE. You know what would be nice, if people just listened to music, shhh shhh no bitching, just listening.

[Donahue2]

Shoelaces: I agree with you there to a point. It's like people saying that Jimmi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player ever because everyone else says it or because they haven't heard anything else but jimmi hendrix. Well, I can think of countless guitar players that have more skill than Jimmi Hendrix, mostly in crazy thrash metal bands with the crazy shredding going on. But I'm not saying that anyone is the best. Music is music. I'm just sick of people blasting on other peoples preferences.

[muffin_man69]

Surely just the fact that all these people re saying how influencial he is, shows that he has influenced them? and there seem to be alot of them. Therefore you can't deny he's had a major influence on all of them?

Also alot of the way metallica arranged their songs came form cliff he did alot more than just add bass lines to James' riff's etc.

It also seems strange that you say alot f other bassits are more influencial but we havn't heard of them? Surely then we cannot have been influenced by them.

[DildoBangins]

Of course Cliff Burton influences the bass playing of a lot of beginners. So does Mark Hoppus, as I've pointed out. And as I have already stated, what I mean by "influential" when I say Cliff wasn't is that his contribution to bass wasn't significant and groundbreaking, ie: he didn't do anything that more "influential" (in this sense) players didn't do before him. The fact that you haven't heard these more "influential" bassists leads some of you to give Cliff Burton credit for being more of an electric bass icon than he really is. But I also pointed out that you don't have to be groundbreaking or "influential" in the sense I have mentioned to be a good bass player. There's nothing wrong with Cliff Burton. The only thing I'm "blasting" is the misconception that Cliff Burton is a more important bass icon that he really his. I'm not telling anyone NOT to listen to Metallica.

[Weebl]

Oi, the mark hoppus thing was my point, and that was also the point i was making which you had a go at me for saying that but your agreeing with it now..... Also your points are now making some sense, but to be as influential as cliff you really do have to be famous, im not saying he is the best bass player ever cos he isnt but he is very influential, also if you want to make that kind of point that he is overrated at least show a little bit of respect rather than having a go at people because they said RIP. And id say he is actually quite an important bass player because of the amount of people hes influenced which is one of the reasons why hes great, aswell as the fact that he was good and wrote some amazing music, most people can or could play orion but could they have written it? And for the record cliff also wrote the guitar parts to that aswell.....

[bass_maiden]

Yeah I never tried to say that he was the best or anything, I just said he was influential... there's no 'best' bassist, Cliff himself said that. There's always somebody better, but they're probably playing in their garage, and then there's hundreds of different genres... Cliff might be a great metal bassist but he's not gonna be such a good reggae bassist, is he?
Stop bitching about him being the best, or not being the best. Just respect him for what he was- a very influential bassist

[DildoBangins]

Well Weebl,

If you think I have in any way changed any of my opinions, you must have misread something I wrote. I realize that my writing is probably convoluted to your eyes and it would be easy for you to make such a mistake.

Once again, I use the terms influential and important to describe someone's contribution to bass. While we might enjoy Anesthesia and Orion, there's nothing particularly outstanding about them. Orion may be beautiful in its own right, but beautiful music has been around for a very long time. Does one song make him a memorable composer? No, not even "one hit wonder" of composers.

Well bass maiden,

Would I have owned all of Metallica's albums without respecting Cliff Burton? Respecting someone and revering them are two entirely different things.

But ry to realize that this discussion only begins with Cliff Burton, so getting stuck on him isn't going to get us anywhere. I have tried to, amidst many sidetracks, present a fluid discussion about music.

[basspriest]

Anesthesia (Kill ?Em All), is considered by some to be the best bass solo ever, and was apparently improvised.

I believe that at least some parts of Anesthesia were written before the Kill ?Em All recording sessions. Having watched recently the Cliff ?em all DVD, something came to my mind. At one point, during what is presented as Cliff?s first gig with the band, he pops out a solo that sound very similar (if not exactly the same thing) to the part of Anesthesia that starts around 10 or 1:15 minute. If Anyone could confirm that I?m not just imagining things, that would be appreciated. Also, I do not intend to settle that ??Who?s the best bassist?? debate but all I can say is that I decided to play bass when I first heard Anesthesia. I just thought : ?One day, I?m gonna play that song.?? Of course, after my Cliff phase I discovered a lot of cool popular metal bassists like Steve Harris, Dave Ellefson and that dude from Judas Priest just to name a few. But of all that bunch of well-known bassists, Cliff Burton is still my favorite. And by the way, sorry if I made some mistakes: English isn?t my first language. Yeah, I?m a ****ing Frenchie. lol

[kidcanada]

You know whos a wicked bassist? Victor Wooten from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Hes quite sick even if you don't dig Bela's music, you'd be awe inspired by Wootens crazy skills.

[basspriest]

Just for my personnal culture, I'd like to know for what reason you (Dildo...) consider Tim Bogert and all the others to be so important and influencial, since I am young and ignorant. And as you wish a discussion about music, I would like that you explain us all what is your definition of a master piece, because in my foolish opinion, I do consider Anesthesia a masterpiece. I also think that if Cliff Burton its not only because Metallica carried on. If Cliff is still known today, it's because he died young, tragically, at the summit of his glory. Think of all the members of rock pantheon. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morisson and many others. They all died before their music deperish. All we can recall of those is their golden era.

[AuthenticBass]

great article... rock on Cliff

[Metalology]

I;m glad you mention Ron McGovney too many people think CLiff is the first

[Metalology]

Dildo? Are you on Crack? Metallica isn't a pop band you n00b

[DildoBangins]

Yes, at least parts of Anesthesia were written, as I have heard them verbatim elsewhere in Cliff recordings. You're not dreaming.

To be fair, I should explain to you something about the english language. I'm not sure if French is similar in this. Our words have so many possible meanings and implications, dictionaries are insufficient. Every set of circumstances surrounding a word give it a different meaning. As I have explained, when I use the words "influential" and "important", most of the time I am referring to a bass players' contributions to bass in the form of original techniques/approaches to bass guitar that affect the way other bass players play in ways that previous players have not. In this sense, players like Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Tim Bogert, Jack Bruce, Jaco, Rocco Prestia, James Jamerson etc., are more influential because they had more unique approaches to playing at earlier dates. That doesn't even necessarily make them better bass players, but they do deserve extra respect for their more important contributions to electric bass.

I think every piece of honest music is a masterpiece in its own right. Music isn't about perfection, just self expression. Anyone who can express themself through music can make a masterpiece.

Metalology, I will concede to you that Metallica is not a pop band, but only if you can prove to me that they are not popular. I recommend that you go back and actually read what I have written before telling me I'm wrong; it can save use both time.

[Disraeli_Gears]

dildo man i think you should just leave burton to mourn and stop being such a downer man . like this is a page on the accploshishments of cliff . why do you have to bring him down so much .mayen he wasnt the best but he was one talented cat.

[Strat_Monkey]

DildoBangins is right about the influence thing. There aren't a whole lot of lead bassists out there, and since that's what Cliff was it is clear that he has not had a huge influence. He rocked, yes, he wrote some incredible bass riffs, bass solos and songs,yes, but he didn't actually influence a whole lot of people.

[Weebl]

But he DID influence a lot of people to play bass you cant disagree with that...

[Voldragon]

dildo man i think you should just leave burton to mourn and stop being such a downer man . like this is a page on the accploshishments of cliff . why do you have to bring him down so much .mayen he wasnt the best but he was one talented cat.

I agree with Disraeli_gears. But you cant say Cliff Burton is not a big influence because he influenced loads of people to become bassists. He was not only a big influence but also a incredibly good bassist and a good person. He never let fame get to his head. R.I.P Cliff

[thm_05]

yo cliff,
take it easy where ever you are...and keep it real.
for people who try to worship him as the god of bass that has got to stop...he wanted us to just live life for the better of making yourself heard....so pick up that guitar, bass, drum sticks and rock the shit.

[DildoBangins]

No one is disagreeing with the FACT that Cliff Burton is important to a lot of beginners. The point is that in the grand scheme of bass players, he's not very significant at all. Much like Mark Hoppus, who is famous, important to beginners, but not very significant. What we don't need to do is get so caught up in his tragic death that we forget that Cliff wasn't some bass god that needs to be revered. Cliff wouldn't want us to glorify his accomplishments, would he?

[Donahue2]

shut up about him being important to "beginners". Get off of your f*cking Pedastool for a second. He's a great bassist, you cocky prick. And as for Cliff not wanting us to glorify him: Shut the f*ck up. Don't act like you have respect for him after you flat out started this arguement. I don't know what your problem is, but just go away. If you're not going to say anything good about him, just mess off. And your bullsh*t on him being influential to beginners, like, you aren't even giving him any credit. Shut your mouth and back away.

[basspriest]

Thank you Dildo for « assuring that I?m (not) insane. » I?d like to know by the way in what band and on what record did theose bassists played ?cause I?ve never heard of most of them. I?d also like to know what were their contributions to music. Though it doesn?t have anything to do with music, I can tell you that in French, words have a more concise meaning, therefore we use more words and make longer sentences.

[DildoBangins]

Wow Donahue Two, that was... constructive. I'm trying to have a discussion here. If you're not mature enough to participate in a constructive manner, I have no business with you.

If you want to know more about the players I mentioned, the best way is of course by listening to them. But I can give you some examples. Larry Graham is credited with inventing "slap bass", or thumping and plucking as I call it. James Jamerson is considered the first electric bass virtuoso. Jack Bruce brough free jazz influence into blues/rock bass (allowing for a whole new level of sophistication in blues/rock bass). Rocco Prestia's 16th note mute grooves are unique (although playesr like Jaco picked up the concept too); he is a true original. Jaco popularized the fretless sound, and expanded bass as a solo instrument. You may be familiar with Billy Sheehan and his tapping virtuosity, but did you know that Tim Bogert was his biggest influence in tapping and rock bass?

There are other important players too, of course, these are just a few examples of players that are much more integral in bass history that Cliff Burton.

[Orion_902]

Wow..anyone that claims Cliff Burtron isnt one of the greatest bass players can go away. Seriously.

Sure there are alot of great bass guitar players but he stands out. Listen to any of his solos..could anyone just bust out one of those?

Cliff was the man that made metallica. He even wrote the music! he didnt just follow the guitars. Check the song credits.

[Duff_McGee]

Dildo, this article was about remebering a great bassist, not your retarded ramblings and bitching, please leave this site.....forever.

[DildoBangins]

The truth is that I've heard Cliff's solos more times than you ever will, and amongst everything else I've heard, they really don't stand out that much.

Bass should never "follow the guitar". The bass player sets the tempo (along with the drums and other rhythm instruments), and even if they're only playing root notes, they're still defining the chord progression. The bass is literally the "base" of a song.

Well Duff Underscore McGee,

The article is about Cliff Burton, but my comments (regarding Cliff Burton) are about putting history, bass history, into perspective. If my "ramblings" are so retarded, you should easily be able to counter them with logic rather than resort to childish insults, shouldn't you?

[roo6339]

RIP cliff... brilliant article by the way.

[Weebl]

No one is disagreeing with the FACT that Cliff Burton is important to a lot of beginners. The point is that in the grand scheme of bass players, he's not very significant at all. Much like Mark Hoppus, who is famous, important to beginners, but not very significant.

Yhat part i kinda agree with but still just show some respect and let others do it. Most people that say RIP arent affected by his death but theyre still showing theyre respect for him and his contribution to bass. Cliff never asked to be famous and as highly regarded as he is, he is a bit overrated but he is still a great bassist. Also bass should follow the guitar at some points at least, espicially in metal, all the great metal bassists do it.

[refusedparty]

RIP Cliff

[EC_Cutter]

Metallica is a pop band, that is a weak argument, pop is short for popular, meaning people like them, well, if you have people buying your shit, and liking it, then you too are a pop band. Oh, and Dildobangins, Cliff rarely followed the guitar, you see there is a difference between following, and flowing in unison. Cliff did the latter, And who the *** cares who did what solo better, the point is that he did it, thats what the article is about, nowhere did it say that he did it better than another guy, all it said that influentially he was the best. Read the ***ing article before you go mouthing off.

[Duff_McGee]

Well Duff Underscore McGee,

Haha, that was funny.....well sort of.....god how long has everyone been arguing with you?? 3 days? 4 days? JA EEZ

[patriot_73]

5 star article... At one point, I was gonna tear a bit ;(.... I'll always think of what could have been done with Metal if Cliff were still here... Ahh... The tragedy....

[DildoBangins]

Well E C Underscore Cutter,

I didn't say Cliff followed Kirk Hammet or James Hetfield, now did I? No, the fact of the matter is that he, nor any professional bass player worth their salt "follows the guitar". Saying that the bass follows the guitar implies that the rhythm of the song is derived from the guitar part, not from the rhythm section. It is quite impractical to derive the rhythm of a song from the guitar solo rather than the bass or drums. So no, the lead guitar follows (solos over) the rhythm and harmony of the bass, drums, and other rhythm instruments (which may include rhythm guitar).

And note that when a bass and a guitar are playing in tandem that they indeed are playing in tandem much in the same manner as a horn or string section might play together, not "following" one another.

[Jerry_page]

strat_monkey
DildoBangins is right about the influence thing. There aren't a whole lot of lead bassists out there, and since that's what Cliff was it is clear that he has not had a huge influence. He rocked, yes, he wrote some incredible bass riffs, bass solos and songs,yes, but he didn't actually influence a whole lot of people.

maybe because no one else would have the guts to play in the style of Cliff cause hes too good and famous.

spam deleted.

[Rockstar_450]

BRILLIANT ARTICLE!! ten stars!

as for the metallica comments. Metallica are and always will be heavy metal. Anybody that thinks that St Anger has anything to do with rock or metal is sadly mistaken...

It's a tragedy that he is gone R.I.P. Cliff.

And as for the people saying there were heaps better than him. Who cares! many of these people you claim are in metal bands, who will all probably admit some metallica influence...

[fetus masher]

When Cliff died METALLICA DIED!!!.. They have never been the same since for me. PUPPETS WAS THE BEST ALBUM THEY EVER MADE AND THE LAST!!!

[mikhail]

Cliff...why comparing him to Mark Hoppus,c'mon...Cliff was better...haven't heard "Master of puppets""Anastesia" or the bass solo at "Orion"?

[nirvana alive]

da article deserves 5 stars. as for cliff, rip. never will there again be a bassist as gud as u.

[Donahue2]

idiots say "dat" and "gud". Seriously, go back to ma and pa, Gomer.

[Neloangelo818]

You're all cocksuckers, *** you all. METALLICA FOR LIFE!

[Vinura]

cliff rocked.
R.I.P man..keep on jamming where evr u are..wit hendrix or whoever

and mr dildo banger guy

give it a rest we got your point

[aird]

cliff burton = legend

[MetallicARules!]

cliff lives on. and metallica will always rock!!!..

[Panatonix]

is cliff the shit or what

[Rockstar_450]

Donahue2, you said it!

dildobangins... shut up please. Stop whinning that your treasured bass players aren't deemed as influentual because people don't know about them. YOU CAN'T BE AN INFLUENCE IF NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT YOU!! you fool, and many more people have heard of cliff than those other bassists.

And what is this important to beginners crap?? shut up! i'm not a huge metallica fan but they have always rocked! if you have an idol, it doesn't change just coz you've gotten better! He deserves all the respect he gets... oh and i suppose you think cliff should apologise for not using 'slap bass' in heavy metal music?? huh? hahahaha.

no offense didlo... but ... you kinda suck. plz also try and stop using big words to make ur crappy arguements seem to hold some merit. they just make you look even more of a knob

[AgainstAllOdds]

Why do ppl see the need to question anything about music?! It's all opinion. And Dildo dude, u can see why people are pissed with you, right? I don't think anyone has a right to question those sort of things when they're sat behind a PC. Cliff did something you'll never ever do, made a difference, even if it was a little difference, or whatever. Anyway, my point to make is, Metallica became "mainstream" because they absolutely ***ing kick ass. They didn't even wanna be an original band, Lars just wanted them 2 be a covers band.. Sorta glad they steared away from that idea.. But ofcourse big record companies could make bucks out of them, because shit loads of ppl dig decent music. I don't even need 2 get into this. Fact is, Cliff is influencial, and incase u guys forgot, a "good" bassist OR indeed guitarist, isn't judged by talent.. People still mourn Kurt Cobain, and he was far from a technically proficient guitarist. Go think about that one, while I stroke my.. 10 Metallica albums. And how the *** is Puppets poppier than Ride?! Someone, get this man a stretcher.

[metOLIca]

''Much like Mark Hoppus''

i cant believe you compared cliff to marc hoppus dildo dude your ***ing gay go *** off an listen to some shit that isnt metallica...why the *** do you even make these ***ing gay ass coments just *** off you cunt.....

[metalhead8976]

you cant compare cliff to anyone playing right now. he was one of, if not the best bassist of his time. Now if you try to compare him to people taht are still around, of coarse some of them will be better, they have had many more years to play. Cliff was in his 20's when he died, he had only been playing bass since 14, so he had to be amazing to get that good. If you combine his obvious skill with his love, passion, and devotion to the bass and the music he was playing in general; there is no doubt in my mind that he would be the best and most talented bassist out there.

[Vinura]

u said it metalhead

[Pennyroyal Tea]

Poor Cliff.... really good article man 5 star!

Yeah well he's probably up there jamming with Hendrix, Cobain, Lennon and Dylan so i guess he's happy!

[box_car_racer51]

Whose Cliff Burton?

[box_car_racer51]

Metallica is over-rated

[afifury69]

cliff burton was the bassist for metallica retard he was awesome and i wonder what theyd be like today w/cliff...hmmm

[bass_shredder84]

Cliff was the best bassist ever. Anyone who says differently should listen to anesthesia, then try to play it. It ain't easy. He gives me an excuse to tell my band there IS such thing as lead bass playing.
..R.I.P.

[RememberMyName]

As member no. 1 of the RIP Cliff Burton Club, I say a big fat "f.u.c.k. y.o.u., and f.u.c.k. o.f.f." to DildoDickhead. And to BCR51; Box Car Racer are overrated AND shithouse, so go listen to a band with talent, then make judgement.
Pop, short for popular, is in fact a genre of music, as well as a description. Most of Britney Spears' material is of the Pop genre, and her music is, sadly, popular. If you think otherwise, then what is her music? Metallica were popular only in the Metal scene during Ride the Lightning; the mainsteam/pop music scene asked Metallica if the were happy at the result of their 'debut' album upon the release of the Black Album, refering to the Black Album.
Metallica are still a great METAL band and always have been. I enjoyed the Metallica concert that I attended at the start of the year, very much so. Their music was ultimately better when Cliff was around, so to me, that's what makes a great bassist. Cliff's style of playing is one that I haven't seen duplicated before. He did what he wanted, played how he liked, even wore what he liked. Cliff is my favourite member of Metallica still, although he's dead, and I'm not even a bass player, and I don't consider giving up guitar for a band to play bass for a band. Now I think that makes a great bassist.
So you see kiddies, Dildo has too much time on his hands, and needs to find himself a girl (or man, depending on his sexual orientation). I think we all wish we had that much time, but some of us just feel the need to do something consructive once in a while. So I must leave now. I could write more, much more, but I wish not to stoop to the level of Dildo. I might go and actually PLAY my guitar now. So a big Metal Up Your Ass to you all, and if that dildo owned by Mister DildoDipshit is in fact made of metal, then I think he has felt that Metal Up His Ass already, and quite a few times before this I can 'assure' you.

[Mick Mackler]

One of the best bass players ever.

[Vinura]

man at least that dildo guy has finally shut up about his pudding and his hoppers

[herrly]

cliff burton was one of the greatest bassists, if he was still alive, he'd be whipping fleas a$$ with wicked solos and bass riffs.

[Guitar_&_bass_1]

Sure there are other great bassists out there with maybe a similar and maybe (dare i say) superior stlye to cliff, but, you see, one of the reasons that cliff was so great is that he was good enough to have a band ask after him not for him to go looking for a band, and then the fact that he helped metallica write all the stuff theyre known for. He was great because he was different, and was respected for that.

Great article 5 stars Rip

[EET_FUK_BASS]

I thought cliff was an insane bassist too....until I bought Cliff 'em All...see, I had thought he improvised totally Anesthesia, when it's really all he plays, with slight differences, at The Stone (2nd gig w/ metallica)...Anesthesia might have started out as improvisation, but evolved into just another memorized song....

[Duff_McGee]

^^ So?

[Justin_Bass-God]

Cliff was, is, and always will be the greatest mother-***ing bassist there will ever ***in' be!!!..

[Justin_Bass-God]

Oh yeah, and Jason Newsted Sucks!!!

[cal_the_bassist]

awesome review, jason newsted was a gd bassist just dont really like him lol, cliff burton=god, personal preferances are always good and twats that dont like them argue about them being right so *** em all, yea theres sum replies which are probally about as long as the review so tot he sad indivisuals who rote that much, god help u

[cal_the_bassist]

just want to add, cliff burton was famous for amazing bass playing and dieing tradgically, whereas john ritchie got famouse for being sid vicious, could play or sing but got famous for being who he was, all in all cliff was famous for something good whereas sid was famous for something bad, dont judge anyone by how famous they was/were before checking why they became famous

[metalbred]

cliff was real good but i think if he'd have been alive today he would have outgrown metallica and moved on unless they actually continued giving him all the solos and instrumentals. who knows, if cliff were around metallica's music would have been quite different and they may not have come out with the black album and so many of us would have probably not known metallica. R.I.P Cliff

[metalbred]

oh yea, forgot to mention good article man 5 stars

[misfits385]

cliff was amazing, why is it that all of the truly talented die young, it really ***ing sucks, well your article was fantastic, and deserved all 5 stars, the whole time i was glued to the computer screen

[misfits385]

oh by the way WE NEED A MOTHER FUCKING HISTORY OF THE MISFITS WHO AGREES WITH ME

[Hammett88]

dudes, why trasah cliff, have you no respect for the dead, let's say this, he was the best bass monster out there, I've never seen someone so fast, plus when he was alive metallica made their greatest song except One, maybe there are better that I haven't heard, but they are better BASS PLAYERS not better MUSICIANS!

[shawn123]

DildoBangins wrote:

Wow Donahue Two, that was... constructive. I'm trying to have a discussion here. If you're not mature enough to participate in a constructive manner, I have no business with you.

If you want to know more about the players I mentioned, the best way is of course by listening to them. But I can give you some examples. Larry Graham is credited with inventing "slap bass", or thumping and plucking as I call it. James Jamerson is considered the first electric bass virtuoso. Jack Bruce brough free jazz influence into blues/rock bass (allowing for a whole new level of sophistication in blues/rock bass). Rocco Prestia's 16th note mute grooves are unique (although playesr like Jaco picked up the concept too); he is a true original. Jaco popularized the fretless sound, and expanded bass as a solo instrument. You may be familiar with Billy Sheehan and his tapping virtuosity, but did you know that Tim Bogert was his biggest influence in tapping and rock bass?

There are other important players too, of course, these are just a few examples of players that are much more integral in bass history that Cliff Burton.

How about this:

Cliff influenced bassists such as Bruno Mateus, Rex Brown, Paulo, Jr., Ben Shepherd, Billy Sheehan, Jason Newsted, John Myung, Pete Steele, Gene Simmons

Cliff influenced whole bands such as Vemon, Ozzy ext...


http://www.answers.com/topic/cliff-burton

[shawn123]

Oh, I forgot Les Claypool who auditied for Metallica in 1986

[shawn123]

Also Rob Trujillo, Ryan Martine, Steve Digirgio, shall I go on. Cliff brought a unique wah-wah bass style to music. Listen to the beggining of Damage Inc.. That is a ****ing bass.

[smash007]

I am an 18 year old girl, and cliff has been the biggest influence to me. I play all of his songs, expecially pulling teeth. That was the best bass solo i have every learned how to play. I Love You Cliff!! RIP

[smash007]

This was a great article!