SEPTEMBER 27TH, 1986 is a day that forever changed the music world and the lives of many. 30 years ago on this day Cliff Burton’s life was taken far too soon. Metallica was touring in Europe. Cliff won a card game which gave him the power to chose his bunk that night. He chose to sleep in guitarist Kirk Hammet’s bunk, and Kirk was to sleep in the front of the bus. While traveling to the next city their bus crashed in the early hours of September 27th, 1986 in Sweden. Cliff was thrown out the window of the bus. The whole band was distraught by the tragedy. Though he was only 24 years old Cliff’s time with Metallica had made a huge impact on music. His playing style captivated audiences around the world. Metallica had just released ‘Master of Puppets’, their third album and first for a major label, Elektra Records. The album was a showcase for Burton’s signature playing style. The album went gold, selling over six million copies world wide. A complete success. Burton’s music has inspired many. He not only inspired fans but also was revered by fellow musicians as well. Cliff has even inspired bassists that wasn’t alive at the time of his death. Through videos and live footage like ‘Cliff Em All’ those born well after his death are able to experience the legend and his passion for music. From the grave he is able to inspire many to create music. We can’t imagine how his music would have progressed over time. Metallica has had very talented bassists since his passing but no one will ever hold a flame to Cliff Burton. He personified bass playing. On this day we celebrate the life of Cliff Burton, he has been gone for 30 years and though he lays at rest now, his soul and his music is forever immortalized and lives on in his music and everyone he’s inspired.
Musicians from all walks of life and every type of music have been inspired by Cliff. We sought out some of musics best bass players and spoke to them about Cliff . These bass players from varying genres of music have come together with us and provided their thoughts on Cliff, his playing style, and how he inspired them to do what they do. These are their words….
“I remember going to the store and buying Kill ‘Em All on cassette. It had already been out for a few years by the time I got to it, but it was brand new to me, and I was entranced with Cliff’s playing. The bravado, and bombastic sounds belied the nuances hiding under the surface. Those nuances sat squarely in the hands of Mr. Cliff Burton. Many things made me want to play bass guitar, but one of the most important things, was recognizing that bass could do a whole lot more than just follow the guitar around. Cliff was an individual within the songs, while being wholly a part of the music and the band. His writing was critical in the development of what we all know today as Metal. My eternal gratitude to him, and to all the others that tow the line in the never ending river….” Ryan Martinie (Soften The Glare, Mudvayne)
“He IS why I play music….period” – Sean Syndor (Byzantine)
“It is cliche’ to say someone’s art changed you, shaped a figurine, gave a troubled youth direction and motivation. I will. There would be no me..if not for Cliff Burton.” – Reverend Jim Forrester ( Foghound / Serpents Of Secrecy / Sixty Watt Shaman)
“Cliff is easily the most influential metal bassist of all time. No one matched his stage presence, he just made playing bass cool. He was the first true bass hero I had and I learned to play using bass tab books of the early Metallica albums. Songs like “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, and “Orion” brought the bass to the forefront. Even now I’m envious of the tone he had. I’ll always remember him as the greatest.” – Ashley Shepherd (Gods Below Us)
“As a teen and new to playing bass I came across a vhs of Cliff Them All. I watched this a hundred times. I loved that he played with his fingers rather than with picks, especially for the genre. Of course the added distortion to the bass on Anesthesia was jaw dropping. It broke barriers in a world of all lead guitar players at the time. I loved his look also, very relaxed and so late 70’s. – Geno Wilson (Lost River Cavemen)
“Cliff was one hell of a bass player but even more of an entertainer. Even though he died a few years before I was born I still watch videos of his performances in awe. He was truly one of the biggest names in metal and his playing and stage presence has always been a huge influence for me.” – Dan Crisafulli (Source)
“I’ve been a diehard fan of Cliff Burton’s playing since I first heard him on Kill ‘Em All in July of 1983. I still remember the first time side 1 rolled along and got to Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth), I was sitting with my friends and we were all blown away by hearing a bass solo like that on a record. He was such a unique and commanding player that you couldn’t help but notice him. I saw them on their club run with W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint on January 10, 1985 in Scotia, NY and was again amazed by what I had witnessed, not just by Metallica as a band, but by Cliff! What an amazing player!” – Joe Paciolla ( Within The Fire / Enertia)
“Cliff Burton’s concept on bass involvement in metal music has yet to be matched. His jazz/punk concepts brought a sense of creativity to the instrument and to metal music as a whole. The idea of bass being a contributing factor in music is something that is lost in many bands today, but the musicians of today that are able to bring the bass to the forefront and use it as a contributing factor in the music are undoubtedly influenced by Cliff Burton. I myself, can fondly recall spending many hours of my youth practicing “Orion” and “Anesthesia” and watching old footage of Burton to study his finger picking techniques, to one day be able to fuse them into what I thought I wanted my style to be. He fueled my passion for the instrument at a young age, and I know he is still doing the same for the young bass players of today. Rest in peace and in low frequencies, Cliff Burton.” – Nik Schafter (The Caveat)
“Cliff Burton was the Jaco Pastorius of the metal world. We were robbed of his genius way too early.” – Kyle McCown (Exit 23)
“I would consider a lot of bass players non-entities within their own bands. Following the main guitar riffs with no individual flavor. Not Cliff Burton. His playing literally screamed with personality. A true performer. A goddamn badass. And now a fucking legend. Kill em all, and let Cliff sort em out!!!” – Andy Greer (Death Trip / Grave Rat)
“Cliff Burton was a huge influence to me. The whole reason I started playing bass was because I heard ‘Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)’. When I heard that solo, I looked at dad (the guitarist of Inner Demons) and just asked ‘What the hell was that?!?’” – Zakk Hillyard (Inner Demons)
“When I was about twelve years old my friend and I were going through his brothers cassette tapes when we seen it, in the main bottom of his tape box was a dusty old case that read, “Master of Puppets”. Needless to say that day changed my life forever. I’ll never forget the first time I listened to ‘Orion’ and heard Cliff Burton thumping through those cheap speakers. From that moment on I knew it was the low end for me, and to this day my favorite song to play on bass is ‘Orion’” Bryant Matthews (Kender)
“Cliff Burton was one of those bass players that shattered the stereotype. His talent and stage presence was undeniable. As a 90’s kid, I did miss out on the Cliff Burton days of Metallica. But his talent and example left a lasting impression on me. Knowing he would practice up to six hours a day, proves what hard work will get you. Also, knowing he passed at the young age of 24, only a year younger then I am now, is the saddest part of it all. It’s why songs like Pulling Teeth, Orion, and For Whom the Bell Tolls have and will continue to stand the test of time.” – Zac Stewart (3Eighty3)
“I was majorly influenced by Cliff Burton. The guy really knew how to make his bass growl, and it fit in so well with everything Metallica was doing at the time. Cliff’s playing was a reflection of his attitude, and his innovative style is still being attempted today. Of course, no one’s gotten it quite right since.” – Blake Dellinger (Flummox)
“Cliff Burton was extremely talented, he was one of the greatest bass players to ever walk this earth, he was incredibly fast, very fluent and so precise with his playing, I remember being in the 8th grade and just jamming to Kill’em All thinking man this dude can jam the hell out of this bass, he influenced me in many ways as a bass player, I wanted to be that good and play fast,precise, heavy and technical bass licks with such power.” – Tyler Coleman (Under Pike Skies)
“I’ll never forget getting the album Ride The Lightning and hearing cliff on fight fire with fire. I never heard a bassist that fast in my life, that exact summer of 99′ I believe is when I got the album. I told my parents I wanted to play bass and that Christmas I was fortune enough to have one(thanks to my bad ass parents) and that’s what started me on playing the electric bass, a lot different from the one string I play now but thanks to ole cliff for being one of the best bass players to ever grace extreme music and Inspire so many.” Eric Smith (Moonshine District)
Cliff Burton was a giant of his time, and is a very big influence on my playing as a bassist, and on the way I approach songwriting in general. From the earliest days of listening to Master of Puppets, I was drawn to the way their guitar and bass lines intertwined with each other. He wasn’t a bassist that just limited himself to root notes, and especially for his era and genre that was quite unique. I would be hard pressed to think of even three other bassists that were allowed their own solo spot in the middle of a thrash metal show.
He lived a life that parallels many of my own aspirations. He was classically trained, like I was, and had an interest in counterpoint that helped Metallica gain a very textured, epic and unique sound that is often imitated but hardly ever matched. He was an innovator of the way bass can be approached, and for the genre and instrument there are not many guys that push the boundaries like he did, not just writing-wise but also with his tone, which many people mistook for a guitar on first blush in songs like Orion where he really got to shine. For all of Metallica’s history and huge, storied body of work, for me their watermark moments all came from the foundation that Cliff helped set for them.
As with all my heroes, he influences my approach to the instrument – I push myself to be a greater player because I want to be worthy of the legacy that he’s left for the rest of us. Like Dave Chappelle said, “The true quality of greatness is when everything that came before you is obsolete, and everything that comes after you bears your mark.” My playing and my writing definitely bears the mark of Cliff. Even when my songs don’t sound like something he would write, that’s because that influence extends to his philosophy of never settling and always working to break new ground. – Max Coley (Raiju)
