Tribute to Cliff Burton...[views:4282][posts:22]_____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 3:01pm - AUTOPSY_666 ""] Cliff Burton February 10, 1962- September 27th, 1986 The PHANTOM LORD'S DEATH ANNIVERSARY [img] "When a man lies he murders some part of the world, These are the pale deaths which men miscall their lives, All this I cannot bear to witness any longer, Cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home." - Cliff Burton 1962-1986 Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 - September 27, 1986) was the second bassist in the band Metallica, joining the band in late 1982 replacing Ron McGovney. He was, and still is, considered to be one of the best bassists in heavy metal history. His life and tragic death have inspired at least two songs. Burton was born in Castro Valley, California. He started playing the piano at age six. In 1976 at the age of 14, Cliff picked up the bass guitar and started playing in local bands, while taking lessons with a local music teacher. According to his parents, Cliff would spend four to six hours a day perfecting his bass guitar skills. Upon finishing high school, he took a music course at junior college. The other members of Metallica were looking for a bass player who was a bit more proficient than the one they had. As they tell the story in the liner notes to "Garage, Inc.", they attended a show by Cliff's band Trauma, heard what they thought was a wild wah-wah guitar solo, wondered where the guitar was, and discovered it was Cliff playing his bass through a wah-wah. They recruited him on the spot, on the sole condition that Metallica would relocate from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area. The music scene in Los Angeles was "too plastic" for Burton. Burton would reportedly monopolize the tape player in any touring vehicle, and deliberately expose the band to a variety of music styles ranging from The Misfits and Thin Lizzy to legendary classical pianist Glenn Gould playing Bach. His playing style was unusually varied for a Heavy Metal bassist, from rapid-fire riffs and mock guitar solos to very melodic playing. Cliff never played bass with a pick, he only used his fingers. The one rock musician whose influence can clearly be heard in his playing is Rush frontman Geddy Lee. Like the latter (and unlike other, later virtuoso Metal and Progressive Metal bassists who favor 5-string or even 6-string bass guitars), he only played a standard 4-string bass. Burton died on Metallica's European tour when the band's tour bus hit black ice and flipped over in rural Sweden. He and Kirk Hammett drew cards to see who would get the top bunk. Cliff pulled the Ace of Spades, sealing his "victory". As the bus was skidding and rolling, he fell out of a window and was crushed by the bus. It is unknown whether Cliff was still alive at this point. He was crushed again when the winch cable lifting the bus off him snapped, dropping the bus on him a second time. The night after the accident, James Hetfield got drunk, tore up his hotel and ran through the streets for hours, yelling: "Cliff! Cliff! Where are ya?" Cliff's body was cremated. At the ceremony, the instrumental "Orion" from the album Master of Puppets was played. Metallica endured a severe backlash for their supposed selling out by working with Bob Rock and making softer music, which lead many old-school fans to declare that Cliff's death lowered the quality of Metallica's music. He co-wrote several Metallica songs, including "Master of Puppets," "Orion," "For Whom The Bell Tolls," and "Fade To Black." The best examples of his unique style are the epic bass solo "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" from the album Kill 'Em All, and the lead bass in the instrumental "The Call of Ktulu" from Ride The Lightning as well as "Orion" from Master of Puppets. Burton was succeeded as Metallica's bassist by Jason Newsted. Quoting Newsted, "I always felt this shadow cast over me, and I always felt like I wore shoes that were too large for my feet whenever I remember who I replaced." Newsted was never really accepted by the band. For his entire time in Metallica, he just was "the new one", and James Hetfield would strictly refuse to accept him as an equal to Cliff Burton. "When Metallica lost Cliff," said drummer Lars Ulrich, "they not only lost a bassist; they lost their soul." After Cliff's death, Metallica made ...And Justice for All in 1988. Many Metallica fans, although they never received clarification from the band, believe that the album was the band's last tribute to their fallen musician and friend. It also should be noted that the instrumental track, "To Live Is To Die", was written and composed by Cliff Burton, titled after something he once said. In addition, the Megadeth song "In My Darkest Hour" was also influenced by the death of Burton. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, who was once Metallica's lead guitarist alongside Burton, has validated this claim. In 1987 Metallica released the tribute documentary Cliff 'em All, a retrospective of Burton's time in the band. [img] [img] |
| ____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 3:21pm - paganmegan ""] metallica died with Cliff. RIP Cliff! |
| ____________________________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 3:23pm - menstrual_sweatpants_disco ""] I hope he was in terrible pain when he died. |
| ________________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 3:57pm - KillerKadoogan ""] paganmegan said:metallica should have died with Cliff. RIP Cliff! |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 4:02pm - AUTOPSY_666 ""] I like everything METALLICA did in the 80's, after that, forget it. |
| ____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 4:13pm - paganmegan ""] KillerKadoogan said:paganmegan said:metallica should have died with Cliff. RIP Cliff! I think the rest of them should have been under the bus. Cliff could have done great things without them. They have proven they can't do shit without him |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 4:15pm - BSV@school ""] Cliff was the balls. One of the first bass players I've ever heard that made it cool and stick out. |
| _________________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 4:22pm - sinofangels-ray ""] metallica did die with Cliff they fuckin sucked balls after ..and justice |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 5:03pm - Christraper ""] I have the same b-day as Cliff. Except for that whole 1962 part. |
| ___________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 8:35pm - MASlayer ""] Hails to one of the best thrash bassists ever |
| _______________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 8:36pm - Joe/NotCommon ""] menstrual_sweatpants_disco said:I hope he was in terrible pain when he died. haha |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 8:38pm - AUTOPSY_666 ""] I wish it was Lars. |
| __________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 9:15pm - Kalopsia ""] AUTOPSY_666 said:I wish it was Lars. we all do |
| ____________________________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 9:54pm - menstrual_sweatpants_disco ""] I wish it was George Bush! +10 SCENE POINTS! |
| _______________________________ [Sep 27,2005 10:31pm - blue ""] cliff is the one that got me to play fingerstyle bass. |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 10:49pm - Craig nli ""] cliff burton shouldve died at a younger age. im only saying that because he left a band for metallica. |
| _______________________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 11:00pm - Chris_From_Shit_Fuck ""] paganmegan said:metallica died with Cliff. RIP Cliff! |
| _____________________________________ [Sep 27,2005 11:13pm - anonymous ""] Yeah, metallica finally did die when Cliff passed on and even with the garage days revised $8.99's first release, it was not the same. Then "And Justice...." was not as heavy and thrashing as it would of been with cliff on bass, along with the bassie guitar sound on that album. It just sucked, because they had what it takes to be a great Metal(thrash) band to the real fans. signed Metallica fan from Kill'm to Garage 88' release. Otherwise they are just a bunch of money eating pussies who used there lacking talent to become fucken pussy rock starts. They all should be shot and killed in public by thier true Fans and not radio retard rats/Fans!!!!!!!!!! |
| ___________________________________ [Dec 6,2008 1:04pm - anonymous ""] Cliff is my idol no human bassist shall ever reach that status r.i.p cliff thrash hard in heaven everytime it rains its cliff playing in heaven |
| _______________________________________ [Dec 6,2008 1:34pm - DomesticTerror ""] ^that is the gayest thing i've ever read. stop making metal so faggotty. |
| ____________________________________ [Dec 6,2008 2:05pm - AUTOPSY_666 ""] There is no Heaven. |
| _______________________________________ [Dec 6,2008 3:32pm - DomesticTerror ""] [img] sure there is. |
| __________________________________________________________________________ [Dec 7,2008 6:29pm - Why are all third world countries multicultural? ""] Inside that pink sphincter there is. |