Profile of Cliff Burton on Famous Like Me

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.

While on their European tour, Burton and Kirk Hammett drew cards to see who would get the top bunk. Cliff pulled the Ace of Spades, sealing his "victory". Burton died when the band's tour bus hit black ice and flipped over in rural Sweden. 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.

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", is Burton's last writing credit and is said by the band to be mainly made up of his unused riffs, and the spoken part also penned by him. 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.

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