Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Died 30 years ago to this day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoDQl4gT3jA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyerseve Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 Love Cliff. Cool as a cool thing on a cool day and inspired me and many others too take an interest in bass and even to pick one up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted September 27, 2016 Share Posted September 27, 2016 such an inspiring bassist and unique stage presence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I listened to Kill Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets yesterday and watched Cliff Em All today. Totally love Cliff's playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 He was a bit of a legend, and on Cliff Em All comes across as a right good lad too. RIP fella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjimmyc Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 Cliff was my inspiration to play bass. Gigged "For whom the bell tolls" many times but nothing like the skills of the man himself: https://youtu.be/qdlQyNe_9tE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyerseve Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 [quote name='bigjimmyc' timestamp='1475075685' post='3142853'] Cliff was my inspiration to play bass. Gigged "For whom the bell tolls" many times but nothing like the skills of the man himself: https://youtu.be/qdlQyNe_9tE [/quote] I knew that would be the version you would choose! Love that performance. You can tell how much he loved playing and felt the music - those bass faces are epic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassjon Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 I play in a Metallica tribute - its an honour to play Master of Puppets all the way through : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu_g Posted September 28, 2016 Share Posted September 28, 2016 i remember being at school and buying ride the lightning and kill em all on picture disc, it sounded so new to me back then,hair metal was the norm this seemed so good different to the other stuff around happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Metallica and metal aren't my bag but I respect his ability and like the tone of the low notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Wishbone Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 (edited) At the risk of being inflammatory (which is not intentional), I always believed that Cliff, like a lot of people who are no longer with us, is given undue exaltation purely because he's dead. I'm not saying he wasn't a great musician (and obviously played on a lot of Metallica's best material) but he was basically a guitarist who played bass - if you read any of the 'tallica biographies, he apparently rarely touched a bass offstage. Great stage presence, great performer and great writer by all accounts, but IMO far surpassed by both Jason and Rob as an actual bassist. There, I've said it *ducks* Edited September 29, 2016 by Johnny Wishbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted September 29, 2016 Author Share Posted September 29, 2016 [quote name='Johnny Wishbone' timestamp='1475161895' post='3143614'] I'm not saying he wasn't a great musician (and obviously played on a lot of Metallica's best material) but he was basically a guitarist who played bass [/quote] You're entitled to your opinions but to describe Cliff as 'a guitarist who played bass' is way off the mark. Bass was his original instrument of choice which he took up aged 13 following his brother's death, and by all accounts was an extremely dedicated student of the instrument. The fact that he enjoyed playing guitar toward the end of his life does not dilute his importance as a bass player. As for Rob and Jason, few would deny Rob in particular is technically a far superior player but it's clear who is/was more suited to the job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LayDownThaFunk Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 You don't hear many people saying Paul Gray was an awesome bass player so I think Cliff has earnt his due. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Wishbone Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 [quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1475218419' post='3144036'] You don't hear many people saying Paul Gray was an awesome bass player so I think Cliff has earnt his due. [/quote] I'm not suggesting for a minute that Cliff wasn't great (the best musician in the band probably, and definitely the best performer), but would he be held in [i]such[/i] high esteem if he was still alive? Probably not. For the record, I think "Master..." is easily in the top 5 metal albums of all time, and I do rate Cliff very highly. I would however strongly argue that opinions of Cliff are skewed purely by the fact that he's no longer with us, and that both Rob and Jason are better bassists. I also recognise that this view puts me very much in the minority, and I'm fine with that. It's just an opinion, after all. I think we can all agree that Lars is crap though, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 I think Cliff was a monster player I think Cliff was more suited to Metallica than Jason or Rob even though I prefer Jason and he is so under rated IMO I think Rob is an awesome player but I really dont like him in Metallica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 I think Rob is a terrible bassist for Metallica. Doesn't fit in with looks or style... Jason was great, but Cliff was head and shoulders above him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 [quote name='Johnny Wishbone' timestamp='1475224524' post='3144092'] but would he be held in [i]such[/i] high esteem if he was still alive? Probably not. [/quote] Who knows what he would have gone on to do though? 30 years is a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyerseve Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 [quote name='Johnny Wishbone' timestamp='1475161895' post='3143614'] At the risk of being inflammatory (which is not intentional), I always believed that Cliff, like a lot of people who are no longer with us, is given undue exaltation purely because he's dead. I'm not saying he wasn't a great musician (and obviously played on a lot of Metallica's best material) but he was basically a guitarist who played bass - if you read any of the 'tallica biographies, he apparently rarely touched a bass offstage. Great stage presence, great performer and great writer by all accounts, but IMO far surpassed by both Jason and Rob as an actual bassist. There, I've said it *ducks* [/quote] I think it would be naive to think that his status/ability has not been elevated because of his death. But that doesn't mean that much of the admiration isn't genuine and deserved. A lot of his status within the rank of metallicas bass players will also be due to him being the bass player on Metallicas finest albums and before they arguably sold out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 metallica were at their peak when cliff died which is how he's now remembered. If it had been Lars that had died them Metallica fans would be unfavourably comparing their new drummer to Lars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 RIP Cliff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Funny thing is with Cliff and Metallica, I remember reading somewhere that Cliff wanted to take the band in a more melodic direction post Master, so we'd have probably got The Black Album sooner, and not had Justice at all. I also read somewhere that they were planning on replacing Lars, but after Cliff's death decided it was too much upheaval in the band. So what's better - Cliff in the band and a new drummer but no Justice, or history as it played out? Apologies for the lack of citations in this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) I'll never understand why people have to compare bands over the ages. They evolve, it's music, we should all evolve otherwise we stagnate. I've been following Merallica since Donnington '87? Arguably the very beginnings of Thrash Metal in the UK? The bass solo in the OP is a master class in why people shouldn't play bass solos, very technical but surprisingly lacking in substance. The bass 'solo' in the intro to the other post is much better, short and to the point. There's a great video on YouTube of the Rob Trullio audition. They compare him to Cliff at one point. He is definitely the man for the job. Metallica don't need to worry too much about their image now, they have a massive and loyal fanbase who love the music and most of us are either approaching or over 50 years old. http://youtu.be/aB0iuRnSjKU Edited October 1, 2016 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megallica Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Metallica with cliff in the band played donnington in 1985 also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 [quote name='megallica' timestamp='1475333443' post='3145137'] Metallica with cliff in the band played donnington in 1985 also [/quote] I'm quite surprised how early in the 80s it all started. I certainly don't remember them being on my radar until '87 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Sorry but that was sh*te! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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