Jason Newsted, the former Metallica bassist, has posted a heartfelt tribute to his predecessor in the band, the late Cliff Burton.
Burton died aged 24 on 27 September 1986 when Metallica’s tour bus crashed on an icy road in Sweden during the band’s Damage Inc. tour in support of the album Master Of Puppets.
Newsted joined Metallica as Burton’s replacement and his first public appearances with the band were in late 1986 when they completed the tour dates cancelled in the wake of Burton’s death.
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Burton made three albums with Metallica – the debut Kill ’Em All (1983), Ride The Lightning (1984) and Master Of Puppets (1986). His virtuoso bass-playing was showcased on the 1983 instrumental track (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth, and he co-wrote landmark Metallica songs such as Creeping Death, Fade To Black, Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Master Of Puppets and Orion.
Jason Newsted served as Metallica’s bassist until 2001, having performed on the studio albums …And Justice For All (1988), Metallica AKA The Black Album (1991), Load (1996), Reload (1997) and Garage Inc. (1998).
Speaking on the anniversary of Burton’s passing, Newsted said via Instagram: “I could get up and practice for five hours to get myself warmed up and get my brain back together and get myself sharp again. Cliff could wake up and do it.”
Referring to Metallica guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, Newsted continued: “James could wake up after however many beers and do it. Just wake up 10 minutes out of bed and play as good as I could after working for five hours to get to that spot. Some people have this natural thing.”
Newsted likened Burton to another bassist who emerged from the California rock scene of the early ’80s – Les Claypool of Primus. He also related the story of how Hetfield and Metallica drummer and co-founder Lars Ulrich were so desperate to have Burton in the band that they relocated from Los Angeles to Burton’s hometown of San Francisco.
Newsted said of Burton’s early life: “He was able to soak up the music and playing, an osmosis type of trip, he was able to harness that in a fucking serious way, so by the time he’s 16, 17, pretty goddam good already. Same as Les [Claypool], they’re the same age, same trip.
“By the time they’re 17 they’re already there – enough that people like James and Lars that are very exceptionally talented people recognised it so strongly that they moved their lives to be in a band with the guy before they even made a fucking record! He was that fucking good, like, ‘He might be the key to our success if that guy can fit in with what we’re doing.’”
Newsted was a member of Phoenix-based thrash metal band Flotsam And Jetsam when he first saw Burton perform with Metallica.
“I saw him play in 1985,” he recalled, “not much more than a year and a little bit before he died.”
Seeing that show left the young Newsted with mixed emotions. On one hand he thought, in his words, “Why do you even fucking bother?” But on reflection he decided to try his best to emulate Burton. As he remembers thinking: “Maybe if I try really hard, I could be a tenth of as good as that.”
Newsted recalled: “I think ultimately it was inspiring and made me want to try harder – ultimately – but it was intimidating as fuck the whole time.”
His tribute to Burton ended: “What I like the most and what I appreciate is how everyone continues to show such respect for his efforts because they were so fantastical in his brief span.”
