Cliff Burton - 22 years ago today

[Shawn]

I can't believe it's been 22 years since Cliff was killed in that horrible tour bus accident. I still feel it like it was yesterday. For my friends and I back in 1986, we felt like the world ended that day, like one of our brothers was gone. The legacy he left lives on, the band he was part of has never been the same since he was taken, he was irreplaceable.

Cliff Burton

Feb 10th, 1962 - September 27, 1986

[catesta]

I can't believe it's been 22 years since Cliff was killed in that horrible tour bus accident. I still feel it like it was yesterday. For my friends and I back in 1986, we felt like the world ended that day, like one of our brothers was gone. The legacy he left lives on, the band he was part of has never been the same since he was taken, he was irreplaceable.

Cliff Burton

Feb 10th, 1962 - September 27, 1986

At first I'm reading that and saying, "Mettalica was never the same, what the hell are you talking about?"

Sad as it is to say though, you're absolutely right.

[HolyStitt]

Thanks for bringing back the memories. Pretty crazy to think it has been 22 years already. I recall first finding out on MTV News and being shocked.

You are completely right about them never being the same after Cliff died.

[Joe G]

Strange that I would have been thinking about this briefly yesterday. I think he was pretty unique in that world.

[Big Al]

Burton was to Metallica what Keith Moon was to The Who. He was, and still is, irreplaceable. Had he lived, we would've been spared a shit-"load" (so to speak) of embarrassing music and antics by the band that called themselves Metallica.

Having said that, though, I think their new one, Death Magnetic, finally gets them back on the trail they were blazing with Justice, but even then, Justice is no Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets.

At least with this album, I feel like Burton has stopped turning in his grave.

[Shawn]

Burton was to Metallica what Keith Moon was to The Who. He was, and still is, irreplaceable. Had he lived, we would've been spared a shit-"load" (so to speak) of embarrassing music and antics by the band that called themselves Metallica.

Having said that, though, I think their new one, Death Magnetic, finally gets them back on the trail they were blazing with Justice, but even then, Justice is no Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets.

At least with this album, I feel like Burton has stopped turning in his grave.

Agree with everything you said. Metallica didn't cease to exist after Cliff passed away, but they became a completely different band. ...And Justice For All was mostly written while Cliff was still alive and he had a hand in the songwriting/arranging.

Death Magnetic is the first Metallica album I've actually enjoyed since Justice...it only took them 20 years to put out another decent album. Stylistically it sounds like a lost album that came out sometime between Justice and "Metallica". As good as it is though...it's still a very different beast than they were on their first 3 albums.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i found a site recently with, seriously, like 7,000 different metalica bootlegs. im not even into matalica, but i was still pretty intruguied, and might check some early stuff out. they are not progressive, but i do respect the fact that they rock

[Shawn]

i found a site recently with, seriously, like 7,000 different metalica bootlegs. im not even into matalica, but i was still pretty intruguied, and might check some early stuff out. they are not progressive, but i do respect the fact that they rock

Well, Master Of Puppets and ...And Justice For All are pretty progressive.

[Big Al]

Y'know what sux is that I didn't get into Metallica until Justice, so I missed them at their greatest.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Big Al

[HolyStitt]

Y'know what sux is that I didn't get into Metallica until Justice, so I missed them at their greatest.

I hear what your saying. I got into them around Master of Puppets but I never had a chance to see them in concert until the Justice tour (twice in fact once with Queensrÿche warming up and the other with the Cult). When Justice came out I enjoyed it and the tour as well but by the time the self titled CD arrived I didn't care for what they were doing (might also have been because by that time I had found grunge, hip hop, jazz, blues, etc.) but still went to the show. It was one of the most disapointing live shows I have ever seen.

[Shawn]

I was fortunate enough to see them twice with Cliff. First time was on the Ride The Lightning tour (they were one of the opening acts), second time they opened for Ozzy during the Master Of Puppets tour.

I started listening to them in 1984 when Ride The Lightning was picked up my Elektra and I bought it because I liked the album cover (remember those days?). I was an instant convert and within the next month I had picked up Kill 'Em All and the Creeping Death single.

For those of us who were in our teenage years during the mid-80s, Metallica was more of a religion than a band. In that magical period between 1983-1986 they became famous without any radio airplay, videos or considerable marketing push...their legend was created by word of mouth and unwavering devotion of their fans. Which made it all the more painful when they gave in to all those concessions after Cliff passed away.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Shawn

[catesta]

I was fortunate enough to see them twice with Cliff. First time was on the Ride The Lightning tour (they were one of the opening acts), second time they opened for Ozzy during the Master Of Puppets tour.

I started listening to them in 1984 when Ride The Lightning was picked up my Elektra and I bought it because I liked the album cover (remember those days?). I was an instant convert and within the next month I had picked up Kill 'Em All and the Creeping Death single.

For those of us who were in our teenage years during the mid-80s, Metallica was more of a religion than a band. In that magical period between 1983-1986 they became famous without any radio airplay, videos or considerable marketing push...their legend was created by word of mouth and unwavering devotion of their fans. Which made it all the more painful when they gave in to all those concessions after Cliff passed away.

I remember the first time I heard Metallica. It was like a punch in the face when a buddy of mine plugged in a "Kill 'Em All" cassette before school one morning and "Seek and Destroy" blasted out. Little by little we were able to drown out the other car stereos cranking Quarterflash and Journey and the rest is history.

[HolyStitt]

... I bought it because I liked the album cover (remember those days?).

Those were the days! I bought Anthrax, Slayer, Kreator, Overkill, Exodus, Celtic Frost, Misfits, etc. (heck even the first Guns 'N' Roses CD!) all with that logic. I even bought the first Living Colour CD because Scott Ian had one of their T shirts on in an issue of Rip! This was how I bought my first jazz & blues CDs as well.

For those of us who were in our teenage years during the mid-80s, Metallica was more of a religion than a band. In that magical period between 1983-1986 they became famous without any radio airplay, videos or considerable marketing push...their legend was created by word of mouth and unwavering devotion of their fans. Which made it all the more painful when they gave in to all those concessions after Cliff passed away.

True for me as well. Even though they were on Elektra it felt more like a cult thing than anything a major label was marketing to me. Their T shirts were at one time an easy way to identify if someone was OK. I remember when the self titled CD came out it literally felt like a slap in the face to me and my friends.

[Big Al]

I was too scared to listen to Metallica before Justice! I was afraid that if I listened to Metallica, my hair would grow long and I'd get acne and I'd look.... weird!

Seriously, Cliff Burton looked freakin' menacing, like if you looked at him wrong he'd come down off the stage and beat the shit outta ya with his guitar. All the metalheads at my school looked like the guys from Metallica, like they could get you in a shitload of trouble if you hung out with them.

And he was only 24!!! He looked like he was in his late 20's/early 30's. One scary lookin' dude, but that added to the effect. It sure worked on me.

[Shawn]

Seriously, Cliff Burton looked freakin' menacing, like if you looked at him wrong he'd come down off the stage and beat the shit outta ya with his guitar.

[Aggie87]

Need an expert opinion here...

I've never owned any Metallica before, but I've recently heard a couple of Metallica songs that I really like for some reason, but I'm guessing they're atypical songs for them - "Hero of the Day" and their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar".

If I like these tracks, but really don't get into too much harder metal, are there any Metallica albums I'd like?

Kinda funny, since I liked Motohead in my teen years, but never picked up on Metallica when they started big.

[GA Russell]

Aggie, lala.com has 13 Metallica albums you can listen to for free.

[Shawn]

Need an expert opinion here...

I've never owned any Metallica before, but I've recently heard a couple of Metallica songs that I really like for some reason, but I'm guessing they're atypical songs for them - "Hero of the Day" and their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar".

If I like these tracks, but really don't get into too much harder metal, are there any Metallica albums I'd like?

Well, those songs comes from the Metallica era I like the least...but if those are the tracks that jumped out then you should check out their 1991-1997 output: Metallica (aka The Black Album), Load, Re-Load & Garage Inc.

(Hero Of The Day is on Load, Whiskey In The Jar is on Garage Inc.)

The "real deal" however is the 80's material: Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets & ...And Justice For All...but that's also alot heavier and thrashier than the songs you mentioned.

You might also give their new album Death Magnetic a spin, it's kind of a cross between the 80's & 90's material.

Edited November 4, 2008 by Shawn

[Jazzmoose]

Y'know what sux is that I didn't get into Metallica until Justice, so I missed them at their greatest.

Could be worse; I've never been into Metallica and doubt I ever will be...

[Aggie87]

Need an expert opinion here...

I've never owned any Metallica before, but I've recently heard a couple of Metallica songs that I really like for some reason, but I'm guessing they're atypical songs for them - "Hero of the Day" and their cover of "Whiskey in the Jar".

If I like these tracks, but really don't get into too much harder metal, are there any Metallica albums I'd like?

Well, those songs comes from the Metallica era I like the least...but if those are the tracks that jumped out then you should check out their 1991-1997 output: Metallica (aka The Black Album), Load, Re-Load & Garage Inc.

(Hero Of The Day is on Load, Whiskey In The Jar is on Garage Inc.)

The "real deal" however is the 80's material: Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets & ...And Justice For All...but that's also alot heavier and thrashier than the songs you mentioned.

You might also give their new album Death Magnetic a spin, it's kind of a cross between the 80's & 90's material.

Thanks Shawn. Yeah, I'm not really interested in the heavier/thrash stuff any more (though I certainly had my moments with that as a teenager). I'll check out some of their 90's stuff. For some reason I like heavy bands when they do lighter, more melodic stuff. It's knowing their capable of the lighter stuff that impresses me.

[Big Al]

Yeah, I'm not really interested in the heavier/thrash stuff any more (though I certainly had my moments with that as a teenager). I'll check out some of their 90's stuff. For some reason I like heavy bands when they do lighter, more melodic stuff. It's knowing their capable of the lighter stuff that impresses me.

That is probably the first defense of that era of Metallica I've ever read that is well thought-out, rational, and without ignorance of what came before that era. Usually, the defenders of that era of Metallica tend to respond with "U DONT NO WWHAT YR TALKING ABNOUT! METALLICA RULZ! U SUCK!" Of course, Agg, if you're going to use logic and courtesy when talking about that era, then you're no fun!