Metallica’s Cliff Burton picks his favourite bassists
Cliff Burton’s inclusion in Metallica almost felt like an anomaly. Although he may have been able to play the greatest basslines that metal had ever seen, Burton’s musical taste was far more eclectic than the thrash metal scene, being indebted to the world of classical music and traditional mainstream music. Although bass was Burton’s primary instrument, his musical taste was too vast to be restricted to one player.
While most modern metal bassists may have been fans of players like Steve Harris, Burton was never truly shaped by him. Despite his penchant for infusing Harris’ signature gallop into his songs, Burton was always more interested in counterpoint, using his bass like a melodic instrument every time he took time to grandstand.
When talking to Thrash, Burton had three artists he picked right off the bat for his favourites, saying, “My influences would be… well, first off, with bass playing it would be Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, Stanley Clarke”. While Burton may have only listed three, each offers wildly different pieces to his musical upbringing.
The most predictable of the picks would be Geezer Butler, the man behind Black Sabbath. Writing most of the lyrics, Butler was known to give Sabbath its deep foundation on the bass, matching Tony Iommi’s signature darkness note for note whenever he played. Although there are a few Butler-esque lines in Burton’s work like ‘The Four Horsemen’, there’s a closer correlation with Geddy Lee when looking at his technique.
For years, Lee had primarily used his instrument to grandstand throughout Rush’s career, always playing something that suited the mix instead of coating the background of every single song with fluff. Primarily playing with fingers, Lee’s tremendous attention to detail also bled into Burton’s work.
When looking at the way Burton plays, he seems to attack the bass similarly to Lee. Examining both styles side by side, Burton seems to be playing through the string at every opportunity, creating a myriad of different overtones whenever he straps on his instrument.
The inclusion of Stanley Clarke is also a strange choice, considering the massive influence he has had on the world of jazz music. Although jazz may not have been the first thought when thinking of Metallica, Burton’s knowledge of counterpoint and wild dissonant experiments have come in handy when working on the band’s first albums.
Although Burton didn’t have the opportunity to stretch that match on their debut, Kill Em All, the opening bassline of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ feels like the result of listening to Clarke, finding the notes between the traditional scales to find something unique. Regarding speed and intensity, though, Burton also had an undying love for one rock and roll troubadour.
When speaking about his approach to bass, Burton loved Lemmy of Motörhead fame, who rewrote the book on what a bass player was supposed to sound like. Just like his hero, Burton would occasionally favour the higher parts of the neck, turning the bass into a melodic instrument just as much as the guitar. Even though Burton had a sound all his own in Metallica, his influences have been a melting pot of every artist born to break the rules of traditional music.
