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Metallica bassists. Rate them

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Angry Grimace said:
I'm fully expecting someone to make the claim that Cliff Burton was responsible for all of their good music despite not actually having writing credits on most of their songs. As hateable as Ulrich and (sometimes) Hetfield can be, they in fact wrote most of the songs.
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While I agree with you, Cliff does have writing credit for 6 of the 8 songs on Ride the Lightning. And just from reading wikipedia, Cliff did kind of teach James about music theory and stuff.
 
uncelestial said:
Robert is more likeable and a better bassist than Jason
Jason is a better vocalist than Robert and got shit on unfairly by the band far too often
RIP Cliff
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I don't know. I thought Jason seemed like a good guy. The band hazed him for years and he finally got sick of it.
 
Mad Season said:
why is he shitty?
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He is not shitty, but he is lazy. He talks about how he doesn't practice anymore and only plays the drums when he performs or warms up. Compared to James who loves the guitar and is always playing it and improving his skills so he doesn't slip or screw up while performing.

Many a times you can watch youtube videos of Lars screwing up, ignoring double bass sections, doing very lazy fills. Sometimes you will even see his band mates look at him funny for screwing up. He is just a very lazy drummer now of days compared to the young Lars who was hungry and determined.
 
1. Jason - not as technically proficient as the other two but he made up for that with extremely tasteful bass lines and the best backup vocals of any live act ever. I loved Jason's tenure with the band, and I believed he pushed the others to be better. Look at what happened the second he left and that just about says it all..

2. Cliff - a legend, and definitely a more standout musicians than Jason. Also more flashy than Jason. However i am not a fan of his "lead bass" approach to the instrument. I've heard his isolated bass tracks from the first three albums (you can find them on YouTube) and they're kinda messy at times. Obviously RIP and mad respect to Cliff, but he had just as much of a need to gone his talent as anyone else in Metallica at that time.

3. Rob - I hate his crab walk. I hate his jerseys. He has talent, but it hasn't produced any fruit in the band in almost ten years. And his vocals are so shit. He seems like he would be a cool dude to hang out with but he's definitely last place here.
 
Maddocks said:
He is not shitty, but he is lazy. He talks about how he doesn't practice anymore and only plays the drums when he performs or warms up. Compared to James who loves the guitar and is always playing it and improving his skills so he doesn't slip or screw up while performing.

Many a times you can watch youtube videos of Lars screwing up, ignoring double bass sections, doing very lazy fills. Sometimes you will even see his band mates look at him funny for screwing up. He is just a very lazy drummer now of days compared to the young Lars who was hungry and determined.
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Ah! So that's what they are talking about. Well, that sucks for a Musician.
 
gamz said:
Is Bass the easiest instrument to play in a band? It always seems that way.


No cowbell jokes.
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No definitely not. I mean there is no easiest or hardest, all instruments are difficult to master, but mastering bass is really unique. It is both a melodic and rhythmic in a way that the guitar isn't. With the bass you kind of have to be perfectly in time or shit will hit the fan quickly. And you have to manage you sound output through muting strings. The bass gives context to the melodies and rhythms all the other players are producing.
 
Slythe said:
No definitely not. I mean there is no easiest or hardest, all instruments are difficult to master, but mastering bass is really unique. It is both a melodic and rhythmic in a way that the guitar isn't. With the bass you kind of have to be perfectly in time or shit will hit the fan quickly. And you have to manage you sound output through muting strings. The bass gives context to the melodies and rhythms all the other players are producing.
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Interesting. Thanks.
 
Lars is a shitty drummer in the sense that anyone else in the genre is better than him (Lombardo, Menza, Benante etc.). His fills are boring, he barely keeps up live and in general just barely qualifies as a mediocre metal drummer.
 
Burton > Newsted > Trujillo

Burton was simply a force of nature. Newsted finally gave the band some strong backing vocals that it really needed. The Jason era concerts are always the most entertaining. Trujillo is undeniably a great bassist and arguably the most technically skilled, but at the same time it's hard to give him much credit for anything other than his playing - his vocal contributions are simply terrible and for the most part the band makes all their money just playing the old stuff over and over and over again; I much prefer his previous work with other bands.

Also, I strongly encourage people to go back and listen to custom remasters of AJFA - a lot of Newsted's reputation as being a "follow along the rhythm guitar" bassist comes more from the horrendous producing Lars did on the album and doesn't hold up when you can actually hear the bass.
 
hammysaurusrex said:
Burton > Newsted > Trujillo

Burton was simply a force of nature. Newsted finally gave the band some strong backing vocals that it really needed. The Jason era concerts are always the most entertaining. Trujillo is undeniably a great bassist and arguably the most technically skilled, but at the same time it's hard to give him much credit for anything other than his playing - his vocal contributions are simply terrible and for the most part the band makes all their money just playing the old stuff over and over and over again; I much prefer his previous work with other bands.

Also, I strongly encourage people to go back and listen to custom remasters of AJFA - a lot of Newsted's reputation as being a "follow along the rhythm guitar" bassist comes more from the horrendous producing Lars did on the album and doesn't hold up when you can actually hear the bass.
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I had forgot about that. Yeah that's awful.
 
ZeronosVega said:
While Cliff and Robert are better players than Jason, I feel that Jason was an excellent addition to the band's live sound and served as an awesome second frontman and personality.
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For sure. He was great in the band, even though his raw bass skills would put him behind Rob and Cliff. His vocals are sorely missed.

I'd honestly say just raw skill-wise that Rob is better than Cliff. Cliff was a fucking beast and had more of that special sauce, but Rob is pure skill.

Applebite said:
Lars is a shitty drummer in the sense that anyone else in the genre is better than him (Lombardo, Menza, Benante etc.). His fills are boring, he barely keeps up live and in general just barely qualifies as a mediocre metal drummer.
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He use to be fine, if nothing special. But, he's gotten pretty bad these days especially when it comes to timing, which is pretty important for a drummer.

Honestly, they'll always be my favorite band, but Rob's bass and Hetfield's guitars are just about all that is left of them live. Kirk's guitar, Lars' drums, and Hetfield's voice have gotten significantly worse the last decade. It fucking sucks, but it is what it is. Nothing to be done about Hetfield's voice, and Lars and Kirk have always seemed like they weren't dedicated/interested in getting better at their instruments, so they're skills have suffered as they aged.
 
gamz said:
I don't know. I thought Jason seemed like a good guy. The band hazed him for years and he finally got sick of it.
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I agree that Jason is, but Robert is just a very warm, kind soul. Agreed that the way Jason was treated probably has a lot to do with how open/happy he is in Metallica-related interviews.
 
On a purely technical level:

Rob > Cliff > Jason

Based on their contribution to the band's overall sound:

Cliff > Jason > Rob

But Jason WAS Metallica. Band hasn't been the same without him.
 
I think the better question is "Was Robert or Jason a better bassist"?

Come on, we all know that Cliff Burton was the most talented bassist in Metallica and it's not even close. He's by far the most talented member of Metallica in their whole history.
 
Andrew Korenchkin said:
I think the better question is "Was Robert or Jason a better bassist"?

Come on, we all know that Cliff Burton was the most talented bassist in Metallica and it's not even close. He's by far the most talented member of Metallica in their whole history.
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I dunno, Robert can play but I just don't care. Jason played in Voivod. pretty easy choice there.
 
Newsted gets bonus points for writing the evilest sounding riff ever (Blackened bridge), having the most live energy and vocals, and putting up with the most bullshit. Dude had so much heart it makes up for some of the raw talent Cliff had. Rob seems like he'd just be the most chill motherfucker to hang out with though, Jason is a bit weird. Rob is down to earth
 
Rob was amazing in ST, his Metallica Output isn't his fault...

That said, Jason>Cliff and Rob(superior ST output not counted)

In Bizarro world they hired Les Claypool, and this discussion never happens.
 
gamz said:
Something with his tempo? I see other drummers comment on him. Tommy Lee called him out a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not a drummer so I have no idea what they are talking about.
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I'm a pretty amateur drummer. I haven't watched much of their live performances, but some of the drum parts, when played as recorded, are pretty fucking brutal (endurance-wise, not necessarily in complexity).
 
Cliff, like massively.

Newsted is fine, he's the 90's Metallica.

Trujillo, dunno about his Metallica output, didn't care much about Metallica after their Black Album.

Dave Ellefson for lyfe! j/k
 
Dicer said:
Rob was amazing in ST, his Metallica Output isn't his fault...

That said, Jason>Cliff and Rob(superior ST output not counted)

In Bizarro world they hired Les Claypool, and this discussion never happens.
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Oh man, Les Claypool actually auditioned, I remember reading about that. That would of been....interesting, but definitely for the best. Claypool just wouldn't have fit in with the likes of Metallica, and we are all the better for it because Primus is batshit insane.
 
Burton > Newsted > Trujillo

Trujillo's not really a bad bassist, but he's been a part of the band during their by far shittiest period in terms of musical output.

I prefer Lemmy and Steve Harris over all of those
 
Trujillo seems like a real nice dude who can play like a mother, but it's pure indulgence to rate him first. Technical proficiency is given far too much weight in metal discussions.
 
Maddocks said:
He is not shitty, but he is lazy. He talks about how he doesn't practice anymore and only plays the drums when he performs or warms up. Compared to James who loves the guitar and is always playing it and improving his skills so he doesn't slip or screw up while performing.

Many a times you can watch youtube videos of Lars screwing up, ignoring double bass sections, doing very lazy fills. Sometimes you will even see his band mates look at him funny for screwing up. He is just a very lazy drummer now of days compared to the young Lars who was hungry and determined.
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I've been kind of feeling this way lately :/ What's worse is Lars just looks absolutely exhausted after some songs. Maybe he needs more cardio in his life, hit the gym on them legs too. Love Lars to death and the sound of his drums, I just wish he was sharper today.
 
Combichristoffersen said:
Burton > Newsted > Trujillo

Trujillo's not really a bad bassist, but he's been a part of the band during their by far shittiest period in terms of musical output.

I prefer Lemmy and Steve Harris over all of those
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Technically he was not in the band when St. Anger was recorded and written.

Andrew Korenchkin said:
I think the better question is "Was Robert or Jason a better bassist"?

Come on, we all know that Cliff Burton was the most talented bassist in Metallica and it's not even close. He's by far the most talented member of Metallica in their whole history.
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I have no idea where people get this; there are a ton of people who just idolize Cliff Burton for dying right after they put out their most critically acclaimed album. The most talented person in Metallica is James Hetfield. I'm not sure how that is even questionable.
 
Obviously Cliff was the best, but Newsted had the absolute best backing vocals.

Go listen to Creeping Death at Monsters of Rock. The "die by my hand" part with Newsted backing up Hetfield and the final chorus is badass with newsted there. Trujillo and Kirk cannot top that.

Here, make it easy for ya: Creeping Death Monsters of Rock

Bonus Live Shit San Diego version
Bonus Battery S&M - Newsted's "Battery!" backup adds to the power too

He made those songs sound even meatier than it already was imo.
 
To be fair to Jason, they basically made his life hell because he wasn't Cliff and he quit the band because he was substance dependent and on the verge of offing himself.

Nobody was going to replace Cliff and have it work out.
 
SynthFetish said:
After Cliff, I just stopped caring.
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this. as the rumor goes.. a lot of the greatness of Justice came from ideas/riffs contributed by Cliff before he died.

Cliff-based metallica (including Justice) is one of the greatest rock bands in history.

Non-Cliff-based metallica is... well I don't intend to be mean... so I'll just say it's just not the same band.
 
Cliff is one of the best bass players in all of metal, period. Rob is the best they've had since, but even he pales in comparison.
 
Rob could probably outplay either of those guys. But I don't think he really contributed to Metallica as much as Newsted.

Cliff was on another level. The band trailing off after MoP is no coincidence. Cliff was someone you couldn't replace.
 
Cliff is incomparable. Jason got really short changed but Robert is still a much better bassist.

Cliff is God.
 
Cliff's contribution to Metallica was immeasurable. Everyone knows the band wasn't the same after he was gone.

Jason was aight, and I just don't care about the Trujillo-era.

plop said:
No matter who you pick, one thing is certain:

Lars is a shitty drummer.
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hahaha
 
Rob = Cliff > Jason

Rob has a more groovy style. Cliff was more of a pure rock style.

Jason was OK, not great. BUT, Jason has the 2nd best VOCALS in the band too, which puts him right up there, IMO.
 
Cliff is first, of course.

I liked Jason a lot, I also like Rob alot...Jason's backing vocals really help their live stuff. Rob is better at playing bass though but Jason writes better.
 
Not really fair to compare them, considering the material Rob had to work with. He's obviously one of the best musicians in the band.
 
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