Cliff Burton possibly overrated?

Cz93 · #1 03-13-2009, 04:17 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5KpwrAoZk4

This is the bass track for Ride the Lightning.

Idk, about you guys but cliff has always been my favorite bassist. Ride the Lightning as a whole is an amazing track, but just listening to the bass only it sounds a little sloppy.

Either way he is my favorite still and is badass live.

What do you think?

Mad Russian · #2 03-13-2009, 04:23 PM

How do I know that Cliff is playing?

Betty Bass · #3 03-13-2009, 04:25 PM

I'm not the biggest worshiper of Burton, but saying this based on a lone track seems a bit unfair... Perhaps if you'd noticed a consistent lack of quality, then I'd agree with you. I do think that take the idol worship with him to far, but there are people like that with most every public figure.

Mikio · #4 03-13-2009, 04:28 PM

I think he's not overrated at all, I did so before, but hey, palaying Battery and other stuff from Kill'em All and Master of Puppets can get quite difficult, most people would be able to play the Orion solos [the distorted ones] but as good as he did? I don't think so, he was really good, probably the coolest member of Metallica when it comes to skills

Cz93 · #5 03-13-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Russian

How do I know that Cliff is playing?

idk i think they got the track off of rock band so idk if its the actual record or some1 else playing

Mutant Corn · #6 03-13-2009, 04:32 PM

IIRC they used the original masters for the rock band tracks.

El Beardo · #7 03-13-2009, 04:42 PM

Over rated? Keep the time period in mind and what else was going on at the time musically. He was very important to the evolution of his genre of music(and the many sub-genres it spawned) and for the electric bass itself. Playing/writing the music you love is what we practice for yea? Music is a language yea?. He spoke with his instrument and said what he had to say. Don't idolize him, just appreciate him(or any musician) listen to what he had to say, learn from it and then we all move on. RIP CB

This is how we as musicians evolve imo.

p0werslav3 · #8 03-13-2009, 04:46 PM

Overrated.........nope

The question is, was what you heard recorded when he was sober or not

HalfDayClosing · #9 03-13-2009, 08:56 PM

I feel as though he is overrated by todays standards. There are a ton of bass players in metal (and jazz, fusion, funk etc) bands who could play circles around him when he was alive. BUT the point is...would those bass players be around if he hadn't made these recordings? He was one of the main players that inspired me to pick up bass (and continue with it) and I'm sure he's inspired a TON of other players to pick it up. This is coming from somebody who listened to Metallica exclusively for five years and hasn't heard them besides this recording for three or four years. My taste has become more selective and perhaps pompous but I don't deny the influence he has had on me. He was miles ahead of James and Kirk when he was alive and he had the balls to try to bring the bass to the foreground. I wonder how he would be if he was still around...

afinalfantasy · #10 03-13-2009, 10:11 PM

I'll admit that he was good, but I personally never found his playing like groundbreaking or anything like that.

crayzee · #11 03-13-2009, 10:20 PM

I don't think he's overrated, or underrated. I give him massive kudos for doing metal with his fingers and not a pick, and doing it very well. He wasn't a flashy musician, he just got the job done as it needed.

fryBASS · #12 03-13-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Beardo

Over rated? Keep the time period in mind and what else was going on at the time musically. He was very important to the evolution of his genre of music(and the many sub-genres it spawned) and for the electric bass itself. Playing/writing the music you love is what we practice for yea? Music is a language yea?. He spoke with his instrument and said what he had to say. Don't idolize him, just appreciate him(or any musician) listen to what he had to say, learn from it and then we all move on. RIP CB

This is how we as musicians evolve imo.

/thread

cujjo91 · #13 03-13-2009, 10:34 PM

I don't think he is overrated in anyway. Also he died when he was only 24, just imagine how he could have developed his skills if he had the chance.

TheHegemon · #14 03-14-2009, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Beardo

Over rated? Keep the time period in mind and what else was going on at the time musically. He was very important to the evolution of his genre of music(and the many sub-genres it spawned) and for the electric bass itself. Playing/writing the music you love is what we practice for yea? Music is a language yea?. He spoke with his instrument and said what he had to say. Don't idolize him, just appreciate him(or any musician) listen to what he had to say, learn from it and then we all move on. RIP CB

This is how we as musicians evolve imo.

Hit the nail on the head, good post

Be interesting to see how he would have evolved if he was still around. As for the recording in the OP, that was a long time ago, I'd imagine that was like take 2, they left for a beer run, drank them came back and said "f*ck it, throw it on the record"

mattsbass · #15 03-14-2009, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HalfDayClosing

I feel as though he is overrated by todays standards. There are a ton of bass players in metal (and jazz, fusion, funk etc) bands who could play circles around him when he was alive. BUT the point is...would those bass players be around if he hadn't made these recordings? He was one of the main players that inspired me to pick up bass (and continue with it) and I'm sure he's inspired a TON of other players to pick it up. This is coming from somebody who listened to Metallica exclusively for five years and hasn't heard them besides this recording for three or four years. My taste has become more selective and perhaps pompous but I don't deny the influence he has had on me. He was miles ahead of James and Kirk when he was alive and he had the balls to try to bring the bass to the foreground. I wonder how he would be if he was still around...

I bet he would have a Dean Signature Bass lol.

ceedj · #16 03-14-2009, 12:54 AM

I don't think he's over-rated, but I personally (read: me) don't think he's "all that" either. Just MODO though.

I DO think he was miles better than Newstead though.

cassanova · #17 03-14-2009, 11:59 AM

I've always thought he was overrated. Most of his tracks were not overly complicated to warrant his "god like" status.

adamrobertt · #18 03-14-2009, 12:00 PM

The only reason why he's regarded as such a great bassist is because he died young and tragically. IMO he wasn't anything special.

JimiLL · #19 03-14-2009, 12:33 PM

I know one thing for sure: his tone is overrated

Deluge Of Sound · #20 03-14-2009, 12:35 PM

I think a lot of you guys are forgetting how much he contributed to the writing, as well as the simple fact that he was in Metallica when they wrote their best stuff.

Now, I'm not a huge Metallica fan, but those songs are good, and they went on to become the biggest metal band ever, and a large part of that is due to Cliff Burton.