Being the bass player in the world’s greatest heavy metal band is no easy task!
It’s so difficult, that the mighty Metallica has gone through 5 of them!
We know right now some of you are counting them on your fingers and saying “Wait, I
count 3!”
Others are probably saying “Wait, I count 4!
Where the hell are you getting 5?”
For this list, All Things Top 5 ranks the Top 5 Metallica Bass Players that have been
“slappin da bass” from the No Life 'Til Leather demo all the way to their most current
album!
Number 5 Bob Rock.
Alright, settle down people!
I hear you!
Bob Rock was never officially a member of Metallica, but he did write and record all
of the bass parts on the 2003 album St. Anger after Jason Newstead left the band!
Bob Rock’s first entry as bass player for Metallica happened during the recording of
“I Disappear” for Mission Impossible 2, when Jason didn’t show up for pre-production.
Bob ended up playing bass so the band could rehearse the song.
Since the song was in the early stages, Bob filled in so James and Lars could figure out
what they wanted to do with the song musically.
During the tumultuous times during the St. Anger recording sessions, where Jason left
the band, James was battling his addiction, and Lars forgot to turn on the snare, the
remaining members of Metallica enlisted the help of a personal enhancement coach, Phil
Towle, to help them work out decades of personal problems and internal struggles.
They asked Bob Rock to fill in as their bass player for the recording of St. Anger so they
could still finish the album, search for a new bass player, and work on themselves emotionally
so when they finally found a bass player, he wouldn’t be stepping into a hot pile
of steaming shit.
Bob was already pulling double duty as the producer for the album as well as the bass
player until the band could find a permanent replacement.
The band had to learn to play together again and get their feet wet by playing live to
a small audience at the Raiders Tailgate in 2003.
In order to play the gig, Bob had to learn a 40-minute Metallica set where he quickly
learned playing bass live wasn’t that easy.
All Bob had to do was learn all of Cliff and Jason’s part, sing backup, and not smile
so much while playing with the band.
Number 4 Ron McGovney.
The legendary Cliff Burton is often thought to be Metallica’s first bassist since he
is featured on all the early recordings.
It was, however, Ron McGovney who first held down the low end in the band.
Some would consider him the original Metallica bassist since he appeared on the historic
No Life 'Til Leather demo.
McGovney’s tenure in Metallica was a rough time in his life since he often clashed with
Lars and Dave Mustaine.
He felt that his primary roll wasn’t a respected member of the band, but the money person and
transportation provider for the other members.
All the songs that are found on Kill ‘Em All were written in Ron’s garage and he
played them all during his time in Metallica.
According to Ron, some of the songs off of Kill ‘Em All were arranged by him, but he
was never credited for anything and he played at least 28 gigs with Metallica in their first
year.
Ron ultimately quit before the recording of Kill ‘Em All and was replaced by Cliff Burton.
After leaving Metallica, McGovney became uninterested in playing music and sold most of his equipment.
Ron reemerged for the first time in 2011 to play bass for two songs alongside Metallica
during their 30-year celebration.
During Metallica’s induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the band flew Ron out
to be part of the celebration.
James apologized to Ron for things not going well in the band and acknowledged that Ron
was a big part of their success.
A plaque talking about No Life 'Til Leather with Ron and Dave Mustaine’s name on it
hangs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
As for Ron, that is good enough for him and he doesn’t need anymore.
Number 3 Jason Newsted.
Following the passing of Cliff Burton, Metallica immediately started auditioning for bass players.
The band auditioned over 50 musicians and Jason was the last in line and ended up winning
the part.
To his advantage, Jason strategically procured the band’s setlist, studied it, and presented
it to Lars saying he knew all these songs, much to Lars’ surprise.
Two days later, Jason was in Metallica, but during the darkest period of the band’s
history.
Jason made his studio debut on The $5.98 E.P.
– Garage Days Re-Revisited in 1987, which was followed by his first studio album …And
Justice For All in 1988.
His full studio debut was a subject of controversy and criticism for the lack of bass present
in the album.
Jason at first claimed this was further hazing on the part of Lars and James, although both
Lars and James claim they were also disappointed with the production of the album.
This is also the first time the world got to see Metallica and their new bass player
in their very first music video for the song One.
Jason is known for his bass solo which included parts of "My Friend of Misery", which Jason
had originally written as an instrumental.
On the Black Album, Jason approached his bass parts differently.
He played more with Lars’ kick drum, so his basslines were more distinct from James’
guitar lines – they were not getting in each other's way.
Bob really helped them with orchestrating and bringing out the low end - getting the
guitar and bass to work together.
In fact, when James played the album for a friend, he asked, "What is that weird low-end
sound?"
He said, "That's something new for us - it's called bass!"
During his time in Metallica, Newsted also contributed backing vocals to a number of
Metallica songs.
During tours, he would often sing parts of "Creeping Death", "Whiplash" and "Seek & Destroy".
Newsted eventually left Metallica in 2001, which he claimed was due to "private and personal
reasons and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the
music that I love."
Though some of that might have been true, the real reason is because James forbid him
to pursue other musical side projects because it would take away from the strength of Metallica.
In Jason’s 14 years with Metallica, he helped save the band in a moment of great crisis
and contributed his talents during the most productive years of the band’s history.
Newsted was resilient and thick-skinned, and he played great onstage; he was soon embraced
by fans and critics who never imagined anyone could replace Cliff Burton.
Number 2 Cliff Burton.
Cliff didn’t live long enough to reach his full potential as a bass player for Metallica
and that’s why he takes our #2 spot.
Just kidding!
You can stop writing the angry comments now!
Number 2 Robert Trujillo.
Born Roberto Agustin Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz…well that took up some
watch time minutes, is the current bassist for Metallica!
Rob replaced Jason in 2003 after an acrimonious episode in 2001 that was depicted in the 2004
documentary Some Kind of Monster.
Although he is seen as the newest bass player for Metallica, he is now the longest serving
bass player, longer than Jason Newsted!
With his low-slung playing style, flamenco influence, and crab like stance, Metallica
found his performance convincing enough to bring him back for another audition, and then
finally offer him the job.
James said that Rob makes the band play better with Kirk saying that the songs haven’t
been played that way since Cliff.
Although he was hired during the writing of St. Anger, he didn’t have any input in the
creation of that album.
His official debut wasn’t until Death Magnetic, which was a long-awaited return to the band’s
thrash roots and victim of the loudness war with its overly compressed sound and excessive
clipping.
James claims Rob has already contributed more than his predecessor Jason Newsted did in
14 years.
Lars also revealed that Rob managed to infiltrate the long-standing Hetfield/Ulrich writing
partnership.
Rob would spend a lot of time being the third wheel in the Hetfield/Ulrich songwriting process,
and those two would bounce ideas off of him and he would come up with suggestions when
they would get stuck.
Kirk is equally complimentary of Rob by saying that when he looks over at him, and he’s
playing his bass onstage, it feels like he’s always been there – his chemistry, his personality,
it just all fits really really well.
Rob’s furious and energetic stage presence soon became a mainstay of Metallica’s stage
show, and it’s remained that way ever since.
Before we get to number 1, remember to subscribe to All Things Top 5 and ring the bell to be
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Number 1 Cliff Burton.
Famous for his bell-bottom jeans, fuzzed-out-wah-infused bass solos, and virtuosic technique, Cliff
is by far considered the OG bassist for Metallica.
In 1982, Cliff’s former band Trauma was playing at the Whisky a Go Go.
Among those in attendance was James and Lars.
Upon hearing, as James described it, “this amazing shredding”, the two went in search
of what they thought was an amazing guitar player.
When they learned that what they heard was a bass solo by Cliff, they decided to recruit
him for Metallica to replace Ron McGovney.
Cliff’s debut album was Kill ‘Em All, which features Cliff’s famous solo piece
“(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth,” which showcased his use of the wah pedal, not commonly
used by bass guitarists.
Metallica’s second album, Ride the Lightning, showcased Cliff’s songwriting abilities
and he received credit on 6 of the 8 songs on the album.
Cliff’s playing style and use of effects is showcased on two tracks: the chromatic
intro to “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and the lead bass on “The Call of Ktulu”.
It’s on this album where Cliff used his formal training in music and introduced the
band on how to incorporate harmonies and melodies and how they work together to make a song
more dynamic.
It was with Cliff’s encouragement that the band released their first acoustic ballad
“Fade To Black”.
Cliff saw that song as a step forward in
the band’s direction.
Metallica’s third album, Master of Puppets, featured lead bass on the instrumental “Orion”
and is considered as Cliff’s swan song.
The bass swells and harmonies on Damage, Inc were based on a Bach piece called “Come,
Sweet Death” and is an example of his diverse taste in music and musical training.
Although Cliff died after the recording of Master of Puppets in a tragic bus accident
during the Damage Incorporated Tour, he did receive writing credit for the lyrics and
bass parts for the song “To Live Is To Die” off the album …And Justice for All.
The bass parts were taken from unused bass recordings done by Cliff, which were re-recorded
by Jason Newsted.
In 2009, Cliff was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Though Cliff’s contribution to Metallica was brief, the first 3 Metallica albums serve
as a template for all music within that genre!
Do you agree or disagree with our list?
Does Bob Rock count as a bassist for Metallica?
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