Cliff was totally his own man,
It's only now that with the Metalli-egos of James and Lars being significantly deflated by maturity that they admitted Cliff was the bandleader, not just the inspiration, that took the band from being just another LA thrash forgettable to what they became. Musically, their influence peaked with
Master of Puppets and Cliff had already helped them sketch most of
...And Justice for All while on tour. Cliff's playing in and of itself isn't particularly original, but what made him the great was was his tenacious personality musically and personally (he was older than the other guys by three years and was the big brother of the band) and leadership of the band from beneath, completely unheard of in metal where bass players were generally rhythm guitarists who didn't make the cut. Cliff created "the Metallica plod," the way the sound coalesced as a unit and swung while pushing rather than chasing a song's rhythm. It still carried on afterward through two of the albums that followed, but after extreme fame and fortune spoiled Lars and James, they lost the ability to incorporate that crushing unity into any new songs. Their stylistic changes were more reactionary than artistic, and nothing post-
The Black Album has any major impact outside of demonstrating the loyalty of their fanbase.
Jason underrated for his contribution of grounding the band and making it more accessible,
Jason got f***ed royally. Concert footage of him on the
Master of Puppets tour after Cliff's death showed that he filled the musical shoes EXACTLY, but being the "kid" in the band and having no respect took its toll and he was marginalized so much that he was largely irrelevant until he left and was replaced by a scab who could be playing jingles or jazz. Metallica wasn't about musical prowess; it represented honesty and rebellion, and to hear Newstead's fire on
Garage Days Re-Revisited be rendered literally inaudible on
Justice and then musically excluded to the point that Bob Rock as producer was more of a band member (Bob played almost as much bass on the albums he recorded as Jason!), Jason never got his due. The flubbing player you heard in concert during the
Justice years probably didn't even have his own monitor mix. After being told that he was not important enough times and not leaving the situation, I think he did the best he could and tried to make it work playing in a band of his idols. It was only because Lars' playing kept getting sloppier with his laziness and drug use that Newstead was allowed any sonic space at all.
and about the new guy I know little except that I kind of like his Mex/Native American looks.
Robert Trujillo is a chops-heavy hired gun who has helped ride down other good bands (Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy) after their prime. He is a stylistic chameleon and fills the role he was hired to perfectly: play to make James and Lars still be able to ape the old days but don't make any waves. That he was also a child-actor, appearing in an episode of CHiPs, (ironically one with Potsie from Happy Days transparently parodying Kiss playing up to 80's "Satanic music" hysteria) sums him up completely for me. He can play very well, but he's an empty suit with no heart, a mercenary in what had once been a very righteous musical army.
I forgive him the Warwicks.
He was an endorsement whore decades before Metallica came along. In a recent video interview James did for EMG in the studio, in the background where Metallica had all their studio gear set up, there was a rack of Fender basses, ONLY Fender basses, mixed in with James' racks of guitars. A few makers have made signature instruments for him, but I didn't see any of them. That's part of why I don't like him. At least James USES the gear his name is on
I don't think he's a bad player at all, neither were his two predecessors though by today's studio standards
That's not much of a complement!
young Cliff wasn't the most tidy and exact bass player on earth. I'm sure he woud have matured though if that bus had only let him.
I hope he wouldn't have, at least not in the sense that most folks regard "musical maturity," but had he not died, Metallica would not have been given the platform or had the will to make the compromises they did to become a household name. His reach as a dead legend is much greater than he would have ever had were he to have lived.
I'm pretty sure Robert Trujillo could play circles around Newsted and Burton.
What he does with Metallica is most likely what Hetfield and Ulrich tell him to.
If Trujillo had stuck to playing that stuff instead of a making a larger career of replacing bass legends (Bob Daisley included), I would have NO problem with him. He's a shredder, a trick player, and it's obvious from what Metallica has put out with him that he'll play anything with a big enough paycheck attached to it any way he's asked, but Metallica is just a job and for old Metallica fans like me, one he does VERY poorly. If Metallica had truly wanted musical growth in that vein, they would have hired Les Claypool, who auditioned both times their bass chair was empty, but they knew his personality would assert itself in the music. Trujillo is content to make string rattles over classic lines with the occasional solo break. The Metallica that changed the musical landscape of the world, punk included, died long ago. They're the Rolling Stones of loud music. Enter Start Me Up Sandman.
