I never heard anyone say that till they actually did sell out on puppets album. I think after the black album they somewhat sold out. Because they changed with time's. They would have been better off to keep the 1980s sound of thrash going. They just weren't thrash metal anymore. They still can be and I'm still waiting for that to happen.
@@patrickshannon122 The only thing metallica sold out was ticket sales. Metallica had so much more to offer than just the same old same old. Their old music is still just as worthwhile to listen to as it was back then, but having them stick to just that style, would have been detrimental.
Cliff was the essence of Metallica. He even went to music school to learn how to read and play music. James and Kirk have said that he taught them so much. He was a harmonies expert. One if the best musicians of all time. RIP Cliff,you were the best!
James would've likely picked up on enough of what Cliff knew to still make great music, lol. Cliff was decent but overrated, playing guitar solos on ultra distorted bass isnt that impressive and only Metallica fans (their favorite band being the lowest common denominator) think it's the greatest bass playing in history
@@ARG0T I think your forgetting,Cliff was only 26yrs old. Who knows how good he would have been. Metallica stopped being the real Metallica us hardcore fans loved when he died. If people choose to like the commercial Metallica they became after that good luck to them. Each to their own.
@@brianaspinall412 "Commercial" Metallica, I.e ...And Justice For All, was superior to its predecessor. Secondly, Puppets was a huge success and Metallica was well on their way to stardom before Cliff died. Metallica would have lost its soul with or without Cliff, and Roger Patterson (Atheist's bassist) was 22 when he died and was light-years ahead of Burton in skill lol.
@@brianaspinall412 Good luck? It's just Reload, dude, it's not like we're having unprotected back-alley buttsex with strangers or something. I mean, some of us aren't, anyway. I am.
It's impossible to watch this without imagining Cliff being alive today. He was such a solid source of Metallica's message and attitude. As a bass player, he was as much a focal point as James. Similar to Duff in GnR.
I dunno if this is gonna sound too negative but I have always believed that everything is ment to happen, sooner or later whatever is ment to be will be. Cliff's death included. I think it was just ment to be, even if he didn't pass away that day or the accident never happened to begin with, it would have happened some other day or maybe even year perhaps. It might have happened in a completely diffrent way too, you never know. Anyway that's just my believe on things, its okay if you disagree and stuff, I'm just saying, in my opinion there is no chance he was still alive and well today. Maybe he could have lived and avoided fate for a bit more but yeah...
I bought a bass when I was 17, learned a bunch of punk songs and lost interest and all motivation. Up until as a 19 year old I saw cliff shredding the shit out of a bass. Just watching him play sparked a complete new found love for playing my bass. I wish so much that I could thank him. He seemed like the most down to earth guy ever. Rest easy cliff. You'll live on as a legend.
The cool thing about Cliff, and the rest of the band for that matter, is they were into a lot of music-everything from punk to classical, classic rock, NWOBHM, classic metal, Eagles, southern rock, Hendrix, etc. You can hear it too.
Cliff and Lemmy are the best bass players of all time.... theyre jamming in heaven with rhoades on guitar bonham on drums and dio rocking the mic (lemmys on rhythm guitar but on bass lol cause thats exactly what lemmy did was he played rhythm guitar on his rick )
Yeah, think how similar Cliff would still be to James if he was alive today. They’d be like twins almost. These days, James is the most popular guy at Metallica shows, but I guarantee you, if Cliff were still around, he’d be just as, if not more, popular!
I know - it is just so beautiful beyond words to see the chemistry between these two gods - you can also really tell how strong how their bromance was when you still the survivors crying over him... Clifford Lee Burton, you are forever loved and always alive in our hearts...we will meet again someday soon - I just know it! Until then, rest in peace, my brother! 🫶💕💗💖❤️🔥🤘🤟💥
I don't know much about their personality, but James seems shy in these interviews, while Cliff just seems more relaxed and confident. I feel like that's why James loved him cause he always felt comfortable around him
I'm currently 50. I was 16 when Cliff died. I could vividly remember when I heard on the radio that Cliff died. Fuck... Cliff, man. He was the real deal. 😢
Same here! I remember hearing it on the radio. For a split second I was like yeah!!! Finally they are talking about Metallica on the radio!! Then I heard what they were talking about. It gutted me! I still remember feeling sick to my stomach! 🙏
You can just tell from this interview how much of an influence Cliff had in the band, and how fondly James thinks of him without actually saying it, but behaves around Cliff. James and Ray Burton has said in interviews that Cliff absolutely did not care in the slightest about what people thought of his style, his clothes, his persona, you name it. He knew who he was, and was comfortable with himself, and anybody who had shit to say about that could fuck right off. An insecure kid like James must have been in awe of that, and looked up to Cliff. I mean, James has said that he thought of Cliff as a brother. I think Cliff's death affected James in heavier ways than most of us can imagine.
@@russkate88 Poor Jason was put in the worst impossible situation ever but still showed up and destroyed every live show. Two legends in Newstead and Burton
Yeah it did affect him on a documentary I saw it said when they went to a hotel they all got really drunk and Kirk said that James went down in the streets and started yelling cliff where are you come back. that’s one reason why Jason left the band cause he was treated so harshly because he wasn’t cliff and couldn’t live up to that much skill
1986: Do you think Metallica sold out? 1988: Do you think Metallica sold out? 1990: Do you think Metallica sold out? 1995: Do you think Metallica sold out? 2000: Do you think Metallica sold out? 2010: Do you think Metallica sold out? 2020: Do you think Metallica sold out?
At minute 7.51 Cliff rolls his eyes maybe because the interviewer asks him and James to talk about other bands. Here they demonstrate to be true professionals who don’t waste their time to talk about other people on silly topics like clothes. There’s no one like them. They were so young but so determined at the same time. They are a great source of inspiration for me. Love you forever Cliff
Interesting, I noticed about half way through that they sound completely modern in how they speak. This could be an interview with a young band in 2021.
Man I've said it before but I'll say it again. Look at how much James respects Cliff in this video. James literally waits to hear what Cliff has to say first. James' demeanor is a little goofy and laid back, but look how he straightens up when he sees Cliff get all serious; which is most of the interview.
@@user-cq9my5ju6k so who killed him? people conspire that Metallica sacrificed Cliff for Satan? this sounds crazy but it's a cruel real world so it's impossible not to happen. if so that was probably what Lars did, and Dave also loved Cliff so much, why did he keep quiet about this?
@@Red1san You know, now that you mentioned "sacrifice" I'd like for you guys to keep an open mind to a conspiracy I've thought of. I think Dave accidently killed Cliff with Black Magic, something Dave would practice in his early days. Remember how Kirk was suppose to sleep in the top bunk but lost a card game to Cliff? Well I think Dave was targeting Kirk for obvious reasons. Supposedly there's black magic spells in "The Conjuring" or "Bad Omen" I don't remember but when Peace Sells relesed in Spetember, a week later Metallica has their bus accident. I'm aware of how much I'm reaching but I think it's something to think about. From what I've experienced for the past couple of years I'm not putting past it. Or its just a coincidence.
Cliff was robbed of a great life ahead of him. Credit to the rest of the band for still taking this band to such heights in his memory. His essence rubbed off on them all, especially James.
I think about that a lot, how they probably keep going at least partially to keep Cliff's memory alive. If people ever stopped talking about Metallica they'd stop talking about Cliff and they don't want to let that happen
@@noroar3258 I payed 196 for 2 tickets at the bottom of the top section at the sprint center in Kansas City back in 2019 only thing I didn't like they didn't play Whiplash after Cliff's solo.
@@robtos1194 Yep...cocaine. There was plenty of it going around back in those days. What a paradox that stuff was...so much fun but so awful at the same time.
00:38 the way they glanced at each other and started laughing, like 10 year old boys after some mischief. They were great friends. Can't imagine what hole Cliff's death must have left in the band. R.I.P. Cliff.
6:08 I feel so bad for James when he gets asked what his parents think about their band. Dude had such a difficult childhood and you can see it in his face
@@Bls-of1ldJames’s dad left the family at thirteen. He just left a note and two weeks after he left, Cynthia (James’s mom) brought him and his little sister Deanna into the living room and handed them the note, she told them that they’re dad wasn’t coming back and that angered him. He hated his father for that, to make matters worse, his mom died at sixteen from cancer. James tried to convince her to go to the hospital to get treatment but she told him she had to have faith. Because the religion was Christian Science and it’s like Christianity except when your sick, you pray and have faith that God would heal you. And James didn’t believe that. He believed God gave man the science to heal the sick and injured. So basically, he and his sister watched Cynthia wither away and then she died in February of 1980. That’s when James’s alcohol addiction began, the poor sixteen year old was so heartbroken he just drank to drown out the pain. Also after she died, since his dad wasn’t around, he moved in with one of his half brothers who were ten years older than him. So yeah he had a really rough childhood.
Did make me sad how James responded to "what do your parents think about all this?" and he says Cliffs, Kirks and Lars's parents are real into it and he said "my dad yanno, whatever" then laughs, then frowns and reaches for his beer.
6:10 youre welcome, still remember a pin Kirk Hammet wore in a Puppets era poster "Miserable Childhood" I bought the poster and DIY the pin a day or so later. We were all Metallica fully back then and if you wore the gear it spoke to that unity. We were forgotten and abused kids noone wanted, then we found each other inside music and shows.
You can tell how close James was with Cliff at this point they had a lot in common as he would later say. From what I read Cliff was also a genuine sweet guy behind the scenes, always respectful, read books to kids etc.
Cliff seemed wise beyond his years. The way he talks and carries himself oozes confidence. He was very comfortable being himself and as you can see james (and probably the rest of the band) really admired that.
Cliff Burton was the most amazingly talented bassist of all time. He often merged bass playing with electric guitar playing using a wah-wah pedal. Cliff was born in San Francisco on February 10, 1962 to Jan and Ray Burton. He grew a liking for The Misfits, Mexican food, and H.P. Lovecraft. He owned a green station wagon that he often drove around the bay area with friends in, with The Misfits blasting out the windows. Cliff was a cool, laid-back guy who didn't mind going out of his way to talk to his fans. He started out playing bass for bands such as Trauma and Agents of Misfortune, and was known for his headbanging and wild stage presence. Cliff was soon discovered by Metallica, and that was when he replaced Ron McGovney and got his own place in the band, but he would only join if Metallica moved to San Francisco, which they did. Cliff's greatest masterpieces are (Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth, The Call of Ktulu, and Orion. His career with Metallica was going great, but tragedy came with his death during a tour bus accident on September 27th, 1986. The band was on their way to Denmark when the bus supposedly slipped on a patch of ice and turned onto its side beside the road. Lars Ulrich (drums) had broken a toe and Kirk Hammett (lead guitar) had a black eye, but worst of all, Cliff had apparently been thrown off of his bunk-bed and halfway out the window, and then the bus crushed him when it had turned over. The rest of the guys, who were having a hard time coping with the tragedy, were brought to a hotel until they returned back to America a couple days later. Cliff's ashes were spread at Maxwell Ranch, a ranch where he spent a lot of his time. In 1987, a documentary of performances, interviews, and footage of the guys just having a good time called Cliff 'em All was released as a tribute to Cliff. Metallica found a new bassist (Jason Newsted) and on their next album (...And Justice For All) is a song that Cliff had written called To Live is to Die that also includes some riffs that he had written as well. Cliff Burton will forever remain in the hearts of many as the greatest bassist of all time. Rest in peace Cliff... I'll see ya on the other side.
Thankyou so very much for your knowledge regarding Cliff. He was a gentle soul and I will never forget his life taken so tragically. I was only 16 when he died but I remember it like yesterday. Thankyou again from under the Milky Way from the Land Down Under 🌌🇦🇺🕊
Um it wasn't a green station wagon, It was a green Volkswagen bug he called "The Grasshopper" which was the vehicle his Rickenbaucher bass that had gotten stolen and has still yet too be found, and he was born in Castro Valley
If I remember correctly, while he was trying to find the sound he was after, his sister suggested to put guitar pick ups in his bass and that's how he got his unique sound.
cliffs alembic spolier was what was stolen from his car, not the Rick. I got an interview that's 18 minutes long with Harold oimen I believe it was from June 86 and cliff said that his Ricky needed some work but his spolier was stolen
@@britgilbert8736 According to interviews and testimonies, Cliff couldn't stand Dave. In fact, in the full version of this interview, when asked about Megadeth, and its hatred towards Metallica, Cliff answered: "Dave runs his mouth. We prefer to run our business." Man, Cliff was a chilled out, pragmatic, cool person. For sure I can't see him hanging out with Dave by his own will, specially back in the 80's. Dave always acted like an unbearable, needy, nasty child. He is only cool to the fans who didn't have to put up with him.
@@colico14definitely and he’s the reason Metallica moved forward from kill ‘em all to ride the lightning and master of puppets because with his knowledge of music theory, cliff taught Kirk and James harmonies and Metallica’s song arrangements became much stronger🔥🔥🔥🔥
Oh ffs you fanboys are annoying af. Cliff was great and he was a valuable member but to say he was the soul of Metallica. 🙄🙄🙄Theyve been around for 40 years and cliff was a part of that for only a small amount.
I think there is only about 2-3 video clips out there. Remember this was a time when camcorders were big as a backpack. So video was not easy to do, it was a special thing.
@@AMetalheadsJourney Your probably right about the camcorders, at 20 years old, I don't remember knowing anyone that owned one. Of course, I don't remember too much from those days. 🤪🙃🥳🌿🌿🍻🍻😇🤞🤣🤣🤣 Call it selective memory recall. Call it a metalhead's interstellar journey.
The "Sold Out" stuff happened as far back as Ride the Lightning. Just because they put acoustic guitar on Fade to Black, and they didnt wanna play a thousand miles an hour all the time. Ridiculous. They grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Scorpions and Judas Priest. Classic bands that had acoustic, mellow stuff in there all the time aswell. This video is great, as it shows that the "sold out" shit was there all along ,and they have never cared about it. I love too, how both James and Cliff happily acknowledge that they want to be a big band , but they will do it their own way. Which is exactly what happened.
The original SF crowd (the OG fans) felt they sold out right after Kill em all. I grew up in the bay area, so I've met some of these old school heads who have actually seen Metallica in small clubs like the Key club. I think the same owner owned like the Edge (Palo alto), Key club and another, which have all closed now. Metallica played those places circa 83-84. So the sell out accusations are not new. So I figure there are waves of Metallica fans who feel they sold out. 1. The OG SFO underground crowd who worshipped Exodus, Megadeth, Metallica, etc. They felt Metallica sold out during the making of Kill em all or after Dave was fired. 2. The second wave felt they sold out when Ride the Lightning came out because it had ballads. These guys loved Kill em all and wanted Metallica to just be like Kill em all. 3. Then you have the Cliff era people that felt much like Zep, Metallica should have stopped after Cliff died. 4. Then you have the AJFA people who like the first 4 albums and felt Metallica sold out when the Black album came out. 5. Then you have the people who like everything including the Black album and felt they sold out after the Black album with Load. 6. And on and on
@@profileone5655 Ill politely disagree with ya,man. The Black Album was huge- and it was all naturally going that way. After Justice they understandably lost interest with writing long songs and were naturally ready for shorter songs. Theres nothing wrong with that though. Their favourite metal in Priest, Sabbath and rock like Aerosmith were massive in radio and mtv. After Justice they had achieved that their own way, so by Black album they were just continuing the "We do what we Do" attitude, only now on a world scale. And as we see in the video- that is what they had aimed for all along. As the band cleary cleary say right here- Cliff himself states it: Theyve always done what they wanna do, and if people think theyve sold out, then whatever. People think they sold out in '91- but you see here in '86, Cliff himself is talking about it all. It was always there and they never cared about it.
@@AMetalheadsJourney Brilliantly written and thought out. Enjoyed reading through that. And you are right- the "sell out" stuff was mounting since the beginning! And I think thats just wrong. Again, Sabbath and Priest: Architects of Metal. And their light and shade dynamics throughout their diverse catelogue no doubt inspired Metallica at the start to rewrite the rules, as they did. If people prefer the early albums, I totally get and respect that. But in terms of music, I think Death Magnetic and Hardwired..had some superb thrashers in there that easily would have slotted into the classic albums. Same with Megadeth. Still great bands!
@@kylereece1979 Yeah. Sometimes it is a trap because if you play the same thing, they say you are not evolving and if you explore new things they say you changed too much. lol. Literally, every band has to face this.
There was a description by Kirk about what happened in the hours after the accident that took Cliff's life. He described that they had been taken to a hotel somewhere else in Sweden, and that sometime late the next night a very drunk and distraught James went outside and just screamed at the sky, "Cliff, where are you?!" Fucking heartbreaking. What a loss. RIP.
James seemed way more confident with Cliff by his side in early interviews, you can see that part of Cliff rubbed off on him. Whereas with any early interview he did with Lars he was more quiet/introverted. Cliff was just a cool dude.
I think it's also because Cliff and James were both pretty introverted, so they got to talk/answer equally in interviews. Meanwhile Lars is very extroverted, so if James was with him, Lars always ended up dominating the interview
Awesome comment! Use every chance you get to put Lars down! HUGE thumbs up! You must feel so good about yourself being able to be so respectful and making such super interesting comments. Thanks!
@@Zeew707 Also I always get the feeling that Lars is the most articulate and eloquent member of the band. He always seems to know what to say and the perfect words to express it.
James was always shy felt like he was only really himself on stage. But here you can see he’s really blossoming out personality wise. Cliff really made him comfortable and you can see that he’s genuinely happy with his bud
They were already pretty big in this interview, opening up for Ozzy, on a major label, in 30s on billboard. Can't really be accused of "selling out" if you're still one of the little underground bands.
Have you heard the old old demo for Master Of Puppets? Has James vocals from Kill Em All, Ride The Lighting era. Blew me away that is existed and never been out till decades later
Hearing Cliff talking about Europe was tough, but it was nice hearing him say his parents were proud. I know that as of a couple years ago his 90 year old Dad would still attend Metallica show. I am glad he knew how parents were proud.
I really like how they have that "best friend" energy. It is funny how they didn't know how big they're gonna get and that people even thought they sold out. Little did they know that they are going to be the biggest metal band in terms of earnings. It's so sad that Cliff couldn't witness the success of his band...
Yea they were saying they sold out as far back as lightning because omg they did a ballot how dare they lol. It just shows how ridiculous all the Metallica sold out bs is. They never sold out even to this day. Just because a band doesn't play the same shit on 40 straight albums and have success doesn't automatically mean they sold out lol. Metallica always did what they wanted the way they wanted to do it and didn't care what anyone thought. That is the totally polar opposite of "selling out"
One of the many brilliant things about this here, is we see Cliff and James clearly acknowledge Lars' statement about them wanting to get big. They had ambitions about being a big band all along, and were always intending in breaking outta the initial underground that birthed them. They say here that, they will get big their own way, without help. And thats what happened. It was organic, so by the 80s end, they had it all down and done. Stadiums were next on the hitlist for the 90s. I love too, how they sneer and cast off the "Sold Out" claims. Proof that they have been hearing about that long long before the Black album.
Judging by Cliff's responses, I think the Black album was inevitable. The only difference would be if Cliff was in AJFA and the Black album, those albums would have sounded like 100x better not just because of his playing but also his input, music theory and production value.
@@AMetalheadsJourney Well said,mate. It was Cliffs drive and diversities into different musical territories that were setting Metallica into another league away from just heads down fast thrashing all the time. Its impossible to say just how tings could have turned out had the man lived, but I think they would have moved into the stadium sized anthems that Black album stated with him. Totally. In fact, seeing how he was into so many styles of music, they could indeed have experimented in other styles after ..Puppets that mite have had the thrashers question what the hell was happening! You can clearly get the idea here that they want to be massive like the big bands they mentioned. Its not like they just wrote the Black album and said "Yeah,lets sell stadiums". It was organically there and growing from the start.
James probably has dreams about Cliff to this day, playing together at concerts or just hanging around with him being young, then he wakes up as an older guy knowing that it was all a dream. Kinda sad.
37 years since Cliff Burton died, it’s incomprehensible. He was so instrumental in this band. Also, to all the people who rubbish Lars in these comments, James and Lars are the greatest team.
This shits got me wanting to cry a few times. James seems to have high hopes but no real clue he’s going to be the front man of the biggest metal band in the world. And cliff.. oh cliff. “Europe in a couple months” made my hair stand up
The eye roll when the interviewer mentions the 'looks' bands is timeless. But these guys are like "Works for them" someone truly secure in their identity and their art doesn't care what others in other movements are doing. I will always respect these guys for what they stood for at that time. And props to Cliff for his huge Thin Lizzy fandom. And James shouting out Husker Du!!!
It’s funny how (at least for me) Cliffs personality is almost exactly as you’d expect of you hadn’t seen him speak before. I don’t ever judge people by looking at them but Cliff Burton has been a person of interest to me ever since I became a Metallica fan 20 years ago so naturally I speculated as to what he might have been like. And almost to a tee he is in every way what id thought. Quiet but speaks with purpose, lighthearted, and enigmatic.
I'd wonder if they made the same albums and style. Would he have stayed? I mean could you picture him and his style for AJFA album? Or the Black album?
Agreed. I don't think James was ever truly sure of himself. I think he really looked up to Cliff who clearly was comfortable in his own skin. But after Cliff's death, James really adopted that super alpha persona, and then had all these mid 90s identity and midlife crises, including being out of control with alcohol. But the macho alpha persona that James adopted really wasn't who he was. I think while James tried to be like Lemmy, Cliff was actually a lot more like Lemmy because both he and Lemmy had both figured out who they were early in life.
100% accurate. That is why i think that if cliff hadn't died, Metallica would have taken a different route after "Justice". James was being influenced by both Lars and Cliff, but he had great respect musically and otherwise for Cliff, so it was only after he died that James completely fell under the influence of the little Danish. I believe that James due to his father being away and his mother "abandoning" him was still looking for approval, so Cliff (at first) and Lars (moreso later) were sort of father figures to him.
Just like watching it yesterday feel like Cliff was still a life. watching the interview to this day still cannot believe he has passing away R. I. P Cliff Burton until God wake you up from a long sleep until the new world having made still miss you Lagend will live on
@Mike Smith Fuck dude it sucks being 23 cause I know I'll never get to see revolutionary bands play in their prime like Megadeth with Marty, Ozzy with Randy Rhoads, Pantera in it's raw, Alice in Chains etc. etc. While there have been a couple good new artists making splash none of them really have that Van Halen impact, and I fear nothing will.
I had to go back to watch it after I read your comment. I never knew that's how you pronounced it. Are you sure? I thought it was pronounced just like way it reads.. "sam" as in first name sam and "hain".
@@AMetalheadsJourney He's right. Cliff pronounced it correctly. Most people pronounce Samhain as you describe, and when referring to the band that's fine, but Cliff's pronunciation indicates his awareness of what Samhain really is. It wasn't as well known then as it is now. Cliff was aware. Thanks for sharing this awesome video, btw.
Glenn Danzig also pronounces Samhain the "right" way, so that's probably how Cliff knew. However, it seems Cliff didn't always pronounce it correctly. The Master of Puppets Remastered Expanded Edition includes a recording of another interview but just with Cliff himself, and when he mentioned Samhain he pronounced it as "Sam-hain" instead in that interview.
Yes cliff pronounced it correctly, I’m Irish and Samhain means November in Irish which is where the name was taken from so much respect to cliff for pronouncing it right!
In an interview Kirk said that the night after Cliff die James got drunk and wandered through the streets shouting, "CLIFF! WHERE ARE YOU!?" How tragic must it have been to be in a foreign country, on the top of your game, living to play your music, and suddenly one of your band mates, and best friends, is just GONE.
6:08 James's reaction to "what do your parents think about what you're doing?" speaks volumes. I believe it was/is the driving force behind his alcoholism.
@@03ericcartman Oof. Two great tragedies, the pain inflicted by his family of origin and the loss of a brother and mentor in Cliff. I admire James enormously as a human being, not to mention a musician.
THANK YOU for posting this! I've never seen this full interview, just brief segments on "Cliff 'Em All". This was awesome! Great way to start my day! 🤘
You can see that Cliff's got a vibe that Hetfield's respected, he was one of the strong pillars of Metallica's core. We can only imagine the amazing point of view that Cliif would've brought to AJFA, for instance
4:12 James: "We are the same as our fans, we arent doing something that they couldnt really do.." Wow..!!? Super humble considering James is one of the best rythm players on the planet and Cliff was the Jimi Hendrix of bass..
On a documentary Kirk said that a couple days after cliffs death they all got drunk in a hotel and James went down into the streets and started yelling Cliff where are you comeback. I think they all lost a part of them when Cliff died he had a huge influence on the band
Man, I could watch this for ages...they were in their 20's with three albums already, they were on top of the game; nowadays most bands start on their late 30's and these guys were conquering the world at that age. Can't wait to see them on their M72 World Tour.
I'm a big grunge and nirvana fan but Metallica was my first love. They got me into metal because of James' voice and the perfect sounding guitar chords
Hetfield doesn’t usually have this look of pure happiness on his face during any interviews past 1986. He respects and admires Cliff so much, it’s so cool they had such a tight bond. Hetfield won’t ever forget that.
I was born in 85 and I didn't figure out that Metallica was my favorite until I was 13 or 14, so Cliff was a mythical figure for me. I'd never thought to look up old interviews with him in them before today. What a treat. Thanks.
Wow! I use to watch this interview when I was a kid over and over but it was only a minute long of it. It's from Cliff em all, Yeah I was a die-hard Metallica fan . Thanks.
Look at cliffs reaction to the question about metallica and ozzy touring together it's honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen.. He doesn't say a word he just smiles and takes a drag of his cigarette while James answers 😂
I got to see Metallica a couple of months before they went to Europe and the accident happened...was blessed to have been right in front of Cliff and seen him play anesthesia then whiplash, the whole show was great...by the way, I live in Corpus Christi TX
Thank you for sharing this. As a fan of Metallica for around 35 years, I was a HUGE fan of this era. Cliff was such a great bass player and he and James always seemed to play so well off each other. Can only imagine the way they would have progressed had Cliff survived. Cheers.
“We’re with Ozzy in states until late May and then we do some headline stuff in Texas”. That was the first time I saw Metallica live. July/1986 at the Majestic Theater San Antonio, Texas. Who knew that 2 months later Cliff Burton would be dead. I had the privilege of watching him live before he died
Still pissed I wasn’t able to catch them on the Puppets tour. Never saw Cliff play. Had to wait till Justice For All and saw them both times thru Houston in like ‘88 or ‘89, once with The Cult opening and once with Queensryche opening. One was at The Coliseum and the other was The Summit...not sure which show was at which. Both great places to see concerts. But the Summit is a bigass church now. I bet there’s not another church in the world that’s had so much weed passed around it. And the Coliseum is gone. Torn down in the ‘90s.
It breaks my heart. To this time, I never watched Cliff talks. How James is insecure whereas Cliff is cool like a boss. I'm pretty sure he had been the center of the band.
Clearly Cliff was a leader in the group, at times James somewhat stops and Cliff just speaks for the band no questions. Very tragic, such an amazing talent that man was.
Back when no one in the radio stations would play their songs...that would change dramatically 5 years later...Rest in peace Cliff...legend for ever🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯
Gave me chills when he said “Europe in a few months’
Same here.
Little to know by the time they go to Japan , Cliff is no more there !
@@red149 why you seem happy about it
@@bengosse7217 why do you think I am happy about it ?!!!
@@bengosse7217 well if it’s your personal feeling , I can’t do much about it . You are entitled to your feelings ;)
"$10 bucks to see Metallica" Those were the days and I wasn't even alive yet.
Today $10 won't even get you a beer at the show! Even parking and shirts are like $50.
but nowadays as soon as a band releases some shit, you can get it for free after ten minutes without even moving your ass from the chair lol.
I wasn't alive back then but i prefer the first 3 metallica albums because i love thrash metal and cliff burton bass riffs
@@redandnotded5022 and also because after the third album basically they suck, with some very rare exceptions, so good on ya.
It was $8.50 for me in 85
People were saying Metallica sold out back in Puppets' days? hilarious. The haters never cease to surprise me.
Jesus dude 1 hour ago!!!???
They were saying that since fade to black
I never heard anyone say that till they actually did sell out on puppets album. I think after the black album they somewhat sold out. Because they changed with time's. They would have been better off to keep the 1980s sound of thrash going. They just weren't thrash metal anymore. They still can be and I'm still waiting for that to happen.
@@patrickshannon122 The only thing metallica sold out was ticket sales. Metallica had so much more to offer than just the same old same old. Their old music is still just as worthwhile to listen to as it was back then, but having them stick to just that style, would have been detrimental.
If when they're doing everything right it's not enough for some people. Just bizarre.
Cliff was the essence of Metallica.
He even went to music school to learn how to read and play music.
James and Kirk have said that he taught them so much. He was a harmonies expert.
One if the best musicians of all time.
RIP Cliff,you were the best!
James would've likely picked up on enough of what Cliff knew to still make great music, lol. Cliff was decent but overrated, playing guitar solos on ultra distorted bass isnt that impressive and only Metallica fans (their favorite band being the lowest common denominator) think it's the greatest bass playing in history
@@ARG0T I think your forgetting,Cliff was only 26yrs old. Who knows how good he would have been. Metallica stopped being the real Metallica us hardcore fans loved when he died. If people choose to like the commercial Metallica they became after that good luck to them. Each to their own.
@@brianaspinall412 "Commercial" Metallica, I.e ...And Justice For All, was superior to its predecessor. Secondly, Puppets was a huge success and Metallica was well on their way to stardom before Cliff died. Metallica would have lost its soul with or without Cliff, and Roger Patterson (Atheist's bassist) was 22 when he died and was light-years ahead of Burton in skill lol.
@@brianaspinall412 Good luck? It's just Reload, dude, it's not like we're having unprotected back-alley buttsex with strangers or something. I mean, some of us aren't, anyway. I am.
@@brianaspinall412 A hardcore fan would know that he was 24 when he died... Poser.
Cliff looks like he was such a lovely guy. You can see when James looks at him how much he loves him. Such a tragic loss.
2 buddies smoking cigarettes and drinking beer
My heart breaks watching this 😢
@@THIP-vv2tr2 kinda grown up kids who along with Kirk and Lars made the 3 greatest metal albums in music history not just MOP
@@goldenwolf8081 Not THE greatest 3, but 3 of the greatest.
James has recently said he saw cliff as an older brother figure that he definitely needed in his life.
Cliff was so young. What a loss. He seems like such a great guy and he was such a great musician.
He is a great musician, with the videos and the recordings he is always here.
All bc he didn't have a fastened seat belt...
He was asleep you maggot@@Georgi-Slavov
@@Georgi-Slavovhe was in a bed on a coach bus
and asleep @@Hydromaticss
It's impossible to watch this without imagining Cliff being alive today. He was such a solid source of Metallica's message and attitude. As a bass player, he was as much a focal point as James. Similar to Duff in GnR.
Nail on the head bro!!!
💯
I dunno if this is gonna sound too negative but I have always believed that everything is ment to happen, sooner or later whatever is ment to be will be. Cliff's death included. I think it was just ment to be, even if he didn't pass away that day or the accident never happened to begin with, it would have happened some other day or maybe even year perhaps. It might have happened in a completely diffrent way too, you never know. Anyway that's just my believe on things, its okay if you disagree and stuff, I'm just saying, in my opinion there is no chance he was still alive and well today. Maybe he could have lived and avoided fate for a bit more but yeah...
@@chaosssLP yup it’s called life; i agree with your belief
Jason was an amazing addition to Metallica too.
I bought a bass when I was 17, learned a bunch of punk songs and lost interest and all motivation. Up until as a 19 year old I saw cliff shredding the shit out of a bass. Just watching him play sparked a complete new found love for playing my bass. I wish so much that I could thank him. He seemed like the most down to earth guy ever. Rest easy cliff. You'll live on as a legend.
The cool thing about Cliff, and the rest of the band for that matter, is they were into a lot of music-everything from punk to classical, classic rock, NWOBHM, classic metal, Eagles, southern rock, Hendrix, etc. You can hear it too.
Cliff and Lemmy are the best bass players of all time.... theyre jamming in heaven with rhoades on guitar bonham on drums and dio rocking the mic (lemmys on rhythm guitar but on bass lol cause thats exactly what lemmy did was he played rhythm guitar on his rick )
The chemistry between cliff and James damn near brings a tear to my eye. Both have the same mindset...beautiful
My thoughts exactly they’re so similar in their mannerism.
Such an incredible loss. And imagine for James who also lost his dear mother early on. What a trauma.
Yeah, think how similar Cliff would still be to James if he was alive today. They’d be like twins almost. These days, James is the most popular guy at Metallica shows, but I guarantee you, if Cliff were still around, he’d be just as, if not more, popular!
I know - it is just so beautiful beyond words to see the chemistry between these two gods - you can also really tell how strong how their bromance was when you still the survivors crying over him...
Clifford Lee Burton, you are forever loved and always alive in our hearts...we will meet again someday soon - I just know it!
Until then, rest in peace, my brother! 🫶💕💗💖❤️🔥🤘🤟💥
I don't know much about their personality, but James seems shy in these interviews, while Cliff just seems more relaxed and confident. I feel like that's why James loved him cause he always felt comfortable around him
I'm currently 50. I was 16 when Cliff died. I could vividly remember when I heard on the radio that Cliff died. Fuck... Cliff, man. He was the real deal. 😢
Same here! I remember hearing it on the radio. For a split second I was like yeah!!! Finally they are talking about Metallica on the radio!! Then I heard what they were talking about. It gutted me! I still remember feeling sick to my stomach! 🙏
Was at the last show, asked him what he thought of the show and took his autograph, when I woke up the next morning, he was gone..Terrible...
I’m 17 now and in these years mainstream music died
@@appetitefordestruction6899 true man
My dad told me he remembered the day as well. He was 13. Crazy that it's been so long!
It’s so spine chilling to hear Cliff talking about ‘’going to europe’’ and ‘’then Japan at the end of the year’’ and ‘’next year’’
I was thinking the same thing. Feel kinda bad for James hearing that too
10:01 James: "I think we're gonna be hanging out for quite awile". 40 years and counting is indeed quite awile.
This year will be 42 years nearly 5 decades is indeed quite while
James was a cutieeeee !!!!!
You can just tell from this interview how much of an influence Cliff had in the band, and how fondly James thinks of him without actually saying it, but behaves around Cliff. James and Ray Burton has said in interviews that Cliff absolutely did not care in the slightest about what people thought of his style, his clothes, his persona, you name it. He knew who he was, and was comfortable with himself, and anybody who had shit to say about that could fuck right off. An insecure kid like James must have been in awe of that, and looked up to Cliff. I mean, James has said that he thought of Cliff as a brother. I think Cliff's death affected James in heavier ways than most of us can imagine.
Even in 1992 he talks about how much he misses Cliff.
@@russkate88 Poor Jason was put in the worst impossible situation ever but still showed up and destroyed every live show. Two legends in Newstead and Burton
Yeah it did affect him on a documentary I saw it said when they went to a hotel they all got really drunk and Kirk said that James went down in the streets and started yelling cliff where are you come back. that’s one reason why Jason left the band cause he was treated so harshly because he wasn’t cliff and couldn’t live up to that much skill
@@ohio i mean to fill the emotional void that Cliff left. He had impossible shoes to fill
I agree, you can see how James looks at Cliff he seems at peace around him.
1986: Do you think Metallica sold out?
1988: Do you think Metallica sold out?
1990: Do you think Metallica sold out?
1995: Do you think Metallica sold out?
2000: Do you think Metallica sold out?
2010: Do you think Metallica sold out?
2020: Do you think Metallica sold out?
Yes to all your questions.
Yes
From black album to reload era i would say yes
Whatever
There were people in 1984 who said that as soon as they heard Fade to Black...
Sick interview, kinda sad hearing Cliff talking about going to Europe.
No dought, thought the same thing
Still can't believe it.
Why wat happened in Europe?
@@aizensosuke6031 he died
@@aizensosuke6031 Cliff died
At minute 7.51 Cliff rolls his eyes maybe because the interviewer asks him and James to talk about other bands. Here they demonstrate to be true professionals who don’t waste their time to talk about other people on silly topics like clothes. There’s no one like them. They were so young but so determined at the same time. They are a great source of inspiration for me. Love you forever Cliff
Interesting, I noticed about half way through that they sound completely modern in how they speak. This could be an interview with a young band in 2021.
Hey... You did the soundtrack for MW3 didn't you? How you doin bro?
Agreed
Yooo your from mw3 soundtrack aren't you?
They're just speaking like regular dudes, You can't go wrong there.
They were always ahead of their times 💪
Man I've said it before but I'll say it again. Look at how much James respects Cliff in this video. James literally waits to hear what Cliff has to say first. James' demeanor is a little goofy and laid back, but look how he straightens up when he sees Cliff get all serious; which is most of the interview.
Cliff was murdered, that was not an accident
@@user-cq9my5ju6k I've thought of this... but no way man.
@@user-cq9my5ju6k lol yeah vehicle accidents are so rare no way it couldve happened
@@user-cq9my5ju6k so who killed him?
people conspire that Metallica sacrificed Cliff for Satan?
this sounds crazy but it's a cruel real world so it's impossible not to happen.
if so that was probably what Lars did, and Dave also loved Cliff so much, why did he keep quiet about this?
@@Red1san
You know, now that you mentioned "sacrifice" I'd like for you guys to keep an open mind to a conspiracy I've thought of.
I think Dave accidently killed Cliff with Black Magic, something Dave would practice in his early days. Remember how Kirk was suppose to sleep in the top bunk but lost a card game to Cliff? Well I think Dave was targeting Kirk for obvious reasons. Supposedly there's black magic spells in "The Conjuring" or "Bad Omen" I don't remember but when Peace Sells relesed in Spetember, a week later Metallica has their bus accident.
I'm aware of how much I'm reaching but I think it's something to think about. From what I've experienced for the past couple of years I'm not putting past it.
Or its just a coincidence.
Cliff saying RUSH is a big influence. Geddy would be proud.
Geddy was supposed to produce Master of Puppets, oddly enough.
He like, shouted it out...RUSH!
@@Drummer_Jeff83 i fucking wish he did, we’d hear a lot more bass if he did
geddy lee...best bass player ever.. .
Cliff was robbed of a great life ahead of him. Credit to the rest of the band for still taking this band to such heights in his memory. His essence rubbed off on them all, especially James.
I think about that a lot, how they probably keep going at least partially to keep Cliff's memory alive. If people ever stopped talking about Metallica they'd stop talking about Cliff and they don't want to let that happen
If you only knew what heaven had in store, you would not dwell on this temporal life too much...if anything you would want to fast forward
'why should a kid pay ten bucks to see metallica instead of another band?'
ten bucks. its been a long time since you could see any band for ten bucks!
because in 31 years it costs 300$
@@noroar3258 $23.77
@@noroar3258 I payed 196 for 2 tickets at the bottom of the top section at the sprint center in Kansas City back in 2019 only thing I didn't like they didn't play Whiplash after Cliff's solo.
I saw Zeppelin in Oakland in 77' for 8 bucks.
Last time I saw them - 2017 - tix were $100 for nosebleeder seats BUT it was still a great fucking show.
I can still smell the beer all over here after James burped
He used alcohol to cope, he was very shy
Justin - shut up dude. Repeating past interviews and acting like you know him
Only thing james and cliff are smelling is lots of cocaine! Cliff is cranked to the MAX!
@@robtos1194 Yep...cocaine. There was plenty of it going around back in those days. What a paradox that stuff was...so much fun but so awful at the same time.
@@byronlemay2166 ok. Thank you dad... Great talk
00:38 the way they glanced at each other and started laughing, like 10 year old boys after some mischief. They were great friends. Can't imagine what hole Cliff's death must have left in the band. R.I.P. Cliff.
6:08 I feel so bad for James when he gets asked what his parents think about their band. Dude had such a difficult childhood and you can see it in his face
Why what happened?
@@Bls-of1ldJames' mom died of cancer when he was a teenager. She was a devout Christian, and she believed that God would heal her
@@Bls-of1ldProbably among other stuff too, but I think that's the main thing
@@Bls-of1ldJames’s dad left the family at thirteen. He just left a note and two weeks after he left, Cynthia (James’s mom) brought him and his little sister Deanna into the living room and handed them the note, she told them that they’re dad wasn’t coming back and that angered him. He hated his father for that, to make matters worse, his mom died at sixteen from cancer. James tried to convince her to go to the hospital to get treatment but she told him she had to have faith. Because the religion was Christian Science and it’s like Christianity except when your sick, you pray and have faith that God would heal you. And James didn’t believe that. He believed God gave man the science to heal the sick and injured. So basically, he and his sister watched Cynthia wither away and then she died in February of 1980. That’s when James’s alcohol addiction began, the poor sixteen year old was so heartbroken he just drank to drown out the pain. Also after she died, since his dad wasn’t around, he moved in with one of his half brothers who were ten years older than him. So yeah he had a really rough childhood.
@@EquineMetalheadthanks
Did make me sad how James responded to "what do your parents think about all this?" and he says Cliffs, Kirks and Lars's parents are real into it and he said "my dad yanno, whatever" then laughs, then frowns and reaches for his beer.
Yeah he had a shitty childhood. You can really see the pain in his eyes when Cliff is talking about how proud their parents are.
Yah, the beginning of his battle with alcohol.
6:10 youre welcome, still remember a pin Kirk Hammet wore in a Puppets era poster "Miserable Childhood" I bought the poster and DIY the pin a day or so later. We were all Metallica fully back then and if you wore the gear it spoke to that unity. We were forgotten and abused kids noone wanted, then we found each other inside music and shows.
Heartbreaking moment, indeed!
@@eongoosm Amen. That's how it must have been for James with Metallica as well.
You can tell how close James was with Cliff at this point they had a lot in common as he would later say. From what I read Cliff was also a genuine sweet guy behind the scenes, always respectful, read books to kids etc.
So the "sold out" was In the master of puppets era too. That's ridiculous.
They were called sellouts first with Ride The Lightning with Fade and Escape. People are dumb.....but then came load and reload lmao
Wasn't Sanitarium the song that got them labeled as sellouts off that album?
@@livewell_79 or battery cause they used acoustic and made hardcore metal heads cry.
ya, basically they were successful
If only we could’ve let them know about the Black album back then.
Cliff seemed wise beyond his years. The way he talks and carries himself oozes confidence. He was very comfortable being himself and as you can see james (and probably the rest of the band) really admired that.
A piece of history.
@ALESSANDRO PIERSANTI 👍🇲🇽🇲🇽😈
Honestly
Cliff Burton was the most amazingly talented bassist of all time. He often merged bass playing with electric guitar playing using a wah-wah pedal. Cliff was born in San Francisco on February 10, 1962 to Jan and Ray Burton. He grew a liking for The Misfits, Mexican food, and H.P. Lovecraft. He owned a green station wagon that he often drove around the bay area with friends in, with The Misfits blasting out the windows. Cliff was a cool, laid-back guy who didn't mind going out of his way to talk to his fans. He started out playing bass for bands such as Trauma and Agents of Misfortune, and was known for his headbanging and wild stage presence. Cliff was soon discovered by Metallica, and that was when he replaced Ron McGovney and got his own place in the band, but he would only join if Metallica moved to San Francisco, which they did. Cliff's greatest masterpieces are (Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth, The Call of Ktulu, and Orion. His career with Metallica was going great, but tragedy came with his death during a tour bus accident on September 27th, 1986. The band was on their way to Denmark when the bus supposedly slipped on a patch of ice and turned onto its side beside the road. Lars Ulrich (drums) had broken a toe and Kirk Hammett (lead guitar) had a black eye, but worst of all, Cliff had apparently been thrown off of his bunk-bed and halfway out the window, and then the bus crushed him when it had turned over. The rest of the guys, who were having a hard time coping with the tragedy, were brought to a hotel until they returned back to America a couple days later. Cliff's ashes were spread at Maxwell Ranch, a ranch where he spent a lot of his time. In 1987, a documentary of performances, interviews, and footage of the guys just having a good time called Cliff 'em All was released as a tribute to Cliff. Metallica found a new bassist (Jason Newsted) and on their next album (...And Justice For All) is a song that Cliff had written called To Live is to Die that also includes some riffs that he had written as well. Cliff Burton will forever remain in the hearts of many as the greatest bassist of all time.
Rest in peace Cliff... I'll see ya on the other side.
Thankyou so very much for your knowledge regarding Cliff.
He was a gentle soul and I will never forget his life taken so tragically. I was only 16 when he died but I remember it like yesterday.
Thankyou again from under the Milky Way from the Land Down Under 🌌🇦🇺🕊
Um it wasn't a green station wagon, It was a green Volkswagen bug he called "The Grasshopper" which was the vehicle his Rickenbaucher bass that had gotten stolen and has still yet too be found, and he was born in Castro Valley
If I remember correctly, while he was trying to find the sound he was after, his sister suggested to put guitar pick ups in his bass and that's how he got his unique sound.
@@aaronmadisyn8363 not a bug .vw stationwagon
cliffs alembic spolier was what was stolen from his car, not the Rick. I got an interview that's 18 minutes long with Harold oimen I believe it was from June 86 and cliff said that his Ricky needed some work but his spolier was stolen
Kirk was Cliffs best friend in the band but in the last year of his life, Cliff and James had started to get closer
oh really? xD
@@pontussbergkvist 🙄
Hmmm I remember cliff was close to Dave then James after they fired Dave cliff gave James his nylon string acoustic which James treasures
@@britgilbert8736 According to interviews and testimonies, Cliff couldn't stand Dave. In fact, in the full version of this interview, when asked about Megadeth, and its hatred towards Metallica, Cliff answered: "Dave runs his mouth. We prefer to run our business." Man, Cliff was a chilled out, pragmatic, cool person. For sure I can't see him hanging out with Dave by his own will, specially back in the 80's. Dave always acted like an unbearable, needy, nasty child. He is only cool to the fans who didn't have to put up with him.
@@HeathenDance That was mostly after Megadeth grew bigger. During the time Dave was in the band, they were actually pretty close.
Cliff was definitely the soul of metallica. Real cool and collected, clearly a very educated and well spoken young man.
He had the most theory under his belt. Great, soulful technique too. Loved a wide variety of music.
@@colico14definitely and he’s the reason Metallica moved forward from kill ‘em all to ride the lightning and master of puppets because with his knowledge of music theory, cliff taught Kirk and James harmonies and Metallica’s song arrangements became much stronger🔥🔥🔥🔥
Oh ffs you fanboys are annoying af. Cliff was great and he was a valuable member but to say he was the soul of Metallica. 🙄🙄🙄Theyve been around for 40 years and cliff was a part of that for only a small amount.
Thanks for this post.
I've never seen Cliff interviewed before.
It's funny...
'Papa Het' looks so young.
23yrs old! 1986...😊🤘
I think there is only about 2-3 video clips out there. Remember this was a time when camcorders were big as a backpack. So video was not easy to do, it was a special thing.
@@AMetalheadsJourney
Your probably right about the camcorders, at 20 years old, I don't remember knowing anyone that owned one.
Of course, I don't remember too much from those days.
🤪🙃🥳🌿🌿🍻🍻😇🤞🤣🤣🤣
Call it selective memory recall.
Call it a metalhead's interstellar journey.
@@andrewmcinnis1123 22 years old because this was taken before his 23rd birthday.
@@russkate88 you're right! James Birthday is in August...🤘😊✌
I can't believe people think tallica sold out after Master of Puppets.
The "Sold Out" stuff happened as far back as Ride the Lightning. Just because they put acoustic guitar on Fade to Black, and they didnt wanna play a thousand miles an hour all the time. Ridiculous. They grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Scorpions and Judas Priest. Classic bands that had acoustic, mellow stuff in there all the time aswell. This video is great, as it shows that the "sold out" shit was there all along ,and they have never cared about it. I love too, how both James and Cliff happily acknowledge that they want to be a big band , but they will do it their own way. Which is exactly what happened.
The original SF crowd (the OG fans) felt they sold out right after Kill em all. I grew up in the bay area, so I've met some of these old school heads who have actually seen Metallica in small clubs like the Key club. I think the same owner owned like the Edge (Palo alto), Key club and another, which have all closed now. Metallica played those places circa 83-84. So the sell out accusations are not new. So I figure there are waves of Metallica fans who feel they sold out.
1. The OG SFO underground crowd who worshipped Exodus, Megadeth, Metallica, etc. They felt Metallica sold out during the making of Kill em all or after Dave was fired.
2. The second wave felt they sold out when Ride the Lightning came out because it had ballads. These guys loved Kill em all and wanted Metallica to just be like Kill em all.
3. Then you have the Cliff era people that felt much like Zep, Metallica should have stopped after Cliff died.
4. Then you have the AJFA people who like the first 4 albums and felt Metallica sold out when the Black album came out.
5. Then you have the people who like everything including the Black album and felt they sold out after the Black album with Load.
6. And on and on
@@profileone5655 Ill politely disagree with ya,man. The Black Album was huge- and it was all naturally going that way. After Justice they understandably lost interest with writing long songs and were naturally ready for shorter songs. Theres nothing wrong with that though. Their favourite metal in Priest, Sabbath and rock like Aerosmith were massive in radio and mtv. After Justice they had achieved that their own way, so by Black album they were just continuing the "We do what we Do" attitude, only now on a world scale. And as we see in the video- that is what they had aimed for all along.
As the band cleary cleary say right here- Cliff himself states it: Theyve always done what they wanna do, and if people think theyve sold out, then whatever. People think they sold out in '91- but you see here in '86, Cliff himself is talking about it all. It was always there and they never cared about it.
@@AMetalheadsJourney Brilliantly written and thought out. Enjoyed reading through that. And you are right- the "sell out" stuff was mounting since the beginning!
And I think thats just wrong. Again, Sabbath and Priest: Architects of Metal. And their light and shade dynamics throughout their diverse catelogue no doubt inspired Metallica at the start to rewrite the rules, as they did.
If people prefer the early albums, I totally get and respect that. But in terms of music, I think Death Magnetic and Hardwired..had some superb thrashers in there that easily would have slotted into the classic albums. Same with Megadeth. Still great bands!
@@kylereece1979 Yeah. Sometimes it is a trap because if you play the same thing, they say you are not evolving and if you explore new things they say you changed too much. lol. Literally, every band has to face this.
Do you notice how comfortable james felt in cliff's side? James knew cliff was the man, cliff was metallica, cliff is metallica's soul.
Cliffs death definitely changed James forever, sadly.
Yeah. James always looked happy and smiley whenever cliff was around :(
Jason was better.
Yup, and after the black album, that "soul" was completely gone. What a shame.
No man it’s James … always was
RIP Cliff Burton (February 10, 1962 - September 27, 1986), aged 24
You will always be remembered as a legend.
There was a description by Kirk about what happened in the hours after the accident that took Cliff's life. He described that they had been taken to a hotel somewhere else in Sweden, and that sometime late the next night a very drunk and distraught James went outside and just screamed at the sky, "Cliff, where are you?!" Fucking heartbreaking. What a loss. RIP.
James seemed way more confident with Cliff by his side in early interviews, you can see that part of Cliff rubbed off on him. Whereas with any early interview he did with Lars he was more quiet/introverted. Cliff was just a cool dude.
I think it's also because Cliff and James were both pretty introverted, so they got to talk/answer equally in interviews. Meanwhile Lars is very extroverted, so if James was with him, Lars always ended up dominating the interview
Awesome comment! Use every chance you get to put Lars down! HUGE thumbs up! You must feel so good about yourself being able to be so respectful and making such super interesting comments. Thanks!
@@Zeew707 Also I always get the feeling that Lars is the most articulate and eloquent member of the band. He always seems to know what to say and the perfect words to express it.
@@UnchainedEruption HE LEFT THE FUCKING BAND
It's because blars won't shut up
James was always shy felt like he was only really himself on stage. But here you can see he’s really blossoming out personality wise. Cliff really made him comfortable and you can see that he’s genuinely happy with his bud
He might just have been intoxicated
I have a feeling these Metallica guys are gonna be really big one day.
A little to big....
Do you think they sold out?
Sorry to tell you man but they all quit to walk the earth.
They were already pretty big in this interview, opening up for Ozzy, on a major label, in 30s on billboard. Can't really be accused of "selling out" if you're still one of the little underground bands.
Not if that Cliff guy keeps smoking. Doesn't he know those things could kill him?
James sounds like he's going through puberty but on the albums he absolutely kills it. What a man
Have you heard the old old demo for Master Of Puppets? Has James vocals from Kill Em All, Ride The Lighting era. Blew me away that is existed and never been out till decades later
His voice is always more or less like this
Hearing Cliff talking about Europe was tough, but it was nice hearing him say his parents were proud. I know that as of a couple years ago his 90 year old Dad would still attend Metallica show. I am glad he knew how parents were proud.
James’ response at 6:15 literally made me feel so bad. Poor dude.
🥺 smiling with pain
Needed a drink right after
Dyers Eve
I really like how they have that "best friend" energy. It is funny how they didn't know how big they're gonna get and that people even thought they sold out. Little did they know that they are going to be the biggest metal band in terms of earnings. It's so sad that Cliff couldn't witness the success of his band...
Yea they were saying they sold out as far back as lightning because omg they did a ballot how dare they lol. It just shows how ridiculous all the Metallica sold out bs is. They never sold out even to this day. Just because a band doesn't play the same shit on 40 straight albums and have success doesn't automatically mean they sold out lol. Metallica always did what they wanted the way they wanted to do it and didn't care what anyone thought. That is the totally polar opposite of "selling out"
@@provisionalhypothesis Bro, honestly I can't really think of many better records than MP in general XD...
@@midnight347 Idiots hate it when a band doesn't produce 20 albums that all sound exactly the same and how dare they become successful.
"we look ugly enough as it is" cliff says with literally the most beautiful smile on his face i have ever seen they are literally all gorgeous 😩😩
One of the many brilliant things about this here, is we see Cliff and James clearly acknowledge Lars' statement about them wanting to get big. They had ambitions about being a big band all along, and were always intending in breaking outta the initial underground that birthed them. They say here that, they will get big their own way, without help. And thats what happened. It was organic, so by the 80s end, they had it all down and done. Stadiums were next on the hitlist for the 90s. I love too, how they sneer and cast off the "Sold Out" claims. Proof that they have been hearing about that long long before the Black album.
Judging by Cliff's responses, I think the Black album was inevitable. The only difference would be if Cliff was in AJFA and the Black album, those albums would have sounded like 100x better not just because of his playing but also his input, music theory and production value.
@@AMetalheadsJourney Well said,mate. It was Cliffs drive and diversities into different musical territories that were setting Metallica into another league away from just heads down fast thrashing all the time.
Its impossible to say just how tings could have turned out had the man lived, but I think they would have moved into the stadium sized anthems that Black album stated with him. Totally. In fact, seeing how he was into so many styles of music, they could indeed have experimented in other styles after ..Puppets that mite have had the thrashers question what the hell was happening!
You can clearly get the idea here that they want to be massive like the big bands they mentioned. Its not like they just wrote the Black album and said "Yeah,lets sell stadiums". It was organically there and growing from the start.
They wanted to get so big they waited for Dave to jumpstart the band lol
Every band wants to be "big."
That's totally true. Secretly every band hopes they'll be the next big thing. After all that's the main motivation for most bands.
James probably has dreams about Cliff to this day, playing together at concerts or just hanging around with him being young, then he wakes up as an older guy knowing that it was all a dream. Kinda sad.
Cliff probably looking down going 'meh, fun'
He did mention in a interview where he has dreams about him and he said cliff comes up like hey man and james goes WHERE HAVE YOU BEIN
@@Takaichi666- Where is that interview?
My mom just died 😢 and I have dreams about her . Life can be very hard
@@maverickworld8192 sorry for your loss, I'm sure she was a wonderful woman.
37 years since Cliff Burton died, it’s incomprehensible. He was so instrumental in this band. Also, to all the people who rubbish Lars in these comments, James and Lars are the greatest team.
Did you say Lars is rubbish 😂
@@semiwandering295quite the opposite
@@WeAreNotExperts2007 so he's not rubbish... do you know this for sure
@@semiwandering295 the guy never said Lars is rubbish
This shits got me wanting to cry a few times. James seems to have high hopes but no real clue he’s going to be the front man of the biggest metal band in the world. And cliff.. oh cliff. “Europe in a couple months” made my hair stand up
The eye roll when the interviewer mentions the 'looks' bands is timeless. But these guys are like "Works for them" someone truly secure in their identity and their art doesn't care what others in other movements are doing. I will always respect these guys for what they stood for at that time. And props to Cliff for his huge Thin Lizzy fandom. And James shouting out Husker Du!!!
Well this was the era of Ratt, Motley. Crue and about a trillion other hair metal bands
Cliff's charisma you just can't deny
Absolutely. That’s exactly what makes him the enduring legend that he is.
By bloody hands time cant deny
So eclectic.
Such relaxed self-assurance for one so young. RIP.
Charisma? WTF
Cliff may not have lived to see the success of Metallica truly take off - but he called all of it in this interview.
It’s funny how (at least for me) Cliffs personality is almost exactly as you’d expect of you hadn’t seen him speak before. I don’t ever judge people by looking at them but Cliff Burton has been a person of interest to me ever since I became a Metallica fan 20 years ago so naturally I speculated as to what he might have been like. And almost to a tee he is in every way what id thought. Quiet but speaks with purpose, lighthearted, and enigmatic.
I'd wonder if they made the same albums and style. Would he have stayed?
I mean could you picture him and his style for AJFA album? Or the Black album?
@@Biosynthnut I always get the feeling Cliff would have quit Metallica. I don't know why. I just can't picture Cliff in Metallica long term.
rest in peace Cliff, forever a legend
J hope meet Cliff after life
M
Hetfield always looks for Burton's approval or consensus...
Totally! You can just tell by the way they are interacting here.
I noticed that too. Like a little brother.
Agreed. I don't think James was ever truly sure of himself. I think he really looked up to Cliff who clearly was comfortable in his own skin. But after Cliff's death, James really adopted that super alpha persona, and then had all these mid 90s identity and midlife crises, including being out of control with alcohol.
But the macho alpha persona that James adopted really wasn't who he was. I think while James tried to be like Lemmy, Cliff was actually a lot more like Lemmy because both he and Lemmy had both figured out who they were early in life.
100% accurate. That is why i think that if cliff hadn't died, Metallica would have taken a different route after "Justice". James was being influenced by both Lars and Cliff, but he had great respect musically and otherwise for Cliff, so it was only after he died that James completely fell under the influence of the little Danish.
I believe that James due to his father being away and his mother "abandoning" him was still looking for approval, so Cliff (at first) and Lars (moreso later) were sort of father figures to him.
but they were thinking the same way. everytime james spoke first cliff agreed. i just noticed that they were thinking the same way and connected well.
This is literally metal history 🔥🙌🏽
Just like watching it yesterday feel like Cliff was still a life. watching the interview to this day still cannot believe he has passing away R. I. P Cliff Burton until God wake you up from a long sleep until the new world having made still miss you Lagend will live on
💯 love Metallica 🤘hilsen fra Danmark 🇩🇰🤘🇱🇷🤝 Metallica er bare vardens 🌏 største metal bandt 🤘🤘
@Mike Smith Fuck dude it sucks being 23 cause I know I'll never get to see revolutionary bands play in their prime like Megadeth with Marty, Ozzy with Randy Rhoads, Pantera in it's raw, Alice in Chains etc. etc. While there have been a couple good new artists making splash none of them really have that Van Halen impact, and I fear nothing will.
@@VideoGamesRus100 I’m 23 and you just spoke my mind bro
What?
I like how Cliff pronounced Samhain the "right" way towards the end when they asked him what bands they're into.
I had to go back to watch it after I read your comment. I never knew that's how you pronounced it. Are you sure? I thought it was pronounced just like way it reads.. "sam" as in first name sam and "hain".
@@AMetalheadsJourney He's right. Cliff pronounced it correctly. Most people pronounce Samhain as you describe, and when referring to the band that's fine, but Cliff's pronunciation indicates his awareness of what Samhain really is. It wasn't as well known then as it is now. Cliff was aware. Thanks for sharing this awesome video, btw.
Glenn Danzig also pronounces Samhain the "right" way, so that's probably how Cliff knew. However, it seems Cliff didn't always pronounce it correctly. The Master of Puppets Remastered Expanded Edition includes a recording of another interview but just with Cliff himself, and when he mentioned Samhain he pronounced it as "Sam-hain" instead in that interview.
@@KeijiSuwa Even Danzig would sometimes pronounce it like that.
Yes cliff pronounced it correctly, I’m Irish and Samhain means November in Irish which is where the name was taken from so much respect to cliff for pronouncing it right!
It's hard to believe that Cliff was only 24, he comes across as a man who's lived and seen more.
That's what 25 year olds who have great parents act like.
Yea, he seems so mature and confident
In an interview Kirk said that the night after Cliff die James got drunk and wandered through the streets shouting, "CLIFF! WHERE ARE YOU!?" How tragic must it have been to be in a foreign country, on the top of your game, living to play your music, and suddenly one of your band mates, and best friends, is just GONE.
6:08 James's reaction to "what do your parents think about what you're doing?" speaks volumes. I believe it was/is the driving force behind his alcoholism.
@@03ericcartman Oof. Two great tragedies, the pain inflicted by his family of origin and the loss of a brother and mentor in Cliff. I admire James enormously as a human being, not to mention a musician.
Yeah at that time he didn’t like talking about it
Love your videos dude keep them going
so sad man
Haha.. alcoholism is a personal choice.. why do people look for excuses. James took responsibility of his choices in the past and is sober now.
"... There's always trendy stuff coming up but I think we're gonna be hanging out for quite a while"
James Hetfield
Yeap, He was definitely right :)
A great man and a great musican cliff
R.I.P. Cliff. Metallica kicked ass then and still do now 🤘
Not now
It's great to hear Cliff. Sooooo missed. Can't help but think what he would have accomplished had he not left too soon. R.I.P. Cliff.
7:53 Cliff almost puked at that question!!
Lmao, indeed. Cracked me up.😂
I would to
@@theboilaroi776 👍😂💥🤘
He was, is, and always will be such a beautiful, talented man. He will always be one of my favorite bassists.
So chilling watching this. He was truly a legend in the metal genre. Rip cliff
Wow!!! This interview is really a treasure, I had only seen a little part of it!!! I appreciate it a lot!!!
Cliff's death hit James hard.I couldn't imagine losing a brother like that.
A brother and a surrogate family when your family of origin was awful - doubly painful loss. Poor kid.
This was a very cool interview, I felt like Cliff was still with us while I was watching it.
Thank you for this, we need more Cliff Burton interviews.
THANK YOU for posting this! I've never seen this full interview, just brief segments on "Cliff 'Em All". This was awesome! Great way to start my day! 🤘
So touching to see how James and Cliff were inspiring each other... And then the late question about the future... This is all about my Metallica.
You always wonder the direction hey would have gone with Cliff’s leadership.
Thank you for sharing this uncut! 💪
Of course!!
You can see that Cliff's got a vibe that Hetfield's respected, he was one of the strong pillars of Metallica's core. We can only imagine the amazing point of view that Cliif would've brought to AJFA, for instance
To live is to die is proof of how cliff impacted AFJA and sadly his last contribution 💔
"They'll always be new trends but i think we'll be sticking around for a while" - James Hetfield 1986
4:12 James: "We are the same as our fans, we arent doing something that they couldnt really do.." Wow..!!? Super humble considering James is one of the best rythm players on the planet and Cliff was the Jimi Hendrix of bass..
They probably meant in the sense of playing in a band, rather than the complexities of the material itself haha
@@lynchmaleideal haha yea perhaps
No he wasn't. What an insult to Hendrix lol
@@ARG0T Hendrix should be honored to be compared to such a musician.
@@redrick8900 Cliff sucked
Cliff Burton giving Rush and Thin Lizzy shout outs is really cool to hear.
These two look like they were soul mates. I reckon James lost part of himself when cliff died.
On a documentary Kirk said that a couple days after cliffs death they all got drunk in a hotel and James went down into the streets and started yelling Cliff where are you comeback. I think they all lost a part of them when Cliff died he had a huge influence on the band
I'm certain James thinks of Cliff every day..... he wouldn't be human if he didn't....
@@haywire9792 that's fucking sad
@@sierravalleyandharborjunction He has said in an interview with Little Punk People that Cliff always watch him and he knows it.
Metallica died with Cliff.
Man, I could watch this for ages...they were in their 20's with three albums already, they were on top of the game; nowadays most bands start on their late 30's and these guys were conquering the world at that age. Can't wait to see them on their M72 World Tour.
Totally agree. Have you seen them on this tour yet?
My mother worked that night on Ljungby hospital in Småland Sweden. They did their best. Nothing they could do. Big Metallica fan ❤
There was nothing she coulda done anyway poor cliff died instantly
I'm a big grunge and nirvana fan but Metallica was my first love. They got me into metal because of James' voice and the perfect sounding guitar chords
11:00 Not in a million years did I expect James to like "Husker Du"! Incredible.
Hetfield doesn’t usually have this look of pure happiness on his face during any interviews past 1986. He respects and admires Cliff so much, it’s so cool they had such a tight bond. Hetfield won’t ever forget that.
I was born in 85 and I didn't figure out that Metallica was my favorite until I was 13 or 14, so Cliff was a mythical figure for me. I'd never thought to look up old interviews with him in them before today. What a treat. Thanks.
Wow! I use to watch this interview when I was a kid over and over but it was only a minute long of it. It's from Cliff em all, Yeah I was a die-hard Metallica fan . Thanks.
Look at cliffs reaction to the question about metallica and ozzy touring together it's honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen.. He doesn't say a word he just smiles and takes a drag of his cigarette while James answers 😂
I got to see Metallica a couple of months before they went to Europe and the accident happened...was blessed to have been right in front of Cliff and seen him play anesthesia then whiplash, the whole show was great...by the way, I live in Corpus Christi TX
Thank you for sharing this. As a fan of Metallica for around 35 years, I was a HUGE fan of this era. Cliff was such a great bass player and he and James always seemed to play so well off each other. Can only imagine the way they would have progressed had Cliff survived. Cheers.
Yup,and they all put down the whiskey
I feel like Cliff had the most accurate vision of what the band would be in the future...
Probabily, i think Even James Hetfield say that he would support the black album
Best quality, most relaxed interview.
They were being themselves.
Love how happy and humbled James is to be touring with Ozzy.
“We’re with Ozzy in states until late May and then we do some headline stuff in Texas”. That was the first time I saw Metallica live. July/1986 at the Majestic Theater San Antonio, Texas. Who knew that 2 months later Cliff Burton would be dead. I had the privilege of watching him live before he died
You sir. Are lucky. I myself am from San Antonio Texas. To bad I was born in ‘90. But for you to see Metallica with cliff at the majestic! 🤘🏽
Still pissed I wasn’t able to catch them on the Puppets tour. Never saw Cliff play. Had to wait till Justice For All and saw them both times thru Houston in like ‘88 or ‘89, once with The Cult opening and once with Queensryche opening. One was at The Coliseum and the other was The Summit...not sure which show was at which. Both great places to see concerts. But the Summit is a bigass church now. I bet there’s not another church in the world that’s had so much weed passed around it. And the Coliseum is gone. Torn down in the ‘90s.
Yes , it was electric, there was so much energy, I don’t even remember Ozzy playing,except that it was so Hollywood. I love Ozzy by the way.
Justin Tyme when I saw them at the Majestic Theater they were not with Ozzy. They were the headliners. The GODZ opened up for them
@@RafaelHernandez-et6vv Right, it was just pure talent, there was literally a sheet with Master of Puppets on it.
Cliff had such a cool, honest and laid back vibe. Seemed like a real genuine person.
James and Cliff feel like friends that I never knew but understood
Man Cliff Burton was the best bassist the 80s ever seen. So sad we lost him. G.o.a.t.
It breaks my heart. To this time, I never watched Cliff talks. How James is insecure whereas Cliff is cool like a boss. I'm pretty sure he had been the center of the band.
The parent question was poignant for James. He spoke of everyone else's parents first. Then added his dad thought "whatever"
He was just pulled out of the interview, I didn't know he uses that shrug it off laugh at it defense
Painful. So painful.
the truth is so cold
Clearly Cliff was a leader in the group, at times James somewhat stops and Cliff just speaks for the band no questions. Very tragic, such an amazing talent that man was.
Back when no one in the radio stations would play their songs...that would change dramatically 5 years later...Rest in peace Cliff...legend for ever🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯