During a recent interview with Bass Player, producer Bob Rock recalled what it was like working with Metallica and filling in on bass for their album “St. Anger” when Jason Newsted left the band in 2001. During the discussion, Rock opened up about the differences between Newsted and bassist Cliff Burton.
“When I met Jason he was very much into what I consider traditional heavy metal bass playing, where the bass follows the guitar to strengthen it as one solid riff. We tried to give him a little more room to act as a rhythm player,” Rock explained.
“For the few gigs I did with Metallica I had to learn some of the Cliff Burton stuff, and that really gave me a chance to appreciate what Cliff brought to the band as well. That definitely influenced the way I approached the bass, too.”
“Cliff sometimes played the role of following the guitars, but in other opportunities, he broke away and did counter kinds of things. Also, Lars [Ulrich] was into breaking away from traditional metal drumming, so the rhythm section had more of a straight-ahead feel.”
Rock continued, revealing that Metallica’s members treated Newsted differently than they treated Burton.
“With Jason, I always tried to get more of a classic, bass-drum approach where the bass is a rhythm instrument and sometimes counters the guitars. That’s kind of what Cliff brought to the band. But since he was one of the forming members, in their eyes, he was always kind of even with them.”
“When Jason came along, I don’t know if they gave him the same room as Cliff in the sonic picture. Through working with Jason, I think they now appreciate the value of the bass. The guys in the band have learned to enjoy that.”