Customer Reviews

To Live Is To Die The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, it has taken nearly 23years, but Clifford Lee Burton has finally gotten some of the respect he deserves, a book dedicated to his life, thanks to Joel McIver. All these years, we only had the Cliff 'Em All Video and brief commentary that you would see on Metallica documentaries. Sadly enough, Cliff was just a mere side note and almost always glossed over, which gave the newer Metallica fans a false sense of how the band developed their style and attitude, which in return, outraged the old fans. The book did a good job detailing Cliff's days before he joined Metallica, with his musical training that was inspired by the death of his older brother and the support he had from his parents Jan and Ray Burton. The book also touches on his bands prior to Metallica, which were Easy Street and most notably Trauma. McIver details all of the tracks that Cliff played on, with moderate bass detail from Kill 'Em All through Master of Puppets. The only omission would be the Creeping Death 12" single, in which Am I Evil? and Blitzkrieg were on the B-side. A lot of the quotes from Cliff and other people, I had heard many times and could practically finish the sentence, but there is very little to go on, being that Cliff didn't do many interviews. I only wished there were more recounts from people and bands he had toured with. I also found some date inconsistencies in the book. It was refreshing to hear some of the more recent recounts from people like Ron Quintana, Harold O, Brian Slagel, Fred Cotton and some of his earliest friends. To me, the memories and testimony from Corinne Lynn, Cliff's girlfriend, is what made the book special. The last part of the book unfortunately dealt with a lot of "what if" scenarios that I could of done without, but it ended on an extremely heart felt recollection from Corrinne, that shed more insight on Cliff Burton the human being, which left me very sad.

I would also like to say, that Cliff Burton has always been an inspiration, from the love and respect he gave his family, to the complete and total honesty he lived his life by. Not only can Metallica fans benefit from this, but the Human Race in general. I hope this is not the last book we see on his life.

I'm a huge Metallica fan from way back in the day, and I saw Cliff on the Puppets tour. Cliff was definitely charismatic and stood for the "doing it on our terms" attitude that characterized Metallica in the early days. That said, I've always thought people attributed too much to Cliff in response to his untimely death. McIver's book has me seriously reconsidering that. I'm not a musician, and I find bass particularly hard to pick out and appreciate. McIver, though, is an accomplished bass player himself and brings that to bear in his analysis of Cliff's sonic contributions to the songs from Metallica's greatest albums. No doubt Cliff helped shape Metallica's classic sound, and maybe just maybe, they wouldn't have made some of their later bad moves if Cliff was still with them. In sum, this book is definitely worthwhile if you want a clearer view of what Cliff contributed personally and professionally to some of the greatest music of all time.

I was thoroughly impressed with this biography on the brilliant Cliff Burton.
My impression was that the author, like myself, truly understood the depth of Cliff's talent and it translates into a book that goes beyond the typical cut & past interviews of lesser Bio's.
Throughout the pages, we are treated to rare insights of Cliff's formitive years, with recollections from his music teacher, former bandmates in Trauma, and even Jim Martin (Faith no More), whom joined forces with Burton in the early group, Agents of Misfortune.
The insight into Cliff goes even deeper with reflections from his girlfriend & companion, as well as his parents.

The author delves deep into the music, as well.
Cliff's studio output with Metallica is thoroughly explored, along with his numerous contributions to individual tracks.
Of course, the tragic accident that took Burton's life, is examined, really giving the reader a sense of what it was like to experience such a horrible moment & it's aftermath.

Overall, this book exceeded my expectations.
I'm pleased that a man of Burton's stature in the heavy metal genre, has gotten his due!

Reading it halfway through, I must say that this book is a joy to read for all metalheads out there, yet most importantly for music lovers of various tastes. Citing Flea's precise adjectives, the 'deep, wicked and virtuosic bass player' persona reflected out of Cliff Burton's (bass) musical genius is well inspected,documented, as well as revised by a truly committed author like Joel McIver in his metal literary works. This is immensely reflected in this biographic work, exposing the personally wise, intellectual, honest, hence diligent character of Cliff Burton, from his humble upbringing in the 'hippie' Castro Valley surroundings (owing to his supportive parents), through his committed musicianship in mastering and revolutionizing the art of metal bass guitar shredding, and his influential role and impact as the 'mediating', yet 'pioneering' point of reference which innovated Metallica's music in their prime, from 1983's 'Kill'Em All', up to the 1986 masterpiece 'Master of Puppets'.Cliff exposed such persona through mastery of musical theory, to Lars, James and Kirk, innovating Metallica's sound up-to-date. Likewise,the way how McIver's description of Cliff's character is seen is well-focused, pin-pointing specifically upon his unique DIY attitude and overall philosophy of life. This is seen through a committed author like McIver delivering close interviews ranging from Metallica's bandmates, recording producers and road crew, up to his distant and close friends, altogether with his parents, Ray and Jan. The book closes with a detailed review of his untimely death and McIver's predictive-visionary evaluation of the possible contribution and impact of such a bass genius in post-Cliff Metallica till today. I'd recommend this book, simply because I view it as an inspiration on two sides of the same coin; the musical inspiration and genius which blows away the possibility for bass guitarists' inventiveness in the world of metal and beyond, plus his way of thought and life which truly inspire us to be ourselves, especially in the name of honesty and anti-poser ethic. Hope that Mr. McIver would produce a similar account of another musical genius, in the shape of Death's Chuck Schuldiner...

The author does a pretty good job detailing the important parts of Cliff's life, character, and influence in the band. He does tend to slide into other subject matter that feels a little distracting but he does tie it together though loosely at times. However, once in a while the writer does come across slightly juvenile in his phrasing of Cliff's abilities, character, and life stories. But for the most part the book paints a more detailed picture beneath the layers of Cliff's celebrity and reveals the nature of a man that not much personal information was known about previously.

It was interesting to read interviews from Cliff's former girlfriend, friends, family, and teachers. Each person adds details to the story of Cliff's short but important life. It was very cool and inspiring to learn what a diligent student of music Cliff was, and how driven he was to see his dreams and goals to fruition. He was a dedicated individual that did it on his own terms.

The book sheds light on many parts of Cliff's life and shows where some of his inspiration came for his music, philosophy, and work ethic. The writer reveals much about Cliff's past, present, and does the best he can digging into Cliff's psyche.

All in all the book was a enjoyable and quick read that answered questions I have pondered through the years. Like where Cliff's gear ended up, did he have siblings, how was his relationship with his parents, why were his ashes scattered at the Maxwell Ranch, and where all these old videos came from on youtube of Cliff jamming with Jim Martin.

The book makes a statement that in Cliff Burton's 24 years he left an indelible mark on many people and music that will last a very long time.

This book was not bad. Which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. However, it is the only book I have read that deals with Cliff Burton specifically which is cool. Much like the book The Bloody Reign of Slayer also by Joel Mciver the book dealt to much with specific songs, and the author's opinions of those songs. I was looking for a history of Cliff Burton no a record review. The author also goes out of his way to say the book is about Cliff and not Metallica, however over and over again it becomes the history of Metallica. I'm not sure if the book is possible with out the history of the band, but don't keep telling me it's not, when it is. Overall, I recommend it for any die hard fans.

Much of this book's vitality stems from its plethora of quotes of various people who knew Cliff Burton. I appreciated the detailed technical descriptions of Metallica's music and of Burton's musical equipment, and the forward by Kirk Hammett.

I did notice here and there certain statements of the author that didn't seem accurate. For instance, the only tattoo on Cliff Burton's arm that I know of was the trademark skull of the Misfits, but McIlver mentions a Samhain tattoo having been present on Burton's arm. It's possible that Burton had another tattoo that was in some sense a Samhain tattoo, but the skull was that of the Misfits. McIlver at one point says that Burton cited Steve Harris as an influence on his playing style, but if I'm not mistaken, Burton in an interview said something to the effect that his style had already matured by the time he knew about Steve Harris. McIlver claims that bassist Robert Trujillo's contributions to Metallica's 2008 album Death Magnetic were apparently minimal. Perhaps McIlver knows more than I do about the precise amount of composition Trujillo did on that album, but it should be noted that on Metallica's website, Trujillo is credited as having cowritten every song on the album.

The seeming inconsistencies above made me feel that I had to take this author's assertions with a grain of salt. I just hope the quotes are accurate. I felt like McIlver may have gone too far in more or less attributing to Burton's enduring influence on Metallica certain aspects of the band's later undertakings, such as Lars Ulrich's persistence in the suit against Napster.

That being said, I certainly don't regret buying this book, which I am sure to reread, in part or in full.

Metallica is my absolute favorite band. That being said I knew some things about Cliff's life but not all that much. I'm 30yrs. old, too young to remember Cliff when he was alive and passed on. This book is the first I believe to solely focus mostly on Cliff. Sure it goes into Metallica history but that is unavoidable how could it not. I loved reading about his early bands one of these bands was Agents of Misfortune, I suggest everyone go check out the clips on Youtube. The clips are from 1979, and even then Cliff is a monster on bass. Reading about his jam sessions, family and friends and of course Metallica was all entertaining. The book really does a great job of just talking about Cliff's character and him as a person.
So many celebrities become the greatest thing ever after they die. Cliff was great and unique while he lived, this book about his life and time in Metallica confirms this. He was his own man and played by his rules. Read this book as a fan of Metallica and a fan of music.

Finally a book about Metallica's Cliff Burton and as the author mentioned....why a book has not come out about such a great talent and inspiration is mind boggling. Most likely because its mostly a private thing with Metallica and his family.

The book is great and provides a lot of information on Cliff's style which to me was amazing when I first heard it. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers said it best when describing the amazing talent which was Cliff.

The book is full of facts and information from many people that knew Cliff including Metallica themselves as well as close members of Cliff's family and friends. Other bands who met him and knew him are also in there (Megadeth's Dave Mustaine & Dave Ellefson, Tom Araya of Slayer and many others).

The writer of the book does a great job of keeping you interested and does a fine job, I also appreciate the insight into Cliff's playing methods. The only reason I did not give the book a full 5 stars is because the writer was unable to get members of Metallica (other than Kirk Hammett who wrote the forward) to contribute to the book. Instead many facts and interview quotes are taken from the past.

Great book that every fan should read.

Cliff has always been my favorite member of Metallica and, given his untimely death early in the band's career, coupled with his not giving many interviews, he's always been a bit of a mystery man as well. Cliff needed a book written about him, and I'm glad this author took on the task. The book's heart is in the right place as it pays righteous dues to the influence Cliff had within Metallica and to his cool, focused personality, all the more awesome given his young age. The author clearly did his homework and spoke to a good many people, including not only Metallica members and associates, but also Cliff's friends and bandmates from pre-Metallica days and his girlfriend Corinne Lynn. Besides the personal details, the author also goes into some educated detail about Cliff's bass playing, while making an effort (as he explains) not to go overboard with the geek stuff.

All in all, a great subject and not a bad book. So, why only three stars? Couple things. Although the personal stories about Cliff from those who knew him well are the best parts, the book often devolves from being the story of Cliff to being the story of Metallica generally. I realize some background is necessary, but there's a bit too much at times - it seems almost like padding in spots to make the book long enough. Example: There's an account of how, after Metallica's first big US stadium show, James Hetfield and a friend got really drunk, threw food at audience members, trashed the dressing room, and later wrote obscenities on the seat of another friend's white pants. This story goes on for pages, and the only thing it has to do with Cliff is that (as the author recounts in like, two lines) Cliff refused to participate in the food throwing and trashing. Multiply that by about two or three stories per chapter. Not what the book was advertised to be.

Also, the writing style tends to be needlessly repetitive, a fact the author even notes in places with comments about how he knows he's mentioned such-and-such before but is going to say it again. The author in general injects too much of himself and his opinions into the book, when I really just wanted to hear people who knew Cliff talk about Cliff. Finally, there are very few photos of Cliff in the book, mostly in the front; the chapters are headed by a b&w picture of Cliff but it's the same picture for every chapter. This seems especially weird since several of the folks interviewed at length for the book were photographers and talk about photographing Cliff, or Metallica when Cliff was in it. So, how come we don't get to see more of these pictures?

I'm glad somebody wrote a book about Cliff, may he rest in peace. I just hope this isn't going to be the only one written.