Bass Player UK Magazine October 2016 Back Issue

The great thing about Cliff Burton, the Metallica bassist who died 30 years ago aged only 24, is that bassists of all stripes can appreciate his work. Heavy metallers admire his playing solidity, of course, but classical buffs will enjoy the Bach references in his solos, progressive rock aficionados will enjoy the melodic complexity of his songwriting, punks will love his feral stage presence and everyone else in our world will admire Cliff’s commitment to being the best at what he did. Whether or not you like Metallica (although millions do) is beside the point. Cliff was a genius in an era when that word is criminally overused, and for that reason we celebrate his too-short life with a cover feature this issue.
We complement this with frank chats to Taka Hirose of the rock trio Feeder, Jim Lea of glam-rockers Slade, Buzz Osborne of the unclassifiable mavericks the Melvins and many other bassists of the unsociably loud persuasion. But we’re not just about playing at 11 over here at the BGM command bunker: all music has its place, we believe, so meet Grace Jones’ bass player Malcolm Joseph, a dub/soul/funk master; the all-round maestro Tony Levin; and Sandy Beales of One Direction, perhaps the biggest pop phenomenon of their generation. Couple this with our always-world-beating review section, and tuition from an elite class of educators, and this issue is another one to savour, no matter what your playing style, budget or ability level. We certainly love putting this magazine together, but you’re the people who make it all worthwhile. Thank you for your support, and see you in October!
Joel McIver,
Editor