To Live Is To Die

Joel Mciver

Description

• One of Jawbone’s all-time bestselling titles, To Life Is To Die is republished in this new edition to mark the 40th anniversary of Metallica’s debut album, Kill ’Em All. The band’s new album is also due for release in 2023 and will likely be followed by a world tour.

• Includes a new preface by Steve DiGiorgio of Testament, alongside a foreword by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and an afterword by Frank Bello of Anthrax.

• Also contains a new chapter looking at Burton’s enduring influence and legacy – which continues to grow with every passing year – from a fresh perspective.

Foreword by Kirk Hammett

Preface by Steve Di Giorgio

Author’s note

Introduction

Chapter 1: 1962 to 1979
Chapter 2: 1980 to 1982
Chapter 3: January to March 1983
Chapter 4: April to July 1983
Chapter 5: Kill ’Em All
Chapter 6: August 1983 to July 1984
Chapter 7: Ride The Lightning
Chapter 8: January to December 1985
Chapter 9: January to March 1986
Chapter 10: Master Of Puppets
Chapter 11: April to September 1986
Chapter 12: September 27 1986
Chapter 13: The Aftermath
Chapter 14: Metallica 1986 to 2009
Chapter 15: Metallica 2010 to 2016
Chapter 16: Unpacking Cliff 2016 to 2022

Chapter 17: Cliff’s Legacy

Afterword by Frank Bello
In others’ words
Who’s who
Musical terms
Discography
Acknowledgements
Index

Sujets

• Musique
• Culture musicale
• Histoire de la musique
• Pour qui sonne le glas
• Music
• Exodus
• Master of Puppets
• James Hetfield
• Monsters of Rock
• Ride the Lightning
• Diamond Head
• Dave Mustaine
• Kirk Hammett
• Lars Ulrich
• Orion
• Individual Composer
• Heavy Metal
• Fight Fire with Fire
• Search and destroy
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Musician
• Seek and Destroy
• Megaforce
• Battery
• Jump in the Fire
• Creeping Death
• Fade to Black
• Four Horsemen
• Testament
• Trauma
• Multiple signal classification
• Damage Inc

Informations

• Publié par: Jawbone Press
• Date de parution: 11 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781911036135
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

“ To Live Is To Die is, to me, the very best book about a rock band, artist, or topic that I have ever read. It’s better than The Dirt . It’s better than David Lee Roth’s Crazy From The Heat . This book is a grand slam home run, hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, to win your team’s first ever World Series. It’s that good.” PITRIFF
“Joel McIver is rapidly gaining a reputation for turning out well-heeled rock biographies ... diligently researched, musically insightful, and flecked with a nice array of original interviews. Particularly good on the enormous influence Burton had on the rest of Metallica.” MICK WALL, CLASSIC ROCK
“A superbly detailed account ... paints a picture, not just of Burton himself but also what it was like to be in ’Tallica back in the early days.” KERRANG!
“Essential ... will surely bring a tear to the eye of many an old-school fan of the band, and sheds some light on their troubled early years for the whipper-snappers.” TERRORIZER
“This book is easily a decade if not two overdue, so to finally have it available to read and absorb is something of a gift from the metal gods ... about the closest thing we’ll ever get to knowing or trying to understand Cliff Burton.” NONE BUT MY OWN
“Even if you’re not into rock biographies, this is one that I recommend picking up and getting to grips with. It’s a book that is meant to pay proper tribute to the man and does so in droves.” BLOGCRITICS
“If you’re a Metallica fan you NEED to read this book.” COLPOP
“Genuinely emotional.” ROCK AND ROLL Army
“No one writing today is more capable than Joel McIver of interpreting and presenting this complex character. ... In 2004, the Englishman wrote Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica , the bible for Metallica-heads everywhere. Now, with this definitive portrait of the legendary bass player, he completes the picture.” CURLED UP
“McIver accurately notes that Burton’s influence has been the greatest in the realm of technical death metal, with bassists from Cynic, Atheist, and Suffocation having all cited Burton as an influence ... an immensely readable book.” CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
“Lovingly assembled ... only adds to the legend.” RECORD COLLECTOR
“Engaging and informative ... an indispensable look at Metallica’s formative years and the headbanging bassist with a penchant for bellbottom jeans who helped create an entire genre of music.” METALOCALYPSE
“McIver has given us a reason to ... celebrate the short life of a gifted individual who was taken away from us way too soon.” SEA OF TRANQUILITY
“A well-rounded account ... detailed musical insight ... an excellent read.” EVERLONG
“A daring and much-needed tribute ... thank God someone took a chance at telling Cliff Burton’s story.” RAY VAN HORN JR
“McIver makes a strong case that it was Burton’s knowledge of composition and theory ... that gave Metallica the extra dimension.” BLURT
“Must read for any serious Metallica fan, as well as both aspiring and established rock bass players.” METAL UNDERGROUND
“All you ever need to know about an important member of the Metallica family who fell from us at an early age.” MASS MOVEMENT
“McIver’s book correctly credits Burton with helping elevate the band to another level.” ANTIMUSIC
“The definitive Cliff Burton book. Any fan of Cliff, Metallica or bass guitar should pick up a copy of this truly great biography.” ULTIMATE GUITAR
“A fine volume ... Burton’s profound creative input is revealed in a series of interviews with those close to him.” VINTAGE GUITAR
“A definitive, uniquely genuine and well researched book.” ALTSOUNDS
“Grade A.” CAMPUS CIRCLE
“There are only a few times when a biography can be said to be ‘definitive’, and that certainly is the case here. ... It is inspiring, it is exhaustive, it is informative, and most of all it is a damn good read that I found hard to put down.” AMPLIFIED
“Will leave a lasting impression ... required reading.” GUITAR EDGE
“Avoids wasting time and ink rehashing the mountainous ‘Alcoholica’-era debauchery and typical rock star excesses that other rock authors tend to glorify. Instead, To Live Is To Die tells the story of a contradictory man, quiet, unassuming to many, but clearly a determined, focused musician who was a genuine force to be reckoned with. A wonderful tribute.” HARD ROCK HAVEN
“Provides real insight into the life of Cliff Burton, and the effect of his death on those he left behind.” HEAVY METAL ABOUT
“Joel is a writer I have a lot of respect for, I really enjoyed his fine book on Slayer ... McIver has done a fantastic job, talking to all the people who knew Cliff personally, covering his tenure in Metallica in great detail and with a great deal of compassion ... a fine book from a talented and passionate writer and one that deserves the widest audience possible.” LIVE4METAL
“A must for all you Metallicats out there.” BULLETBELT
“Probably the best book that could ever be written about Cliff. ... Highly recommended.” MATT KEIL
“Does a great job of bringing Cliff to life as a friend, bandmate, and all-around well-adjusted music-lover.” BLASTITUDE
“I pretty much inhaled the book ... McIver does a great job of getting quotes directly from the people that knew Cliff the best.” BASS GUITAR ROCKS
“Joel McIver’s book is long overdue and is a magnum opus of rock biographies ... it’s meticulously researched, discerning and illuminating in ways I never could have anticipated ... one of the best biographies of music I’ve ever read ... when you are done with it, you will feel as if you have lost a dear friend. With this book, Joel McIver has secured the legacy of Cliff Burton.” THE SCREEN DOOR
“This is an essential book for a lot of people. Everyone who is a fan of Cliff Burton, a fan of Metallica, a fan of thrash metal (or just metal in general), and most importantly, a fan of greatness that was snuffed out unfairly early, should buy this book. If you’re close enough to Burton’s music, who knows, you might just shed a silent tear as well. I know I did.” THOUGHT PROCESSOR


A Jawbone book
Third edition 2023
Published in the UK and the USA by Jawbone Press
Office G1
141–157 Acre Lane
London SW2 5UA
England
Volume copyright © 2023 Outline Press Ltd. Text copyright © Joel McIver. All rights reserved. No part of this book covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or copied in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews where the source should be made clear. For more information contact the publishers.

This new edition is dedicated to Ollie McIver. He was the best, if also the stupidest, dog that ever lived.

CONTENTS
Author’s note
Preface by Steve Di Giorgio
Foreword by Kirk Hammett
Introduction
Chapter 1: 1962 to 1979
Chapter 2: 1980 to 1982
Chapter 3: January to March 1983
Chapter 4: April to July 1983
Chapter 5: Kill ’Em All
Chapter 6: August 1983 to July 1984
Chapter 7: Ride The Lightning
Chapter 8: January to December 1985
Chapter 9: January to March 1986
Chapter 10: Master Of Puppets
Chapter 11: April to September 1986
Chapter 12: September 27 1986
Chapter 13: The aftermath
Chapter 14: Metallica 1986 to 2009
Chapter 15: Metallica 2010 to 2016
Chapter 16: Unpacking Cliff 2016 to 2023
Chapter 17: Cliff’s Legacy
Afterword by Frank Bello
In others’ words
Who’s who
Musical terms
Notes and sources

AUTHOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the third edition of To Live Is To Die , first published in 2009 and now a venerable 14 years and counting in print. It’s a sad story in many ways, simply because its subject, Cliff Burton, has now been absent from our lives for such a long time. In other ways, though, it is a celebration: demonstrable proof that even death can’t stop us loving the work done by those no longer with us, and that if anything will give our lives meaning it is loud music, a close community, and a refusal to let fate make us miserable.
Without being cheesy about it, the continuing, and growing, love felt by Metallica’s fans for Cliff is what encouraged me and the team at Jawbone to publish this new edition of what is still the only book about him. Cliff’s name and music are still very much part of the conversation among musicians and music fans alike. He’s not going anywhere, it seems, as the additional chapter written for this edition reveals.
My heartfelt thanks go to Metallica, to Steve Di Giorgio for the new preface, to Frank Bello and Kirk Hammett for their previous contributions, to Nigel and Tom at Jawbone, and to you.
JOEL McIVER, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, 2023

PREFACE
by STEVE DI GIORGIO of TESTAMENT
I only met Cliff Burton once, but it’s quite a story. The Metallica guys used to frequent all the metal shows in the Bay Area, even when their second album, Ride The Lightning , was out and they had become a pretty big band. They would still come out and hang out at all the local shows in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco.
I was at the release show for Megadeth’s first album, which took place on May 31 1985 in San Francisco, where they were supporting Exodus, who were also releasing their debut album, Bonded By Blood . All four of the Metallica guys were there. James Hetfield was in the main hall, in a booth with his posse of followers, and Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich were hanging out, causing some good-natured chaos.
And there was Cliff – all grandiose and regal, standing in the lobby near the merch table, with a crowd around him who were very excited to meet him. As always, he was wearing his signature uniform of light blue denim.
I was only 17 and still in high school. I wanted to meet Cliff, but I was really nervous. My buddy Rick kept nudging me and saying, “Go say hi!”
I kept saying, “I can’t – I don’t know what to say.”
Rick said, “Just do it like this. Watch!” and walks over to Cliff. He says, “Hey Cliff, it’s great to meet you. I just wanted to say, you’re King God bass