It was September 27, 1986, when MetallicA, continuing their promotional tour for "Master Of Puppets," passed through Ljungby on their bus en route to their next concert destination. However, at the height of their promising journey, catastrophe struck. The bus they were traveling in slid on the icy roads of the Danish town and overturned: Cliff Burton, their promising 24-year-old bassist, was thrown from the bus and then crushed by the vehicle.
That same evening, James Hetfield spent the night screaming and punching the windows of the hotel where they were staying, while Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich remained motionless on a couch all night long, unable to sleep. Surely that accursed day was the worst in the history of this band.
After a period of reflection, Lars, Kirk, and James found Jason Newsted as the new bassist and completed the promotional tour of the album, continuing their career up to "S&M".
But Cliff's death was certainly not forgotten; in fact, the three (miraculously surviving the accident) decided to pay tribute to the band's most beloved member, both on and off stage, by releasing the home video "Cliff 'em All!".
This video contains various clips from the three and a half years during which Cliff was part of MetallicA, showcasing his wild and psychedelic side and including his bass solos.
The video starts in grand style with "Creeping Death," followed by the Diamond Head cover "Am I Evil?". At its conclusion, we find the wrist-breaking "Damage, Inc.," recorded in Detroit on April 4, 1986, during the support tour for Ozzy.
It then moves to the concert held in Long Island on April 28 of the same year, still as the opening act for Ozzy, where the Four Horsemen play one of the best and perhaps most famous songs they've ever composed: You've probably guessed I'm talking about the majestic "Master Of Puppets," for which I won't spend any more words.
It's time to take a step further back in time to the early days of Cliff's stint with the band when they were still relatively unknown and where we find the eccentric Dave Mustaine on lead guitar. The very same person who would later become the leader of Megadeth introduces what I consider the best part of the home video at the "Live At Stone" on March 19, 1983 (Cliff's second concert with Metallica). Here, Cliff with his Rickenbacker (I'm not sure if I spelled it correctly, forgive me Bassist) delivers one of the best versions of Anesthesia ever played, while showing off his "windmill" style, swinging his hair wildly from side to side. After this solo, the frenzied "Whiplash" begins without interruption.
We then move on to the Metal Hammer Fest held in Germany on September 14, 1985, alongside Venom, where the four first play the great "The Four Horsemen," then the poignant "Fade To Black," and finally the monolithic "Seek & Destroy".
I want to stress that this VHS is a collection of amateur videos, as MetallicA had never even remotely considered making a video (when I think about how we find them now, it even makes me chuckle...), so don't expect mega quality, especially in the first three songs, although overall it is sufficiently good...
The next song offered by the video is "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," recorded on July 6, 1986, in Denmark, and at the end of which we find another precious version of "Anesthesia".
It's time to move on to "Day On The Green" in Oakland on August 31, 1985, some fragments of which are also included in the first DVD of "Live S**t", where Clifford Lee navigates a wild solo where his Alembic creates all sorts of sounds, demonstrating his status as one of the fastest bassists on planet Earth (as he was previously deemed), which kicks off "For Whom The Bell Tolls".
We're at the last part of the cassette and catapulting back to 1983 in Chicago, where on August 12, the Four Horsemen hold the "Kill 'em All For One Tour", their very first tour, where we see the guys from San Francisco play the great "No Remorse" and the timeless "Metal Militia", wrapping up this VHS that we'd all wish never ended with the instrumental "Orion", also played at Cliff's funeral and so dear to MetallicA.
I'd just like to conclude by stating that if "Cliff 'em All" had been produced better, it would certainly have reached the level of the monumental "Live S**t", also due to the significant legacy it carries as their only collection featuring one of the most beloved metal musicians who, unfortunately, left us, as it often seems that the best are always the ones who die...
I just hope that all my enthusiasm hasn't led me to write an unpleasant review and that I am still able to do justice to this great work...
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