More than three decades after its release, Metallica’s …And Justice For All remains one of heavy music’s most debated records, and former bassist Jason Newsted has made it clear he has no interest in rewriting its history.
Speaking during a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Newsted addressed the long running fan conversation around whether Metallica should revisit the 1988 classic and finally release an official remix that restores the famously buried bass tracks (per Blabbermouth).
His answer was definitive:
“Nah, man. No. It’s what it is. I don’t think that you should go back and mess with things like that.”
For decades, …And Justice For All has been scrutinised for its almost complete lack of audible bass guitar, with many fans pointing fingers at drummer Lars Ulrich for prioritising the record’s razor sharp drum sound over Newsted’s contributions.
But Newsted says the controversy has become part of what gives the album its mystique:
“What I’ve come to with all this… if it hadn’t been so bizarre, then we probably wouldn’t be talking about it 35 years later.”
He also pointed to a long established production philosophy within the band, recalling that even the band’s earliest demo cassette included a handwritten note from Ulrich instructing listeners to “Turn bass down on stereo.”
A representation of a specific Metallica moment
For Newsted, the record represents a snapshot of Metallica at a specific moment, imperfections and all, the bassist also noted that the album’s more progressive and intricate songwriting felt familiar to him, drawing comparisons to his earlier work with Flotsam and Jetsam.
The debate over the album’s mix has resurfaced regularly over the years, particularly as Metallica continues its deluxe reissue campaign, however frontman James Hetfield has also repeatedly dismissed calls for a remix, arguing that altering the record would mean changing a piece of history.
For Newsted, that’s exactly the point, some records aren’t meant to be corrected, they’re meant to stand exactly as they were made.
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