I know man. I feel like they wanted to keep the deeper stuff on the records and keep the live shows balls to the wall back then since they really had to prove themselves. I feel like it was ultimately in their master plan for future tours, but tragically was cut short. Then, I feel like it was too soon and too upsetting to even think about playing it live with Jason. Just my observation based on how subtly they sprinkled it in until finally performing it decades later with Rob (who does an excellent job with it).
@@LowEndUniversity When they got Jason in they were touring too much around AJFA and especially TBA era... It was probably pain in the butt to relearn and rehearse long progressive songs that weren't really fitting the live tracklist.... Probably the same reason they didn't play The Frayed End Of Sanity up until 2014 as a fans request and other instrumental....
@@Monkeyboy2457 did you know that intro is reversed from how they actually played it. Look it up on youtube pretty neat how it sounded originally played.
I was 16 in 1986. My friends had tickets to see Ozzy in Dallas. Metallica was the opening act. My mom wouldn't let me go so I missed out on my only opportunity to see Cliff. That is something I will always think about. I saw them in 1989 and 1992 with Jason. Jason was awesome. He was my favorite member of Metallica after Cliff.❤
WOW! And I felt bad declining to see Rush (I had just gotten home from tour). My stepdad went to Monsters Of Rock in 1988 to see Van Halen and hadn't heard of Metallica, and they came out and he thought the place was going to break out into a huge fight. He was blown away, haha.
@@LowEndUniversity oh yeah, in 1988 here in Texas it was called the Texxas jam at the cotton bowl. I had friends that went and had never seen a metal band before. They were there to see Van Halen and were memorized by Metallica.
I caught that show when they came through New Orleans, and, musically, it was a life-changing experience. It's really hard to explain. They encored more than Ozzy did, and Ozzy was huge back then (in more ways than one). I've seen them around 15 times and both that concert and the 2 shows I caught for the Justice tour with Queensryche are my favorite concerts of all time.
I’m a beginner bassist, and my one goal is to learn Orion. To play for my mom (Orion is her Favorite Metallica song) and to play in honor of cliff. I’ve always loved Orion. It can tell stories. It’s wonderful! Thank You Cliff and Metallica for making such wonderful masterpiece!
It's no coincidence that Metallica wrote their best songs when Cliff was involved in the writing. He was so much more than a bassist : he was a songsmith.
I remember how excited I was when I saw the tabs for this in a bass magazine and was blown away when I found out a couple of the lead parts were actually bass. I dedicated myself to learning it (Except for the crazy harmonized solo, I was still a relative beginner) and I've never looked at the bass the same way since, especially when it came to my approach to writing songs. RIP Cliff.
Can you imagine just one song with CLIFF and RANDY playing on it. At this moment I cannot even think about who would sing, rhythm, and drum but it would have to be a 7 min song at least.
ORION is massive in the sense that it's seamless on transitions, and literally fills the room. Cliffs bass playing is on another level in every way! Perfect song to showcase that!! Cliffs artistry will always live through his amazing playing. BASS ARTIST!! Long live Cliff!! This will be played at my funeral and I hope everyone "feels" it. Love the breakdown, and enjoy your content
Robert does a fantastic job with this song live. Even though it's not Cliff, it's still very much worth watching the live version with Robert playing it.
Robert is a terrific musician and plays it beautifully. Unfortunately, Jason definitely had a better stage presence. Probably even more than Cliff would’ve had Jason loved being in Metallica. He held his own. Which is too bad because if you listen to Flotsam and Jetsam D for D, he does some amazing bass parts.
Rob definitely does Justice to Cliffs work. I personally don’t dig his tone, but that’s just a personal preference and doesn’t mean anything in the world of Robs playing. Anytime Rob shows up, your band just got better.🤘🏻
As a guitar player, I love seeing these songs in the eyes of the bassists! There's not enough of you doing this on RUclips. I learn a lot from bassists, you guys have a whole other view of the music and soundscape:) Keep it up!
What a lot of people dont know is Cliff went to college for Electrical Engineering...because he didnt like the stock sound of his guitar, amp, and pedals. He modified every piece of equipment and guitar he had. He was truly a musician and artist in every sense of the word. You can also hear his love of Classical music in his playing.... if I could compare him to anyone it would be Randy Rhoads.
I'm a 50 year old guy who started playing bass at 15 and was fully enveloped by Metallica at that point. I had a magazine pic of Cliff taped to the back of my Ovation Magnum 1 bass. I've played this song for decades and I've watched a ton of different analysis of this song and so far yours is the best. Great insight to the layering of the composition. You don't go to deep into theory land so you're not losing the beginners that might be watching. And talking over the song vs stopping it every 30 seconds makes it way more watchable. Thanks for the content, Sir! You make the internet a better place.
RIP Cliff. You will always be in my heart. This song (and MoP) will always be very special to me, after picking it up as my first ever lp as a 12 year old. I dedicated my savings to that record 😊
Im only 23 seconds in but i gotta say it. The idea to go from guitar solo straight into a bass solo like one big solo is amazing. Cliffs composition was second to none and will never be beaten. Everyone loves cliff and he still never gets enough credit for his absolute genius not just on bass but musically
They would have never put out albums like the black album or load and reload. Also, ...and justice for all would have actually had bass on it. To put it simply, Metallica would have stayed good.
My guess is that if Cliff hadn't shown the others in the band of what classical music influence could bring to their music, there would be a strong chance that S&M would never have happened. I'd say he was the driving force of Metallica constantly evolving with their style even long after his death.
I started playing bass around the time Kill Em All came out. I learned those songs and fell in love with Cliff's playing. When this piece came out I was in Heaven. One of my all time favorites.
Id been playing for a while when Kill came out. I don’t know about you, but many years later when we had access to isolated tracks, I was blown away all over again when I could really hear the massive nuances that were almost impossible to hear in the original mixes.
Watched this while drinking my morning coffee - insane production quality, and equally amazing tone from you, man! I've never had one of my favorite Metallica songs thoroughly broken down like this. Most impressive.
Mark - thank you so much for the kind words and compliments. These DO go well with morning coffee, I'd like to think! Appreciate your time to watch and comment - stay tuned for more.
Orion is like a musical journey that takes you to all sorts of different places. I became a Metallica diehard when I was 14 in Highschool (30 now) and they're still my favorite band of all time! Like you said, Cliff was ahead of his time and it's such a shame that we got robbed of what could have been but to make 3 staple and iconic metal albums before his passing goes to show how much of a musical genius he was! Don't even get me started on how the guys honor him STILL to this day!
Been playing bass coming up on 50 years now, and Cliff was absolutely one of those guys that causes you to sort of reevaluate what you think the instrument can be. I lucked out and saw them play a “one off” club gig on the “lightning” tour when they were still an opening act. They stayed an extra night and played this small club that held less than a thousand people, and Cliff absolutely owned that stage!
@@thefinaldispatch this was back in the days where they were still unknown except for us metal heads. Me and my girlfriend payed $13 at the door. Fantastic show! Cliff was a monster live.
@@Daddy53751 woooow. Man you’re so lucky to have seen him live. I was born in 85 and didn’t start listening to them til around 95. Hearing people talk about seeing Cliff is so weird. It’s like you’re hearing about a close friend but I didn’t even know about the guy until like 10 years after he’d passed on. RIP Cliff. Dude if you’re still kickin it after all this time you’re a legend too daddy53!
Live version of this was played on video as the credits roll on their "Through the Never" movie. I think they had a hard time playing this until Rob arrived because they feel Rob is the only person who can emulate enough of Cliff's skills as Rob is exceptionally skilled in playing a bass with his fingers like Cliff was.
Great movie! I just meant there wasn't a live version to watch with Cliff playing. Also, that's a great point. Jason did a nice tribute to it during The Black Album Tour, but Rob certainly has a better feel for it, mainly just because of finger-style usage.
@@JoeBlow-bd1eg It seems a little odd for him not to have put in the practice time to make sure he had it nailed down. He would have had to learn most of, if not all of, their entire catalog to audition in the first place, not knowing which songs they would have wanted to test potential new bassists with.
Probably every time I here this, it takes me back to 7th grade. It blew my mind. A big part of why a lot of us play bass today. His legacy still gives him breath
There are live performances, but only by the current version of the band. Robert Trujillo definitely put his chops into it!! But yeah, Cliff made me want to pick up a bass as a guitar player.
Yeah! I considered doing one with Rob, but felt I'd be burned at the stake on here if I didn't do the OG version with Cliff 😬 - and, likewise, Cliff did the exact same thing for me.
@@LowEndUniversityas clear as the original mix is, Like so much of Cliffs music, the isolated tracks reveal so many little “gifts” that even with this clear track, are super easy to miss in the mix. Creeping Death especially, is a treasure trove of little pieces of candy that for me at least, really helped me to get a better understanding of how Cliff approached his writing bass into the song. Heck, Even hearing the isolated tracks, its easy to let yourself miss some subtleties. The more I study Burton, the more I dig his approach.🤘🏻 Same thing with “Number of the beast”. Almost unnoticeable little hidden “gifts”.
This is still probably my favorite Metallica song ever and its so great to see people here in 2023 still appreciating it for what it was; a phenomenally-written and executed son that still brings a tear to my eye! And let’s not forget the amazing drum-writing Lars did on this song in particular! All those time signatures perfectly drive the rest of the instrumentation and he’s largely been turned into a joke these days but seldom given the writing credit that he really deserves. Sure there are much more talented and technical drummers in metal but Lars really put a lot into the writing process in these earlier records and his impact on the band was undeniable.
I always think of Cliff’s bass in Ktulu as the great old one, lurking under the surface menacingly, mostly felt rather than seen, occasionally breaching the surface with a snarl.
This song....brings on emotion's in waves...It can make you laugh, it can piss you off and, it can make you cry. The second section always brings out in the sadness i felt the day Cliff died...It reminds me of 16 year old misfit high school me hearing for the first time that Cliff had died...it brings tears to my eyes every time. It always makes me wonder what he would of done musically if he didn't die that day.
Thanks for sharing that Larry. While I wasn’t alive, I definitely had been listening to this album/band for a long time before I knew Cliff had even passed. This was really pre-Google, RUclips, etc. - I was burned CDs of their songs. I remember being really sad and shocked when I eventually found out. It just sort of changed my view on those first few albums, and contextualized how special they are.
I find myself playing bass along with guitars in my band, but this song and a few others really highlight how you can really create some abstract pieces for bass parts. I need to play more bass parts to covers than I do guitar.
That’s totally okay too! There’s no right answer. I just know, for me, that this was the rule book (or, lack thereof?) for what could be possible. It taught me to look for the empty space, and fill it, but still aim to be tasteful. The sky is the limit!
I gained a better appreciation for this song after watching some of Metallica's recent live performances with Robert Trujillo. You really get to see which parts are played on bass versus guitar.
Yep! Rob exudes his respect for Cliff, super apparent when he plays the older songs. He’s an incredible player, and so humble when I met him at a Warwick camp years ago. Much respect.
I fell in love with Cliff at the age of 14 back in 1991. I just CONSUMED Cliff em All for years. I’ll be 46 this month and his playing still brings me to tears. It’s so thoughtful, fun, intelligent, he was a pure artist. It has been so nice over the last decade especially to see all the love that has just blossomed for his memory. As it should be. Cliff = absolute joy. To add, now that I’ve finished the solo. Cliff had such utter command of the instrument. He could chug and plow but I think what really set him apart was his tenderness. Those solos (which I also thought were lead guitar, for YEARS), are played with such gentle touch and finesse. There’s no heaviness to those strikes, and no strain to the bends. And Cliff notoriously hated the studio. He did not do 100 takes. He got in a vibe and did a few takes and it was over. You got what you got. And holy schnikes, what gems we got. And about metallica - they are indeed the best. Yes crushing riffs and energy and all that, but easily most intelligent and “effectively” musical of all the metal bands. Cliff was a big part of that. We have tix for our 6-7th shows this fall, and our 8-9th shows next summer also. Can’t wait. They are THE BEST.
Thank you for breaking this down. My all time favorite. You did this in an amazing very respectful way, made great points & included aspects of this VERY intricate song that I hadn't realized, noticed or even understood in 25+ years that I've been listening to it. Great job & long live Metallica
Hats off to you!! I've heard this song countless, COUNTLESS times and thought I knew it well... You opened my ears up to new things and a new way of looking at this musically. Thank you.
we miss Cliff so much.. he had his pinky pointing down because an old accident he had that left him with some nerve issue.. the song is a masterpiece... God bless u Clifford...
This is The Instrumental for me. Its probably the song that opened my ears up to prog and really appreciating arrangement more than any other. Classical music as well .
Excellent video, Mark!! Cliff was so instrumental in my beginning years of playing bass. I wouldn't be the player I am today without him. You should do some Haken soon. I have to say that's probably my favorite band today.
I absolutely love what Cliff did with the bass, and with metal I'm general. Gotta do Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) if you haven't. I love different uses of bass such as Cliff (and Jason when he could), Lemmy, and Peter Steele.
Not bad for a Bunch of High School Dropout Misfit Rebels .These guys were basically Composing a Masterpiece of Musical Genius .James 22 Yrs old , Lars 22 Yrs Old , Cliff 23 Yrs Old , Kirk 23 Yrs old in 1985 when they started Composing the Master Of Puppets Album . This Album was Inducted into the Library of Congress as the main Instrument / inspiration of USA Freedom . No band in their early 20s will ever compose this kind of Musical Material again ⭐🌠⚡🌋🙈🙉🙊👄🔥💥😎😉😳😍🤠🤙🤘🤗🤑🙃🤔
You demonstrate what I love about Cliff's playing so well in the second section, even though the melody repeats, every repeat there is a new flourish somewhere so it's never just a the same thing again and again. the small changes really catch the ear.
I’m too guilty of not knowing Cliff was doing the intro for many years, also I’m probably one of the only ones who didn’t realize Cliff was doing a solo in the middle of the song until, Dreamtheater covered this album and hearing Myung play it I was in the shower and heard it I freaked out then put the Metallica album on after the shower and was just blown away! But I also was young when I was hearing Metallica, by the time I was 15 I was listening to dreamtheater and Yes and LTE just the crazy prog stuff, so it’s not something I was listening to as I got older it’s something I came back to just to appreciate what Cliff was doing
Thank you so much for being so respectful of the song. It’s such a beautiful piece and as you mentioned, the layering in the middle just has Cliff written all over it
i started playing in a band recently and one of my bandmember know me as the Orion guy. playing bass was the best choice i made, in my opinion. no one wanted to pick up the bass and Orion was always in my heart and forever will, so i took the honor to do so. i have made a riff that my bandmates think that is my masterpiece and it was the first riff that i showed to them (but i think i can do much better). this song helps me almost daily and probably will forever
Agreed, Rob is like a perfect blend of Cliff and Jason, and super talented. AND, the nicest guy ever when I met him years ago. I thought the Orion tribute they did a few years ago (whichever one had Cliff behind him on the big screens) was extremely tasteful and well done.
I really like the remaster, hearing CLiff's fingers hitting the strings and getting to know more of what he was playing. Geezer Butler caught my ear, Cliff introduced me to bass as an individual instrument, it's been amazing ever since. Every time I hear/play that bass melody before it goes to 6/8 I still remember the fist time hearing the song in my bedroom all these years later. The bluesy sustain on those guitar parts just soar. It's a great song to listen to at night during the winter in a tree stand just taking everything in.
When I heard Rob joined the band, I immediately thought if anyone could bring lead bass back, it would be him. Even though completely different styles, Rob did dive into Burtons style
This is one of my favourite Metallica songs ever but you explaining so much about the ins and outs of the bass played in this song to me who hasnt a clue about how to play bass is very insightful and gives me another great take on Orion, great video man👌🏼
I know this video is over a year old. I love the first three albums with Cliff Burton! Another unique thing is that each of those albums got a kick ass instrumental! Anesthesia, Call of Ktulu, Orion, and his last compo was To Live Is To Die. We don't have that anymore.
The intro was actually an organ. Cliff playing it of course, he was also a classically trained pianist remember. This review was so good! I just subbed you.
Metallica has played this song live numerous times. I know not with cliff, but they play it note for note. Robert Trujillo and Jason Newsted were MORE THAN CAPABLE of replicating this live.
@@ickdon7999 yoU ARE INCORRECT. Jason played this all the time. Plus the current band plays it all the time. It is no longer 2001. It is now 2023. YOU MUST GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Living in the past will damage your future. Know who said that? JASON NEWSTED. He quit the band!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Know who said that? Lars Ulrich. Your mom is a great lay!!!!! Know who said that? Every guy in the State.
What a beautiful rendition of this masterpiece! Being the Metsllica fan that I am, I have listened to Orion hundereds of times and often found something new. It’s so amazing to hear your take on the composition, really adding yet another perspective. Thank you so much!
Well, look at Trujillo, flea, and obviously cliff.... I mean Cliff truly started showing off THE BASS. Ones that have respect and true love for the art of their instrument and stay true to the passion of music explores techniques of the Great ones! Your a fool not too! And Lars is the best!!! F*** all haters!!! Metallica 4ever🤘🤟🤙❤️🖤
I hold Cliff in the same pantheon as Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, Chris Squire...the bass wasn't purely a rhythm instrument - it could certainly stand on it's own, just like a guitar! This instrumental is so lyrical - long been a favourite Metallica track of mine. Thanks for the reaction & analysis. RIP Cliff - I'm one of many that wonders what he would have brought to music had he lived on!
The Bass solo was originally supposed to be a continuation of Kirks solo. Kirk had to fly back to the US while Cliff remained in Copenhagen for a couple of days. Cliff played the second section of Kirks solo on Bass whilst also making it his own and that’s what got added to the record.
It’s always wild to hear him playing knowing he had all of that talent, ability and knowledge at such a young age. Who knows what it could have been like when he was older. Gone far to young.
I don't think anyone would fault Kirk's work until post Black Album to be fair, except perhaps thrash "purists"...They hate the Black Album more than any other 😂
This song will always be embedded in my brain. 1993 and I was in track. The last race was the mile relay and we had to win the race to win the championship. They walked us up from the 100 meter point to the 400m point. Big crowd. And Orion was on my Walkman. So I got to March that way in front of the crowd. I was the anchor. And of course we wone. There was no way I would be denied after listening to this.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
It is a crying shame Cliff never got to perform it live. When I get a 24 fret, I’m gonna rip this first.
I know man. I feel like they wanted to keep the deeper stuff on the records and keep the live shows balls to the wall back then since they really had to prove themselves. I feel like it was ultimately in their master plan for future tours, but tragically was cut short. Then, I feel like it was too soon and too upsetting to even think about playing it live with Jason. Just my observation based on how subtly they sprinkled it in until finally performing it decades later with Rob (who does an excellent job with it).
@@LowEndUniversity When they got Jason in they were touring too much around AJFA and especially TBA era... It was probably pain in the butt to relearn and rehearse long progressive songs that weren't really fitting the live tracklist.... Probably the same reason they didn't play The Frayed End Of Sanity up until 2014 as a fans request and other instrumental....
Can be played on a 21 fret with harmonics or just a 3rd below as well! I remember the solo si good that I get it on the 10th try by now!
Agreed. It would have been so amazing if we could have had even one single instance of him playing it live. Such a shame…
Yeah it would have been awesome to have seen Cliff playing that live.
That second section never fails to give me chills. It's clear how knowledgable Cliff was in the language of classical music.
The first few Metallica albums have beautiful harmonies. After Cliff died so did metallicas harmonic tone.
@@Coffeendonuts I would submit there is some awesome guitar harmonies on the Album And Justice for All.
@@ChrisHaynes-ds6rp Yes. The intro to Blackened
@@Monkeyboy2457 did you know that intro is reversed from how they actually played it. Look it up on youtube pretty neat how it sounded originally played.
@@ChrisHaynes-ds6rp Wow thanks that just blew my mind.
Orion is an absolute masterpiece of music.
Metal symphony. All of cliffs brilliance and background in classical music are on full display in this track
The whole album was a masterpiece of music :D
i couldn't agree more.
The second section of Orion is basically a metal version of a waltz, especially the way Cliff played it, and it's _glorious_ .
Absolutely!! Thanks Luciano 👊🏼💥
I could have not said it better, it's a waltz.
Huh, now that you point that out it makes total sense lol
I was 16 in 1986. My friends had tickets to see Ozzy in Dallas. Metallica was the opening act. My mom wouldn't let me go so I missed out on my only opportunity to see Cliff. That is something I will always think about. I saw them in 1989 and 1992 with Jason. Jason was awesome. He was my favorite member of Metallica after Cliff.❤
WOW! And I felt bad declining to see Rush (I had just gotten home from tour). My stepdad went to Monsters Of Rock in 1988 to see Van Halen and hadn't heard of Metallica, and they came out and he thought the place was going to break out into a huge fight. He was blown away, haha.
@@LowEndUniversity oh yeah, in 1988 here in Texas it was called the Texxas jam at the cotton bowl. I had friends that went and had never seen a metal band before. They were there to see Van Halen and were memorized by Metallica.
Ha! Literally the same story about the same show. Small world, really glad you shared this. I'll show him this comment thread!
I turned 16 in 86 too.
The 80s was a special decade. I wish I could go back and re-live it....lol
I caught that show when they came through New Orleans, and, musically, it was a life-changing experience. It's really hard to explain. They encored more than Ozzy did, and Ozzy was huge back then (in more ways than one). I've seen them around 15 times and both that concert and the 2 shows I caught for the Justice tour with Queensryche are my favorite concerts of all time.
I’m a beginner bassist, and my one goal is to learn Orion. To play for my mom (Orion is her Favorite Metallica song) and to play in honor of cliff. I’ve always loved Orion. It can tell stories. It’s wonderful! Thank You Cliff and Metallica for making such wonderful masterpiece!
Coolest mom ever. Congrats
As a guitarist with a Dad who’s fav song is this, I can relate v much so 🫡🤘🏽🤘🏽
Honestly it’s not hard, you’ll nail it
You are my new adopted Son.
Nice one lad. 😊
I'm a forty something trans Lady and Orion is my favorite too. James is a great vocalist but some music does need words. ❤ your mom did a good job ❤
It's no coincidence that Metallica wrote their best songs when Cliff was involved in the writing. He was so much more than a bassist : he was a songsmith.
Orion was Cliff's masterpiece. You could tell Cliff put his soul until Orion.
Call Of Kthulu is his best work imo as far as showing his playing ability, but when it comes to composition it’s this one.
Thank God we got this piece before he passed
I remember how excited I was when I saw the tabs for this in a bass magazine and was blown away when I found out a couple of the lead parts were actually bass. I dedicated myself to learning it (Except for the crazy harmonized solo, I was still a relative beginner) and I've never looked at the bass the same way since, especially when it came to my approach to writing songs. RIP Cliff.
I kind of think that Cliff is the Randy Rhoads of bass. Both incredible musicians.
I was thinking the same thing as I’m watching this, could you imagine Cliff and Randy working together? Ohh man that would be amazing
Both died way to young
For sure! I always say he’s the Bruce Lee of bass
Can you imagine just one song with CLIFF and RANDY playing on it. At this moment I cannot even think about who would sing, rhythm, and drum but it would have to be a 7 min song at least.
@@jasonbryant.bassguitarplay3641 Somewhere in heaven, Cliff, Randy, Bon, and Bonham are jamming out
ORION is massive in the sense that it's seamless on transitions, and literally fills the room. Cliffs bass playing is on another level in every way! Perfect song to showcase that!! Cliffs artistry will always live through his amazing playing. BASS ARTIST!! Long live Cliff!! This will be played at my funeral and I hope everyone "feels" it. Love the breakdown, and enjoy your content
Thanks Ben! Really appreciate that, and wholeheartedly agree!
This song is also my choice to be played at my funeral! Rock on brother
As great as the song is, its guitar and bass work was layered upon layered, over produced tbh, and something that cant be played live.
Robert does a fantastic job with this song live. Even though it's not Cliff, it's still very much worth watching the live version with Robert playing it.
Rob does the Cliff-era material such justice. Love it! I agree.
Rob is a fantastic player, I’m sure cliff approves.
Robert is a terrific musician and plays it beautifully. Unfortunately, Jason definitely had a better stage presence. Probably even more than Cliff would’ve had Jason loved being in Metallica. He held his own. Which is too bad because if you listen to Flotsam and Jetsam D for D, he does some amazing bass parts.
Saw Metallica on their new tour and they started with Orion and For Whom the bell tolls and it was epic. Rob killed it, I almost cried.
Rob definitely does Justice to Cliffs work.
I personally don’t dig his tone, but that’s just a personal preference and doesn’t mean anything in the world of Robs playing.
Anytime Rob shows up, your band just got better.🤘🏻
As a guitar player, I love seeing these songs in the eyes of the bassists! There's not enough of you doing this on RUclips.
I learn a lot from bassists, you guys have a whole other view of the music and soundscape:)
Keep it up!
What a lot of people dont know is Cliff went to college for Electrical Engineering...because he didnt like the stock sound of his guitar, amp, and pedals. He modified every piece of equipment and guitar he had. He was truly a musician and artist in every sense of the word. You can also hear his love of Classical music in his playing.... if I could compare him to anyone it would be Randy Rhoads.
I'm a 50 year old guy who started playing bass at 15 and was fully enveloped by Metallica at that point. I had a magazine pic of Cliff taped to the back of my Ovation Magnum 1 bass. I've played this song for decades and I've watched a ton of different analysis of this song and so far yours is the best. Great insight to the layering of the composition. You don't go to deep into theory land so you're not losing the beginners that might be watching. And talking over the song vs stopping it every 30 seconds makes it way more watchable. Thanks for the content, Sir! You make the internet a better place.
I'm so happy that someone finally paid attention to the bass intro, it's so beautiful and always ignored by most people.
I've seen them maybe 6 or 7 times. The first was in 86 ish? with Cliff. I'm glad I got to see him on stage doing his thing.
Incredible! And, I’m incredibly jealous 🥲
Saw Cliff play live on the Puppets tour and it's still one of the greatest shows I've ever seen.
So did I. July, 86’ Detroit.
RIP Cliff. You will always be in my heart. This song (and MoP) will always be very special to me, after picking it up as my first ever lp as a 12 year old. I dedicated my savings to that record 😊
Im only 23 seconds in but i gotta say it. The idea to go from guitar solo straight into a bass solo like one big solo is amazing. Cliffs composition was second to none and will never be beaten. Everyone loves cliff and he still never gets enough credit for his absolute genius not just on bass but musically
I always wonder how Cliff would have managed the S&M albums. Oh man, I think he would have done so so much with that.
he was a musical genius
He would have been like a kid in a candy store to have been part of that!
They would have never put out albums like the black album or load and reload. Also, ...and justice for all would have actually had bass on it. To put it simply, Metallica would have stayed good.
@@brandocalrissian3294 Cliff would have liked Load and Reload.
My guess is that if Cliff hadn't shown the others in the band of what classical music influence could bring to their music, there would be a strong chance that S&M would never have happened. I'd say he was the driving force of Metallica constantly evolving with their style even long after his death.
I started playing bass around the time Kill Em All came out. I learned those songs and fell in love with Cliff's playing. When this piece came out I was in Heaven.
One of my all time favorites.
Id been playing for a while when Kill came out. I don’t know about you, but many years later when we had access to isolated tracks, I was blown away all over again when I could really hear the massive nuances that were almost impossible to hear in the original mixes.
Watched this while drinking my morning coffee - insane production quality, and equally amazing tone from you, man! I've never had one of my favorite Metallica songs thoroughly broken down like this. Most impressive.
Mark - thank you so much for the kind words and compliments. These DO go well with morning coffee, I'd like to think! Appreciate your time to watch and comment - stay tuned for more.
Orion is like a musical journey that takes you to all sorts of different places. I became a Metallica diehard when I was 14 in Highschool (30 now) and they're still my favorite band of all time! Like you said, Cliff was ahead of his time and it's such a shame that we got robbed of what could have been but to make 3 staple and iconic metal albums before his passing goes to show how much of a musical genius he was! Don't even get me started on how the guys honor him STILL to this day!
Been playing bass coming up on 50 years now,
and Cliff was absolutely one of those guys that causes you to sort of reevaluate what you think the instrument can be.
I lucked out and saw them play a “one off” club gig on the “lightning” tour when they were still an opening act.
They stayed an extra night and played this small club that held less than a thousand people, and Cliff absolutely owned that stage!
Wow that’s so insane that you got to see that
@@thefinaldispatch this was back in the days where they were still unknown except for us metal heads. Me and my girlfriend payed $13 at the door.
Fantastic show! Cliff was a monster live.
@@Daddy53751 woooow. Man you’re so lucky to have seen him live. I was born in 85 and didn’t start listening to them til around 95. Hearing people talk about seeing Cliff is so weird. It’s like you’re hearing about a close friend but I didn’t even know about the guy until like 10 years after he’d passed on. RIP Cliff. Dude if you’re still kickin it after all this time you’re a legend too daddy53!
@@thefinaldispatch ya just get old on the outside!🤣
He was a head banging, spitting on the crowd, thrash monster, and man could he play!
Live version of this was played on video as the credits roll on their "Through the Never" movie. I think they had a hard time playing this until Rob arrived because they feel Rob is the only person who can emulate enough of Cliff's skills as Rob is exceptionally skilled in playing a bass with his fingers like Cliff was.
Great movie! I just meant there wasn't a live version to watch with Cliff playing. Also, that's a great point. Jason did a nice tribute to it during The Black Album Tour, but Rob certainly has a better feel for it, mainly just because of finger-style usage.
Robs never come close to playing orion like cliff. He does pretty well on kthulu.
@@BrainWasherAttendent Nah Rob does a great job, look up the live version from Turin, Italy 2018
I have read interviews where Jason said he couldn't play it (at least not the whole thing).
@@JoeBlow-bd1eg It seems a little odd for him not to have put in the practice time to make sure he had it nailed down. He would have had to learn most of, if not all of, their entire catalog to audition in the first place, not knowing which songs they would have wanted to test potential new bassists with.
Cliff’s time was a decade before I was born but he’s still my favorite Metallica member. Even in his lifetime, the guy was larger than life.
Probably every time I here this, it takes me back to 7th grade. It blew my mind. A big part of why a lot of us play bass today. His legacy still gives him breath
There are live performances, but only by the current version of the band. Robert Trujillo definitely put his chops into it!! But yeah, Cliff made me want to pick up a bass as a guitar player.
Yeah! I considered doing one with Rob, but felt I'd be burned at the stake on here if I didn't do the OG version with Cliff 😬 - and, likewise, Cliff did the exact same thing for me.
@@LowEndUniversityas clear as the original mix is,
Like so much of Cliffs music, the isolated tracks reveal so many little “gifts” that even with this clear track, are super easy to miss in the mix.
Creeping Death especially, is a treasure trove of little pieces of candy that for me at least, really helped me to get a better understanding of how Cliff approached his writing bass into the song.
Heck,
Even hearing the isolated tracks, its easy to let yourself miss some subtleties.
The more I study Burton, the more I dig his approach.🤘🏻
Same thing with “Number of the beast”. Almost unnoticeable little hidden “gifts”.
This is still probably my favorite Metallica song ever and its so great to see people here in 2023 still appreciating it for what it was; a phenomenally-written and executed son that still brings a tear to my eye! And let’s not forget the amazing drum-writing Lars did on this song in particular! All those time signatures perfectly drive the rest of the instrumentation and he’s largely been turned into a joke these days but seldom given the writing credit that he really deserves. Sure there are much more talented and technical drummers in metal but Lars really put a lot into the writing process in these earlier records and his impact on the band was undeniable.
Orion was the first song I ever learned in high school on bass. and still to this day play and it still blows my mind. Thank you for this!
Such a great song, I still love it after all these years.
Thanks for the new perspective on this underappreciated song. I don't play, but now I hear it with better understanding.
The fade in on Damage Inc. Is also Cliff.
And his background, ambient, wah drenched bass runs on Call of Ktulu are totally missed legend.
I always refer to Ktulu as a “hidden bass solo”. Like… no idea why they didn’t at least give it the Bellz treatment.
I always think of Cliff’s bass in Ktulu as the great old one, lurking under the surface menacingly, mostly felt rather than seen, occasionally breaching the surface with a snarl.
@@matthewconner7800 THIS. I think that's exactly what they intended in that song, and it translated perfectly into the final record.
13:58 That clean guitar in the background, which follows cliffs bass line ist so beautiful. But hard to here it.
This song....brings on emotion's in waves...It can make you laugh, it can piss you off and, it can make you cry. The second section always brings out in the sadness i felt the day Cliff died...It reminds me of 16 year old misfit high school me hearing for the first time that Cliff had died...it brings tears to my eyes every time. It always makes me wonder what he would of done musically if he didn't die that day.
Thanks for sharing that Larry. While I wasn’t alive, I definitely had been listening to this album/band for a long time before I knew Cliff had even passed. This was really pre-Google, RUclips, etc. - I was burned CDs of their songs. I remember being really sad and shocked when I eventually found out. It just sort of changed my view on those first few albums, and contextualized how special they are.
This is probably the best analysis of Orion I've seen, bass wise at least. You've earned a subscriber!
I find myself playing bass along with guitars in my band, but this song and a few others really highlight how you can really create some abstract pieces for bass parts.
I need to play more bass parts to covers than I do guitar.
That’s totally okay too! There’s no right answer. I just know, for me, that this was the rule book (or, lack thereof?) for what could be possible. It taught me to look for the empty space, and fill it, but still aim to be tasteful. The sky is the limit!
@@LowEndUniversity totally agree with finding the void and creating something wholesome and tasteh to put there!
I gained a better appreciation for this song after watching some of Metallica's recent live performances with Robert Trujillo. You really get to see which parts are played on bass versus guitar.
Yep! Rob exudes his respect for Cliff, super apparent when he plays the older songs. He’s an incredible player, and so humble when I met him at a Warwick camp years ago. Much respect.
Robert is good,but nowhere near Cliff brother....massive difference in the way each of them play...Cliff was a musician,Robert is a bassist.
this is the most metal intro by a bassist ever...rest in peace cliff the music you created will live forever...
I don't know when Cliff rips that intro to for whom the bell tolls is pretty f-ing awesome.
I fell in love with Cliff at the age of 14 back in 1991. I just CONSUMED Cliff em All for years. I’ll be 46 this month and his playing still brings me to tears. It’s so thoughtful, fun, intelligent, he was a pure artist. It has been so nice over the last decade especially to see all the love that has just blossomed for his memory. As it should be. Cliff = absolute joy.
To add, now that I’ve finished the solo. Cliff had such utter command of the instrument. He could chug and plow but I think what really set him apart was his tenderness. Those solos (which I also thought were lead guitar, for YEARS), are played with such gentle touch and finesse. There’s no heaviness to those strikes, and no strain to the bends. And Cliff notoriously hated the studio. He did not do 100 takes. He got in a vibe and did a few takes and it was over. You got what you got. And holy schnikes, what gems we got.
And about metallica - they are indeed the best. Yes crushing riffs and energy and all that, but easily most intelligent and “effectively” musical of all the metal bands. Cliff was a big part of that. We have tix for our 6-7th shows this fall, and our 8-9th shows next summer also. Can’t wait. They are THE BEST.
Thank you for breaking this down. My all time favorite. You did this in an amazing very respectful way, made great points & included aspects of this VERY intricate song that I hadn't realized, noticed or even understood in 25+ years that I've been listening to it. Great job & long live Metallica
Hats off to you!! I've heard this song countless, COUNTLESS times and thought I knew it well... You opened my ears up to new things and a new way of looking at this musically. Thank you.
A masterpiece really. Its incredibly timeless and flows so smooth
Again a killer bass toner. Not being a bass player, I'm suscribing immediately. You should play more in your videos, your playing is seamless.
we miss Cliff so much.. he had his pinky pointing down because an old accident he had that left him with some nerve issue.. the song is a masterpiece... God bless u Clifford...
They have recently played it live in Montreal on August 11, 2023 and other places. Search and you'll see the Swedish show available.
Orion is music that will never die. Cliff made timeless sounds.
The best description of Orion ever !!! Mad genius
There are a couple more live performances on youtube of Orion since 06' with Robert. He does a great job with it.
Yep. He sure does!
Awesome review
I'm lucky to have experienced this live with Rob Trujillo playing.
Such a magical piece.
This is The Instrumental for me. Its probably the song that opened my ears up to prog and really appreciating arrangement more than any other. Classical music as well .
Excellent video, Mark!! Cliff was so instrumental in my beginning years of playing bass. I wouldn't be the player I am today without him.
You should do some Haken soon. I have to say that's probably my favorite band today.
Yas! And some Mudvayne!! Severed!!
I absolutely love what Cliff did with the bass, and with metal I'm general.
Gotta do Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) if you haven't.
I love different uses of bass such as Cliff (and Jason when he could), Lemmy, and Peter Steele.
This song got me through a lot of stuff when I was a teen... Today, I am 45 and it still hits right at my heart. love Metallica. Love Orion.
Not bad for a Bunch of High School Dropout Misfit Rebels .These guys were basically Composing a Masterpiece of Musical Genius .James 22 Yrs old , Lars 22 Yrs Old , Cliff 23 Yrs Old , Kirk 23 Yrs old in 1985 when they started Composing the Master Of Puppets Album . This Album was Inducted into the Library of Congress as the main Instrument / inspiration of USA Freedom . No band in their early 20s will ever compose this kind of Musical Material again ⭐🌠⚡🌋🙈🙉🙊👄🔥💥😎😉😳😍🤠🤙🤘🤗🤑🙃🤔
Still my favourite album and this song in particular is what made me fall in love with both learning and playing bass
I would love to get your breakdown on "The Call of Ktulu" as well as "To Live Is To Die"
You demonstrate what I love about Cliff's playing so well in the second section, even though the melody repeats, every repeat there is a new flourish somewhere so it's never just a the same thing again and again.
the small changes really catch the ear.
I’m too guilty of not knowing Cliff was doing the intro for many years, also I’m probably one of the only ones who didn’t realize Cliff was doing a solo in the middle of the song until, Dreamtheater covered this album and hearing Myung play it I was in the shower and heard it I freaked out then put the Metallica album on after the shower and was just blown away! But I also was young when I was hearing Metallica, by the time I was 15 I was listening to dreamtheater and Yes and LTE just the crazy prog stuff, so it’s not something I was listening to as I got older it’s something I came back to just to appreciate what Cliff was doing
Who's Chill?
@@JOZoSo. Cliff dawg I caught that and changed it 🤦♂️ that was disrespectful to the GOAT wasn’t it lol I know
Thank you so much for being so respectful of the song. It’s such a beautiful piece and as you mentioned, the layering in the middle just has Cliff written all over it
You are so welcome!
i started playing in a band recently and one of my bandmember know me as the Orion guy. playing bass was the best choice i made, in my opinion. no one wanted to pick up the bass and Orion was always in my heart and forever will, so i took the honor to do so. i have made a riff that my bandmates think that is my masterpiece and it was the first riff that i showed to them (but i think i can do much better). this song helps me almost daily and probably will forever
Saw Metallica in concert five times, though the last time was ‘93. Amazing, amazing live.
I’d give Geezer the biggest credit to the “lead bassist” Cliff took it the next level.
bro, i've been watching your content for the last 2 weeks n i really love your analysis, you deserve more fr
Man, thank you so much! Means a lot. Cheers!!
Cliff was the reason I first picked up a bass back in high school. Greatest bassist to ever play imo. RIP Bass God Cliff Burton! 🙏 🤟
Same story here! Him, John Paul Jones, and Duff for me.
This video perfectly explains what I always tell my friends about Cliff but I couldn't demonstrate with the instrument... Thanks
There are live performances of "Orion" but with Rob and not Cliff, Rob does a hell of a job though and really does Cliffs legacy justice \m/
Agreed, Rob is like a perfect blend of Cliff and Jason, and super talented. AND, the nicest guy ever when I met him years ago. I thought the Orion tribute they did a few years ago (whichever one had Cliff behind him on the big screens) was extremely tasteful and well done.
I really like the remaster, hearing CLiff's fingers hitting the strings and getting to know more of what he was playing. Geezer Butler caught my ear, Cliff introduced me to bass as an individual instrument, it's been amazing ever since. Every time I hear/play that bass melody before it goes to 6/8 I still remember the fist time hearing the song in my bedroom all these years later. The bluesy sustain on those guitar parts just soar. It's a great song to listen to at night during the winter in a tree stand just taking everything in.
I love this song. The second riff after the bass solo. I don’t know how they came up with that. It’s amazing.
Cliff gave the best foundation for the band , it’s unfortunate we never know what they been able to be….
Love how the bend at the start of to solo is already bent then plucked and released sound so sad, love it
Cliff stabbed his pinky while fishing with his father Ray. Heard Ray tell the story at Orion Festival in Atlantic City.
This song has always been a story to me. It’s remarkable how well they can tell a story without words
When I heard Rob joined the band, I immediately thought if anyone could bring lead bass back, it would be him.
Even though completely different styles, Rob did dive into Burtons style
He's totally capable - hell of a player!
Man, they really highlight Robert in the new one. I love it, they're giving him his due.
Rob is so good! I'd love to see DD Verni rip this. He's right there with Cliff for me
Robs parts on the new album are beastly!!!
As a well seasoned guitar player, this bass breakdown for Orion was very helpful and well done, thank you!
On the Metallica movie...Through the Never, Rob plays it perfect . It's at the end of the movie. They do play this live at concerts
Yep! I know - just meant with Cliff playing it live.
@@LowEndUniversity my fault... lmao
This is one of my favourite Metallica songs ever but you explaining so much about the ins and outs of the bass played in this song to me who hasnt a clue about how to play bass is very insightful and gives me another great take on Orion, great video man👌🏼
Cliff was influenced by Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, John Paul Jones and Lemmy, among others who did amazing things with the bass.
Geezer Butler, too.
I know this video is over a year old. I love the first three albums with Cliff Burton! Another unique thing is that each of those albums got a kick ass instrumental! Anesthesia, Call of Ktulu, Orion, and his last compo was To Live Is To Die. We don't have that anymore.
Get the Metallica live blu-ray Through the never...they play it at the end live but no crowd all the way through...Robert does a killer job!
The intro was actually an organ. Cliff playing it of course, he was also a classically trained pianist remember. This review was so good! I just subbed you.
Metallica has played this song live numerous times. I know not with cliff, but they play it note for note. Robert Trujillo and Jason Newsted were MORE THAN CAPABLE of replicating this live.
Rob more than Jason imo
Jason wouldn’t play this live, ever, out of respect for Cliff.
@@ickdon7999 yoU ARE INCORRECT. Jason played this all the time. Plus the current band plays it all the time. It is no longer 2001. It is now 2023. YOU MUST GET WITH THE PROGRAM. Living in the past will damage your future. Know who said that? JASON NEWSTED.
He quit the band!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Know who said that? Lars Ulrich.
Your mom is a great lay!!!!! Know who said that? Every guy in the State.
What a beautiful rendition of this masterpiece! Being the Metsllica fan that I am, I have listened to Orion hundereds of times and often found something new. It’s so amazing to hear your take on the composition, really adding yet another perspective. Thank you so much!
Well, look at Trujillo, flea, and obviously cliff.... I mean Cliff truly started showing off THE BASS. Ones that have respect and true love for the art of their instrument and stay true to the passion of music explores techniques of the Great ones! Your a fool not too! And Lars is the best!!! F*** all haters!!! Metallica 4ever🤘🤟🤙❤️🖤
Well said!
I picked up my first bass almost 32 years ago because of Cliff. 🤘🤘
I hold Cliff in the same pantheon as Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, Chris Squire...the bass wasn't purely a rhythm instrument - it could certainly stand on it's own, just like a guitar!
This instrumental is so lyrical - long been a favourite Metallica track of mine. Thanks for the reaction & analysis. RIP Cliff - I'm one of many that wonders what he would have brought to music had he lived on!
The harmonizing guitars and cliffs bass in that middle section of the song is just amazing.
The Bass solo was originally supposed to be a continuation of Kirks solo. Kirk had to fly back to the US while Cliff remained in Copenhagen for a couple of days. Cliff played the second section of Kirks solo on Bass whilst also making it his own and that’s what got added to the record.
Great analysis, all the instruments just compliment each other perfectly.
RIP Cliff
Like James himself said, Cliff wasn't really a bass player, he was a guitar player using a bass
Case in point why he shredded a bass like a guitar so well he was a genius!
It’s always wild to hear him playing knowing he had all of that talent, ability and knowledge at such a young age.
Who knows what it could have been like when he was older. Gone far to young.
About your comment “Kirk receives hate”, only the Dave Mustaine fans are doing that …
Always a good time hearing this song again. One of the best songs ever written.
I don't think anyone would fault Kirk's work until post Black Album to be fair, except perhaps thrash "purists"...They hate the Black Album more than any other 😂
wow!! thanks for taking me on a journey. I'm a metallica fan and guitar player. love cliff burton..this was beautifull
Really appreciate the kind words Brent!
Can you please just cover this with your tone lol
Ha! Maybe! I’m glad the tone is sounding okay 😉
This has always been my favorite song! I can't play a guitar and I can't read notes so hearing you walk through the song was great! Good job bro
Call of Ktulu.
This song will always be embedded in my brain. 1993 and I was in track. The last race was the mile relay and we had to win the race to win the championship. They walked us up from the 100 meter point to the 400m point. Big crowd. And Orion was on my Walkman. So I got to March that way in front of the crowd. I was the anchor. And of course we wone. There was no way I would be denied after listening to this.
When he died, metallica died with him
Nope