Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has weighed in on the long-standing debate surrounding the mix of the band’s 1988 landmark album, …And Justice For All. Despite decades of being criticized for the lack of any bass guitar on the record, Jason Newsted firmly believes the original work should remain untouched as a historical document of the band’s evolution.
Speaking on May 12 during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” Jason Newsted spoke about whether he knows of any plans to remix the …And Justice For All album for a potential 40th-anniversary expanded reissue in 2028. While the album is a cornerstone of thrash metal, it has faced criticism for nearly 40 years because the bass guitar is virtually inaudible, a decision often attributed to the specific preferences of drummer Lars Ulrich.
When asked if he hoped the album would eventually receive a modern remix, Newsted was dismissive.
“Nah, man. No. It’s what it is. I don’t think that you should go back and mess with things like that. I don’t agree with it. I know other fans and stuff have done approaches or examples of what it would be if there was bass louder on the record, but I just don’t spend time like that…. It’s been 35 years or something; that’s more than half of my life. I don’t really pay too much attention to it,” he said (via Blabbermouth).
“What I’ve come to with all this, ’cause people still like to bring it up, and I’m pretty happy that they do, because if it hadn’t been so f**king bizarre, then we probably wouldn’t be talking about it 35 years later with any kind of interest,” he continued. “If it was just the record, there was a record and there’s an album and it goes like this, then we probably wouldn’t be saying anything else about it until the unboxing came. But since people still bring it up…”
Jason offered a unique perspective on why the bass was omitted, suggesting that the “no bass” philosophy was part of Metallica‘s DNA long before he joined. He recalled seeing the original No Life ‘Til Leather demo cassette, which featured a telling instruction in Lars Ulrich‘s own handwriting.
“On the cassette of No Life ‘Til Leather, the original demo of Metallica, and it’s handwriting in a blue ballpoint pen, in Lars‘s handwriting,” Newsted added. “And it says, ‘Metallica No Life ‘Til Leather demo’, and then in parentheses, ‘Turn bass down on stereo.’ In his handwriting. Okay, that was the demo — the very first time anyone was going to hear their band. He was already in that mode. So it’s 1982. That’s where the playing field is, that’s where we start.”
He went on to describe James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich as the “original garage duo,” viewing the other members, including himself, Kirk Hammett, and the late Cliff Burton, as “embellishments” to that core partnership.
If the garage duo chooses to put bass in their duo, then they do. If they don’t, they don’t. …And Justice For All is the largest-selling garage duo album of all time.”
Before joining Metallica in 1986, Jason Newsted was the bassist for the Arizona thrash outfit Flotsam and Jetsam. He noted that the complex, progressive nature of the …And Justice For All material felt natural to him because of his previous musical background.
“Well, it was far more reminiscent of Flotsam music than it was of Metallica music. So it was kind of just in stride for me as far as the style. Flotsam was very much the busy, up-tempo craziness like that, very progressive. So I think they kind of just fit right in it for me.”
Despite the “bizarre” nature of the final mix, Jason Newsted expressed a strange sense of gratitude for the controversy. He suggested that if the album had featured a standard mix, it might not still be a primary topic of conversation 35 years later. For him, the record stands as a testament to two people in a “12-by-12 cave” with Marshall stacks and a Tascam recorder who managed to change the world.
“There are many bands that exist, but there’s only a few important ones, and that’s an important one, and those are important albums. All of them, all the way through when we were rolling in f**king money, [were written the same way], in a 12-by-12 cave with a drum set and Marshall stacks that just about touched the roof and two people with a Tascam cassette recorder, eight-track. And they go in and they make the albums that change the world. Two people, and Lars plays [his drums] with the guitar out of the monitor, not the bass. It’s always been that,” he said.
The bassist remains fiercely protective of the band’s early legacy, referring to the first three albums as a “trilogy of godliness” that set the blueprint for the entire genre. In his view, the innovation and importance of those records outweigh any modern desire to “fix” what some perceive as technical flaws.
While Metallica continues their massive “M72 World Tour” and prepares for their upcoming Sphere residency in Las Vegas later this year, the mystery of the “missing bass” on …And Justice For All remains one of rock’s most enduring legends, one that Jason Newsted is perfectly happy to leave alone.
