Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted recently addressed the long-standing controversy surrounding the bass mix on the band’s 1988 album “…And Justice For All.” He explained his perspective on the issue in a statement shared on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
Newsted was asked whether he would want the album to be remixed at some point, given the criticism it has received for the lack of prominent bass parts. His response defended the band’s approach and revealed insights into Metallica’s recording philosophy.
“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,” Newsted said. “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.”
The bassist went on to explain why he believes the controversy has actually benefited the album’s legacy.
“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 fucking 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…”
Newsted then revealed a key piece of evidence that suggests the bass-light approach was part of Metallica’s DNA from the very beginning.
“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. And it says, ‘Metallica ‘No Life ‘Til Leather’ demo’, and then in parentheses, ‘Turn bass down on stereo.’ In his handwriting,” Newsted explained. “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. So as you go through things, and the way that any of the records were created, especially the trilogy of godliness, the first three, set the blueprints for our style of music, period.”
Newsted’s comments align with previous explanations from other band members about the controversial mix that has sparked debate for decades.
Guitar World reported that producer Flemming Rasmussen revealed James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich specifically instructed him to lower the bass during the final mix. They asked him to make it audible and then reduce it by another 3 dB. This deliberate decision contradicts theories that the bass mix was an accident or oversight during production.
Hetfield himself has provided technical explanations for the bass obscurity on the album. Guitar World noted that the frontman explained the bass was partly obscured because Newsted doubled his rhythm guitar parts. His own guitar tone on the album was very scooped, leaving little room in the low end of the frequency spectrum.
The controversy surrounding “…And Justice For All” has persisted for over three decades. Fans and critics consistently point to the buried bass as a major flaw in an otherwise acclaimed album. DC101 highlighted that despite the many accolades the album received, it has long been criticized for its lack of bass guitar from Jason Newsted in the final mix.
The album marked Newsted’s first full-length recording with Metallica after joining the band following Cliff Burton’s tragic death in 1986. Loudwire documented that Newsted’s recent comments during his appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation explain why he hopes Metallica don’t have his bass remixed. He prefers to leave the album as it stands in music history.
