10 Musicians Who Almost Joined The Wrong Band

Metal fans across the world were absolutely gutted when the tragic report of bassist Cliff Burton's death in a bus accident was announced. Burton's style of bass playing fit in so perfectly with Metallica's headbanging tunes and would be impossible to replicate.

When the band got together back in the States to attend the funeral, they immediately began the search for a new bass player. In their searches, one of the names that singer James Hetfield remembers standing out was Les Claypool, whose insane fretwork was unlike anything the band had seen.

However, when it came time for the band to jam, the different playing styles clashed drastically as the others struggled to find a footing behind Claypool's signature tone. After discussing it, the band broke the news to Claypool that although they loved his playing, it wasn't a great fit for what Metallica would be doing going forward.

With each party going their separate ways, Claypool bounced back with his own outfit Primus, whose zany form of prog and hard rock blew minds in the 90's alternative scene. Meanwhile, Metallica's desperate search for bassists finally came to an end when they acquired Jason Newsted, a lifelong Metallica fan who worked with the band to reach great heights with And Justice for All and The Black Album.