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Thursday
Jul082021

Megadeth Replaces Bass Tracks On Upcoming Album

Dave Mustaine made it clear after firing David Ellefson that his bass parts would be removed from Megadeth's upcoming new release. It seems like the re-recording is now complete, so maybe the band used a session musician to get the job done. Still no word on who Megadeth will tap as their permanent new bass player.


Reader Comments (6)

None too surprising, considering the circumstances (and/or how Mustaine deals with 'issues' normally).

As I said previously, I can't fathom what Ellefson was thinking. Then again, he wasn't. Was he set-up? Who knows? Is he responsible for this regardless? Sure is. And that is all sad, no matter what. He was a good ambassador for the band/brand and served as a nice counterpoint to Pouty Dave the Petulant. He was also a father and a husband, lest anyone forgets. And, while I can see some garbage being thrown my way, I should add: he was a respectable-seeming ambassador for people of faith.

After rebuilding his relationship with Mustaine as an employee and, I assume, friend (recall the 'strained' comments in Megadeth's PR though), Ellefson let it all go sideways because he had urges. We all do. As others say, this sort of thing is very rock n' roll. Sure it is. Sure. But just as assuredly Ellefson also knew Galatians 6 (and I say that not to poke fun, but only as a lapsed Catholic who can search things on the Internet).
July 9, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterHim
Judging by that pic, Dave Mustane needs to invest in a bandana and start a Willie Nelson tribute band as a side gig.
July 9, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterGary
Seems petty to me.

And yes, Dave E made a mistake. And I'm sure many people have made similar mistakes. Shame he lost his job because of it, which I don't agree with personally.

But, social media has ruined a lot of marriages and relationships. And that is really sad. I know the damage first hand and I feel for his wife.

Good luck to him. I must say this whole issue has cast Mustaine in a very negative light in my books. Not Dave E.
July 9, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRita
Gary, what about a simple mash-up? "Mechanix Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Metallicas"'; "On The Road To A Symphony of Destruction"'; "Rattlehead In The Sky"; and so on. It could be a fun evening of beard hair, twang, pot smoke, and thrash.

Rita, I certainly see your point, even if I disagree that the firing is 'petty'. Thing is, Mustaine has always been a jerk. Talented jerk. But still. Ellefson, as I noted, was the more balanced of the two remaining classic members (esp. after he came back as a paid employee after his ill-fated attempt to sue Mustaine). And I take your larger point: mistakes are made, urges are given in to, people all have weaknesses. Here's the thing for me: he held himself up as a pious person and this whoopsy cuts against that image (no less the issues with his family that you mention). Don't misunderstand me. Pious people are people too! They make mistakes that contradict their public persona, even as they still have helped people.

Do I think he should have lost his job? Not really. But I understand the thinking behind him losing it. It causes bad press. It puts the focus on things that Mustaine, as the employer, doesn't want to deal with. And, as an employee (esp. for Mssr. Mustaine), I think you have to be very careful not to get thrown through that revolving door that has been Megadeth since the classic lineup fractured.

My point? Ellefson strikes me as a smart man, no less a good one (who has some atoning to do to those closest to him). But, and this is a bit granular, he chose to do something that I think he knows was wrong. And he got caught. So he should have been more discrete. But that raises the stickier (no pun intended) issue: what was a good man doing soliciting, in person and then online, interactions with a woman who is young enough to be his daughter? Again, it cuts against his image and suggests--doesn't it always?--that the private man is a different person than the public one. I hope he can recover from this fall from grace. I hope people who enjoy what he brought to metal can find a place in their hearts to welcome him back (in some form, given that his co-partner in Ellefson [the side project] bailed/retired soon after all of this came out).

But he brought this upon himself. And as much of a jerk as Mustaine can be, it isn't his fault. You catch your employee making sweet love to the salad bar at a Sweet Tomatoes (RIP), and what are you to do? Perhaps you accept his apology. You understand it is a lapse. But do you keep that guy on staff? Especially after the incident is picked up in the media and there is video to prove it? And don't forget: this is the guy that sued you when you hired other people to toss the lettuce at . . . your . . . business. So Ellefson already had marks on his back (even if I grant that the 'strained' comments were petty). And no amount of apologizing is going to undo what has transpired in the band, Hopefully, it will help with his family. And hopefully he comes back better and stronger. Bracing though it is, life lessons that stick (again, no pun intended) often hurt our ego.
July 10, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterHim
HI Him,

Thanks for your additional comments. You raise many good points, as usual.

When I used the term "petty", I more so meant the re-recording of his bass tracks. If the work was done and the quality of it was fine, why re-record it? I'm sure there was a financial reason behind that, and maybe that's why that choice was made. But petty was the first word that came to mind

And the whole piety issue is completely separate. Don't even get me started on that. Funny thing, I have often found that those people who keep pushing the "piety" card, are the least pious of all. And again, I know that first hand. I know some "born-again" Christians whose private behavior is exceedingly "Un-Christian". So, I was not surprise there at all. Not one bit.

But yes, hypocrisy at its finest. Definitely.
July 12, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterRita
Great reply, Rita. Yes, saying you are something and being something are two far different things. But I think Ellefson is a good guy who made a huge mistake. Niuff sed.

Replacing his contributions? Hmmm. Iommi did that with Holland back in the day. Holland was close to Rudd in terms of being a metal hero behind the kit. But his legacy is now tainted. So Iommi wiped him off the release. I think this is a version of that tendency, while noting that Ellefson's transgressions were far less egregious. Same goes for the Spacey/Plummer wipe a few years ago (and, again, not an entirely similar issue).

You hurt the brand? You are gone, especially if you have no equity/stake in the band/brand.
July 14, 2021 | Unregistered CommenterHim

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