Tuesday, March 2nd 2010
News: Slash
Slash & Stockdale Make Music, And Here’s Our Obligatory Three Minutes Of Caring
By The Sword, the lead single for Slash‘s upcoming solo album, has been making the rounds since the weekend. While the track may be familiar to people who have seen it performed live a few months ago, the studio version is now available:
The track features Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale on vocals, doing his usual Robert Plant/Ozzy imitation. Much like in Wolfmother songs, the guitars remind you a bit too much of rock anthems from the 70′s. However, probably thanks to Slash, this song sounds better than pretty much anything on Cosmic Egg. But then again, that’s not saying much.
The album, entitled Slash, is slated for an April 6 release on the US, and features guest participations by Lemmy Kilmister, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, and many others – but none by Jack White, as he famously rejected the request to sing on the record, saying he would “play anything else”.
According to Slash, this album has “been a release for me after the two Velvet records and my past history in bands. It was just nice to go out and steer my own ship for a minute”. Yet we still wonder just what would happen if he and Axl finally made a record good enough to make us forget Chinese Democracy.
Numero Uno. Odd choice for the first single… Odd choice for a singer.
Or better yet, what if Slash had made Chinese Democracy with Axl?
Decent song, but Stockdale’s voice has gotten annoying. And this is coming from a Geddy Lee fan.
His voice is highly annoying, but I thought the music was well written. Put Axle on top of this and it would be huge IMO
ditto orsino, love the ‘lies’ type acoustic intro – Slash redeemed himself (for me at least) with this…I’m excited to hear the cornell cut
Zoops: Chinese Democracy wouldn’t have been made with Slash. Nothing about that record has anything to do with him, and it sounds that way.
I don’t know Chinese Democracy was great but spoiled by leaks, it would sound badly with Slash as he wouldn’t be able to play majority of guitar stuff.
Axl with Slash wouldn’t be special, it would end up in nostalgia act and wouldn’t sound fresh,, why Axl would do that ? For money ? He is not into that and South America tour is about to make 15mln profit for GN’R. And Buckethead, Bumblefoot, Fortus, DJ Ashba right know ( not talking about past ) run circles over Slash as far as songwriting/guitar playing goes.
Song is good but nothing special, any song on CD is better than that.
The current GNR tour doesn’t even have Robin Finck. If he was still there, I’d consider attending one of the gigs in South America – since Finck wrote the only song I actually like on Chinese Democracy, “Better”. But I couldn’t care less about the current lineup, especially with some dude named “DJ Ashba”.
i’ve always liked Slash for his tone and ability to craft great solos, but this song/riff is just boring.
Slash seems like sort of a parody now, known more for his trademark hat/shades/hair look than for his playing…
yawn.
having said that, he still gets my respect for being able to put up w both Axl and Scott Weiland, for any length of time. That is a feat unto itself…
Maybe if the IRS went after some of these guys for back taxes, they would have to make a record & tour again, out of financial need. As it stands right now these guys hate each others guts, and don’t need the money.
I know Chinese Democracy is a left turn from Slash’s style as far as songwriting goes, but I wonder how some of those songs would have sounded had they been filtered through, and helped to take shape, by him and Duff.
All of the guitarists on that album play, at one time or another, some very Slash-like leads. I would’ve liked to have heard his take on those songs. God knows they are better than any songs Slash has put out as a solo artist. He could have definitely benefited from Axl’s writing had he remained.
And how many of CD’s songs would’ve survived and maybe made into an album (in maybe a slightly different form)had GnR stayed together? IDK, maybe it’s just wishful thinking.
Fernando actually DJ Ashba is much better guitar player than Fick ever was, he has that bluesy tone Slash had, a DJ is fro Darren Jay or something like that. I’ve seen shows with Finck and 2 shows in Canda with new line-up and I know that will be flamed for that but 2009/2010 line-up is the best sounding, looking ( stage presence) line-up since 1988-1991 , the songs are monsters, Axl sounds amazing and Ashba not matter how bad it sounds and how he looks nails every single solo. It seems like a band that time, not some random guys freakshow.
zoopster I agree that Slash would benefit a lot from Axl songwriting, Axl pushes those players to their limits I think ( especially with Slash) maybe he didn’t like being pushed( and Sympathy for the Devil cover with twin/echo guitars solo sounds great) but Buckethead isn’t playing any Slash-like leads or solos, nor Bumblefoot. Finck, Fortus, Tobias yes but those two are league on their own.
There is rumor that Axl is mixing CD II in NYC between legs of tour so fingers crossed X.
And Slash CD could be good ( not great) I’ve ordered that Special Pack, want badly to hear his song with Alice Cooper…..
whoa whoa. dj ashba is really good (and come on fernando, are you going to bag on a guy just because of his name?), but he’s not better than finck. maybe more like slash, maybe a better fit for gnr, but not a more skilled guitarist. there’s my flame ;)
Yeah Peter, that’s fucking bullshit on high my friend. Finck has that cat utterly slain on the guitar.
I wouldn’t be silly enough to criticize DJ “not an actual DJ” Ashba solely based on his name. I’ve seen him playing, I don’t think he’s as good as Finck.
This sucks
Slash is to rock & roll what Snoop Dogg is to gangsta rap. Once a rebel, now a puppet. I for one look forward to Slash paying a visit to the Martha Stewart show when she harvests the tobacco crop on her farm.
I don’t agree. Finck isn’t that good I’ve not seen him shredding or tapping ever. He is amazing in studio CD recording ( This I Love is mindblowing solo, Better, Blues) and Axl said Finck played SRV alike epic blues solo on some new track. BUT he isn’t technically great, has his cool style and tone and his stage presence his Huge, but.as far as technique goes Ashba is better guitar player he taps, shreds, plays in many scales etc. And Finck butchered some old solos especially Sweet Child,Mr Browstone. I was really upset about Finck leaving Guns NRoses loved his style even meet the guy and Ashba looked like Nikki Sixx wannabe amd wasnt sure about his guitar stuff ( though Sixx AM guitars were great as well as his solo stuff) then seen clips from 4h show in Tokyo and then twice in Canada – he won me totally over, it was back to 80s blues Jack Daniels soaked hard rock. I still kind of prefer Finck but Ashba is better fit for Gn’R and is better axemam
Peter, my friend, just cause you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I’ve seen Ashba. He’s good, definitely good (fucking raccoon girl makeup aside). Watching Finck in concert with GNR, however, was utterly mesmerizing. In NIN he’s incredibly restrained in what he’s able to do, but the Dec. 2006 GNR show Skwerl & I saw was mindblowing. Robin was a goddamn virtuoso, completely dominating every classic and ripping off a five-minute solo in Better that made John Frusciante look like he’s got stumps for hands. He plays with more passion and finesse than I’ve seen in a modern rock guitarist, and he’s fucking incredible.
Yeah I’ve read that review good stuff I don’t apparently I haven’t seen that show so can’t comment I based my opnion on shows I’ve seen and tons of youtube videos I’ve seen. But he had always played with tons of passion and his studio work is passionate and awesome but technically simple but you can’t recreate than solos anyway because it doesn’t sound right. Still shame he is average songwriter NIN is Trent’s territory and in GN’R he wrote one song while Buckethead who was in for only 4 year co-wrote half an album. But Buckethead is monster on guitat – moving passion, unreal technique , avantgarde way of playing…,
Now we’re quantifying the argument? It’s not about average songwriting, man, or how many songs he wrote. He’s a hired gun playing what Trent wrote. He works within confines when playing others’ music, as anyone does. But while we’re at it, I’ve yet to see anything DJ Ashba’s written that’s impressive.
Woah, I lost brain cells trying to decipher your writing. Correct me if I’m wrong but since when is tapping a good thing? Anyone can play Slash’s “licks”, every cover band has a guitar player that can rip every solo from Appetite.
You’re comparing apples and oranges; the only thing these guys have in common is they play guitar, they’re hired guns and they have atrocious hair.
WTF? I agree to disagree, it is not about playing something note for note, if you think so – you’re wrong. There was a contest some time ago, when listeners to some radio station had to send their version of “For the Love of God” by Steve Vai, many played the same “licks” solos note for note, not a single version came close to Steve’s version they couldn’t re-create the passion and feeling, every guitar player plays differently, pushing strings harder or lighter in their own way. You can play songs “note for note” but it won’t recreate feeling, vibe of some guitar players. For example, No one can play “Comfortably Numb” like Gilmour , and it is not complicated stuff.
I’m comparing their technical ability how could it be apples and oranges ? It’s only thing how you can rate guitar player being objective. Tapping to sound good is difficult technique really difficult(no matter how it sounds it’s difficult to learn well), shredding as well, playing in different scales too.
Ashba can use those techniques with great effect, Finck I don’t know haven’t seen him doing that stuff , in GN’R he is playing more with passion than with technique.
So that’s why I think that Ashba is technically better than Finck.
“Ashba can use those techniques with great effect, Finck I don’t know haven’t seen him doing that stuff , in GN’R he is playing more with passion than with technique.
So that’s why I think that Ashba is technically better than Finck.”
You owe me 5 brain cells.
You guys can have Chinese Democracy and the new Guns.. This Slash song absoluetly rocks!!! I cannot wait for his album.
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