(Credit: Far Out / Tidal)
Rock music found itself in a strange place in the late 1980s: glam metal and remnants of classic rock were dominating the mainstream, while underground indie, punk, and experimental sounds were being nurtured and poised to become emerging cult forces by the early next decade. Amid this cultural polarization, Slash and his band, Guns N’ Roses, occupied a unique middle ground, bridging these nearly opposing environments.
Guns N’ Roses have a lot in common with commercially successful but critically panned glam metal bands like Mötley Crüe and Van Halen: wailing vocals, bombastic music, big hair and hedonism. Though Slash describes much of the West Hollywood scene his band emerged from as “very superficial” and soulless, he goes so far as to claim that his band is the “opposite polar opposite” of those groups.
The guitarist was absolutely right, but somewhat paradoxically, when he described the band that epitomized soulless glam metal at the time, Mötley Crüe, as “the American Sex Pistols” – pointing out that although their songs were catchy, they were all about attitude and image and, in his opinion, punk.
This warped worldview played a big role in Slash and his band positioning themselves halfway between typical rock grandiosity and its punk counterpart: as lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, his playing was the tip of the group’s sonic spear, meaning he always had more in common with classic rock bands than punk, even as he infused his approach with punk grit on tracks like “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome to the Jungle.”
Sure, he had a penchant for big bar chords and played a Les Paul like Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, but his penchant for soloing and virtuosity severed any connection to the genre that had spawned songs like “God Save the Queen” and “Babylon’s Burning” – and, moreover, had no political voice.
Whereas punk’s aesthetics and attitude were genuine when they emerged as a subversion of the established order, Slash’s adherence to the empty attitude and image synonymous with the classic rock era and his open admiration of his favourite guitarists of the early 1970s as his ultimate heroes proves that he has much in common with traditional rock.
He pretty much admits it himself: Led Zeppelin’s Les Paul-wielding Jimmy Page introduced him to “hedonism” and raunchy rock, and Slash’s background is clear: Jeff Beck, Mick Taylor and Eddie Van Halen are all big influences, further confirming that he comes from this realm of classic rock rather than the Sex Pistols, the Clash or Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Here are the 10 records that changed his life: Music Radar In 2014, Slash clarified his connection to classic rock, stating that his collection does not contain any albums from the era, apart from a few records by ’70s power pop masters Cheap Trick. Offering deeper insight into how his approach was shaped, one key record he cited was The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 debut. Have you experienced this?He described the late Seattle musician’s playing as “out of this world.”
He said: “It’s mind-blowing. I still listen to this record and am in awe. It’s just amazing and Jimi’s guitar playing is out of this world.”
An album that remains raw and forever fresh today, its jammy nature influenced the work of Slash and Guns N’ Roses’ energetic 1987 debut. The desire for destruction.
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