'SLASH' The Album - Reviews

[Falcon]

"Slash" shoots a little too wide for its own good, but the album showcases him as the guitar hero we've always known..

If I had to review this record myself, the above would've captured my thoughts exactly.

[FunkyMonkey]

SLASH

Slash

(Dik Hayd Records)

Reviewed by : Aaron Small
Rating : 8.5

While Velvet Revolver continues its search for a vocalist to replace Scott Weiland, and bassist Duff McKagan works on the new Jane?s Addiction album, guitarist Slash has issued his debut solo disc (the two Slash?s Snakepit releases were considered band efforts). The top-hatted six-stringer and former Gunner composed all of the stylistically diverse music and then contacted vocalists he thought would fit each particular song. Opening track ?Ghost? is a straight-ahead rocker featuring Ian Astbury of The Cult and former GN?R rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Ozzy Osbourne sings ?Crucify The Dead?, a song that despite insistence to the contrary, seems to be directed at Axl Rose. ?Beautiful Dangerous?, led by Fergie, is much more pop-oriented, yet it works in a bump and grind kind of way. ?Back From Cali? showcases Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, who Slash has chosen to be his touring vocalist. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave takes the reins for ?Promise?, a cool, bluesy number. Wolfmother?s Andrew Stockdale helms the instantly infectious first single, ?By The Sword?. Up next is Adam Levine from Maroon 5 on ?Gotten?. Sadly his delivery is beyond safe and ultra sappy. Leave it to Mot?rhead?s Lemmy to bring the album back to life with ?Doctor Alibi? ? a raucous bruiser of a song. The exciting instrumental, ?Watch This?, follows with contributions from Duff and Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters). Kid Rock is in charge of ?I Hold On? ? a catchy number perfectly suited to his raspy tone. ?Nothing To Say? is undeniably the most metal song on offer and M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold proves he?s more than capable of bringing the fire. Myles Kennedy returns for his second song with ?Starlight?, a track akin to Bad Company?s ?Shooting Star?. Unfortunately Rocco DeLuca is way too mellow on ?Saint Is A Sinner Too?, and truth be told, boring. Iggy Pop sounds like he?s near death on ?We?re All Gonna Die?, singing uninspired and ?dumb? lyrics about ?peeing on the ground? and ?jumping around.? This is where the regular version ends. However, the deluxe version contains three bonus tracks: the lively ?Sahara?, which introduces Japanese vocalist Koshi Inaba to a global audience. Alice Cooper and Pussycat Dolls? Nicole Scherzinger team up on the fun and frivolous ?Baby Can?t Drive?. Fergie?s back, this time with Cypress Hill, to bring the festivities to a close with a hip hop version of the Guns N? Roses classic, ?Paradise City?, a less than impressive effort. Given the veritable smorgasbord of guest vocalists, peaks and valleys were unavoidable. That being said, the one constant within this incredibly wide variance of music is Slash. His guitar solos are striking and passionate but even more importantly, a naturally expressive nature flows harmoniously, free from the constraints of what would or would not fit within the parameters of a band. With all sides showing, Slash has proven once again that he is truly one of the world?s top guitarists.

Bravewords

[dont_damn_me]

This may be a stupid question, but how do you get the bonus tracks if you download on itunes (ie Mother Maria and Sahara)?

You can find all the bonus tracks on limewire.  I got 'em.

I'm from Canada and bought the special edition which came with 3 bonus songs, Sahara(cheesy 80's rocker), and Paradise City remake.

Baby Can't Drive(Alie Cooper) is the other bonus.....it sounds like Stevie Adler playing drums but he's not credited on the album?.....could this be because his Mom would steel $$ royalties?, like what Axl said in a chat?  Maybe Slash just threw him some cash but left his name off the album??

[Bridge]

Baby Can't Drive(Alie Cooper) is the other bonus.....it sounds like Stevie Adler playing drums but he's not credited on the album?.....could this be because his Mom would steel $$ royalties?, like what Axl said in a chat?  Maybe Slash just threw him some cash but left his name off the album??

Yes, Steven does indeed play drums on "Baby Can't Drive", and Flea plays bass.

Steven's mom steals his royalties?  When did Axl say that?

[WTTJ_91]

I think when asked about playing with former Gunners if I'm not mistaken either that or during a forum QA 

[metallex78]

Sahara(cheesy 80's rocker)

Cheesy or not, that song has some killer guitar playing on it, both riffing and soloing.

[dont_damn_me]

Baby Can't Drive(Alie Cooper) is the other bonus.....it sounds like Stevie Adler playing drums but he's not credited on the album?.....could this be because his Mom would steel $$ royalties?, like what Axl said in a chat?  Maybe Slash just threw him some cash but left his name off the album??

Yes, Steven does indeed play drums on "Baby Can't Drive", and Flea plays bass.

Steven's mom steals his royalties?  When did Axl say that?

One of the online chats. 

On celebrity rehab Steve talks about his mom taking his royalty $$$ too, if I remember correctly.

Wonder why Flea and Steve weren't credited for their work ?

[AxlReznor]

To be fair to Steven's mother, it was for his own good that she decided to take his royalties. He still has access to the money if he needs something... but she knew that if he had all of it, he'd spend it all on drugs.

[Dayle1066]

Baby Can't Drive(Alie Cooper) is the other bonus.....it sounds like Stevie Adler playing drums but he's not credited on the album?.....could this be because his Mom would steel $$ royalties?, like what Axl said in a chat?  Maybe Slash just threw him some cash but left his name off the album??

Yes, Steven does indeed play drums on "Baby Can't Drive", and Flea plays bass.

Steven's mom steals his royalties?  When did Axl say that?

One of the online chats. 

On celebrity rehab Steve talks about his mom taking his royalty $$$ too, if I remember correctly.

Wonder why Flea and Steve weren't credited for their work ?

They are both credited on the Classic Rock version

[IKnowWhereIAM]

I guess Slash is Slash, and thats why he is where he is.

you mean in the same legend category as Jimmy Page and Joe Perry?

Talent wise yes...judgement wise, I would put him barely 6ft over Jimi Hendrix.  This music does not please me, but if it pleases him, thats all that counts.  Sorry so late in my reply...I don't get on much these days.

[dont_damn_me]

Baby Can't Drive(Alie Cooper) is the other bonus.....it sounds like Stevie Adler playing drums but he's not credited on the album?.....could this be because his Mom would steel $$ royalties?, like what Axl said in a chat?  Maybe Slash just threw him some cash but left his name off the album??

Yes, Steven does indeed play drums on "Baby Can't Drive", and Flea plays bass.

Steven's mom steals his royalties?  When did Axl say that?

One of the online chats. 

On celebrity rehab Steve talks about his mom taking his royalty $$$ too, if I remember correctly.

Wonder why Flea and Steve weren't credited for their work ?

They are both credited on the Classic Rock version

Neither are credited on Canadian version??

[WTTJ_91]

I guess Slash is Slash, and thats why he is where he is.

you mean in the same legend category as Jimmy Page and Joe Perry?

Talent wise yes...judgement wise, I would put him barely 6ft over Jimi Hendrix.  This music does not please me, but if it pleases him, thats all that counts.  Sorry so late in my reply...I don't get on much these days.

So Jimmy Page with P Diddy and Joe Perry with Katy Perry and Britney Spears was good judgment?...

[COMAMOTIVE]

I'm as big a Slash fan as anyone, but to put him in Jimmy Page's class is a bit difficult

Don't want to get off topic...so will leave it short and sweet.

The album is pretty good, I think about 1/2 of the tunes are solid.....the other 1/2 may just not be for me

[oldgunsfan]

I'm as big a Slash fan as anyone, but to put him in Jimmy Page's class is a bit difficult

Don't want to get off topic...so will leave it short and sweet.

The album is pretty good, I think about 1/2 of the tunes are solid.....the other 1/2 may just not be for me

if you were completely objective and read respected music polls regarding various best of all-time lists of various rock songs, riffs, solo's etc.; and saw the # of times slash's name appears in the top 25 per poll and compare it to the # of times Page's name appears in the same poll in the top 25; i bet you would find they are pretty equal

[COMAMOTIVE]

I'm as big a Slash fan as anyone, but to put him in Jimmy Page's class is a bit difficult

Don't want to get off topic...so will leave it short and sweet.

The album is pretty good, I think about 1/2 of the tunes are solid.....the other 1/2 may just not be for me

if you were completely objective and read respected music polls regarding various best of all-time lists of various rock songs, riffs, solo's etc.; and saw the # of times slash's name appears in the top 25 per poll and compare it to the # of times Page's name appears in the same poll in the top 25; i bet you would find they are pretty equal

Like I said, not looking to get too far off topic - but if you judge a musician based upon polls and lists you are doing yourself a dis-service. It's not a knock on Slash or what he has accomplished to suggest that he's not quite in Jimmy Page's category. Besides, it's only an opinion

[oldgunsfan]

I'm as big a Slash fan as anyone, but to put him in Jimmy Page's class is a bit difficult

Don't want to get off topic...so will leave it short and sweet.

The album is pretty good, I think about 1/2 of the tunes are solid.....the other 1/2 may just not be for me

if you were completely objective and read respected music polls regarding various best of all-time lists of various rock songs, riffs, solo's etc.; and saw the # of times slash's name appears in the top 25 per poll and compare it to the # of times Page's name appears in the same poll in the top 25; i bet you would find they are pretty equal

Like I said, not looking to get too far off topic - but if you judge a musician based upon polls and lists you are doing yourself a dis-service. It's not a knock on Slash or what he has accomplished to suggest that he's not quite in Jimmy Page's category. Besides, it's only an opinion

i wasn't basing my opinion on a poll or what have you; but basically taking the position if you knew nothing about great rock guitarists and read some opinion polls from repsected magazines; Page and Slash would appear about the same number of times at the top of the lists-I don't think I ever said I base my opinion on polls or lists; just pointing out a fact and making a case that putting Slash in the same league as Page is not as big of a stretch as some people think

reputations are made over time and Slash and Page's best work have long stood the test of time

[FunkyMonkey]

Slash's Label Leads The List Of Silly Vanity Imprint Names

Posted 2 hrs ago by Kyle Anderson

After years of toiling in some wildly successful rock bands (most notably Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver), Slash has finally made his way into the center of the spotlight with his first true solo album. It just debuted in third place on the Billboard album chart, moving over 60,000 copies in its first week on the strength of the behatted guitarist's non-stop promotion and the single "By the Sword" (a team-up with Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale.

Slash is actually a tremendous collection of hard rock songs that center around the axe man's signature chunky, swirling riffs. His backing band features all of the original members of Guns N' Roses (Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler ? only Axl Rose is absent). In Santana style, each track has a guest vocalist, some of which work really well (Stockdale, Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl) while others stumble a bit (Fergie, Myles Kennedy). On balance, it's an excellent album, and it feels good to have that classic Slash sound back.

But there is one thing that stands out about the record: It has been released on Slash's own imprint. The label's title? Dik Hayd Records. Like the top entry on yesterday's list of ridiculous band names, "Dik Hayd" combines a juvenile joke and bad grammar for a truly silly stew. In fact, it immediately rockets to the top of the list of silliest vanity label names. It sits about the rest of these.

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/04/14/slash-album-label/

[Jim Bob]

Theres maybe 3 decent songs on it, and the rest I could do with never having to hear again.

The fergie track had promise but the chorus was so goddamn cheesy it killed the whole song.   Is there an insturmental of that song?

[Smoking Guns]

Theres maybe 3 decent songs on it, and the rest I could do with never having to hear again.

The fergie track had promise but the chorus was so goddamn cheesy it killed the whole song.   Is there an insturmental of that song?

The instrumental version streamed on ESPN for a few days.  What 3 songs did you like?

[FunkyMonkey]

The fergie track had promise but the chorus was so goddamn cheesy it killed the whole song.   Is there an insturmental of that song?

I like the song, but also as an instrumental.  I wish I had an MP3 of it, here it is on YouTube:

Beautiful Dangerous - Slash feat. Fergie Instrumental Version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWWqgG1ePsE