“Very original”: the classic Jimi Hendrix riff Slash thinks is almost perfect
His passport says Saul Hudson, but we all know him as Slash, the legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist. As Axl Rose’s right-hand man, Slash crafted some of the most iconic rock songs of the 1980s and ‘90s, including ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, Paradise City’, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘November Rain’. Each hit benefited hugely from Slash’s knack for catchy riffs.
During Guns N’ Roses’ reign as eminent rock stars, rock ‘n’ roll had already enjoyed its zenith. In an era crowded by synth-pop artists and post-punk rock music, Guns N’ Roses ought to channel their rock idols, many of whom soared through the 1970s. Slash’s career was hugely influenced by his upbringing.
Although he was born in England, Slash’s mother, Ola J. Hudson, was a popular Black fashion designer whose clients included Ringo Starr, Janis Joplin and David Bowie. Meanwhile, his father is an English artist who earned his reputation by creating album artwork for musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
Accordingly, Slash grew up in an environment steeped in rock ‘n’ roll, and his future seemed foretold. “My dad especially raised me on British rock music – you know, The Kinks, Cream, The Yardbirds, The Stones and The Beatles,” he once told Colin McKean.
At around the age of 11, Slash’s parents separated, and he moved with his mother to live in LA. After this move, the youngster began to welcome American rock artists into his vocabulary. Among his early favourites was the late guitar hero Jimi Hendrix.
Speaking to Mitchell, Slash discussed his early introduction to Hendrix. “I actually didn’t become conscious of Jimi really until I moved to LA, and all of a sudden it was Hendrix, and The Doors and The Mamas and the Papas, Starship – that whole thing that was going on, and Jimi was just, you know, he was exciting. He was the embodiment of that wild electric guitarist.”
Slash recalled pining for the psychedelic era he was too young to appreciate at the time. “When I think about Jimi now, I start to relate to what it must have been like to be a rock star in 1967/68,” he continued. “That must have been such a wild time because it was all so new and primitive, and everybody was coming from such a different place mentally.”
He also noted the “political things” that had a huge “influence on youth culture” and felt a connection with the countercultural generation that bravely sought to “take their lives and the future into their own hands.”
Above all else, Slash adored Hendrix’s “fluid guitar style” and his “over-the-top sound” that gave a “manic quality” that he always sought in his favourite guitarists. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist revealed that Axis: Bold as Love is his favourite album by the artist, reserving particular praise for ‘Little Wing’. He also loves ‘Voodoo Chile’ and the “live version of ‘Machine Gun’ from Live at the Fillmore.”
In a separate interview in 2010, Paste challenged Slash to pick out his favourite riffs of all time. In the name of variety, he only included one Hendrix riff, that from ‘Purple Haze’. “You take it for granted because you’ve heard it so many times, but this is just such a well-structured, almost perfect riff,” he praised. “It’s very unique, just in terms of structure and technique. Very original for a rock ‘n’ roll riff.”
Slash described the riff as “almost perfect”. Presumably, he favours the compositional prowess of Yardbirds legends Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In first and second place, respectively, Slash listed the riffs from Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’ and The Yardbirds’ ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ as superior.
