Slash discusses the most underrated member of Guns N’ Roses
Some bands fizzle. They enter the scene, happily plant themselves somewhere comfortable, and grow within that space. Their success is steady but sure of itself. Then you have other bands who burst onto the scene, turning heads everywhere they go and making a lot of noise. Guns N’ Roses fit into the latter category, as when they started making music, they were impossible to ignore.
It was a time when rock music felt relatively stale; many bands were much more style over substance, as they spent more time sorting their hair out than they did writing songs. Image has always been very important within rock music, but it was taking over. Guns N’ Roses came forward, still with big hair and bigger attitudes, but they had the sound to back it up.
Two things within the band massively contributed to their popularity because of image and sound: Slash and Axl Rose. In rock music, the lead guitarist and lead singer always tend to creep further into the spotlight, and these two were no exception.
Starting with Slash, where would Guns N’ Roses be without such killer guitar riffs? On the first album alone, songs like ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Rocket Queen’ and ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ are all instantly recognisable within the first few notes. This is the majesty of Slash, as he wanted the songs to have power the moment they started playing and used riffs as a means to do this. On top of that, he isn’t half bad at playing solos, either.
The hard rock sound that Slash was able to establish with his guitar playing wouldn’t have meant much if the band didn’t have the right singer on board to match that style of music. Luckily, the hot-headed Axl Rose was on hand to deliver his dynamic singing. He could go from a screech to a murmur in seconds, which perfectly complemented the band’s style of playing.
Of course, it’s not just Rose and Slash in Guns N’ Roses; there are a number of members who all play a pivotal role in making the band what it is. Because of how overtly good both the band’s frontmen are, sometimes the other members of Guns N’ Roses can fall slightly under the radar, which isn’t fair, as the band simply wouldn’t be the same without them.
Slash once addressed the fact that his fellow bandmates are overlooked and said that there was one of them in particular he thinks doesn’t get enough credit. It’s the co-songwriter and the man behind the exciting rhythm section of Guns N’ Roses, drummer Steven Adler.
“Steven was always underrated in Guns N’ Roses because of the obvious,” he said, “But he provided a type of groove and a type of energy, and the Appetite record particularly, that is half of its fuckin’ charm. A lot of people don’t even recognise that.”
