Slash’s favourite Queen riff: “Blew me away”
When it comes to guitar riffs, it is safe to say that Slash is an expert in knowing what makes a good one. As the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash has composed some of the most iconic guitar riffs in rock music. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time. When asked about his personal favourite guitar riffs, Slash didn’t hold back on his love for one Queen song riff in particular. And it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.
Queen have many iconic guitar riffs, thanks to the legendary Brian May. May is also considered one of the greatest guitar players in the world, in his own right. When it comes to choosing a favourite guitar riff, many fans would struggle to choose only one. ‘One Vision’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ being the most common ones that spring to mind.
Slash, however, has one song he hails above the rest. ‘More of That Jazz’ is Slash’s pick. Though Slash acknowledged, “Brian May wrote amazing fuckin’ riffs all throughout Queen’s career.” It is the closing track from Queen’s 1978 album Jazz that stands out to him as a cut above the rest.
‘More of That Jazz’ was not only the closing track to Jazz but also the B-side to ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ for its US release. It is a classic Roger Taylor Queen track and features Taylor on vocals showing off his powerful falsetto range, even hitting an E5. Though not the tune many may have picked, Slash commented, “When I first started playing guitar, Jazz had just come out, and this song blew me away. It’s almost completely overlooked, too.”
The track is encompassed by electrifying riffs, which still shine through despite Taylor’s impressive vocals nearly stealing the show. After only a few listens, you can hear the ways in which this number would have inspired Slash. Though ‘More of That Jazz’ might not sound all too impressive to our modern ears, I cannot even imagine how hearing this for the first time in 1978 would have felt. Slash goes on to say that ‘More of That Jazz’ was “One of the first songs I learned on my first ever one-string electric guitar.” The impact this song had on a young Slash cannot be underestimated.
It can be easy to overlook Queen songs; their back catalogue of music is seriously impressive. It is only to be expected that some tracks are forgotten about. Having listened to this tune a handful of times today, I feel as though I have found a gem. This truly remarkable track reignited my appreciation of Queen.
Though this song may not be what comes to mind when considering classic Brian May guitar riffs, maybe it is time we all give ‘More of That Jazz’ the adoration it deserves and the respect that Slash has been giving it all along. It’s time to dust off our Jazz LP and get it back on the turntable, where it belongs.
