“The coolest record I’d ever heard”: Slash picks his three favourite guitar solos
As a musician eminent in the 1980s, Slash had the fortune of learning from a wealth of electric guitar evolution. As a child, his British father brought him up on a healthy diet of rock ‘n’ roll, from Led Zeppelin to The Jimi Hendrix Experience, ensuring that he fell in love with killer solos and iconic riffs. The top hat-toting shredder continues to be inspired by artists to this day, but nothing can ever surpass those early experiences.
Above all others, including the late Hendrix, Slash followed the example of Jimmy Page. The British legend set out as a versatile session musician in the early 1960s before joining The Yardbirds, whom he later restructured as Led Zeppelin. When Slash found Axl Rose, who channelled Robert Plant in his heavy, dynamic vocals, he knew he had found a kindred spirit.
As a child, Slash saw Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Billy Gibbons playing Les Paul guitars and knew early on what would be his weapon of choice. He was drawn most to the Les Paul tone Page attained in an early Led Zeppelin hit. “I specifically remember hearing ‘Whole Lotta Love’ from Led Zeppelin II when I was seven years old,” he recalled in an interview with Total Guitarist.
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist remembered thinking it “was the coolest record I’d ever heard”. Continuing, he noted that he “attributed that sound to” Les Paul’s famous guitars: “I knew it was a Les Paul making those guitar tones because I saw pictures of Jimmy Page holding one – so that’s what made me associate the Les Paul with that kind of sound.”
Slash got the same model as Page in his teen years and has been associated with the Les Paul guitar ever since. You can bet your bottom dollar that the ‘Whole Lotta Love’ riff was first on his to-learn list after unpacking his first guitar.
Speaking to Le Nouvel Obs in 2019, Slash picked out his three favourite solos of all time. Naturally, Page’s most iconic from the Led Zeppelin catalogue took one slot, but he couldn’t pick three from the British icon. In the name of variety, his other two solos came from two guitarists from different regions of the rock ‘n’ roll map.
Intriguingly, Slash’s other well-documented guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix, didn’t feature on the list. Instead, he listed Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s early classic ‘Blinded By The Light’. In the song, Dave Flett came through with one of the greatest solo displays of his career.
Slash’s final solo selection paid homage to the late Scottish singer and songwriter Gerry Rafferty. Most will remember his classic song ‘Baker Street’ for the sumptuous saxophone part by session musician Raphael Ravenscroft. However, it also featured a towering guitar solo by Hugh Burns, which captured the limelight in Slash’s eyes.
Slash’s selections are pleasingly diverse and give a shout-out to some lesser-known musicians. As for any guitarist and rock history savant, these selections didn’t come easy. On another day, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist might have remembered his previously expressed admiration for Hendrix’s ‘Machine Gun’ or Jeff Beck’s ‘Superstitious’.
Slash’s three favourite guitar solos:
- ‘Blinded By The Light’ – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
- ‘Baker Street’ – Garry Rafferty
- ‘Whole Lotta Love’ – Led Zeppelin
