The punk record Slash calls “one of the best raw rock ‘n’ roll” albums
Regardless of what point in Slash’s career you consider, whether you are looking at his time with Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit or his extended solo career with Myles Kennedy, there is one thing at the core of every single song: raw energy that only ever comes with rock ‘n’ roll. Slash can inject every song he has ever worked on with a style that cannot be matched, and his love for live music and the power that can only ever be achieved with rock music is at the centre of it.
There are a lot of artists who list their favourite albums, and it’s nothing like the kind of music they make. They often give reasons saying that they are surrounded by such music every day and so like to engage with something different, but Slash isn’t one of those artists. The music he likes is a clear reflection of who he is as an artist.
When he listens to rock music, he wants it to be packed with the same amount of energy that he puts into his music. This means that every second of the record should come with the rebellion and glamour that has made the genre famous. Plenty of records achieve this, but one that Slash claims is the most “raw” for him is Cheap Tricks self-titled LP.
Cheap Trick came out in 1977 and marked the beginning of what would be an incredibly successful career for the band. Though they had an upbeat and energetic sound, it was always hard to pinpoint them to one specific genre, as they danced between punk, rock n roll and even pop music. The self-titled debut certainly had more of a punk rock influence, though.
“I had all the Cheap Trick records up until Dream Police,” Slash said, “They’re all great, but the first one is the big one for me. It’s one of the best ‘raw’ rock ‘n’ roll albums ever.” Raw is certainly one way to describe the album that leaned on hard rock to achieve a big, upbeat sound that was difficult to turn away from. The record was pretty well received at the time but hasn’t ended up being one of the band’s most popular.
“It’s practically obscure, too,” commented Slash, “People don’t seem to talk about it that much. But the band did a tour recently where they played the album in its entirety. These things pop up sometimes; I just never know about them because I’m somewhere else.”
When you assess the kind of music Slash is responsible for putting out, it’s hardly surprising that something like the Cheap Trick debut appeals to him. Though the band flutters through genres, at the heart of the record is a raw energy that the Guns N’ Roses guitarist is also accustomed to relying on with his sound.
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