Watch Joe Walsh astound Taylor Hawkins with a one-take solo
Foo Fighters have never been afraid to discuss their biggest influences. From classic rock to punk and more contemporary acts in between, the American band is acutely aware of the impact that others have had on their style and has, when possible, sought to collaborate on the deeper impact. One of the most prominent, who gave them one of their best efforts, is Eagles guitar hero Joe Walsh.
Famously, the former James Gang leader is one of classic rock’s finest players. After making his name in the ‘Funk #49’ band, he would find immense success with one of the era’s definitive Californian outfits, the Eagles. While he delivered many highlights with the expansive group, his solos on their quintessential hit ‘Hotel California’ are undoubtedly his most famous and amongst his best.
When Foo Fighters set out to make the 2014 album Sonic Highways, they enlisted various musicians to help them bring it to life, including Gary Clark Jr, Ben Gibbard, Rick Nielsen, Tony Visconti, Peter Stahl, and many more. However, the most prominent of the set was Joe Walsh, who they enlisted for the track ‘Outside’.
Notably, the album comprises eight tracks cut in eight different storied studios, with the guests being location-specific. For ‘Outside’, the Dave Grohl-led group checked into the Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, with producer Butch Vig. They enlisted Joe Walsh to lay down a sizzling psychedelic solo to imbue the song with a tangible sense of the desert.
Clutching a Fender Stratocaster, in just one take, Walsh resoundingly showed why he is one of the finest ever to pick up the instrument. With ease, he crafted one of the most impactful solos featured in the extensive Foo Fighters back catalogue, aided by technical panache and the expert use of distortion, delay and reverb.
As Foo Fighters frontman Grohl was outside the studio, it was their late drummer and lifelong California resident, Taylor Hawkins, and bassist Nate Mendel, who were on hand to watch Walsh lay down his one-take solo. Blown away by watching a legend of the game do his thing, Hawkins excitedly said, “This is my new favourite Foo Fighters song”.
Even the veteran producer Butch Vig was overjoyed with the quality of Walsh’s one-take solo. At the end of the playback, after Walsh gave a content nod to the bespectacled studio whizz, Vig gave him a high-five, saying, “That’s it, it’s done!”
Watch the clip below.
