When reading the track listing of an album that has 11 feature artists on 12 tracks – ranging from Brian Johnson (AC/DC) to Billy F Gibbons (ZZ Top) to Chris Stapleton to Iggy Pop – the mind boggles.
Who could possibly command such a whirlpool of rock royalty and come out the other side unscathed, armed with a fiery shot of an album? Only one man. The man who needs no introduction – Slash.For his sixth solo album, and tenth post-Guns N' Roses, Slash decided to take it back where it all began. He revisited his musical childhood, noticing music's pull had a firm grip on him from one particular direction – that of the smoky, seductive blues. Slash selected 11 songs that, for him, culminate the essence of blues.
So not only does 'Orgy Of The Damned' have a track list straight from the rock & roll hall of fame, 11 of the tracks themselves were birthed from blues royalty. Songs from the pedigree like Eric Clapton, T-Bone Walker, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Fleetwood Mac, and as you know, the list goes on.
With a clear vision, Slash took to the studio where his renowned band and famous friends explored the heights they could take these songs to. The tracks twisted and turned, moulding into new forms ready for second life under Slash's skilful hands. Working through them, the songs took on new meaning for Slash.
"'Killing Floor' was definitely one," he shares. "I've always loved that song on guitar, but doing it with Brian [Johnson] as a complete song made me realise why I did the song in the first place. It's such a cool song.
"We did a version of 'Living For the City' by Stevie Wonder. I loved that song when it came out as a kid. When we finally did it, to really learn how to play it made the song that much more special to me."
'Killing Floor' also features a furious harmonica solo by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, while another form of harmonica features on 'Awful Dream'. Iggy Pop, taken by the spirit of the blues presiding over the recording studio, began singing as if he was the harmonica.
"It wasn't planned," the stunned Slash confirms. "I didn't even know what was happening when he did it. I was sitting across from him playing the song, and we get to the end and I'm strumming away. All of a sudden, I hear this sound, 'What the f.. is that?' Well, it was Iggy. It was such a great moment.
"It was a special song for Iggy. I hadn't planned on him being on the record. He heard from my bass player. He's always wanted to do a blues thing, but never had the opportunity.
"So I called him, I said, 'if you're going to do a blues song, what song would you do?' And he picked that Lightnin' Hopkins song right off the top of his head. He chose it so quickly I knew that song had special meaning to him. I think being able to do this recording was a great outlet for him."
Women feature heavily in Slash's walk down musical memory lane. He selected The Temptations' 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone' to which Demi Lovato leant her vocals, while Dorothy breathed into Eric Clapton favourite 'Key To The Highway'.
However, one female performance on the album left nothing in the tank. "The most memorable moment was, we did a version of 'Stormy Monday'," Slash recounts. "The band got together in the studio, and we were going to do a rehearsal because we really hadn't played it yet.
"Beth Hart came in and we didn't know she was there yet. So we went to play it and she jumped on the microphone and sang her f...ing ass off. Emotionally drained by the end, she collapsed on the floor and goes, 'that's it. That's all I got.' And I was like, 'well, I guess that's the take then.' She's really powerful, really sincere and wears her heart on her sleeve when she sings.
"But what was happening was, she was singing her ass off, and the band was all looking at each other, because we'd just started to play the song in minor as opposed to major key. So we hadn't rehearsed it like that yet.
"So we're all looking at each other, trying to make sure that we're doing all the changes right and we rearranged the end making sure. So it was really a rehearsal take, and hers was the take. The whole record has interesting anecdotes, but we don't have enough time."
So great is the power of 'Orgy Of The Damned' that it cannot be contained to a recording studio, nay even to a solo concert. So Slash put together the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival to take blues across America with new friends Warren Haynes Band, Larkin Poe, Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram and Jackie Venson, among others – and it may slither its way south to our lands.
"It's my band and a bunch of different artists that are gonna get together. There's a handful of young artists on there that are really killer, that are making a presence, that I wanted to have. I want to do it every year and I would love to bring it overseas, it would be really fun to do."
One to champion up and comers, Slash rattles off his current favourites. "Kingfish is one of them. Another one is an English guy Chris Buck, he's an amazing guitar player.
"There's this new guy who plays everything finger-style on his right hand, Matteo Mancuso. He's a jazz guitarist, he's really fluid and plays with his hand like he plays a bass or a flamenco guitar, which is interesting."
Despite being named #2 on TIME's 'The 10 Greatest Electric Guitar Players' behind Jimi Hendrix, the humble Slash shrugs off the acclaim, defining himself only as a servant and student of music.
"That 'best guitar player' stuff really hurts because that's nowhere close to being true. There's so many accomplished guitar players out there that I would be embarrassed for them to hear me say that I agree with you on that.
"There's a gazillion riffs I've never played that might be difficult for me to play. There's a lot of different kinds of music, guitar styles that I've never done. The challenges of playing guitar are endless. It's a work in progress for me, for sure, and will be until I'm pushing daisies."
He continues to explain his musical preferences. "I don't necessarily have a favourite key. As a rock guitar player, we all lean on the key of A, but I try to not use that as an anchor.
"Being a blues guy, you tend to be in the pentatonic most of the time. I love that mode because that sounds like blues and rock & roll to me, but I try to branch out with other stuff.
"I use a lot of different notes that aren't necessarily within that structure I'm in. As long as it feels like something to me, I do it. I can't do technical stuff for the sake of doing technical stuff, it is emotionless for me. I'm trying to think of how to expand and still keep that recognisable feel that makes me do it in the first place."
He raises the point that feeling is music's greatest pull. "It's something that's hard to put any kind of finger on and describe, but it is definitely an emotional thing. It pulls your heartstrings in one direction or another, and has such a strong feeling that's always compelled me to music way before I picked up a guitar.
"I think it's like that for all people. Music communicates something to people's emotional level that drives them, whatever kind of music it is."
To the suggestion that music is instinctual rather than knowledge based, Slash offers his wisdom. "Actually, no knowledge is best. Keith Richards had this great quote, he said 'as soon as I started to play music, I forfeited the right to be able to listen to music the way a normal person would'."
Playing as inimitably as he does, Slash's 'Orgy Of The Damned' is a solid, star-studded offering that reflects exactly why every one of his solo albums has cracked the ARIA top five.
'Orgy Of The Damned' will be released 17 May. Pre-order it.
