Slash as a songwriter

[phaeryen]

Is a complete joke.

Discuss.

[Free Bird]

Well, I think I love jokes

[WhazUp]

I think that while underwhelming, there are a few great songs here and there Slash puts out. That being said there is not a single person (Axl included) who's songwriting didn't suffer by simply not having the magical combination of guys to help turn those songs into something even cooler:

- Slash has the riffs and solos but not the right singer to help with vocal melodies and lyrics as well as someone to collaborate with and really challenge Slash stylistically

- Axl has the voice, basic songwriting skills, piano, and charisma but doesn't have a band like the Appetite lineup or Illusion lineup to elevate those ideas musically

- Duff has the attitude, charisma, and a good sense of rhythm bass and guitar wise but doesn't have the vocal chops or songwriting chops

- Izzy has cool ideas and has a cool style but is like Keith Richards - you need a Mick Jagger and a Mick Taylor (Axl and Slash) to make those ideas into something amazing

- Steven has the drum sound. Well I am sure there is something else to him but that is all I got

[wasted]

I think Izzy comes out on top bcos you don't need an Axl or Slash to be Dylan or great. But you might need them to be successful.

Axl might find it easier with Slash n Izzy to make an album, but he seems to be able to find other writers and guitar players to bring his songs or write with.

Slash can do great rockers. I don't know he's done a lot of great songs but mainly with other writers. Maybe it's just he has nothing to say lyrically so in the end that doesn't drive his guitar playing. It's just riffs n solos.

Slither and Fall to Pieces are good. I don't think he pushes the songs enough or spend the time to really round it out even as much as Civil War or Estranged. By the Sword and Annatasia are close but there's something missing.

Maybe it's just he needs another element to bring it alive. Axls fiery vocals give the GNR stuff depth.

Slashs solo stuff is more mature in a way, but they don't crescendo like GNR songs. They don't reach that point where Slash is soloing like crazy and the singer is ranting like its the last day on earth. They just sort of end. Nobody is pushing Slash out of his comfort zone.

[Bobbo]

I think that while underwhelming, there are a few great songs here and there Slash puts out. That being said there is not a single person (Axl included) who's songwriting didn't suffer by simply not having the magical combination of guys to help turn those songs into something even cooler:

- Slash has the riffs and solos but not the right singer to help with vocal melodies and lyrics as well as someone to collaborate with and really challenge Slash stylistically

- Axl has the voice, basic songwriting skills, piano, and charisma but doesn't have a band like the Appetite lineup or Illusion lineup to elevate those ideas musically

- Duff has the attitude, charisma, and a good sense of rhythm bass and guitar wise but doesn't have the vocal chops or songwriting chops

- Izzy has cool ideas and has a cool style but is like Keith Richards - you need a Mick Jagger and a Mick Taylor (Axl and Slash) to make those ideas into something amazing

- Steven has the drum sound. Well I am sure there is something else to him but that is all I got

Absolutely flawless summary. Let's just end it here.

[ZoSoRose]

Slash has really grown as a solo writer since the 2010 album. He is beginning to break away from the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/solo/chorus format

[WFA]

Be The Ball

[Coma16]

Slash has really grown as a solo writer since the 2010 album. He is beginning to break away from the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/solo/chorus format

I much more preferred his 2010 album to Apoc Love. Haven't listened to the new one yet but I wish he did the guest singer thing instead.

[dalsh327]

I don't know how many fully formed songs he's written lyrics to, but you can't discount the power a riff can have over the direction of a song, and he has 2 guitar intros that billions of people in the world recognize, I think more people know that than the intro to Beethoven's Fifth.

Duff, Izzy, and Slash had a great sound together. They still work well together but it's rare when all 3 do.

[Kula2006]

I don't see any kind of evolution from AL to WOF - it's still the usual Slash type album we will get in this current band scenario.

Would really like to know what happened with him since both Snakepit and the first VR album - because these three are great - after that everything went downhill

Maybe it's because he is sober since then....

[bacardimayne]

He's written 2 or 3 good songs.

[Damn_Smooth]

He's written 2 or 3 good songs.

Proof that the son truly does shine on a dog's ass every once in awhile.

[phaeryen]

I don't know how many fully formed songs he's written lyrics to, but you can't discount the power a riff can have over the direction of a song, and he has 2 guitar intros that billions of people in the world recognize,

... and one of those was a joke he would have discarded, hadn't it been for someone else.

Edited September 16, 2014 by phaeryen

[Nosaj Thing]

I don't think he's a complete joke, he has come up with great riffs and solos since he left Guns N' Roses, you can always find a couple of good, deep tunes in every record he has released. Unfortunately, he will never find a way to compensate the missing keys that were Axl and Izzy back when real Guns was together. You just can't recreate that.

I'm very happy that Slash is still out there, releasing music for his fans to enjoy. I'm very happy that Slash still has the desire to tour the world. I couldn't ask for anything else, other than, maybe, finding a better frontman. Oh, and changing his guitar tone.

[wasted]

I don't see any kind of evolution from AL to WOF - it's still the usual Slash type album we will get in this current band scenario.

Would really like to know what happened with him since both Snakepit and the first VR album - because these three are great - after that everything went downhill

Maybe it's because he is sober since then....

Scott helped out with VR. It added some variety anyway.

The debut solo is with different writers, great writers. AL is okay, more concise than WOF which I think has about 8 songs which are about the same and the rest are interesting. Beneath the Savage Sun, Bent to Fly, Battleground, UnHoly, Safari Inn. He just needs to present his stuff better.

The Best of Slash will be awesome.

[Kula2006]

I don't see any kind of evolution from AL to WOF - it's still the usual Slash type album we will get in this current band scenario.

Would really like to know what happened with him since both Snakepit and the first VR album - because these three are great - after that everything went downhill

Maybe it's because he is sober since then....

Scott helped out with VR. It added some variety anyway.

As far as I remember this has not been the case with the first VR record (all songs have been finished by the time he joined). I guess this is a good thing as Libertad has been the worst album slash has been involved in so far in his career.

[wasted]

I don't see any kind of evolution from AL to WOF - it's still the usual Slash type album we will get in this current band scenario.

Would really like to know what happened with him since both Snakepit and the first VR album - because these three are great - after that everything went downhill

Maybe it's because he is sober since then....

Scott helped out with VR. It added some variety anyway.

As far as I remember this has not been the case with the first VR record (all songs have been finished by the time he joined). I guess this is a good thing as Libertad has been the worst album slash has been involved in so far in his career.

Not as I understand it, they had a bunch of songs they sent some to Scott and him and his engineer transformed them according Duff. Do It For the Kids was the first one I think.

I think Set Me Free was already done. Fall to Pieces and Slither pretty set probably. But Loving the Alien is a Scott song, maybe even You Got No Right, it at least developed later.

But they had a bunch of material, Scott worked his magic on some. That adds variety I reckon. But they had more of a grip on it for sure.

On Libetad Scott was more involved ground up so he has more complete songs She Mine, Pill Demons etc., Last Fight and Mary and they didn't have so much to work with. And Scott more involved with the sound. They rushed it a bit. I like it, I don't see much difference outside of Slither. It's just more modern rock than 80s hard rock.

Edited September 17, 2014 by wasted

[niceguy]

The Last Fight is incredible. I only recently first listened to it, and I've been cranking it repeatedly.

I had no idea it was a Scott song.

The only weak parts of that song are slash's solos, actually.

[wasted]

I think it's about Scott's bro who died of drug od. So I think he was heavily involved. Pills demons etc is the same lyrically.

They have some Scott songs and the cover Can't it get out of my Mind which is cool but it shows they didn't have much more.

Gravedancer is like Fallbto Pieces 2. She Builds is Slither 2.

She Mine is a Scott one I reckon. It has a modern slant like Donit for the Kids.

American Man, it's hard to say. The writing credits are the whole band so it's hard to work out.

Scott wrote the album sober. By the sounds of it he was more involved than on Contraband.

[ludurigan]

I think that while underwhelming, there are a few great songs here and there Slash puts out. That being said there is not a single person (Axl included) who's songwriting didn't suffer by simply not having the magical combination of guys to help turn those songs into something even cooler:

- Slash has the riffs and solos but not the right singer to help with vocal melodies and lyrics as well as someone to collaborate with and really challenge Slash stylistically

- Axl has the voice, basic songwriting skills, piano, and charisma but doesn't have a band like the Appetite lineup or Illusion lineup to elevate those ideas musically

- Duff has the attitude, charisma, and a good sense of rhythm bass and guitar wise but doesn't have the vocal chops or songwriting chops

- Izzy has cool ideas and has a cool style but is like Keith Richards - you need a Mick Jagger and a Mick Taylor (Axl and Slash) to make those ideas into something amazing

- Steven has the drum sound. Well I am sure there is something else to him but that is all I got

AGREED:

- Slash has the riffs and solos but not the right singer to help with vocal melodies and lyrics;

I'D LIKE TO ADD:

- Slash doesn't have Izzy (or some other great songwriter) who can really put a song together. Izzy seems to be able to do that effortlessly, it's second nature to him. Slash can write great riffs and solos but he mostly can't write songs;

AGREE:

- Axl has the voice, basic songwriting skills, piano, and charisma but doesn't have a band like the Appetite lineup or Illusion lineup to elevate those ideas musically;

I'D LIKE TO ADD:

- Axl doesn't want to have a band like the Appetite lineup or Illusion lineup to challenge him (and to elevate his ideas musically), which is a waste. He wants to make HIS music, the way HE wants, and he can do that by paying 6 or 7 musicians that allow him to get there. Problem is, he chose guys who can play any music, note by note, but these guys can't write a good song to save their lives. Funny thing is that Axl seems to be noticing this little problem with his band...

AGREE:

- Duff has the attitude, charisma, and a good sense of rhythm bass and guitar wise;

I'D LIKE TO ADD:

Duff has limited vocal chops, but his voice workd perfectly for backing vocals. He has decent-to-good songwriting chops, pretty much like Slash;

AGREE:

- Izzy has cool ideas and has a cool style;

I'D LIKE TO ADD

- Izzy is a master songwriter, he could become a song-doctor (like Jim Vallance, Desmond Child) if he wanted to. He is the one capable of PUTTING A SONG TOGETHER, you just hear the story of how Sweet Child o' Mine was written and you get the picture. Izzy (and Axl) pretty much wrote a song around a Slash riff. So yes, Izzy is the one that is able to get a good Slash riff and turn it into a great SONG. His solo songs are very dinamic, he sings good, but, of course, not half as great as Axl. The funny thing about Izzy's solo music is that pretty much every song that he wrote could improve a lot if he had Axl, Slash and Duff to help with the songwriting (to challenge him) AND if he had Axl, Slash and Duff to play on the songs.

AGREE:

- Steven has the drum sound. (ENOUGH SAID!)

[DieselDaisy]

Flawed logic as Slash is not really a complete songwriter in the sense that, someone like Stradlin is. Slash is a collaborator - a collaborating songwriter. He provides riffs and melodies which then can be constructed into songs through the art of, collaboration with another individual or group of individuals. Slash is not the type of guy who possesses a reservoir of acoustic masterpieces like Stradlin. He for instance does not really write lyrics - his one attempt, 'Be the Ball', were risible in the extreme. Even with Dover, Jackson and Kennedy, it has always been a case of (with Slash's solo releases): ignore the lyrics, concentrate on the guitar work ('Serial Killer' is a good example of this). As a collaborator he is only as good as the guy he is, collaborating with, and with Eric, Rod and Myles, he is not working with lyricists of the same calibre as, Stradlin, Rose or, to a lesser degree, Weiland. This is why his s/t debut was a superior release from Slash, as it had, for the first time, a series of collaborators of a similar quality as Axl and Izzy, e.g. Astbury, Cornell, et al. In my opinion, from a 'songwriting ' aspect, it has Slash's greatest post-Guns N' Roses material.

I have to point out that there is nothing particularly wrong with any of this. Slash should not feel embarrassed about not being Bob Dylan when he provides so much poetry with the guitar.

[wasted]

I agree.

But how good is Izzy? How many people have the gift he has, Dylan is one, maybe Keef, can we put Izzy up there with them. I know we can't because doesn't get the kind of attention.

[double talkin jive mfkr]

did slash not write the entire riff to night train? if so, then yes he can do it -

[Free Bird]

No I think it's Izzys riff

[wasted]

If you listen to Izzy solo albums every albums he does one really big riff that u cod see being GNR. Jump in Now, ain't it a Bitch, track 3 of like a dog.

I'm going to guess Slash riffs now.

Jungle

Out Ta get me

Paradise city

My Michelle

Crazy

RQ

Garden of Eden

Don't damn me

Coma

Civil War

Get in the Ring

Locomotive