Towelie Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) I see this opinion bandied around a lot around these parts, and I'm not sure I buy it. Maybe it's because Slash spreads himself too thinly these days between GNR and SMK&C, but I haven't seen many Slash moments from the NITL tour which left me in awe and blew me away like he did regularly on the UYI tour. Even outside of a live setting, his playing on It's 5 O Clock Somewhere and Ain't Life Grand is head and shoulders above anything he's done on his most recent SMK&C albums. Contrary to what some people may believe, I do think it's possible for a musician to lose their chops and regress as a player. Slash seems content to just wank any old improv and call it a solo these days, and sometimes he sounds really crappy doing so. The only CD song he sounds great on is Better, and that's because it's the only song where he's actually bothered to write a proper solo, with a structure and some melodic phrasing. His TIL solos are worse than Ashba's. And he has no finesse or taste when he takes the solo spot in Sorry - again, even Ashba, who is a far cry from Buckethead, managed something more tasteful than what Slash plays. He also murders Catcher In The Rye and Prostitute. I don't believe it's because Slash isn't up to the task, but I just think his lead work and solos have become increasingly lazy and rudimentary in the last few years and it really shows when he is playing solo spots originally occupied by virtuosos such as Bumblefoot and Buckethead. Edited July 3, 2018 by Towelie 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live Like a Suicide Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I think he started the tour very well with regards to the main set list (that includes solos for TIL and Sorry, and not for others like TWAT). I think he has regressed on these songs, but then again, i think the whole band has slowly become looser as the tour has progressed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxlIsGod. Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I just think he does the CD stuff to please Axl and can't be arsed to properly learn it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhazUp Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) As a guitar player, I can say that he definitely has improved in terms of sheer technique Regarding his note choices and improv, that is more inherently subjective for sure, but all in all I was very happy with Slash's take on pretty much everything when I saw GNR in 2016 - including songs like TIL and Sorry. Sometimes there are videos where the TIL, and other solos, are not as great as other interpretations IMO, but I never have been sonically offended by any of them by any means, although I do get the noodling critique. Edited July 3, 2018 by WhazUp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nintari Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Contrary to popular belief, musicians don't have "prime" years like athletes. Vocalists, sure. But not musicians and song writers. The real reason why bands seem to put out their best music when they're young is simply because they haven't released their best shit yet. Once it's out, it gets harder and harder to do it again because the well has been tapped. Only the greatest musicians and song writers maintain excellence for many years and even they eventually dry up. It's all a matter of simple deduction. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towelie Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 8 minutes ago, tremolo said: Based on his live work during the NITL tour, I’d say he’s not. But not because he’s uncapable or because he has lost his skills, it’s just out of laziness. The noodling is just so fucking boring and aimless. To me it seems like he is overconfindent and thinks that he doesn’t have to work on some material, that he can come up with a solo on the spot. And he does. It’s not like he is playing notes or chords out of key, but the arrangement is atrocious Songs like Sorry were an absolute disaster, not knowing when to stop the noodling, or how to incorporate it into the song. His versions of TIL are pretty bland and poorly improvised, which kinds proves my point (to myself lol); TIL is probably the CD song where he could shine the most, since it’s closest to his style, but in order to do that you have to know when to lift the song and when to just sustain it. To me it seems he is unable to take a back seat and serve those songs. He’s a lead rock & roll guitar player. Take him out of that formula and he’s lost and unwilling to serve the songs; instead, he just wanders aimlessly with improvised noodling that feels completely out of place. But he managed to put his own spin on Better, and I actually prefer his solo to Finck's on that one. I dunno, maybe he just really digs that song and can't be bothered with the others.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxlIsGod. Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 8 minutes ago, Towelie said: But he managed to put his own spin on Better, and I actually prefer his solo to Finck's on that one. I dunno, maybe he just really digs that song and can't be bothered with the others.... Has he ever been fond of ballads... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Bird Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 46 minutes ago, Towelie said: I see this opinion bandied around a lot around these parts, and I'm not sure I buy it. Maybe it's because Slash spreads himself too thinly these days between GNR and SMK&C, but I haven't seen many Slash moments from the NITL tour which left me in awe and blew me away like he did regularly on the UYI tour. Even outside of a live setting, his playing on It's 5 O Clock Somewhere and Ain't Life Grand is head and shoulders above anything he's done on his most recent SMK&C albums. Contrary to what some people may believe, I do think it's possible for a musician to lose their chops and regress as a player. Slash seems content to just wank any old improv and call it a solo these days, and sometimes he sounds really crappy doing so. The only CD song he sounds great on is Better, and that's because it's the only song where he's actually bothered to write a proper solo, with a structure and some melodic phrasing. His TIL solos are worse than Ashba's. And he has no finesse or taste when he takes the solo spot in Sorry - again, even Ashba, who is a far cry from Buckethead, managed something more tasteful than what Slash plays. He also murders Catcher In The Rye and Prostitute. I don't believe it's because Slash isn't up to the task, but I just think his lead work and solos have become increasingly lazy and rudimentary in the last few years and it really shows when he is playing solo spots originally occupied by virtuosos such as Bumblefoot and Buckethead. Why don't just saying you liked him more before. Statements like the only CD song he sounds good on is Better and his TIL solos are worse than Ashba may be the case from your point of view but these aren't facts. As an example, I like Slash's TIL solos way more than Fincks but like Finck better in Better. Can't do it through one single Ashba solo, so to me, comparing Ashba to Slash is just ridiculous in any way. And I don't know if anybody ever said Slash is a better guitar player now than he was prior. All I have heard about this topic, and I've got the same opinion, s that he is a technically better player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SoulMonster Posted July 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted July 3, 2018 He seems to be technically better, but he rarely plays something that awes me. These days he seems to want to cram as many notes as he can into solos, instead of more sustained notes and slower melodies. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay410 Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 It would help if he weren't improvising so much on the CD stuff. It's really hit or miss. Every time they lay a CD song and it gets to the solo it sounds like he had never heard the song before. But I think he has done great lead guitar work on his solo stuff, even if the songwriting is a bit generic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Stu Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) Agree with Soul Monster. Mainly to do with his recorded stuff, I don't listen to the live shows. With the Conspiritors I think he is maybe more technical and faster (and I really enjoy listening to it) than the old stuff, but it just doesn't have the magic of the old stuff. The old stuff was almost vocal like and you could sing along with it. That's not putting him down cause he is still with his current stuff my favorite player by miles. Love all the new records. Edited July 3, 2018 by Guitar Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Fan Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, AxlIsGod. said: I just think he does the CD stuff to please Axl and can't be arsed to properly learn it. Agree with this maybe he doesnt wany to overshine on the previous players. Edited July 3, 2018 by Sydney Fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jacdaniel Posted July 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted July 3, 2018 He's the star of the show. Without him, the tour goes back to bowling alleys. Of all things to complain about, this is not one of them. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
action Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 ashba better than the old one? I'm not sure I buy that 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamsapple Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I think he became more sophisticated if that makes any sense, but the confidence and guitar-god-like status doesn't always result in the best music. For me, Slash is all about tone and feel, less about tech. His noddling nowadays is a huge letdown as for me it's always been about the notes he does not play and how he expresses the ones he does play. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovim Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 slash is a much better guitar player technically speaking. it's the lyrical aspect of his playing that is not as focused as it used to be or as consistently great as it was. i've heard live performances of cd tunes like sorry where he totally nails it. chinese democracy, better, and even this i love. it's better and harder to play the way he did before. he is still great though and sometimes he still shows what he can do when he doesn't lose direction and noodles all over the place. live and in the studio it's not like he lost the ability to play like that he could slow it down maybe but still keep it improvised cause that's the way he always pulled it off. maybe even drugs gave him the ability to consistently play more lyrically but that's just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gackt Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 It's a lot of factors; after 2+ years of being on the same tour, like everyone else in the band he might be getting burned out and starting to phone it in during shows when he isn't really feeling it. Seems like the band wants NITL to be just as long, if not longer than the Illusions tour. There's also arthritis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussTCB Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I actually like his takes on most of the CD stuff. The thing I don't understand is why is shits the bed on some of his own solos; I'm looking at you Yesterdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnR Chris Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 You seem to be talking about songwriting vs. ability? Or am I mistaken? Slash today is better than ever. And as a HUGE fan of Axl, I gotta say that there are many moments on the NITL tour where the spotlight shines brightest on Slash. He is otherworldly at times. There is something so special about him and when he's center stage playing his guitar with that unmistakable tone, it's unadulterated bliss. Now ... his songwriting compared to when he was in his youth? I mean ... will anything ever compare to the early GNR stuff? Come on. That is almost an impossible bar to reach or exceed. But there's a lot of Conspirators stuff I enjoy. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrayWyatt Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 4 hours ago, SoulMonster said: He seems to be technically better, but he rarely plays something that awes me. These days he seems to want to cram as many notes as he can into solos, instead of more sustained notes and slower melodies. 100% agree with this statement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moreblack Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Yes, he's better today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitchingnr Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Technically he's better now for sure - he's learned a lot over the years. Emotion is subjective though and I feel he had a lot more in his younger days and it shows in his playing, posturing, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson87 Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Definitely. At each of the 4 NITL shows I went to, Slash was on another planet. There's a certain point in the show where he gets into a groove and hits all the right notes at exactly the right time and it's just fucking amazing (and that's an understatement). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setzer Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Yes, because he's not drunk or wasted at every other show these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headshrinker84 Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I only kind of agree with this thread. His Vibrato these days is too strong/fast compared to the Illusions tour. He is technically a better player now, but it's almost too polished and I prefer when he was slightly sloppier in the 90's, maybe due to the drugs 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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