Slash's Greatest Guitar Tracks
Published on 12 November 2020
When you cast your mind back over the greatest guitarists of all time, there are certain names that spring to mind. However, there are also certain images and one that simply cannot be ignored is the top hat, frizzy hair and sunglasses that drove Guns N' Roses' unforgettable sound. We are of course talking about the one and only Slash. An absolute rock god with killer riffs and the squealing solos to match, Slash has stamped his name and image on rock culture forever and hasn't really taken a step wrong in our eyes. We've always been huge fans of his and thought we'd take the opportunity to run through some of his finest moments!
Guns N' Roses - Nightrain
Appetite for Destruction was an absolute force of an album which propelled GnR into the mainstream. Widely regarded as their finest, it is pretty outstanding track for track and with Welcome to the Jungle introducing us to their frenzied sound, you really are hooked from the first track. Slash doesn't take long to get warmed up either and was already tearing out blistering licks from the word go. We've chosen Nightrain as the first essential listen from the album for sheer style alone. Written by Slash and Izzy in the studio after messing about with some new riffs, the track is all the adrenaline pumping madness a GnR track should be with some killers solos from the man himself. Interestingly, the first solo is actually played by Izzy with Slash filling in the rest of the lead parts on the song. Our top-hatted hero says this is his favourite song to play in concert, stating "I'm not sure why, but no other song we've ever played live made me move like that."
Guns N' Roses - Paradise City
Next up, we're skipping a few Appetite tracks and going straight to the anthemic and unflinchingly cool Paradise City. As one of the band's most recognisable tunes, this is a true force of a track which again came from the great mind of Slash, who initially wrote the intro section. The song grew from there with Axl spontaneously coming up with the epic chorus after hearing Slash hum the melody in the tour van. The rest is history. This was always a show-closing tune for the band and with that big sing-along chorus and the frighteningly fast solo at the end, you can quickly work out why. There isn't a crowd on the planet that wouldn't go nuts for it. When you hear those drums pick up and feel it move to double time, you know you're in for some madness!
Guns N' Roses - November Rain
If there's one image of Slash that comes to mind, it's when he's in full rockstar mode leaning back outside a chapel in the middle of nowhere and rocking the November Rain solo on his trusty Les Paul. The track shifted GnRs status from a hair metal band to something with way more substance, becoming an iconic and important track for them. The band spared no expense and no amount of effort in recording it with Slash taking no less than a fortnight to lay down the final guitar tracks and solos. Apparently, he struggled with finding the right tone for the song and eventually wound up using a Les Paul copy plugged into a Marshall to create that searing big bright sound we hear on the record. They don't come much more epic than this, get your shades on and try your best to play along!
Velvet Revolver - Slither
Okay, so the GnR portion of this list is behind us. Now, we could've picked way more of their awesome guitar moments out but we thought we'd fast forward a little to prove that Slash has consistently stayed rocking ever since. Time for some Slither by Velvet Revolver. Powered by Scott Weiland's gritty vocals and one of the greatest hard rock riffs ever laid down on record this song is just explosive. Dominating the rock charts upon its release in 2004, Slither just goes so hard that it had to be on our list. With a beast of a solo, one of the tastiest tones Slash has ever dialled in and a riff that we practically guarantee will get stuck in your head - this is up there with Slash's finest pieces of playing. Go on, have a listen and we challenge you not to nod along and shout the occasional YEAH!
Slash ft.Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Anastasia
Slash and Myles Kennedy are a match made in heaven and this track is all the proof you guys are going to need! Starting off with a delicate and intricate little acoustic section, the song then dives into full rock mode and is the stuff of guitar hero dreams. Those lead parts just shine and totally transform the track before the first vocal has even kicked in - and that's before the riff starts! With some really expressive playing throughout which showcases a versatility the guitarist isn't necessarily known for, Anastasia is pure power and on top of that is so much fun to play. Seriously, get the tab fired up and have a go at it, we promise you'll have a blast needling out that lick. The solo which follows is just everything we love about Slash - technically impressive with just the right amount of chaos in the mix and all the style you can handle. Slash always puts his own stamp on everything he records and we'd struggle to find a more potent example than this peice of pure hard rock goodness.
Final Thoughts
We're not gonna lie, we could legit have gone on all day about Slash's playing and how impressive his catalogue is but we'll keep it short and sweet. To put it really simply, there are very few who are quite as consistently amazing! While many of his contemporaries have long been forgotten there's no replacing the now iconic of Slash onstage in a power stance ready to melt faces. A true rock great and legend in every sense of the word, have a journey back through his records and let us know what tracks we should've included - we're sure you'll find plenty.
