Guns N' Roses - Civil War

This is a live performance by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses doing a live performance of their song "Civil War".
The song was originally released on the 1990 compilation "Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel", but more famously in 1991 on the album "Use Your Illusion II". It's an anti-war protest song which uses the dual meaning of the word 'civil' to get the message get across. The song was written by, Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan and it was released as a single in 1993.
I really love how Slash opens the song with the intro riff from "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Hendrix and also ends the song on this riff. An homage to Hendrix is always welcome in my book, and it fits the song very well. It's a great song and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Slash ft. Andrew Stockdale - By the Sword

This is a live performance by infamous guitarist Slash performing the song "By the Sword" live on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Andrew Stockdale sings on this song.
The song is from Slash's 2010 album titled "Slash". The album was a solo project, but on it Slash worked with many different singers and musicians (check the wikipedia to see a complete list of his collaborators, or even better, buy a copy of the album, it's well worth your money), Stockdale one of them obviously. Stockdale sang this song on the album as well. It was the first official single from the album.
Andrew Stockdale, singer for the band Wolfmother, sings on this song and co-wrote it with Slash. It's a great vocal performance by Stockdale, and from watching it live you definitely don't doubt his abilities, as he sings it to perfection here.
It's a great song, with a good singer and good guitarist, what more can you ask for?

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Since I Don't Have You

This is the music video to the song "Since I Don't Have You" performed by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
The song is from the band's 1993 album "The Spaghetti Incident?". The album consists solely of covers, ergo no original or new material from Guns N' Roses on it, just covers. This was also the last album to feature guitarist Slash, drummer Matt Sorum, and bassist Duff McKagan. It is also the only studio album to feature guitarist Gilby Clarke.
The song "Since I Don't Have You" was originally recorded by The Skyliners, and it was written by Joseph Rock and James Beaumont.
I think it's a good cover, and a really good rock ballad.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine

This is the music video to the classic power ballad "Sweet Child o' Mine" by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
The song is from the band's 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction". It was released as a single in the summer of 1988 and it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was the only time the band had a #1 hit on that chart. The infamous guitar riff was done by Slash who played it as a joke during a jam session, Izzy Stradlin picked up on it and asked Slash to repeat the riff. The song is credited to: Slash, Izzy Stradling, and Axl Rose.
It's a great song, and probably the most recognizable done by the band.

Enjoy ; )

Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe

This is a live performance by guitar legend Jimi Hendrix playing his version of the classic song "Hey Joe". The song is from the 1960s and it became a rock standard. The original authorship of the song isn't certain, but the earliest known commercial recording of the song was done by The Leaves in 1965. The most famous version however was Jimi Hendrix's recording from 1966.
The song tells the story of a man who is on the run after shooting his wife. He is planning to go to Mexico on a hideout.
It's a great performance by Hendrix. What I really love about this is the pace of the song, it's quite slow allowing for some awesome soulful soloing by Hendrix.

Above is a version from 2007 featuring former members of Hendrix's band. It features Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell from Hendrix's former band, Steve Winwood on Hammond B3 organ, and Slash on guitar. It's a good version, I especially like Winwood's singing and playing on this. Slash is all right too, but of course no match to Hendrix.
Hendrix really pulls all of the stops on this performance, first playing with his teeth, and then playing the second solo behind his head. It's showmanship, but the crazy thing is that it sounds just as good as if he'd picked it out traditionally. Only Hendrix could pull something like that off and that's why he's a legend.
Being a rock classic and standard, the song has been recorded countless times. It has been recorded by: Cher, Wilson Pickett, Deep Purple,Roy Buchanan, Patti Smith, Seal, Type O Negative, Eddie Murphy, and Robert Plant. It that is only a snippet of the people and artists who have done this song.
I love the Hendrix version of this. And this is a great performance by him, just pouring his soul out through his guitar, truly a legend!

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Pretty Tied Up

This is a live performance by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses playing their song "Pretty Tied Up" live. The performance is from their 1992 gig in Tokyo, also released on DVD.
The song originally appeared on the band's 1991 album "Use Your Illusions II". The song is subtitled "The Perils of Rock n Roll Decadence". The song was written by Izzy Stradlin and the lyrics may have been inspired by Stradlin's encounter with a female dominatrix and her client.
Another live version of this track is available on the band's live album "Live Era: '87-'93".
It's a great rock 'n' roll song. I love that wah wah Slash uses and the rock 'n' roll piano played by Dizzy Reed you can hear in the background.
A great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Dust N' Bones

This is a live performance by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses performing the song "Dust N' Bones". The performance is from 1991.
The song is from the band's 1991 double release Use Your Illusion I. (Of course the second album of that double release was Use Your Illusions II). "Dust N' Bones" is the second song on the album and it was written by Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan. It is the first song on the album that is sung by Stradlin and also the first song to feature Dizzy Reed on piano. I really think the piano is crucial to what makes the song good, it gives it an old school rock 'n' roll feel a la The Rolling Stones. Both the live version and the album version features Slash playing talk box guitar on the song which also adds to the sound of the tune.
It's a great song and the live performance is very good as well. (Though the audio could have been better).

Enjoy ; )

Guns N’ Roses – November Rain

This is a live performance by hard rock band Guns N’ Roses performing their classic power ballad “November Rain”.
The song first appeared on the band’s album “Use Your Illusion I” from 1991.
The song was released as a single the following year. A music video was also made for the song. The music video won a MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. The single reached #3 on the Billboard Singles Charts which is really good for such a long song. As a fact it is the longest song to ever reach Top 10 on The Billboards Singles Charts.
It’s a great ballad and a great live performance by both Axl and the band. Slash also delivers an amazing solo on this. Truly a great song and performance.

Enjoy ;-)

Velvet Revolver - Psycho Killer

This is a live performance by American hard rock band Velvet Revolver covering the Talking Heads song "Psycho Killer" live at Rock Am Ring in Germany from 2007.
The song was originally released by Talking Heads in 1977 on their album "Talking Heads: 77" The song's lyrics are about the thoughts of a serial killer. The song has a very unique and recognizable bass line. This was also the only song from the album to enter the Billboard Pop Singles chart, though only reaching no. 93 on the list.
I love the version Velvet Revolver do, it's a little harder and it adds Slash's slide playing to the song which just makes it sound awesome.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Patience

This is the music video to the classic folk rock song "Patience" by Guns N' Roses. The song appears on the band's "G N' R Lies" album from 1989 which is also the last album before the band started going through line-up changes. The song peaked at no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music was written by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and the lyrics were done by Axl Rose.
The song doesn't feature any percussion. But in live performances the band would often play it with drums and electric instruments. They would also use keyboards on these live performances. Embeded below is a live performance like this.

The song has been covered by many artists who especially love playing the song live. It's been done live by artists like: Carrie Underwood, John Mayer with Maroon 5 and also in various ways featuring Slash and different singers.
It's a great ballad/acoustic folk rock song, and the lyrics are very good and well written as well. A gem amongst GNR songs.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Rocket Queen

This is a live performance by hard rock 80's group Guns N' Roses. They play their song "Rocket Queen" which was never released as a single, but still played live frequently.
The song is the closing track on the band's '87 album "Appetite for Destruction". The song is, according to Axl, inspired by a real life female friend who wanted her own band and call it "Rocket Queen". The ballady end of the song is a tribute to her and the things she did as a friend for Axl.
The main riff was composed by Slash and Duff and Duff has stated that it is influenced by funk group "Cameo".
As mentioned earlier, they'd very often play this live. The part of the song that Axl raps is actually from the band's unreleased song "It Tastes Good, Don't It".
I really like this performance, mainly because of how well the band plays together on it. It's more a groove than a rehearsed performance, or at least seems like a groove. They take a little time to get into it. Slash takes position and lets the groove go on as he gets into it and starts soloing.
Slash is really good in this performance. He plays in that particular style that he's known for, throws a little slide in at the beginning and does a talk box solo before Axl starts rapping.
A very good performance of a really good and groovy song.

Enjoy ; )

Spın̈al Tap & Albert Lee - Break Like the Wind

This is a live performance by semi-fictional metal band Spın̈al Tap and Albert Lee playing the song "Break Like the Wind" live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992.
The song is of Spın̈al Tap's album of the same title released in 1992.
As said, the band is semi-fictional. It's the band from the famous mockumentary (even though Christopher Guest hates that term) "This Is Spın̈al Tap". It's a legendary comedy that mocks rock 'n' roll and throws allusions to a lot of different rock and metal acts. It's one of the best and most quotable films of all time.
The album featured many guest artists, and on the album version of Break Like the Wind it breaks down at the end, and a bunch of guitarists join in: Jeff Beck, Steve Lukather, Joe Satriani and Slash.
On this live version they have Albert Lee who of course can't play like all of these guitarists. I think he does a very good job however, and it's a fun and enjoyable performance.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Bad Apples

This is the music video to the Guns N' Roses song "Bad Apples" from their "Use Your Illusion I" album. "Use Your Illusions" was a double release, two albums released at the same time. The albums were released in 1991, and were hugely successful. The albums were different from the band's earlier work in many ways. Their '87 release of "Appetite for Destruction" was much more in the category of classic hard rock. Where as these albums drew on many different influences such as classical music, traditional blues music and country. Of course still blending in their early sound. Axl started playing piano on several tracks, and the band did more ballads than they did hard rock.
"Bad Apples" is the 14th track on the record, it has only been performed live twice and according to Slash the song was written while the band was rehearsing in Chicago for a period of time.
I think it's a good song with a really good groove. The music video isn't their best, but it's still a pretty good song.

Enjoy ;

Velvet Revolver - Set Me Free

This is a live performance from 2005 by the American hard rock group Velvet Revolver. The song was released in 2003 and originally appeared on the soundtrack for the Hulk film of the same year. The single then also made it onto the bands debut album "Contraband".
The main riff of the song was made by Slash, and it's what drives the song. On the record version there's two rather complicated guitar solos done by Slash.
This live version is really good because the band really goes nuts and gives 100 %. Slash is playing like crazy, and doing a fantastic job with the song, he even throws the guitar behind his head for a chunk of the performance, and makes the guitar scream at the end until the last chord is played. Dave Kushner even does a little solo at one point.
This is a pretty sweet hard rock song, and the band rocks it with this performance.

Enjoy ; )

Guns N' Roses - Mr. Brownstone

This is a performance by hard rock 80's band Guns N' Roses, the good line-up with Slash still playing the lead parts. The song appears on the legendary 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction".
The song was written by Izzy Stradlin and Slash, they were complaining about being heroin addicts, and started writing down lyrics on the back of a grocery bag. They brought the lyrics to Axl, and they decided to record the song. The lyrics are clearly about addiction and heroin, as Brownstone is slang for heroin, much the way Mary Jane means Marijuana.
"Mr. Brownstone" was the first UK single released by the just signed band. It was released as a double A-side along the song "It's So Easy".
The song explores what in the rock world is known as "The Bo-Diddley beat". It was a beat first used by guitarist Bo-Diddley, therefore it is named after him. It has been used by many bands though times, and was especially popularized in the 60's by bands like The Rolling Stones etc. This gives the song that Rolling Stones kind of feel. GNR are influenced heavily by 60's bands and especially The Rolling Stones, and in a song like this you can really hear it.
It's a great song with a nice long guitar introduction leading into the riff, with a sweet solo, and sweet rhythm thanks to Bo-Diddley and Matt Sorum. A great performance, of a great song.

Enjoy ; )

Ronnie Wood (ft. Slash) - Stay With Me

This is a performance by guitarist and singer Ronnie Wood. Wood is widely known as being one of the guitarists from Rolling Stones and he also gained fame touring with Rod Stawart and Jeff Beck. He has however besides all of those things always had a solo career. And his new album album "I Feel Like Playing" has just been released earlier this year.
Ronnie co-wrote the song "Stay With Me" with Rod Stewart for the band "The Faces". It became a pretty well known song, and has been featured on several compilation albums by "The Faces". The song has been covered a couple of times for instance by Ronnie James Dio's band Elf and Def Leppard. Through those covers the song kinda kept it's momentum through the 70's into the 80's.
In this performance Wood is also joined by famous guitarist Slash who, for the most part, stays in the background and plays rhythm on the song. He does have a small solo, but it isn't flashy or long. Slash knew this was Ronnie's performance, and stayed in the background, a character trade that only the best guitar players in the world posses.
It's a nice uplifting performance of a really good song.

Enjoy ; )

AC/DC - Down Payment Blues

This is a performance from 1996 by hard rock/rock 'n' roll band AC/DC. The song is from the album "Powerage" which is the band's fourth internationally released album and the fifth Australian studio album, confusing, yeah I know.
The song is also one of Slash's favourite AC/DC songs, as he explains in an interview on the Ronnie Wood show. He says that it's one of the best driving songs, and I agree, it drives you, and it's got that classic AC/DC groove. A really nice song, and a great performance.

Enjoy ; )

Rory Gallagher - Bullfrog Blues

This is a great blues song from blues legend Rory Gallagher. I only recently discovered Gallagher, and I must say that I'm impressed. He's definitely a blues man, and a good one.
This is one of my favourites from him so far (haven't listened to all his stuff yet). I love his slide work, it's gritty and not perfect, but very rock 'n' roll. He has played many genres like blues, rock, hard rock, blues rock and much more, but in the end genres are just labels.
I love his energy when he's playing live, and the fact that he gets up close with the audience, a true performer, he's just great.
He has influenced many players, and Slash was a big fan of Gallagher. Slash also does slide work, and this may be influenced by Rory.

Enjoy ; )