Slash Recalls the Album That Made Him Want to Pick Up a Guitar

2021-12-11

Photo of Slash performing live at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.

Slash – Story by Cat Badra, photo by Anne Erickson

Slash says there was a specific moment when he knew he wanted to play guitar

Slash seems like he was born playing guitar, but just like everyone else, there was a time he didn’t play. Early on in life, he heard a certain record, and from there on, felt inspired to become the best guitarist he could. The rest is rock ‘n’ roll history.

Speaking with producer Dave Cobb on Apple Music’s Southern Accents Radio, Slash explained that the album that got him to pick up a guitar was “Disraeli Gears” from Cream. It might seem like an odd fit, but Slash says the album made him want to drop the bass, which he had been pursuing, and start playing guitar.

Cream featured Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Even though the band wasn’t together long, they had major success with “Disraeli Gears,” which arrived in 1967 and marked their sophomore album.

“Right off the bat, Disraeli Gears was the record that switched me from playing bass to guitar,” Slash told Cobb. “When I first went in to learn an instrument, I intended to play bass because Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, when he and I first met, he already played guitar, and so we were going to start a band so I was going to start to play bass, but I didn’t know really technically the difference at that time between bass and guitar.”

From there, Slash joined up with a guitar teacher and played “Sunshine of Your Love” during the first lesson. He knew, that moment, “That’s what I want to do.”

“That was the guitar, right, electric guitar, and that’s where I picked up guitar,” Slash said. “So Disraeli Gears, aside from being one of the great rock and roll blues records of the era, if not of all time, it also was what made me pick up the guitar in the first place.”

Slash, of course, would go on to become the lead guitarist for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Guns N’ Roses. He also heads up a successful solo project, called Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, which releases a new album, “4,” in February.

Cat Badra
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