Communication Breakdown – Slash

Does this seem like a waste? Two tracks from the end of Slash Week and I’m tossing the penultimate post away on a Led Zeppelin Cover? One of The Greatest Guitarists of Rock. On a song almost everyone who ever picked up an electric guitar has had a crack at. That’s kind of my point.

This track (or this version of this track) comes from an online only download EP. The type of thing that would have once been considered a Radio Session. Slash and Myles (yes and the Power Converters) doing Communication Breakdown. Slopping it out. I get the impression there was minimal rehearsal. Why would they need to? This is a set text. Other tracks in this half dozen song set include the VR number we started the week on and their biggest hit Fall To Pieces. There’s also two tunes from the first Slash album of the Myles era. The jukebox carousel often referred to as Rn’Fn’R. Myles was the only vocal artist to do two tracks on that record. It was clear he’d found his man. The extended Deluxe version allows Beth Hart to return a favour, the brilliant Fergie to repeat the trick she pulled off on Beautiful Dangerous (this time with Cypress Hill on a do over of Paradise City) and for Nicole Sherzinger (She of Pussycat Dolls) to do a track with ole black eyes himself Alice Cooper. Ozzy is on there. Lemmy too. Chris Cornell, Iggy Pop, Ian from The Cult (even after stealing his drummer Matt Sorum way back, Ian and Billy remained friends with the GNR camp) and wait, I know you’re worried. I hear you asking… Yes Dave Grohl wouldn’t miss it. You know that, he’s jamming with Duff McKagan on a genuinely entertaining instrumental.

This knock about feel for the first record carries on the iTunes Session. Slash’s first move after leaving GNR the first time was to form a blues rock covers band. Communication Breakdown is track one side one heavy metal day one (let’s not get into the whole who invented metal? Was it Zep, Sabbath, Blue Cheer? thing) He’s down with it still. As are the fans. What covers like this do is level the playing field. Nobody would argue Slash stands beside Page, Iommi, Angus and the rest. You seldom hear AC/DC do other peoples stuff though. Tony Iommi either (but it’s not as rare). Slash has that Jimmy Page, have guitar will travel thing down pat. Same as Joe Perry from Aerosmith. It’s not unheard of for all three of them to tip up and play on the same stage at the same time. When they do it’s usually Train Kept’ A Rollin’.

So for the sake of it. For the Blues Ball, for Camp Freddy and for that brilliant bit that happens at big shows when they bring out a special guest or nail a tune you’d never thought you’d hear tonight. Let’s include a cover band style cover in Slash Week*. The sort of thing you could hear from a bunch of high-schoolers all playing on second hand kit or behind the velvet rope at a VIP only after show on Hollywood Boulevard.

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*Also I was at this show and this moment was a major hit with the crowd