The 10 Albums That Changed Slash’s Life

Unforgettable Records

Slash is widely considered as one of the greatest guitarists in rock. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Guns N’ Roses and well, he’s basically a household name. In 2014, he was interviewed on Classic Rock magazine. He listed down ten albums that changed his life and he further explained how much they influenced and inspired him as a musician.

Let’s check it out.

10. Kanye West – “Graduation” (2007)

Just because Slash is a rockstar doesn’t mean he refuses to explore other genre. But he has an explanation for this: “I downloaded Kanye West’s Graduation for one song (Stronger) but because I’m old school, I bought the entire record. It’s not even a guilty pleasure – I’m just embarrassed to own it.”

9. Guns N’ Roses – “Sympathy For The Devil” (1995)

There are albums that should’ve never seen the light of day. But when asked what his pick was, Slash declared: “Ah man, I’d hate to diss on anybody. Can I just pick Sympathy For The Devil by Guns N’ Roses? OK, it’s not really an album… but I definitely feel it’s something that should never have happened, so let’s go with that ha ha!”

8. War – “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” (1975)

In rock, there’s no shortage of unforgettable and visually arresting album covers. The artwork became as iconic as the songs themselves and as for the best one, Slash said: “My Dad was an album cover designer, so we had tons of records on the wall. There are so many greats, but the one that comes to mind now is Why Can’t We Be Friends? It came with a black and white illustration of Sunset Boulevard with all its hookers and even Joe’s Hamburger Stand.”

7. Fleetwood Mac – “Rumours” (1977)

This was on the first time he had sex. Although he remembered that he “nearly first had sex to Rocks… I’d been courting this girl for months, finally got in her apartment while her mom was away and she put it on. I played it over and over until she said, ‘You might as well go!’ Usually, it’s the girl’s music that you end up having sex to. So it was probably something like Rumours which was very popular with the girls back then!”

6. Erik Satie – “Gynmopédies” (1888)

This is what he wants played at his funeral. He admitted, “I’d probably want to play something like Gymnopédies by Erik Satie, who was an amazing French composer. These pieces in particular are brilliant – they’re probably my favourite classical works.”

5. Judas Priest – “Screaming For Vengeance” (1982)

You know how there’s that one record that gives off a “need for speed” vibe? This is it for him: “Ah man, that’s a good question! It’s got to be Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest. It’s the ultimate ‘Let’s go out and get a fuckin’ DUI’ record ha ha ha! You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ is a tune!”

4. Aerosmith – “Rocks” (1976)

He may be a guitar hero now but this is where his love for the electric instrument began. He recalled, “Rocks! Aerosmith were the combination of all the sexy riffs Zeppelin had with the fucked-up looseness and bluesiness of the Stones. Rocks was delivered in this outta control way with Steven screaming and the guitars going ‘KRRRK!’ That was my record – it spoke to me as a fucked-up teenager and set me off on a path.”

3. Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath” (1970)

The progenitors of heavy metal. So of course, if someone came up to him asking about the genre, this is what he’d recommend. He declared, “Nothing can touch Black Sabbath in terms of nailing the sound of metal. I also love Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in the same way. I’ve heard people cover the title track and tune down, but no one will sound as heavy as Sabbath doing it in regular tuning. Tony Iommi is a fuckin’ genius.”

2. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin” (1969)

It’s the first album he bought. He said, “There’s a blur between the albums I bought and albums I nicked! I didn’t have any money so I’d go to Tower Records and use a five-finger discount. I remember getting the first Zeppelin record early on. They opened the door for everything that the 70s was about: hedonism, excess and drugs. Their music made me just want to bang girls!”

1. Guns N’ Roses – “Appetite For Destruction” (1987)

Their magnum opus. So unsurprisingly, Slash wants to be remembered for this album because he loves “what it stands for –something unadulterated, totally honest, pure, innocent but streetwise. It nailed the anxiety of life and came out as just this raw thing. I never knew it’d end up being as big as it was!”