Slash's Snakepit - It's Five O'clock Somewhere (Geffen) 1995
1. "Neither Can I"
(6:42)
2. "Dime Store Rock" (4:53)
3. "Beggars and Hangers-On" (6:14)
4. "Good to be Alive" (4:50)
5. "What do You Want to Be" (6:16)
6. "Monkey Chow" (4:11)
7. "Soma City Ward" (3:49)
8. "Jizz da Pit" (2:47)
9. "Lower" (4:54)
10. "Take It Away" (4:43)
11. "Doin' Fine" (4:16)
12. "Be the Ball" (5:!5)
13. "I Hate Everybody (But You)" (4:40)
14. "Back and Forth Again" (5:55)
Bluesy hard rock that has it's roots in the Guns n' Roses school of L.A. rock 'n roll. I can't see why any longtime GnR fan would have been disappointed with this release. From track one, Slash let's loose an assault of bluesy guitar solos and raunchy rock n roll songs that was actually better than what I had expected. I have read that some of these tracks were meant for GnR releases but either were not used or were flat out rejected by 'ol Axl. I guess it's hard to hear when you have you own head shoved up your...uh, nevermind. However, in reality, songs like "Dime Store Rock" would have been just that much better with Axl's shriek behind it. Eric Dover is certainly a competent vocalist and does a fine job here, but the fact is that Axl has a charm and charisma on vinyl that is hard to duplicate. Regardless, Slash's Snakepit is an enjoyable CD, and one of my favorite Gunner solo discs. Slash's band this time 'round was Gilby Clarke, rhythm guitars; Mike Inez, bass; Matt Sorum, drums; Dizzy Reed, keyboards; and vocalist Eric Dover.
Slash's Snakepit - Ain't Life Grand (Koch Records) 2000
1. "Been There Lately"
(4:27)
2. "Just Like Anything" (4:23)
3. "Shine" (5:20)
4. "Mean Bone" (4:40)
5. "Back to the Moment" (5:33)
6. "Life's Sweet Drug" (3:53)
7. "Serial Killer" (6:18)
8. "The Truth" (5:17)
9. "Landslide" (5:29)
10. "Ain't Life Grand" (4:53)
11. "Speed Parade" (3:52)
12. "The Alien" (4:26)
Second solid CD in a row for 'ol Slash, who is the only ex-Gunner who has put out anything of any substance after GnR. "Ain't Life Grand" is a bit more raw than "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" but still does not really stray into the modern rock formulas. Instead, Slash sticks to what he knows best, pure, unadulterated rock 'n roll with an Aerosmith "Rocks" flare. Not unlike the Boston badboys, Slash adds a bit of groove and funk into the raunchy r-n-r mix. Opening tracks "Been There Lately" and "Just Like Anything" in particular are heavy numbers that incorporate a bit of groove into the mix. Most of the songs, however, are more straightforward hard rockers, like "Speed Parade" and "Landslide". As with most of the tracks, "Landslide" features some rippin' guitar leads. Vocalist Rod Jackson has a raw, gritty blues voice that works well with this type of music. I think his voice sounds especially good on the ballad "Back to the Moment" and the barroom-romp blues of "Ain't Life Grand." Overall, perhaps not an earthshattering, world changing release, but certainly a good rockin' album that will see frequent visits to my CD player.
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Duff | Guns
n' Roses | Izzy Stradlin