SLASH 2024 SOLO ALBUM "ORGY OF THE DAMNED": tracklist, guest singers and more [LISTEN TO FIRST SINGLE!]

Not sure if there is a thread for this so here we go...

New details from the upcoming Slash solo album:



Title: ORGY OF THE DAMNED

Release date: May 17, 2024

Producer: Mike Clink

Backing band: No info so far, seems to be various guests (and not the Conspirators)

First single: “Killing Floor” (Howlin’ Wolf) with Brian Johnson (AC/DC) on vocals and Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) on harmonica -- to be released on March 08, 2024

Tracklist:

01 - The Pusher (with Chris Robinson)
02 - Crossroads (with Gary Clark Jr.)
03 - Hoochie Coochie Man (with Billy Gibbons)
04 - Oh Well (with Chris Stapleton)
05 - Key To The Highway (with Dorothy)
06 - Awful Dream (with Iggy Pop)
07 - Born Under A Bad Sign (with Paul Rodgers)
08 - Papa Was A Rolling Stone (with Demi Lovato)
09 - Killing Floor (with Brian Johnson)
10 - Living For The City (with Tash Neal)
11 - Stormy Day (with Beth Hart)
12 - Metal Chestnut


Tracklist looks a lot like a "Slash's Blues Ball" setlist! At least six songs were regularly played by Slash's blues band in their short-lived existence in the 90s: "The Pusher", "Crossroads", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Oh Well", "Key To The Highway"and "Born Under A Bad Sign".


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Listen to the first single on @Blackstar post below


source: Veja capa de álbum solo do Slash, que trará Brian Johnson e Steven Tyler no primeiro single (Whiplash.net)

Will try and to do a track by track breakdown here so we got something to listen to while we wait for May 17.

I am not 100% sure about the songs on the album and all the other info but I will try to do "educated guesses" here

Will also try and create a funny headline for each track just for the fun of it



FORMER "PRODUCTIVE JUNKIE", GUNS N' ROSES STAR SLASH COVERS "GREMLINS" ACTOR SONG ABOUT EVIL DRUG DEALER!

Guns n' Roses rock demigod Slash, who once described himself as a "productive junkie" for multinational news channel CNN, has recorded a cover of "The Pusher", a song written by American actor and songwriter Hoyt Axton (1938-1999), famous for starring in films like 80's classic "Gremlins".

The song -- a Slash's favorite that has been performed live by the guitar hero several times since the 90s -- is about a drug dealer who sells hard drugs such as heroin. The "pusher" is described in the lyrics as a "monster/and not a natural man", that "take[s] your body/and leave[s] your mind to scream". The cathartic chorus of the song has the narrator cursing the evil drug dealer: "God damn the pusher/God dam the pusher man".

Slash has openly discussed his heroin addiction on several interviews since the 80s. The guitar player claims to be -- and, in fact, appears to be -- "clean" for several years now. But he lived more than his share of horror stories dealing with addiction. Slash was already a junkie in his early 20s, even before Guns n' Roses had released their debut album "Appetite for Destruction". So much so that he famously co-wrote "Mr Brownstone" -- a song about being consumed by the heroin habit -- with "drug buddy" Izzy Stradlin -- who also happened to be his partner in Guns n' Roses.

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"THE PUSHER", featuring Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on vocals


"The Pusher" is a cover of the song written by American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor Hoyt Axton (1938-1999).


Hoyt Axton in 1976

Hoyt Axton became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. Among his best-known songs are "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer" and "Never Been to Spain". He was also a prolific character actor with many film and television roles to his credit, often playing a father figure in a number of films including 1984's "Gremlins" (!)


Hoyt Axton (on the right) with Zach Galligan (left) and Frances Lee McCain on "Gremlins"

The lyrics of "The Pusher" distinguish between a dealer of "soft drugs" such as marijuana —who "will sell you lots of sweet dreams" — and a pusher of hard drugs such as heroin — a "monster" who does not care "if you live or if you die".

Lyrics:

You know I smoked a lot of grass
And I popped a couple of pills, now
Yeah but I never touched nothing that
Could break my will

But I've seen a lot of people
With tombstones in their eyes
If they don't get their hard stuff
You know they're gonna die

God damn the pusher
God damn the pusher man

Mmmmmm

You know the dealer is a man
With love grass in his hand
But the pusher is a monster
And not a natural man

Yeah, the dealer take a nickel
Give you lots of fine dreams
Yeah but the pusher take your body
And leave your mind to scream

God damn the pusher
God damn the pusher man

Wahhhhhh

Yeah if I were the President of this land
I'd declare total war on the... the pusher man
I'd cut him if he stands
I'd shoot him if he runs

I'd kill him with my razor
And my Bible and my gun

God damn the pusher
God damn the pusher man

Ahhh yeahhh


Hoyt Axton wrote "The Pusher" but did not place the song on one of his albums until he included it on "Joy To The World" (1971).




The song was made popular at least two-three years prior to that when it was recorded in 1968 by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf (for their self-titled debut album) and included on the 1969 movie "Easy Rider".




The song appears on the opening scenes of the movie showing men doing drug trafficking.




Steppenwolf released the song on their 1968 debut album "Steppenwolf" (release date: January 29, 1968). The album reached #6 on the Billboard 200 album chart and single "Born to Be Wild" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100.


"The Pusher" is an old favorite

Slash has played "The Pusher" at least 28 times with his "Blues Ball" band in 1996-1998 (according to to Setlist.fm)



Flyers for Slash's Blues Ball shows


Slash formed Slash's Blues Ball after leaving Guns n' Roses. He was invited to play on a huge Festival in Budapest, Hungary, in 1995, and quickly put a band together to play mostly blues covers. The initial line up was Slash on lead guitar, Teddy Andreadis on lead vocals, keyboard/organ and harmonica, Johnny Griparic on bass, Alvino Bennet on drums, Bobby Schneck on rhythm guitar, and Dave McClarem on sax.

There is at least one (and probably several more) live recordings of "The Pusher" by Slash's Blues Ball from that 90's era.

Below there is a full Blues Ball live show recorded on video (very good quality) at the Tramps club in New York City on December 05, 1996.

They play "The Pusher" at the 52m55s mark

Line up for this performance:

Vocals and Keyboard - ??? (looks a lot like Teddy Andreadis with blonde hair!)
Guitars - Slash
Guitars - ??? (could be Bobby Schneck)
Drums - Alvino Bennet
Bass - ??? (could be Johnny Griparic)
Percussion - ???




10 years later, "The Pusher" again

About a decade later, Slash would play "The Pusher" live at least one more time. Below there are two slightly different video recordings of that performance -- recorded live at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on July 05, 2008.

(First video has much better audio quality)

Line up for this performance:

Vocals and Keyboard - Teddy Andreadis
Guitars - Slash
Guitars - ??? (it is probably BB Chung King; could be Bobby Schneck)
Drums - Tommy Clufetos
Bass - Johnny Griparic






Everyone loves "The Pusher"

Several artists and bands have recorded and/or played live versions of "The Pusher" over the years:

- Nina Simone included a soulful version of the song on her 1974 album "It Is Finished"




- Blind Melon released a version of "The Pusher" (including what seems to be newly added lyrics) on their 1996 album "Nico"




- Cowboy Mouth covered "The Pusher" for the 1998 movie Soundtrack of the movie "Half Baked".




- UFO released a cover of "The Pusher" on their 2017 studio album (and first covers album) "The Salentino Cuts"




- The Dead Lips (a The Flaming Lips & Deap Vally's collaboration) released a cover of "The Pusher" (slightly different lyrics) on their 2020 self-titled album "Deap Lips"




The song has also been covered by Monkeywrench, Young Flowers, Black League, The Substitutes, Helix, Negative Space, Emerson Parris, The Dixie Damned, and Left Lane Cruiser.


That is, everyone except... mama!

Hoyt Axton sometimes recalled in his shows how he discovered, many years after "The Pusher" had been a hit, that the song had never been published. He asked his mother, Mae Boren Axton, who ran his publishing company, how it had been missed. His mother told him she had refused to publish it because of the "swearing" in the song. Hoyt told his mother, "Mom, it's a biblical curse! God... Damn the pusher man!" She said, "Oh, now I get it!" and published the song.


Early, raw demo version was released in 2008

A 1968 early version (demo) of "The Pusher" was first officially released as a bonus track on the 2008 Australian CD re-issue of Hoyt Axton's "My Griffin Is Gone"



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sources:

Hoyt Axton (Wikipedia.org)

"Steppenwolf" (Wikipedia.org)

Songs played by tour: Slash's Blues Ball (Setlist.fm)

The Pusher performed by Slash’s Blues Ball (Setlist.fm))

Slash's Blues Ball (Snakepit.org)

Slash's Blues Ball (SlashParadise.com)

SLASH Performs At 'Bottle Rock It' Launch In Las Vegas; Video Available (Blabbermouth.net)

SLASH DELIVERS POOLSIDE BLUES (DailyFiasco.com)

KilroyWasHearToo (YouTube.com)

GUNS N' ROSES DEMIGOD PARTNERS WITH REJECTED ROCK SINGER FOR OLD BLUES SONG RECORDING!

"Rejected" rock n' roller Chris Robinson of "The Black Crowes", who once was famously kicked out of a ZZ Top tour, has received an invitation that he couldn't say no to. Robinson was asked by none other than Guns n' Roses demigod Slash to sing on the guitar player's new solo album!

The two rockers have shared the stage more than one time during their long and illustrious careers. Slash has played with the Crowes in the 1990's, and both musicians joined Jet onstage in 2006. More recently Slash and Robinson have been seen together in three different venues: an airport, a music festival and a awards show!

It's been revealed that Robinson and Slash have recorded a version of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher". The song -- which was made famous by Steppenwolf's version that appears on the 1969 classic film "Easy Rider" -- is about a drug dealer who sells hard drugs. Now who is the reject here, Mr. ZZ Top?

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"I think we all know who that was": 1990, Slash joins the Black Crowes in New York City

Slash joined the Black Crowes on stage on June 21st, 1990, during their show at the Marquee, in New York City. Slash played on "I Know It's A Sin", a cover of Jimmy Reed.





Black Crowes had just released their debut studio album "Shake Your Money Maker" -- the release date for that was February 13, 1990. Slash, on the other hand, was probably the most famous and recognizable guitar player in the world on that night, as Guns n' Roses was everywhere in the radio and specially on MTV at the time.

This was dully noted by Chris Robinson. After Slash's guest appearance, he said to the audience: "I think we all know who that was". You can hear Chris saying that -- and also the entire song, and the entire show -- today, because this show has been recorded. All things considered, it is a very good quality audio recording.








2006: Slash, Chris Robinson and Steve Jones join Jet

Slash, Chris Robinson and Steve Jones (of Sex Pistols fame) joined the then up-and-coming Australian band Jet in the Spacelands club in Los Angeles on December 10, 2006. Slash, Robinson and Jones did individual guest appearances during the show. Then all three guests returned to the stage for a roof-raising version of Faces' ’Ooh La La’.



Steve Jones (left), Chris Robinson (center) and Slash (right, barely visible) playing with Jet


There is a video recording of it but the sound is really distorted




2018: Slash and Chris Robinson make (separate) guest appearances on Joe Perry' Record Release Party

On January 16, 2018, Slash and Chris Robinson did guest appearances at a Joe Perry concert at the Roxy Theatre, in Hollywood. The show took was a record release party for Perry's solo album "Sweetzerland Manifesto". It was an all-star night with other guest appearances by Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, New York Dolls' David Johansen, and Johnny Depp. Also on stage were Extreme's Gary Cherone and Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, who are part of Perry's touring band.


Chris Robinson sang "Fortunate One"




Slash played on "Train Kept a Rolling"




Unknown Date (2022): Slash and Chris Robinson at a Tokyo airport




2023: Slash and Chris Robinson play at the CMT Awards

Slash and Robinson performed (separately) at the 2023 CMT Music Awards, a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The show took place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on April 2, 2023.

Robinson played with his band The Black Crowes and special guest Darius Rucker (of Hootie and the Blowfish fame). They performed a live version of  "She Talks to Angels".




Slash joined an all-star line up of musicians -- Paul Rodgers, Cody Johnson, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Chuck Leavell, Ethan Pilzer, Rich Redmond, LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna Judd -- to pay tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd. They played a medley of "Simple Man" and "Sweet Home Alabama"




2023: Slash and Chris Robinson at the Power Trip Music Festival

Slash and Robinson were photographed together at the Power Trip music festival in Indio, California. The festival was held from October 6 to 8, 2023. Guns n' Roses played on the first night (Friday, October 6) alongside Iron Maiden.  






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sources:

June 21, 1990 - The Black Crowes Setlist at The Marquee, New York, NY, USA  (Setlist.fm)

1990 Setlist Almanac (Gnrontour.com)

Jet play all star show in Los Angeles: Slash and Black Crowes team-up with the Aussies (NME.com)

Vídeo: Joe Perry toca en directo con Slash, Johnny Depp, Gary Cherone, Chris Robinson... (Mariskalrock.com)

Slash and Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) in Tokyo. Photo by Ross Halfin (Guns n' f 'n Roses.It/Facebook.com)

2023 CMT Music Awards (Wikipedia.org)

Power Trip (music festival) (Wikipedia.org)

The single didn't leak, it was just released in Australia according to the time zone (I don't know if it was by mistake).

Music video:

Press release (via Blabbermouth):

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Slash's 'Orgy Of The Damned' Blues Album To Feature Brian Johnson, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Others

Slash, the iconic, Grammy-winning guitarist and songwriter, has announced his highly anticipated sixth solo album titled "Orgy Of The Damned", will be released on May 17 via Gibson Records.

A collection of 12 dynamic songs that shakes up and revitalizes blues classics with a stripped-down, instinctive approach, "Orgy Of The Damned" creates a singular expression that pays homage to the blues.

The first single "Killing Floor" — which features Brian Johnson of AC/DC on vocals, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on harmonica — is an electrifying, raucous and gleefully unbridled take on Howlin' Wolf's 1964 Chicago blues standard.

The new video for "Killing Floor", which can be seen below, offers a first look at Slash and his blues band Johnny Griparic (bass), Teddy Andreadis (keyboards), Michael Jerome (drums), and Tash Neal (vocals/guitar), recording the song in the studio.

Slash says: "'Killing Floor' is one of my favorite Howlin' Wolf songs, but also one of the iconic blues riffs that turned me on as a young guitar player. I've always wanted to cover it in some capacity and this record was the perfect vehicle. But playing it with this band, and with Brian Johnson singing, it was an achievement I would never have imagined back then. Let alone Steven Tyler providing the harp."

Johnson states: "When Slash asked me to sing on 'Killing Floor', I said yes immediately. It was one of the first songs I learned in my very first band, and when he played me the backing track it was a no-brainer, and Steven's harmonica is so bloody hot. I had a ball with Slash in the studio, and I think we did this great old song justice. Rock on."

By celebrating both well-known and largely undiscovered songs, Slash offers a nostalgic nod to the past while reinvigorating the songs with his inimitable guitar playing and the spirit of collaboration. For "Orgy Of The Damned", the acclaimed guitarist reteamed with storied producer Mike Clink and enlisted the album's diverse guest vocalists which include Gary Clark Jr., Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson and Beth Hart, in a similar way to his 2010 self-titled solo LP "Slash". To round out his band in the studio and on the road, Slash reunited with two of his bandmates from his Blues Ball outfit in the '90s, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy Andreadis, and brought on drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

Although he grew up in England, Slash's American grandmother turned him on to the blues early on and he was immediately taken with B.B. King. At the same time, his parents raised him on a healthy diet of '60s British rock 'n' roll, from The Who to The Kinks. Once he moved to Laurel Canyon, Slash found himself surrounded by rock and folk singers like Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Neil Young — all of whom eventually inspired his playing and songwriting. It wasn't until he began playing guitar himself that Slash realized all of his favorite musicians had been influenced by the same B.B. King blues records he'd listened to as a young kid.

"Orgy Of The Damned" encompasses a broad range of styles within the blues genre, veering from an upbeat, rowdy take on Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" to a plaintive, twanging rendition of T. Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday". Some of the songs, like Steppenwolf's "The Pusher", Charlie Segar's "Key To The Highway" and Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign", had been performed by Slash's Blues Ball while others, like Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City", were longtime favorites for Slash. "Hoochie Coochie Man", written by Willie Dixon and made famous by Muddy Waters in 1954, showcases the in-the-moment nature and unrestrained energy of "Orgy Of The Damned", with ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons stepping in on guitar and vocals. The group went into a rehearsal room in North Hollywood and began hashing out soulful, rollicking takes on the classic songs. Everything was played live in the room, with an emphasis on improvisation which resulted in a collection of dynamic, energized songs that are immediate, raw, and distinctly familiar.

As Slash was considering vocalists, he approached his old friend and collaborator Iggy Pop, who had long wanted to record a blues song. Pop suggested Lightnin' Hopkins's 1962 track "Awful Dream", a sparse, drawling number originally laid down on acoustic guitar. The duo decided to recreate that stripped back vibe and recorded their own languid, emotionally-resonate version sitting on two stools in Slash's studio.

"Iggy's interpretation of that song is actually sublime," says Slash. "And it's something that nobody's really heard from him. At the end of the track, you can hear him just singing the harmonica parts."

Elsewhere on "Orgy Of The Damned", Demi Lovato lends her powerhouse voice to "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", a fervent, soulful version of the 1972 single by The Temptations that Slash admired as a kid. Although the song veers more towards R&B, the guitarist wanted to give it his own impassioned spin. The album concludes with a soaring original instrumental number, "Metal Chestnut", penned specifically for "Orgy Of The Damned" by Slash.

"Orgy Of The Damned" showcases a lesser-heard aspect of Slash's musical prowess. While he has always embraced a broad range of styles and genres, the album offers a rare opportunity to explore a unique side of his playing and bring to the forefront a rollicking journey through his strong, blues inspirations, that have long been in the background of his illustrious career.

"Orgy Of The Damned" track listing:

01. The Pusher (feat. Chris Robinson)
02. Crossroads (feat. Gary Clark Jr.)
03. Hoochie Coochie Man (feat. Billy Gibbons)
04. Oh Well (feat. Chris Stapleton)
05. Key To The Highway (feat. Dorothy)
06. Awful Dream (feat. Iggy Pop)
07. Born Under A Bad Sign (feat. Paul Rodgers)
08. Papa Was A Rolling Stone (feat. Demi Lovato)
09. Killing Floor (feat. Brian Johnson)
10. Living For The City (feat. Tash Neal)
11. Stormy Day (feat. Beth Hart)
12. Metal Chestnut

Although Slash's upcoming LP will be his second under the "Slash" banner, he has released a handful of albums with his long-running band Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, in which he is joined by Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy.

Last month, Slash resumed touring with Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators' latest album, "4", was released in February 2022 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG.

"4" was Slash's fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Kennedy, Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

https://blabbermouth.net/news/slashs-orgy-of-the-damned-blues-album-to-feature-brian-johnson-iggy-pop-paul-rodgers-others

I am gonna elaborate on this a bit later but these two "new" guys seem to be the grooviest players that Slash ever had by his side since playing with Izzy and Steven on Guns n' Roses!

So refreshing to listen to this!

Meant for this this thread, but I posted it in the other one by mistake. Never mind, it can be in both threads.

Teaser with song snippets:

Orgy of the Damned' features an all-star lineup. Pre-order it now at the link in bio. #slashnews #gibsonrecords pic.twitter.com/fBRH6ZrPvB

— Slash (@Slash) March 22, 2024

I wonder if it is only Oh Well Pt 1 or if he will do Pt 2, too.

This reminds me of how great the original is. Slash's version is very true to the original up until the last minute where he freestyles more with the outro solo - which is nothing special.