Bob Dylan has worked with countless artists on the years. Some – like Robbie Robertson or Mark Knopfler – become partnerships that shape an era, writing a chapter in his career. Others don’t last as long, however.
In the early 90s Bob Dylan was looking to embrace different musicians, and invited Slash into the studio. The iconic rock axeman was eager for a break, with Guns N’ Roses reaching their peak as The Most Dangerous Band On The Planet.
Escaping the headlines for a studio stint with the seminal songwriter, he plugged in his Les Paul and wailed. The results were impressive – or so he thought, until the final album was released.
—
—
Utilised on Dylan’s ‘Under The Red Sky’, it turns out that the parts Slash has recorded were chopped up and re-arranged, like a six-string mosaic. The final release included the single ‘Wiggle Wiggle’ – neither party’s finest moment – and the results enraged the English-born guitarist.
Speaking to Guitar Player, Slash pronounced Bob Dylan “impossible” – and this from a man who endured Axl Rose at his ego-driven height.
“I came down to the studio and met Bob. He was indifferent as indifferent gets – impossible to work with. On top of that, I did one of my best one-off solos ever, one take – it was killer. When the advance cassettes went out, it was still on there, but he took it off on the official release. He said it sounded too much like Guns & Roses. I was like, ‘What the f*ck was I there for?’”.
The album as a whole is littered with cameos – old friend George Harrison makes an appearance, alongside another guitar icon, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Opinion splitting at the time, ‘Under The Red Sky’ has a lingering cult appeal – so much so, in fact, that Slash actually return to cover album cut ‘Wiggle Wiggle’ on compilation album ‘Bob Dylan in the 80s: Volume One’.
Fancy some more Slash wisdom in your life? Check out his Rock And Rules in the CLASH archive.
—
