Although he’s inarguably best known as the iconic, top hat-wearing axe-man for Guns ‘N Roses, Slash has spent more than a few years carving out a solo career for himself. Now, the legendary guitarist has announced the latest addition to his discography: a guest-laden LP entitled Orgy of the Damned, scheduled for release on May 17.
Produced by Mike Clink, the man who twiddled the knobs for all of Guns ‘N Roses’ albums from Appetite for Destruction through “The Spaghetti Incident?” (not to mention 1995’s It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, the debut album by Slash’s Snakepit), the album features a dozen songs and a disparate collection of guest vocalists, starting with AC/DC’s Brian Johnson on the LP’s first single, “Killing Floor.” Also guesting on the song: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on harmonica.
“‘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," said Slash in the press release announcing the album. "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.”
"When Slash asked me to sing on ‘Killing Floor,’ I said yes immediately," said Johnson in the aforementioned press release. "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.”
Other guest stars on the album include Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes), Gary Clark Jr., Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Tash Neal, and Beth Hart, with Jenna Bell and Jessie Payo contributing backing vocals to Neal's cover of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City."
Here's the full track listing for the album, along with the guest vocalists and songwriting credits for each of the songs:
- “The Pusher” feat. Chris Robinson (vocal and harmonica) - Written by Wayne Hoyt Axton
- “Crossroads” feat. Gary Clark Jr. (vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo) - Written by Robert Leroy Johnson
- “Hoochie Coochie Man” feat. Billy F. Gibbons (vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo) - Written by Willie Dixon
- “Oh Well” feat. Chris Stapleton (vocal) - Written by Peter Alan Green
- “Key to the Highway” feat. Dorothy (vocal) - Written by Charles Segar, William Broonzy
- “Awful Dream” feat. Iggy Pop (vocal) - Written by Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins, Clarence Lewis, C. Morgan Robinson
- “Born Under a Bad Sign” feat. Paul Rodgers (vocal) - Written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones
- “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” feat. Demi Lovato (vocal) - Written by Barrett Strong and Jesse Norman Whitfield
- “Killing Floor” feat. Brian Johnson (vocal) - Written by Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf) - Special guest Steven Tyler on harmonica
- “Living for the City” feat. Tash Neal (vocal) - Written by Stevie Wonder - Special guest background vocals: Jenna Bell and Jessie Payo.
- “Stormy Monday” feat. Beth Hart (vocal) - Written by T-Bone Walker
- “Metal Chestnut” - Written by Slash
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