The group recorded the set with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile) at the historic RCA Studio A to Nashville, TN, capturing the new material with a series of full band performances live in the studio.
“The guitar playing on it is all really, really spontaneous,” says Slash. “Nothing’s really ‘worked out.’ This is like three takes entirely and we’re done. On this particular record, just having a sort of spontaneity and energy of the group as a whole – the collective – that’s a highlight.”
“They were a machine,” adds Cobb. “While we were making this record, we just pushed everybody to be crazy, like you were on stage, and just go for it. People always say, ‘I saw the band live, they were so much better than the record’, so I think we tried to eliminate the wall between seeing Slash and the band live.
“I knew they were great, I knew they were gonna come in here and kill it, but what did surprise me was the sound Slash gets when plays a Les Paul. I mean, Les Paul/s an incredible guitar but, in his hands, it sounds like chainsaw. The solos on the record – he’s doing them live: it’s legendary, it’s iconic, and it’s memorable and it’s thematic.”
Introduced last fall with the lead single, “The River Is Rising”, the set marks Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy, drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Todd Kerns and guitarist Frank Sidoris.
Slash and the band will launch “4” with a full album performance livestream on February 11, the day of its release; the “Live At Studios 60” event will be available via YouTube.
See also:
Slash streams second episode of Making Of 4 album series
Slash performs on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Slash launches Making Of 4 album video series
Slash to launch 4 record with full album performance livestream
Search Guns N Roses at hennemusic
