Ever since Guns N' Roses burst onto the scene in 1987, lead guitarist Slash has become the Iron Man of rock 'n' roll.
Aside from his work with Guns N' Roses, Slash has led three other bands: Slash's Blues Ball, Slash's Snake Pit and Velvet Revolver.
In addition to his own projects, Slash, a highly sought-after session guest, has appeared on more than 50 albums by an eclectic range of artists including Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Paulina Rubio, Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson.
Here are 10 of Slash's best guest appearances, selected for variety, but mostly for the guitarist's distinct killer chops.
10. "Street Child,"Street Child; Elan
One thing Slash never forgot, but that has slipped the minds of many of his late-Eighties guitar brethren, is emotion. Slash can burn with the best of them ("Paradise City" is a good reminder), yet he never fails to evoke the organic human connection a musician ought to have with his or her instrument.
In the title track off Mexican alternative rock singer Elan's 2003 album, Slash compliments the singer's morose lyricism with a chilling solo that is as expressive as it is proficient.
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09. "Nada Puede Cambiarme,"Ananda; Paulina Rubio
Guitar knows no language barriers, as Slash proves on Rubio's 2006 album, Ananda. At first the song sounds like a departure for one of the world's premier rock guitarists; it's one of the Mexican singer's glossiest pop tunes. But then the two-and-a-half-minute mark hits and Slash injects a healthy dose of electric sting to the mix.
- Even if you can't speak Spanish, it's OK. Everybody can speak Slash.
08. "I Ain't No Nice Guy,"March or Die; Motorhead
It was the time of bloated power ballads, long-haired rockers strumming cowboy acoustic chords and playing ... what are those things called? Oh yeah, pianos. But even in 1992 it was hard to believe Motorhead would get in on the act. Well, they did. What makes this track off March or Die stand out from the then-ubiquitous power-pop ballads of other metal bands is the inclusion of guests Ozzy Osbourne and Slash.
Slash was hot off the heels of the Use Your Illusion albums, and here he keeps up the fine six-string work. "Hey, Slasher!"
07. "Rebel Road,"Rebel Road; Edgar Winter
On Edgar Winter's 2008 album, Rebel Road, Slash just does what Slash does best: rock without apology. Winter delivers hard-edged, driving vocals, and Slash responds in kind with his usual interplay of well-timed bends and outbursts of manic speed.
While no one can deny that Winter's most enduring stamp on classic rock will forever be the thumping riff of "Frankenstein," "Rebel Road" is certainly a catchy cousin.
06. "What I Want,"Daughtry; Daughtry
If you're a particular Slash fan, you might say this is more "Velvet Revolver Slash" than "Guns n' Roses Slash." Maybe, but give one listen to the solo at 1:41 and there's no mistaking whose thick, wah-drenched guitar work that is. Slash, like most great artists, has a variety of colors to choose from in his playing.
He's as adaptive as he is musical, which probably explains the caliber and quantity of musicians who want to work with him.
05. "Saturday Night,"Give the Drummer Some; Travis Barker
A hybrid mix of rock, hip-hop and punk, sprinkled with some Spanish flavor, "Saturday Night" feels like a tip of the hat to the Latin roots of Los Angeles. Who better to help Barker and special guests The Transplants than Slash, a transplant himself from Britain who was raised in L.A.?
This track off Barker's solo debut shows Slash doing his best Carlos Santana, but it's hardly imitation; Slash at once calls upon his influences and delivers his own signature touch.
04. "Fix,"Another Level; Blackstreet
"Fix" may sound like a more rock 'n' roll version of Blackstreet's "No Diggity," but that's what Slash does; he makes things more rock 'n' roll.
The pairing of Blackstreet, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Slash might seem odd at first, but back in 1996 Slash had the attitude of just keeping busy, as by this point Guns N' Roses had virtually imploded after three years of inactivity. This is one of several guest appearances he made at the time.
03. "I Don't Live Today,"Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix; Various artists
Yes, that's Band of Gypsys playing rhythm. Add Slash and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers, and you've got some serious fire (pun intended). "I Don't Live Today," a cut off side one of Jimi Hendrix's debut album, Are You Experienced, isn't as well known as "Foxy Lady" or the album's title track, but this might have aided Slash and Rodgers.
Covering Hendrix is notoriously risky, as his most popular songs are omnipresent forces in the rock 'n' roll lexicon. And who wants to hear another version of "Purple Haze"? Slash and Rodgers did it right.
02. "Break Like the Wind,"Break Like the Wind; Spinal Tap
Nigel Tufnel's solos are his trademark, but he must have felt generous to give a few lesser players their due, namely Steve Lukather, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck and, of course, Slash. Somewhere amid the cacophony of notes that takes off at about three-and-a-half minutes into this track is Slash.
It was likely a guitar slugfest in the studio, so listen for the squeals and clean wah -- Slash's trademarks.
01. "Hey Stoopid,"Hey Stoopid; Alice Cooper
Slash first worked with Alice Cooper when he, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin collaborated on a new version of Cooper's classic Killers track "Under My Wheels" for the Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years soundtrack. In 1991 he got the chance to work with Cooper again, playing guitar on the title track from Hey Stoopid.
As with "Break Like the Wind," Slash would play alongside Joe Satriani, but don't look for either in Cooper's over-the-top video. If fact, you might not want to look at the video at all.
