So the young ‘uns might not remember this, but back in 1995, following the release of Ozzmosis, Zakk Wylde actually had to bow out of Ozzy Osbourne’s touring group. The reason? ‘Cause Mr. Wylde was busy waiting to see if he got the second guitarist spot in the then-biggest band in the world, Guns N’ Roses. GN’R's original rhythm guitarist, Izzy Stradlin, had quit in ’91, and his replacement, Gilby Clarke, was fired in ’94; the band was having a hard time filling the slot (an issue which apparently ended up being a major factor in Slash’s eventual decision to leave the group), and Axl Rose got it into his head that having a second lead guitarist would be a great idea, and would “push” the two axe slingers to challenge themselves in new and interesting ways (a theory Rose continues to test in his current version of Guns). In hindsight, this was probably a terrible idea, but at the time, when word got out that Wylde was jamming with GN’R, everyone was all excited by the possibility.

I’m not quite sure why it didn’t work out between Wylde and GN’R (Rose says that Slash refused to share the spotlight with a second lead guitarist, Slash says that Wylde was too impatient to wait for Rose to get his shit together), but last week fans got a kinda-sorta glimpse of a what a Wylde GN’R might have sounded like when the guitarist, whose Black Label Society was opening for Rose and company, hopped up on stage with the band to perform a cover of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” Metal Insider has found multiple fan-filmed videos of the event, one of which I’ve re-posted below; it’s actually pretty amazing, ’cause Wylde doesn’t use a single guitar squeal the entire time. I wonder if that was one of Rose’s conditions when allowing him to perform with GN’R?

And since we’re on the topic of Zakk Wylde almost joining Guns N’ Roses in the mid-90s, here’s a video of Wylde and Slash jamming on Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” from roughly that same time period. Hearing the way these two trade licks and interact with one another might actually give you a better sense of how GN’R could have sounded had Wylde actually ended up in the band. Enjoy:

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We at MetalSucks have dealt with the paradoxes involved with conducting a poll to determine great guitar players (read our 25 Best Modern Metal Guitarists poll here)! So we get that in a unweighted vote, the top-ranked axemen may just represent those liked by the largest number of voters; i.e. a dude who we agree is pretty good may score higher than each of our individual favorite dudes.

So when Rolling Stone magazine enlisted a who’s-who of classic rock personalities for their 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time cover story, we prepared for some wacky aberrations. Let’s check out a few of the RS list’s inconsistencies:

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Michael Winslow is probably best known as the guy who makes funny noises in the Police Academy movies (winner of more Oscars than any other franchise in history), but I prefer to remember him as the “I’ve lost the bleeps, I lost the sweeps, and I lost the creeps” dude from Spaceballs. However you remember him (assuming you remember him at all), there is no denying that he made a solid career for himself out of the world’s best party trick, which is more than you can say for most people!

I mention him now because Metal Injection found [via the AV Club] some super-sweet footage of Winslow doing a couple of Led Zeppelin covers, which you can check out below. Even though it’s very (very, very, very) easy to make Winslow into a punchline, there really is no denying that this is pretty cool.

More Led Zep after the jump. And as a bonus, I’ve included some old footage of Winslow doing Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” too.

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There are sooooooooooooooo many choice Hendrix cuts that picking just one to post is no easy feat. But I have managed to choose a rare live version of a classic that first stirred my soul way back in 7th grade, and still does it for me to this day…

BONUS VIDEO: JIMI & STEVIE WONDER (on drumz!) JAMMING IN THE STUDIO!!!!!

-KW

First of all, I think we can all agree on one thing: without Jimi Hendrix, there would be no such thing as heavy metal. The man revolutionized guitar playing, and is one of the few musicians who inarguably influenced literally everyone who came after him. Period.

So. It’s almost the fortieth anniversary of the man’s death, and I think all the legal issues surrounding his estate have finally been cleared up, which must be why there’s an abundance of cash-ins new Hendrix products being released in the coming months: for one thing, there’s going to be a new album of previously unreleased studio recordings, entitled Valleys of Neptune; you can watch the video for the title track, which wants really, really badly to appeal to stoners aging or otherwise, above. And then there’s gonna be a Hendrix-themed iPod for yuppies who want the world to know that they like good music.

On top of all of that, Hendrix’s sister, Janie – who controls his estate – apparently let it slip in a recent interview that there’s an edition of the video game Rock Band in the works which will center around her late brother. I guess Rock Band: The Beatles must have sold well despite the fact that rhythm games’ fifteen minutes are just about up.

Of course we have no way of knowing what Hendrix himself would have made of such a game, but… fuck it, I’d play it. If you can’t get right and pretend that you’re the rock god you’ll never actually be, why go on living?

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

Buddy Miles, drummer for Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys, passed away Tuesday, February 26 at the age of 60 [Billboard]. Miles beat the fuck out of the skins like he was trying to destroy them, no doubt influencing generations of rock and metal drummers to come. Please enjoy this clip of “Machine Gun” from the infamous “Band of Gypsys” concert at the Fillmore East in New York City, Dec 31, 1969.

-VN

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