Slash and Chris "Tennessee Whiskey" Stapleton have combined their considerable forces to great effect on a version of Fleetwood Mac's classic 1969 hit Oh Well. The track comes from the Guns N' Roses guitarist's upcoming blues album Orgy Of The Damned, which was launched last month with a cover of Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor, performed alongside AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.
“So, this is the original Fleetwood Mac, which was founded by Peter Green, one of the greatest singer-songwriter-guitar players," advises Slash. "He’s less known in the public, but very well known to us guitar players re the 60s British blues and he’s up there with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Nick Taylor.
"He sort of had a misadventure with drugs and disappeared early in his career, but he had some great fucking songs and Oh Well is one of my favourites. I remember hearing the song on the radio when I was probably 13, they used to play both the older version of Fleetwood Mac and the new version of the band with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham a lot. I always loved this song, and it’s a great guitar riff. I jammed it with the Blues Ball back in the ‘90s, and I've played it live here and there.
"I knew from the beginning I wanted to do the song on this record. It was also one of the songs that I was trying to figure out who would be the right vocalist for it, and one of the ideas I had was Chris Stapleton, who is one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters today. He's also got such a gritty and distinctive voice, so I called him up and he did an amazing job. I mean, his voice is so cool."
Other guests on the album, which is due for release on May 17 via Gibson Records, include Beth Hart, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Robinson, Demi Lovato and Dorothy, while Slash's band is completed by bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal. Full tracklist below.
Slash is currently on tour in Europe with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, while Slash's S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival will take an all-star lineup across North America this summer to celebrate the release of Orgy Of The Damned.
The run of dates will begin on July 5 at the KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner, MT, and wrap up at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX, on August 17. Joining Slash aboard the blues train will be a supporting cast that includes Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe. Full dates below.
Slash: Orgy Of The Damned tracklist
1. The Pusher feat. Chris Robinson (Wayne Hoyt Axton)
2. Crossroad Blues feat. Gary Clark Jr (Robert Johnson)
3. Hoochie Coochie Man feat. Billy F. Gibbons (Willie Dixon)
4. Oh Well feat. Chris Stapleton (Peter Green)
5. Key to the Highway feat. Dorothy (Charles Segar, William Broonzy)
6. Awful Dream feat. Iggy Pop (Lightnin' Hopkins, Clarence Lewis, C Morgan Robinson)
7. Born Under a Bad Sign feat. Paul Rodgers (William Bell and Booker T. Jones)
8. Papa Was a Rolling Stone feat. Demi Lovato (Barrett Strong, Jesse Norman Whitfield)
9. Killing Floor feat. Brian Johnson, Steven Tyler (Chester Burnett)
10. Living for the City feat. Tash Neal, Jenna Bell, Jessie Payo (Stevie Wonder)
11. Stormy Monday feat. Beth Hart (T-Bone Walker)
12. Metal Chestnut (Slash)
Slash: S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival Tour 2024
Jul 05: Bonner KettleHouse Amphitheater, MT*
Jul 06: Airway Heights Northern Quest Amphitheater, WA*
Jul 08: Redmond Marymoor Park, WA*
Jul 10: Bend Hayden Homes Amphitheater, OR*
Jul 12: Lincoln Thunder Valley Casino, CA*
Jul 13: Los Angeles Greek Theatre, CA*
Jul 14: Tucson Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater, AZ*
Jul 17: Denver The Mission Ballroom, CO**
Jul 19: La Vista The Astro Amphitheater, NE#
Jul 21: Terre Haute The Mill, IN#
Jul 22: Cincinnati PNC Pavilion at Riverbend, OH#
Jul 24: Interlochen Interlochen Center for the Arts, MI#
Jul 25: Huber Heights Rose Music Center, OH$
Jul 27: Windsor The Colosseum at Caesars, ON, Canada$
Jul 28: Toronto Budweiser Stage , ON, Canada$
Jul 30: Lewiston Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater, NY$
Aug 01: Boston Leader Bank Pavilion, MA$
Aug 04: New York Pier 17, NY$
Aug 05: Bethlehem Musikfest, PA+
Aug 07: Cary Koka Booth Amphitheatre, NC+
Aug 08: Atlanta Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, GA^
Aug 10: Clearwater The Sound at Coachman Park, FL^
Aug 11: St. Augustine Amphitheatre, FL+
Aug 13: Huntsville The Orion Amphitheater, AL+
Aug 14: Franklin FirstBank Amphitheater, TN+
Aug 16: Bentonville The Momentary, AR^^
Aug 17: Grand Prairie Texas Trust CU Theatre, TX^
* with Warren Haynes, Samantha Fish and Eric Gales
** with Keb' Mo', Samantha Fish and Jackie Venson
# with Keb' Mo', ZZ Ward and Jackie Venson
$ with Keb' Mo', ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
% with ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
^ with ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
+ with Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
^^ with Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
