Not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but both Warrant guitarists took lessons from Mike Slamer so they could play the songs live. Give them credit, they swallowed their pride & put in the work to learn. Great comparison of the versions!
Yes sir. I’ve always been a big Warrant fan since back in the day and I didn’t know this until I watched Rock N Roll true stories’ segment about Warrant. Then I found a few interviews with Eric and Joey and confirmed it.
Yeah, Beau Hill called up the record company and said, I dont see this happening unless we get someone in here to play these leads. Nothing against the guys in the band but whats out there now we will need a guy that can play what we need to make this album a hit.
Yeah not only THAT, but it was the 80's and many MANY people in bands then were partying, and truly focusing on putting on a show. So when you're up there in the moment, and playing the same dozen or two songs live nightly on a tour, you get a little bored with doing the same thing. Those that are able to improvise most likely will take a few shortcuts or left turns when up on a stage, and getting distracted by chicks - instinct makes a man start staring at tits tis tits everywhere - it's a bit of a distraction. I lived it. And not in Iowa or Nebraska [no offense]. I was on Long Island playing everywhere and NYC and NJ to Connecticut and upstate NY. Local bands were everywhere 5 nights a week. We had a lot to live up to with a lineage from Leslie West to Vai, Satriani, TONS of local killer shredders, and then Petrucci came along [I attended Five Towns College at the same time as Kevin Moore, Myung, and Petrucci - they were still called Majesty]. So there were big reasons to shine and be as good as possible. But even with that, some girl gets up to the front of the stage and flashes you her goodies, it will make your mind go elsewhere for a few seconds and throw you. So I say comparing a live performance to a studio track, is comparing apples, to the apple tree.
Dude, I was a hired guitar player in a band and they had a studio musician play the solos on our album. Turns out it was freakin Andy Wood!! I thought I was going to have to quit the band because I couldn't play half of what he did. I ended up playing the songs live in front of him at a show, he was so gracious and told me I had adapted it well to my own ability.
I was in a band that opened for a band that Andy was the touring guitar player for. I think the other guitar player in my band I were the only ones in the whole building (other than the headlining band) who knew who Andy was. Super nice guy.
I sometimes do a simplified version of some of my own solos on stage - the adrenaline won't let my fingers fly quite as free as they might in the studio!
This is what I was coming to say, playing live (for your average musician, not those super gifted lovely freaks!) Playing live is entertaining, its more about showmanship than precision playing. 95 out of 100 people at the show will dig the energy and show and come back to see you again and again, the 5 musicians in the crowd will say you suck and complain. Me, I'm trying to keep the shows rolling so I'll dumb down my bass line so I can do head spins, sure!
Just do what the drummer from Cannibal Corpse does and play as fast as you can as many notes, don't care what it sounds like. What comes out comes out, and that mf practically invented a new style of drumming. Or be like Frank Zappa and just completely wing every solo. Every performance will be unique and special to the audience.
I saw Warrant live. The guitars were great live. Also saw Extreme live too. Nuno was far and away a much more technical player. But, the audience didn't really know that. Warrant had a great sound and what the guitars did really completed the music. Where Warrant's guitarist like Jeff Beck? No, I don't think they care. Nuno is like on some crazy next level stratosphere when it comes to playing guitar, he almost got zero acknowledgement as 97% of the crowd was just waiting for More than Words.
Wait.....dude. No one even remembers the Warrant guitarists. Even back then. But Nuno and Beck are pretty much legendary. So it's really apples to oranges when you throw Jeff Beck in there. Actually, it's like a gourmet meal (Beck) to a pile of peanuts (Warrant)That is a fact.
Absolutely, I also saw Warrant live back then and their show was great. The best musicians are not necessarily the best entertainers. At that time there were some guitar heroes who - for other musicians - played breathtaking solos, but whose live concerts were rather boring for everyone else.
Those studio artists are the real unsung heroes of our favorite songs. It's amazing how much extra polish, feel, and technique is added by these guys and they get virtually none of the fame, fortune, or even recognition for all the work they do. A lot of times, the fans end up being able to perform songs better than the original artists. But that's not a knock against them, these guys tour and perform everything, plus are usually the starting point for the songs anyway. It's just something that's seldom mentioned and takes a little of that pressure off from people who are just starting out or stuck in the intermediate level.
Unfortunately that's how it goes for studio musicians.. if the general public knew how often "hired guns" were used in rock n roll they would look at their favorite artist much differently...
@nicoleslamerhigdon9275 Seriously, your dad is a monster guitar player! The solos he did on the 1st two Warrant records are some of my favorite solos of all time, and learning to play them has made me a better guitar player
As a long-time Warrant fan, I already knew about Mike doin' the solo's etc. But this is definitely an amazing side by side comparison! I love how you took the time to learn and nail both versions. To me, Mike's version will always sound waaaaay better tho. It has so much attitude! Great video! RIP Jani
Eric's progression over the years with that solo (and others) showed an increased aggressiveness that comes with confidence. It's tough to make someone else's solo your own, but I think he did that. It reminds me of an interview I saw with Paul Gilbert. The interviewer played something, and Paul told him to be more aggressive with his movements and his attack. Then Paul showed him what he meant. Instead of just playing the notes, he used his whole hand and attacked them. You could hear the difference immediately, both in volume and in tone. That confident attack is easier to find when it's your own stuff, and Erik finally started to get that with more repetitions and practice.
I had no idea they used a studio guitarist for that album. I can’t imagine how stressful it must have been to try and be a famous rock band guitarist without the necessary skill, confidence or experience to match. If that didn’t motivate Eric to practice 24/7 then nothing would, lol.
It was the producer Beau Hill's call. He didn't feel that either guitarist in Warrant was to the level that was needed for the recording of guitar solos, so he brought in Mike Slamer, a world class studio musician to play the solos on both DRFSR and Cherry Pie.
Playing as a session guitarist requires a different skillset than playing in a live band. Many amazing guitarists simply can't cut it in the studio. That said, a guitarist can get there with hard work, and I think Erik was able to do that eventually. Unfortunately, Warrant didn't last long enough to really benefit from his increased skills and confidence.
It was surprisingly common, back before Protools, to get session guys in if the band members couldn't play up to the required standard. Nowadays we can edit a dodgy performance in the digital realm so ability isn't as highly prized as it once was.
I appreciate your attention to detail and accuracy. There's so much careless content out there. Great job my man. You're obviously an accomplished and intelligent musician.
I’ve only really played guitar a few years in a band and some solos I play spot on and some I simplify for my limited skills. No one’s ever said anything
this has been so informative for me understanding a) the difference between a good and a great solo and b) allowing me to see how some of those awesome 80s style techniques are performed. Love it!
Hey Mike…good video. Well done. This practice of using a studio session cat was something we all knew about back in the day. Not every band was recorded using session players, but many were for reasons. I’ll be 60 next year and was around for some of these sessions back in the ‘80s. Slamer’s solo work was not necessarily more difficult than what Turner was playing…just different in terms of style. Slamer, as you noted, is an aggressive player. Turner’s nature, being laid back, is reflected in his playing. Also, even the studio recordings played by the actual band members tended to not be played note for note when the band was in tour, especially bands that toured a lot. Playing the exact same thing night after night for months on end gets to be boring as hell. Mixing it up a little helps keep one on their A game. One player from the ‘80s that I had and still have the greatest respect for is the late Ty Longley from Great White. That man could play. We lost Ty in The Station nightclub fire back in 2003. If you’ve never studied his work, it’s worth your time.
@Jedi Minion, I agree, Ty was a great guitarist! Here's something you might find interesting. Before being a hired gun in Great White, Ty Longley played in a cool cover band called 'Sidewinderz'. I became the lead guitarist in Sidewinderz when Ty joined Great White. A little less than a year later, I joined as lead guitarist with Tony Montana and Audie Desbrow (of Great White) and toured in support of Tony's solo CD. What a small world.
Without knowing the "secret", someone could have said that the studio version was more detailed because the guitarist could sit down and concentrate, while the live version was simplified because he had to move around on stage.
This is why many of the "G3" style of guitars refused to play songs sitting down even when recording directly into the board, because they would have to exclude too many songs from their live shows. Joe Satriani and Tony MacAlpine both did old interviews on this and how they hate some of their "sit-down" songs from their early albums and how unnecessarily hard they are to play live.
@@oximofo9 So why don't they just down to play those songs live? I'm sure the audience would forgive them if they explained why they have to sit down for one or two songs.
@@Durwood71 It's a weird thing with audience energy. This is rock'n'roll we're talking about here, not jazz. The only time rock audiences want to see you sit down is for the acoustic version or love ballad. If you're a guitar or bass player and you play out, try it sometime. Do a whole set sitting on a chair. It's a totally different thing, and crowds do not typically respond well. You def don't have to do the cheesy choreographed dance-moves bullshit or jump around like a maniac, but they want to see you on your feet. Otherwise you just look like some bored guy playing with himself in his bedroom.
It's a good thing you looked up to see if there was a session guitarist behind the solo. If I heard the studio version (which I have a lot) and then the live version, I would've just assumed that the guitarist had a fear of messing up and so he didn't get too fancy.
It was never a secret, I remember hearing this in 1989 from kids in my high school in Sydney…so, everyone knew. They hired a session guitarist for the album…most people were like…um well it sounds great so who cares ?
Yep - i remember reading about that in some of my old guitar mags back then in the readers letters section (back then you had to write a letter and mail it to the magazine). Basically they (Eric and Joey) said that they had a teacher come in the studio and "demonstrate leads". The readers got into a debate about if that meant that they didn't play their own solos on the record.
Reminds me of when I was a kid and I watched Silverchair play "Tomorrow" on the roof of the Radio City Music Hall on MTV. I was waiting for the solo to come up because I always thought it sounded really mature for another kid to play and when it came up Daniel Johns did this octave riff thing instead of the blues-inspired solo I was used to hearing on CD. Then I noticed that every time I saw live footage of Silverchair playing that song that recorded solo never happened. It wasn't a bad solo that he replaced it with but it was FAR less exciting than the one on the recording. This was a cool video!
I've been fortunate enough to know studio guys that could play anything and band players that weren't great but could write songs... The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The studio gun slinger guys need bands that are willing to give them opportunities to create these wonderful solo's. The Band guitarist can often be a great song writing partner but not able to creat dazzling solos. I would argue that BOTH sides of this equation are needed. Eric was probably like "wow great solo creation dude... I'll do my best to nail that live" everybody wins - A studio guy gets paid and the world gets a cooler solo that we otherwise might not have gotten and the Band gets a better album all the way around and can write more songs for the next gun slinger to creat another great solo for him to learn and play live... and the cycle continues... There is no shame in this outcome anywhere or from any perspective.
I respectfully disagree about the “no shame” part. Can you imagine being a guitar player and having someone listen to your music and saying “wow! That’s you?” And you being like “most of it, not the hard parts.” I just don’t want any credit for anything I didn’t do, at all, ever.
@mlwilliam213 I totally agree with you in a sense that I'd never do it, although tbh I'd never need to. A lot of ppl would just lie to the person asking if it's them playing, and most would be none the wiser.
Beau Hill has said in interviews that, though he was initially worried about telling the Warrant guys he wanted to bring in a session guy, they actually had a really good attitude about it, and both they and Mike Slamer worked really well together to get them up to speed and get the solos down correctly. For me, I knew something was up when I heard the intro lick to “Sometimes She Cries” - just WAY too slick, fluid and flawlessly performed to not be a session guy.
You're right, it was Beau Hill's suggestion to bring in Slamer. To Eric and Joey's credit, they agreed as it was best for the album and the band. That first album had to be amazing and they knew it. The guys evolved into great players after this - especially Joey, that guy is a monster on guitar. Hugely underrated.
I agree with sometimes she cries. The solos are way to smooth for them. When I learned that solo I could never get it that perfect and to flow up the neck so flawlessly
I would have said pick one. Me or the session guy and if they picked him, they would have to write all new songs and come up with new riffs as I still had copyright
They most likely used all session musicians to record all the instruments. I’be been a sound engineer in LA for over 20 years and done tons of sessions with session musicians Mike Landau, Mike Thompson, Randy Jacobs, Bruce Watson, Tim Pierce, George Doering, Jimmy Haslip, Paul Jackson Jr, Greg Bissonette, Gary Novak, Vinnie Colaiuta, Josh Freeze, JR, etc... just hanging out with them and me asking questions of them, they have all ghosted on TONS of hit albums. They would even do sessions at night, replacing a band’s parts that the band played during the day. The session guys would walk in and play ON the bands instruments the band was using to record during the day. Same tuning, same tones, etc... the next morning when the band came in they thought the engineered had just fixed their performances with editing, they had no idea they were listening to session musicians... The reason to hire session musicians is time and money. I’ve seen it almost every day. A drummer like Vinnie Colaiuta or Abe Laboriel can walk in and sight read a song perfectly in ONE take with no mistakes. I once did 34 songs in one day with Matt and Greg Bissonette. First take was perfect on every song and their time was so impeccable I didn’t even need to beat detective anything... in a Day we literally had two albums of material DONE. So the label and producer could spend 3 months trying to get something useable and spend months more editing... or in one day they can record the entire album and it’s perfect, no editing needed... when Studios are $2500 a day and sound engineers are $1000-$1500 a day... you chew through serious cash when NOT using session musicians. Noawadays everything is programmed. A buddy of mine writes and produces a lot of the active rock billboard top 10 artists. The only person from the band that even comes to the sessions is the singer. My friend writes the songs with the singer or a couple of the band members ahead of time... then for the recording, my buddy programs all the drums and synths, then plays all the guitars, then has the singer come in to record vocals.
It's really sad for instrumental musicians how the music industry has changed. When guys at the top like Vinnie Colaiuta and JR say they don't get as many calls as they used to, you know it's bad.
Really dug this, I had a very similar moment in my early years learning loads of Warrant and spotting how the live versions felt a little off next to the studio versions. This is a great example of how much difference nuances in your playing make and you've presented it very diplomatically!
I wanted to come back on the 2 year anniversary of this video and say that this is probably my favorite video of all time of yours. I love the song Down Boys, and when this video came out it was such a nostalgic time for me, so this video never fails to bring back good memories. Thanks for doing what you do!
He was awesome. I really wish he could have died happy. That damn interview I saw it seemed like he was forever haunted by Cherry Pie, and walking in on his best friend and girlfriend in bed. :(
I don’t know how accurate this is, buttttt; Spotify used to have interviews under some songs and it said that he hated cherry pie because his mom had died and he’d gotten divorced. Now he’s happy he wrote a sign that has stood the test of time and is well known.
If you like Mike Slamer's guitar playing, you should check out the album "1st" by Streets. It features him and Steve Walsh from Kansas and Paul Gilbert mentioned it as one of his favorite guitar albums
C. C. DeVille recorded on the Cherry Pie album because Erik and Joey couldn’t play certain things and C. C. owed Jani a favor. Jani’s brother had to show them how to play Uncle Tom’s Cabin parts. I know this as Jani and I were friends.
I still don't believe anyone in warrant played the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and yes c.c played the cherry pie leads, you can hear his style. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jani lane before he passed when he was doing well, just a super nice guy and appreciated me coming up to him, very humble.
They had CC do that solo because they wanted to get on the Flesh and Blood tour. Had nothing to do with their ability and everything to do with promotion
Great job, brother!! I’ve been a Warrant fan since ‘89. I’ve always found it fascinating how they recreated the studio versions live and still managed to play within their limitations. The growth of the guitar playing, especially Joey, by 1993’s Dog Eat Dog was really cool to hear.
Warrant walked into one of my bands club gigs in Daytona Beach 1989. We actually knew and covered Down Boys and we all got onstage together and played it. Can confirm everyone plays their instruments and Jani had pipes. We drank, partied, and had a great time with a good bunch of guys. However, they were playing at the Orlando fairgrounds the next day and invited us to hang backstage during their gig. I was disappointed to find out ALL of their backing vocals and some instrumentation were canned. I was so naive` then I didn't know anyone did that.
How did bands make that work with canned backing vocals? If the band is playing live, how do they get the pre-recorded vocals to line up with the live band? I've always wondered about that. Thanks for your time.
While I was in bands in the 90's, if the other guys from other bands had tips, tricks, ideas, or just plain old suggestions, I was always open. I don't knock anyone for collaborating with other talents before during or after an album. I really appreciate these types of music review vids, kudos for making it.
And only .01% of the people in the audience recognized the difference between the Slamer and the Turner solo. Most people are completely focused on the main riff, the groove, the chorus. As guitar player myself I of course notice, though I'm realistic in my expectations about where the general listening public focuses it's attention. But I do so appreciate the video for those of us who do focus on the minutia. Just remember that we're like a bunch of mathematicians at a conference discussing to the square root of Pi.
^THIS is the point. What matters to you as a guitarist is of little concern to most ppl listening to you as long as you showed up. Shit, your own band probably isn't paying attention to your soloing. My first band was a "fastcore" band...just basically really fast punk songs about skateboarding, and our songs were 2 minutes tops, so I'd do really quick solos just to kill a little time and entertain myself. We practiced every single day one summer in a garage studio with the vocals coming through P/A speakers hanging from the upper corners on one side. The rest of the instruments were just heard on their own. Our second gig was at a pizza place with a legit stage setup and soundboard, so as we played the mix coming through the floor monitors and the house P/A was all of us and I was much more prominent than normal. Everyone acted like they were mad at me after the show, because I "changed all my solos." (We were all friends but this was a seriously dysfunctional band) I did nothing of a sort except fuck-ups. It was the first time I think they even paid attention to what I was doing.
Also especially back then guitarists didn't play solos note for note. A lot of solos had overdubs and backing guitars so it was impossible to do live with one person. So a lot of solos were facsimiles of the studio versions. I don't think most people cared or knew the difference.
100%. Being a bar band player, all you need is the basic song structure and melody to keep the audience's attention. 75% of the solos I play are more or less improvised unless the solo is integral to the melody of the song. Then, there is always that one person off to the side staring and frowning. That is when you know you found the musician in the audience.
@James Lane And the fuxked up thing is that if another guitarist is watching your set and you're on fire just nailing everything note-for-note, they'll typically hate you even more!! 1
Honestly I like Eric Turner's version just fine. Sure the differences you mentioned are there, but Eric Turner's works just fine for me. I would have never suspected they used a session player on the album and just thought he decided to take it easier live because it's harder to perform consistently live than in the peace and quiet of the studio where you can do dozens of takes.
The weird thing is that live usually sounds slopier, Eric's version sounds more contained instead. I think that's the giveaway, not the mere fact they're different.
Great research, while using a session player definitely wasn't uncommon I would have just assumed he changed it. Back in the 80s a lot of bands, who didn't use session players, just didn't play the same solo live... George Lynch, who obviously played all his own stuff, would completely change the solos, I mean not even close but based upon the feel of the crowd. As a guitarist I thought this was phenomenal, playing in the moment but as the years passed his stuff was closer and closer to the recording. Leaving one of their concerts from the Back for the Attack era I heard someone state, "so glad he finally decided to play the solos right." I guess a lot of people just want to hear what they listen to rather than another interpretation at times.... Great video and again great job on researching this out!
For me if I wanted to hear the songs like they are played in the studio I'd stay home and listen to that. I love seeing bands change things up live. Especially guitarists! And Lynch is probably my most favorite guitarist of all time so to hear him play different things live makes me happy cause I can see what else he is capable of!
Great video. Big fan of Warrant. Kind of funny how people often give drummers a hard time when they say “I’ve got some songs”, but Jani Lane, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Chris Cornell… all drummers… all excellent songwriters.
Eddy trunk interviewed the producer of that particular record and he said that a studio musician played those solos and gave instruction to the two warrant guitarists.
Erik still smokes me on guitar, even before he put in all the practice time and roadwork. It takes real humility for a guitarist to step back and be positive when the producer suggests bringing in a ringer. Respect to the Warrant guys for that.
Agreed. Might call it 'taking one for the team'. If a band is committed to being successful then they do what is necessary to make it happen. The whole "refusing to sell out" mentality is complete BS.
@@richardday3136 no they couldn't, the cherry pie album was a corporate- made album that Jani and warrant pretty much hated after the record company creeps took over
Jani did not hate the album, he just hated the title track. In fact he thought Uncle Tom's cabin was something of a Magnum opus for him. But at this point the album is basically indistinguishable from the single so I understand why he grew to hate that so much.
Once again, thank you for more coverage of hair metal. I thoroughly enjoy it. Thank you for including us hair metal heads more. Your channel is very diverse with styles. That's really awesome of you. You'll only continue to grow your audience.
This is nothing new. Ever heard of the wrecking crew? I have a good friend that is a session musician. It happens much more frequently that most people realize. More often than not music is "polished" by studio pros.
Yep. There's literally an entire city full of session musicians nobody ever heard of, called Nashville, TN. And a whole lot of them don't just work on country stuff.
It's pretty common that the live solos vs the studio version vary quite a lot. But it's also a fact that quite a lot of big bands have used studio musicians to fill in various parts. Some are more honest with that info than others. One of my favorite guitarists, Phil X, did his time as a studio musician but he's really getting his dues these days. Kudos to him for that.
I think that was a producer call to bring in Mike. I think the Intro to Uncle Tom’s Cabin was done by Jani’s brother, which is a sick acoustic piece that I would love to see you cover one day. Still like Warrant and another great video as always
I always wondered who did that intro, I knew it wasn't Erik, joey or Jani. I wanna hear someone play the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and know who did it in the studio? I've never heard it duplicated, so I'm guessing Jani's bro did it in the studio? Did he write it too?
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a RUclips video talking about this. Started an actually interesting and very heated discussion in the comment section with this one, I dig it. Subbed
Nice comparison video. I think that all these years later, we are not to be surprised that producers used session players on most of the music we heard and loved. The magic of the studio being able to dial in the sound and the workmanship of playing clean as opposed to playing live under sometimes not perfect conditions of sound and backline gear has been well documented. Ty for clarifying and bringing to light in a complimentary fashion.
Hi Mike, really enjoying your channel as I am a child of the 80-90's and live and breathe hard rock . Mike Slamer is an awesome guitarist and criminally underrated. If you haven't down so, check out his discography, especially Steelhouse Lane.
In I think it was 'Guitar School' but could have been 'Guitar World' Magazine BOTH Guitarists admitted that they 'wrote' their guitar solos with their guitar teachers before recording them, then in later issues the 'Letters' section was FULL Of people ripping them for it.
Nice thorough analysis (and either of these guys could outplay me in their sleep) - but two points that might compound to explain this: 1) unless you hear a first-person recounting you never know how many takes or punch-ins the studio player used for the record and 2) when performing live for broadcast, especially a broadcast that might be re-aired multiple times, I believe in scaling back on technical difficulty to be assured of nailing a good sounding run while "making it look easy". Only at home, and on smaller live gigs do I really play at my limits.
One time in the 90s, the band I was in was playing a dive bar that was pretty much always empty. We just played it as sort of a live rehearsal. My guitarist comes up to me and says, “you won’t believe who’s playing after us tonight. Warrant!” It was at that moment I knew they were real musicians playing for the love of music. Really cool.
You should check out the documentary The Wrecking Crew. The documentary introduces you to the people/musicians who were brought it to properly play/record many popular songs from "back in the day" that I thought were played/recorded by the actual bands. Very eye opening and bitter sweet to say the least.
If people knew that so many of those great tunes were with a woman playing bass, they'd freak. Can't remember her name, but she was fantastic. She came up with that bass riff on the song..."Then beat goes on" by Sonny and Cher....that was all her doing. The Wrecking Crew provided the music on just about every album the Beach Boys ever did. Nobody had a clue.
Jani Lane wrote all the songs, he was the band. The guitar solos with hired guns was just the cherry on top. No pun intended. The band would be nothing without him. Art is pain I guess.
I still don't believe anyone in warrant played the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and yes c.c played the cherry pie leads, you can hear his style. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jani lane before he passed when he was doing well, just a super nice guy and appreciated me coming up to him, very humble.
Well, I gotta say the biggest surprise of this video was that someone under the age of 50 was actually listening to Warrant. I was a teenager in this band's heyday and, no joke, till just now, I haven't thought about these guys once since back then.
You would be surprised at the amount of music that you listen to that is played by session musicians,my guitar teacher told me this years ago so I stopped paying for lessons and hired a session player to play for me.Apparently he’s doing really well.
I still like Warrant, even if they weren’t exactly technical powerhouses. Not every hair metal guitarist could be George Lynch. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen them twice since 2012 and both times they put on a great show. Speaking of Lynch, their current singer also sang on Lynch Mob’s 2nd album. He’s got some pipes!
Actually Robert Mason isn't performing with GL's Electric Freedom -- Andrew Freeman is. Another odd twist - Mason became Warrant's lead singer after the passing of Jani Lane. And yes, he can sing!
Good ear, dude! Most people would have NEVER picked up on that 👍 And kudos to those who commented to the intro to "Sometimes.." I always thought the same thing! Veeeery fluid! Rawk on brudda!
Watch the documentaries "The Wrecking Crew" and "Hired Guns". This has been going on for a LONG time. Even, GASP, maybe for the Beatles. Did George ever play "Don't Bother Me" live? Why didn't the Beatles play even 1 song off Revolver on their last '66 tour?
Revolver was too complex and had too many overdubs to play live so that it sounds good. Many of the songs on it had sitar too, and those songs would have probably sounded pretty empty without them, so they just decided to continue playing those fast rockers for their final tour
Beau Hill's call on this. Mike also played all of the solos on Cherry Pie too (except the title track which is CC DeVille). This is why on Dog Eat Dog, in the liner notes, the band had Michael Wagener include a statement that says "no artist, except those listed, performed on this album in any capacity whatsoever". Jani Lane wrote in the liner notes: "This album is dedicated to Joey Allen, one of the most under-rated guitarists in rock today."
🤘🏻🔥 I love reading up on who worked on certain songs etc, that's why I love physical media like CD's etc, it's got all the info in there, you can often find a few cool surprises sometimes 🙂
I remember being surprised to find out Aerosmith did the same thing on Train Kept Rolling. I always thought the solos on that song were really cool and being disappointed to find out that they were played by session players. They did that with other songs as well.
Just got recommended this channel and I'm happy about it but also sad because I immediately see you're holding my dream guitar 😩 lmao appreciate this content 🙏🏽
Love this band and album. By the time they recorded Dog Eat Dog they had no need at all of a session player. That album slams!!! The guitars on it are crazy good and shows how proficient the band got on their instruments.
Was just reading the book, "Nothin But A Good Time" and they were singled out and bashed as an example of bad glam metal, largely using the standard "Cherry Pie" trope. But Dog Eat Dog and Ultraphobic are very good albums, full of excellent music. Of course they were out of fashion by that time and the sales weren't there, but that had nothing to do with quality of what they were doing.
Any respect that may have been lost, learning from the Beau Hill interview, how the album was recorded, returned immediately hearing him tell how humble and cooperative both Eric and Joey were when he made the suggestion. Total admiration for those guys being able to put their egos aside.
This record was one of my early inspirations for playing guitar. I thought Joey and Eric were amazing and I wanted to play like them. Now I learn about this. My life is a lie. Nothing is real anymore. 😥
That was fun. I started playing in the hair metal era, and have always found that musicality and skill of the players involved is glossed over because of the over the top look and fun vibe of it all. Mick Mars and CC Deville are big examples of that. Thanks for the video.
It was the Van Halen Era, all those bands felt they needed a big plus in the lead guitars, i wonder how many bands do this to some level and it's still a secret
It just came out not too long ago that DJ Ashba did all the rhythm guitars on Motley Crue's Saints of Los Angeles album. I will tell you that it's not Tommy Lee on the drums on that record either. It's a drum machine. So it happens a lot.
What am I doing here? I don't even like glam/hair metal, but your way of explaining things and the back story always gets my eyes peeled to the screen. 😌
There's an interview with the producer of this album who said that the Warrant guys weren't very good and he didn't think they could compete with the other guitar players at the time so he got a ringer. Which is weird because the two biggest bands in that style didn't have very good guitarists. I don't remember anyone at the time liking bands like Warrant and Poison for the music. Girls liked the bands and went to the shows because they had crushes on the singers and guys went to the shows because that's where the girls were.
Oh man, did I ever learn a lesson when I tried to learn a CC solo for my last Hair Metal collab. It was the 2nd hardest solo to play next to Paradise City, no lie.
They were always pretty up front about it, I remember reading in guitar mags about both the 1st and 2nd album they admitted having studio help, even talked about those same ppl teaching them the solos, etc, never tried to hide it For all the hate Cherry Pie got I think it's one of CC Deville's best solos......
Bruce Johansson who we know as CC Deville from Poison played solo on Cherry Pie. From Bay Ridge, Brooklyn New York. He left our neighborhood for Los Angeles after graduating high school 1980.
Thanks! I watched the video hoping you'd mention Mike Slamer, the Slammer is one of my favorite guitarists since about 1978 and his style and sound are unique and totally recognizable. I been saying this for 20 years....
Just shows the difference between a session guitarist and a live guitarist. It also shows how to handle taking someone else's licks and turning them into your own. Both these guitarists were excellent, but one was simply more suited for the studio than the other. No big news there.
I enjoyed this video because I've been listening literally this song for over 30 years and still there were tons of things I hadn't noticed! Great vid! I also think this could be a nice way to learn this solo going from the live version to try to level-up until you finally get to the studio version 😀 Rock On! 🤘
Great video, pretty cool to see how those of us with less skill can still survive playing some if these great riffs. One day I’ll be getting all of the licks in. Thanks!
Dude. BC Rich, Ibanez, Charvel/Jacksons looked amazing, it was all about look for those companies and especially custom shop stuff. I miss those days..
I'm an 80s bc rich collector and that's my favorite one but I've never seen a still shot of it, what are those big inlays and what's the scheme like a face on a bill like a dead prez?
Very cool and in depth breakdown. It is known that they hired session guitarists but you’ve also got to take into consideration that solos were hardly ever played note for note back in the day live. Especially considering the pressure of playing live on MTV and where they were at back then. Nowadays much of everything is “piped in” and perfect to be able to give audiences spot on performances night after night and sadly it’s accepted. I miss the days of imperfect rock and roll.
People want to debate about "all-time greatest guitar players" and it always seem to be names of certain band members... but what if the truely great guitarists were never in a specific group? What if nobody besides their mom knows how great they are? (Not everyone can be lucky enough to have Randy Rhoads mom to boost their genius 🌠🥂🌠)
This is basically the story of me learning complex solos in cover bands. Adapt, simplify and get the main memorable licks in there haha. Although it is good to come back to a solo from previous years and actually being able to play it. Shows there is at least some progression there 😂
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but both Warrant guitarists took lessons from Mike Slamer so they could play the songs live. Give them credit, they swallowed their pride & put in the work to learn.
Great comparison of the versions!
Play hard solos on their albums so they ask you to teach them. Smart man
Dang. Took lessons to play the songs...in THEIR band.
Yes sir. I’ve always been a big Warrant fan since back in the day and I didn’t know this until I watched Rock N Roll true stories’ segment about Warrant. Then I found a few interviews with Eric and Joey and confirmed it.
Yeah, Beau Hill called up the record company and said, I dont see this happening unless we get someone in here to play these leads. Nothing against the guys in the band but whats out there now we will need a guy that can play what we need to make this album a hit.
Yeah not only THAT, but it was the 80's and many MANY people in bands then were partying, and truly focusing on putting on a show. So when you're up there in the moment, and playing the same dozen or two songs live nightly on a tour, you get a little bored with doing the same thing. Those that are able to improvise most likely will take a few shortcuts or left turns when up on a stage, and getting distracted by chicks - instinct makes a man start staring at tits tis tits everywhere - it's a bit of a distraction. I lived it. And not in Iowa or Nebraska [no offense]. I was on Long Island playing everywhere and NYC and NJ to Connecticut and upstate NY. Local bands were everywhere 5 nights a week. We had a lot to live up to with a lineage from Leslie West to Vai, Satriani, TONS of local killer shredders, and then Petrucci came along [I attended Five Towns College at the same time as Kevin Moore, Myung, and Petrucci - they were still called Majesty]. So there were big reasons to shine and be as good as possible. But even with that, some girl gets up to the front of the stage and flashes you her goodies, it will make your mind go elsewhere for a few seconds and throw you. So I say comparing a live performance to a studio track, is comparing apples, to the apple tree.
Thank God for Slamer. The solo's on those first two albums were epic. Props to Turner for not trying to hide it.
Dude, I was a hired guitar player in a band and they had a studio musician play the solos on our album. Turns out it was freakin Andy Wood!! I thought I was going to have to quit the band because I couldn't play half of what he did. I ended up playing the songs live in front of him at a show, he was so gracious and told me I had adapted it well to my own ability.
I was in a band that opened for a band that Andy was the touring guitar player for. I think the other guitar player in my band I were the only ones in the whole building (other than the headlining band) who knew who Andy was. Super nice guy.
Andy is freaking amazing..
Ya that would be intimidating to follow
Andy Wood is an absolute monster. Extra props for doing it in front of the man himself
Andy Wood rocks
I never expect live shows to play exactly the same as studio.
You need to go to a Megadeth show.
@@sole__doubt hope you could go to a Van Halen show
Mike slamer is so underrated the man is a machine. Most people have never even heard of mike slamer which is a shame.
Guitarist for "Streets" Steve Walsh solo album, right?
Also comes from the British band City Boy. Check out the albums Book Early and The Day The Earth Caught Fire
I was today years old when I learned about him.
@@psmith7781 yup
He may prefer it that way. 😄
This, by far, is some of the most critical research ever done in present human history. Seriously. Made my ear smile.
I sometimes do a simplified version of some of my own solos on stage - the adrenaline won't let my fingers fly quite as free as they might in the studio!
For me it's nerves, played live sober once, never again. 😅🤣
Good answer, however in my experience I do things I can't do in the studio when performing live
This is what I was coming to say, playing live (for your average musician, not those super gifted lovely freaks!) Playing live is entertaining, its more about showmanship than precision playing. 95 out of 100 people at the show will dig the energy and show and come back to see you again and again, the 5 musicians in the crowd will say you suck and complain. Me, I'm trying to keep the shows rolling so I'll dumb down my bass line so I can do head spins, sure!
I was gonna say, is it even fair to compare a live tv version to a guy sitting in the studio who can do as many takes as he want ?
Just do what the drummer from Cannibal Corpse does and play as fast as you can as many notes, don't care what it sounds like. What comes out comes out, and that mf practically invented a new style of drumming. Or be like Frank Zappa and just completely wing every solo. Every performance will be unique and special to the audience.
I saw Warrant live. The guitars were great live. Also saw Extreme live too. Nuno was far and away a much more technical player. But, the audience didn't really know that. Warrant had a great sound and what the guitars did really completed the music. Where Warrant's guitarist like Jeff Beck? No, I don't think they care. Nuno is like on some crazy next level stratosphere when it comes to playing guitar, he almost got zero acknowledgement as 97% of the crowd was just waiting for More than Words.
LOL is that because 97% of their fans were groupies ?
Get The Funk Out, really?
Wait.....dude. No one even remembers the Warrant guitarists. Even back then. But Nuno and Beck are pretty much legendary. So it's really apples to oranges when you throw Jeff Beck in there. Actually, it's like a gourmet meal (Beck) to a pile of peanuts (Warrant)That is a fact.
Nuno slept with 67% of that crowd...
Absolutely, I also saw Warrant live back then and their show was great. The best musicians are not necessarily the best entertainers. At that time there were some guitar heroes who - for other musicians - played breathtaking solos, but whose live concerts were rather boring for everyone else.
Those studio artists are the real unsung heroes of our favorite songs. It's amazing how much extra polish, feel, and technique is added by these guys and they get virtually none of the fame, fortune, or even recognition for all the work they do. A lot of times, the fans end up being able to perform songs better than the original artists. But that's not a knock against them, these guys tour and perform everything, plus are usually the starting point for the songs anyway. It's just something that's seldom mentioned and takes a little of that pressure off from people who are just starting out or stuck in the intermediate level.
Mike Slamer deserves a little more credit from the fan base and music industry - he is criminally underrated as a guitarist !!
Unfortunately that's how it goes for studio musicians.. if the general public knew how often "hired guns" were used in rock n roll they would look at their favorite artist much differently...
@nicoleslamerhigdon9275 Seriously, your dad is a monster guitar player! The solos he did on the 1st two Warrant records are some of my favorite solos of all time, and learning to play them has made me a better guitar player
Mike Slamer also did all the solos on Pretty Boy Floyd's lone major label album, simply because Kristy Majors can barely play.
You should do more Warrant videos, I think their guitar work pre, during and post Mike Slamer was all brilliant.
As a long-time Warrant fan, I already knew about Mike doin' the solo's etc.
But this is definitely an amazing side by side comparison!
I love how you took the time to learn and nail both versions.
To me, Mike's version will always sound waaaaay better tho. It has so much attitude!
Great video!
RIP Jani
*solos. No apostrophe to pluralize a word.
There isn't a Mike version to begin with.
Mike Slamer is a monster player, highly recommend to check out his various bands/projects like Steelhouse Lane, Seventh Key, Streets and Devil's Hand.
A monster. Plus his name is actually pronounced “slay-mer”
Would be most excellent if his name was Slamore...Slay-more
And City Boy...seven great, forgotten albums with Mike on lead guitar
I enjoyed Slamer's 2006 Nowhere Land album.
Could you give me 5 songs to check out that he plays on? Thanks.
Eric's progression over the years with that solo (and others) showed an increased aggressiveness that comes with confidence. It's tough to make someone else's solo your own, but I think he did that.
It reminds me of an interview I saw with Paul Gilbert. The interviewer played something, and Paul told him to be more aggressive with his movements and his attack. Then Paul showed him what he meant. Instead of just playing the notes, he used his whole hand and attacked them. You could hear the difference immediately, both in volume and in tone. That confident attack is easier to find when it's your own stuff, and Erik finally started to get that with more repetitions and practice.
Paul Gilbert is the ultimate
I had no idea they used a studio guitarist for that album. I can’t imagine how stressful it must have been to try and be a famous rock band guitarist without the necessary skill, confidence or experience to match. If that didn’t motivate Eric to practice 24/7 then nothing would, lol.
Not I, it's bit weird. The tone is great from Mike, I remember this solo well
Mike was on the first TWO albums
It was the producer Beau Hill's call. He didn't feel that either guitarist in Warrant was to the level that was needed for the recording of guitar solos, so he brought in Mike Slamer, a world class studio musician to play the solos on both DRFSR and Cherry Pie.
Playing as a session guitarist requires a different skillset than playing in a live band. Many amazing guitarists simply can't cut it in the studio. That said, a guitarist can get there with hard work, and I think Erik was able to do that eventually. Unfortunately, Warrant didn't last long enough to really benefit from his increased skills and confidence.
It was surprisingly common, back before Protools, to get session guys in if the band members couldn't play up to the required standard. Nowadays we can edit a dodgy performance in the digital realm so ability isn't as highly prized as it once was.
I appreciate your attention to detail and accuracy. There's so much careless content out there. Great job my man. You're obviously an accomplished and intelligent musician.
Eric is my spirit animal, that's exactly what I would do to solos trying to learn them lol. "well thats way too complicated" haha
I’ve only really played guitar a few years in a band and some solos I play spot on and some I simplify for my limited skills. No one’s ever said anything
@@Benjovi76 I think at the end of the day, most people just want to hear you sound like you’re enjoying it
which is why neither of you should be in a band
@@TheJpep2424 Says the guy who no one would ever want to be in a band with
If he's your spirit animal.......
You should learn to spell his name correctly 😊
this has been so informative for me understanding a) the difference between a good and a great solo and b) allowing me to see how some of those awesome 80s style techniques are performed. Love it!
The intro solo/lead run to "Sometimes She Cries" is absolutely AMAZING!
I've never heard that one duplicated properly either, tough lick
Hey Mike…good video. Well done. This practice of using a studio session cat was something we all knew about back in the day. Not every band was recorded using session players, but many were for reasons.
I’ll be 60 next year and was around for some of these sessions back in the ‘80s. Slamer’s solo work was not necessarily more difficult than what Turner was playing…just different in terms of style. Slamer, as you noted, is an aggressive player. Turner’s nature, being laid back, is reflected in his playing. Also, even the studio recordings played by the actual band members tended to not be played note for note when the band was in tour, especially bands that toured a lot. Playing the exact same thing night after night for months on end gets to be boring as hell. Mixing it up a little helps keep one on their A game.
One player from the ‘80s that I had and still have the greatest respect for is the late Ty Longley from Great White. That man could play. We lost Ty in The Station nightclub fire back in 2003. If you’ve never studied his work, it’s worth your time.
@Jedi Minion, I agree, Ty was a great guitarist! Here's something you might find interesting. Before being a hired gun in Great White, Ty Longley played in a cool cover band called 'Sidewinderz'. I became the lead guitarist in Sidewinderz when Ty joined Great White. A little less than a year later, I joined as lead guitarist with Tony Montana and Audie Desbrow (of Great White) and toured in support of Tony's solo CD. What a small world.
Without knowing the "secret", someone could have said that the studio version was more detailed because the guitarist could sit down and concentrate, while the live version was simplified because he had to move around on stage.
This was my first thought too.
This is why many of the "G3" style of guitars refused to play songs sitting down even when recording directly into the board, because they would have to exclude too many songs from their live shows. Joe Satriani and Tony MacAlpine both did old interviews on this and how they hate some of their "sit-down" songs from their early albums and how unnecessarily hard they are to play live.
People like Van Halen prove that theory ridiculous
@@oximofo9 So why don't they just down to play those songs live? I'm sure the audience would forgive them if they explained why they have to sit down for one or two songs.
@@Durwood71 It's a weird thing with audience energy. This is rock'n'roll we're talking about here, not jazz. The only time rock audiences want to see you sit down is for the acoustic version or love ballad.
If you're a guitar or bass player and you play out, try it sometime. Do a whole set sitting on a chair. It's a totally different thing, and crowds do not typically respond well. You def don't have to do the cheesy choreographed dance-moves bullshit or jump around like a maniac, but they want to see you on your feet. Otherwise you just look like some bored guy playing with himself in his bedroom.
It's a good thing you looked up to see if there was a session guitarist behind the solo. If I heard the studio version (which I have a lot) and then the live version, I would've just assumed that the guitarist had a fear of messing up and so he didn't get too fancy.
A guitar player would never have that fear. They might even try to get even gnarlier live- but never holding back.
It was never a secret, I remember hearing this in 1989 from kids in my high school in Sydney…so, everyone knew. They hired a session guitarist for the album…most people were like…um well it sounds great so who cares ?
Yep - i remember reading about that in some of my old guitar mags back then in the readers letters section (back then you had to write a letter and mail it to the magazine). Basically they (Eric and Joey) said that they had a teacher come in the studio and "demonstrate leads". The readers got into a debate about if that meant that they didn't play their own solos on the record.
Reminds me of when I was a kid and I watched Silverchair play "Tomorrow" on the roof of the Radio City Music Hall on MTV. I was waiting for the solo to come up because I always thought it sounded really mature for another kid to play and when it came up Daniel Johns did this octave riff thing instead of the blues-inspired solo I was used to hearing on CD. Then I noticed that every time I saw live footage of Silverchair playing that song that recorded solo never happened. It wasn't a bad solo that he replaced it with but it was FAR less exciting than the one on the recording. This was a cool video!
I've been fortunate enough to know studio guys that could play anything and band players that weren't great but could write songs... The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The studio gun slinger guys need bands that are willing to give them opportunities to create these wonderful solo's. The Band guitarist can often be a great song writing partner but not able to creat dazzling solos. I would argue that BOTH sides of this equation are needed. Eric was probably like "wow great solo creation dude... I'll do my best to nail that live" everybody wins - A studio guy gets paid and the world gets a cooler solo that we otherwise might not have gotten and the Band gets a better album all the way around and can write more songs for the next gun slinger to creat another great solo for him to learn and play live... and the cycle continues... There is no shame in this outcome anywhere or from any perspective.
I respectfully disagree about the “no shame” part. Can you imagine being a guitar player and having someone listen to your music and saying “wow! That’s you?” And you being like “most of it, not the hard parts.” I just don’t want any credit for anything I didn’t do, at all, ever.
@mlwilliam213 I totally agree with you in a sense that I'd never do it, although tbh I'd never need to. A lot of ppl would just lie to the person asking if it's them playing, and most would be none the wiser.
I disagree. It's one step removed from Milli Vanilli.
Jani Lane the singer wrote everything in Warrant.
@@tonetherod5943 They were very lucky to find Lane, otherwise they never would have had a musical career at all
Beau Hill has said in interviews that, though he was initially worried about telling the Warrant guys he wanted to bring in a session guy, they actually had a really good attitude about it, and both they and Mike Slamer worked really well together to get them up to speed and get the solos down correctly. For me, I knew something was up when I heard the intro lick to “Sometimes She Cries” - just WAY too slick, fluid and flawlessly performed to not be a session guy.
You're right, it was Beau Hill's suggestion to bring in Slamer. To Eric and Joey's credit, they agreed as it was best for the album and the band. That first album had to be amazing and they knew it. The guys evolved into great players after this - especially Joey, that guy is a monster on guitar. Hugely underrated.
Spot on Bill
The outro solo on "Sometimes She Cries" is awesome!
I agree with sometimes she cries. The solos are way to smooth for them. When I learned that solo I could never get it that perfect and to flow up the neck so flawlessly
I would have said pick one. Me or the session guy and if they picked him, they would have to write all new songs and come up with new riffs as I still had copyright
They most likely used all session musicians to record all the instruments. I’be been a sound engineer in LA for over 20 years and done tons of sessions with session musicians Mike Landau, Mike Thompson, Randy Jacobs, Bruce Watson, Tim Pierce, George Doering, Jimmy Haslip, Paul Jackson Jr, Greg Bissonette, Gary Novak, Vinnie Colaiuta, Josh Freeze, JR, etc... just hanging out with them and me asking questions of them, they have all ghosted on TONS of hit albums. They would even do sessions at night, replacing a band’s parts that the band played during the day. The session guys would walk in and play ON the bands instruments the band was using to record during the day. Same tuning, same tones, etc... the next morning when the band came in they thought the engineered had just fixed their performances with editing, they had no idea they were listening to session musicians...
The reason to hire session musicians is time and money. I’ve seen it almost every day. A drummer like Vinnie Colaiuta or Abe Laboriel can walk in and sight read a song perfectly in ONE take with no mistakes. I once did 34 songs in one day with Matt and Greg Bissonette. First take was perfect on every song and their time was so impeccable I didn’t even need to beat detective anything... in a Day we literally had two albums of material DONE.
So the label and producer could spend 3 months trying to get something useable and spend months more editing... or in one day they can record the entire album and it’s perfect, no editing needed... when Studios are $2500 a day and sound engineers are $1000-$1500 a day... you chew through serious cash when NOT using session musicians.
Noawadays everything is programmed. A buddy of mine writes and produces a lot of the active rock billboard top 10 artists. The only person from the band that even comes to the sessions is the singer. My friend writes the songs with the singer or a couple of the band members ahead of time... then for the recording, my buddy programs all the drums and synths, then plays all the guitars, then has the singer come in to record vocals.
100% this.
Yes 😔…..like seeing the man behind the curtain. But I suppose the music is better for it
@@1080kk Is it really?
It's really sad for instrumental musicians how the music industry has changed. When guys at the top like Vinnie Colaiuta and JR say they don't get as many calls as they used to, you know it's bad.
That is why so much mainstream music stinks, so little individual artistry.
Really dug this, I had a very similar moment in my early years learning loads of Warrant and spotting how the live versions felt a little off next to the studio versions. This is a great example of how much difference nuances in your playing make and you've presented it very diplomatically!
Mike was Steve Walsh's guitarist with Streets. Killer guitar on both albums.
Both streets albums are good solid 80’s rock with great vocals and solos
I wanted to come back on the 2 year anniversary of this video and say that this is probably my favorite video of all time of yours. I love the song Down Boys, and when this video came out it was such a nostalgic time for me, so this video never fails to bring back good memories. Thanks for doing what you do!
RIP Jani Lane…wrote pretty much the entire discography by himself…massively underrated
He was awesome. I really wish he could have died happy. That damn interview I saw it seemed like he was forever haunted by Cherry Pie, and walking in on his best friend and girlfriend in bed. :(
I don’t know how accurate this is, buttttt; Spotify used to have interviews under some songs and it said that he hated cherry pie because his mom had died and he’d gotten divorced. Now he’s happy he wrote a sign that has stood the test of time and is well known.
Dog Eat Dog was such a good album but hardly anyone cared by that point because hair metal bands weren't cool anymore.
@@Zakk_Ross "Now he's happy"....?? Dude, he knocked himself!
That's pretty much the definition of being neither "happy" nor "now"!
@@TheArtofGuitar the events of I Saw Red never happened to him
If you like Mike Slamer's guitar playing, you should check out the album "1st" by Streets. It features him and Steve Walsh from Kansas and Paul Gilbert mentioned it as one of his favorite guitar albums
Thanks. I like it.
C. C. DeVille recorded on the Cherry Pie album because Erik and Joey couldn’t play certain things and C. C. owed Jani a favor. Jani’s brother had to show them how to play Uncle Tom’s Cabin parts. I know this as Jani and I were friends.
What couldn't they play? Or was it because they were out of town. Did CC owe him a favor (doubtful) or did they just want to get on the poison tour?
I still don't believe anyone in warrant played the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and yes c.c played the cherry pie leads, you can hear his style. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jani lane before he passed when he was doing well, just a super nice guy and appreciated me coming up to him, very humble.
@@gregarcher8177 Pretty sure it was Jani's brother.
They had CC do that solo because they wanted to get on the Flesh and Blood tour. Had nothing to do with their ability and everything to do with promotion
Not even close, Mike slamer did all the guitar work on the cherry pie album and Joey and Erik learned from him
Great job, brother!! I’ve been a Warrant fan since ‘89. I’ve always found it fascinating how they recreated the studio versions live and still managed to play within their limitations. The growth of the guitar playing, especially Joey, by 1993’s Dog Eat Dog was really cool to hear.
Warrant walked into one of my bands club gigs in Daytona Beach 1989. We actually knew and covered Down Boys and we all got onstage together and played it. Can confirm everyone plays their instruments and Jani had pipes. We drank, partied, and had a great time with a good bunch of guys. However, they were playing at the Orlando fairgrounds the next day and invited us to hang backstage during their gig. I was disappointed to find out ALL of their backing vocals and some instrumentation were canned. I was so naive` then I didn't know anyone did that.
How did bands make that work with canned backing vocals? If the band is playing live, how do they get the pre-recorded vocals to line up with the live band? I've always wondered about that. Thanks for your time.
@@peacefulbliss1 Typically the drummer is sent a click that he plays to which is synced to tracks sent to front of house.
@@peacefulbliss1 There are some recordings of the in ear feed for KISS. There you can see how it works: ruclips.net/video/a9kJPRLKD5o/видео.html
While I was in bands in the 90's, if the other guys from other bands had tips, tricks, ideas, or just plain old suggestions, I was always open. I don't knock anyone for collaborating with other talents before during or after an album. I really appreciate these types of music review vids, kudos for making it.
And only .01% of the people in the audience recognized the difference between the Slamer and the Turner solo. Most people are completely focused on the main riff, the groove, the chorus. As guitar player myself I of course notice, though I'm realistic in my expectations about where the general listening public focuses it's attention. But I do so appreciate the video for those of us who do focus on the minutia. Just remember that we're like a bunch of mathematicians at a conference discussing to the square root of Pi.
^THIS is the point. What matters to you as a guitarist is of little concern to most ppl listening to you as long as you showed up. Shit, your own band probably isn't paying attention to your soloing. My first band was a "fastcore" band...just basically really fast punk songs about skateboarding, and our songs were 2 minutes tops, so I'd do really quick solos just to kill a little time and entertain myself. We practiced every single day one summer in a garage studio with the vocals coming through P/A speakers hanging from the upper corners on one side. The rest of the instruments were just heard on their own. Our second gig was at a pizza place with a legit stage setup and soundboard, so as we played the mix coming through the floor monitors and the house P/A was all of us and I was much more prominent than normal. Everyone acted like they were mad at me after the show, because I "changed all my solos." (We were all friends but this was a seriously dysfunctional band) I did nothing of a sort except fuck-ups. It was the first time I think they even paid attention to what I was doing.
Also especially back then guitarists didn't play solos note for note. A lot of solos had overdubs and backing guitars so it was impossible to do live with one person. So a lot of solos were facsimiles of the studio versions. I don't think most people cared or knew the difference.
100%. Being a bar band player, all you need is the basic song structure and melody to keep the audience's attention. 75% of the solos I play are more or less improvised unless the solo is integral to the melody of the song.
Then, there is always that one person off to the side staring and frowning. That is when you know you found the musician in the audience.
@James Lane And the fuxked up thing is that if another guitarist is watching your set and you're on fire just nailing everything note-for-note, they'll typically hate you even more!! 1
That was a lot of fun to watch. This has become one of my favorite guitar channels. Keep it up!!
Mike Slamer sounds so clean
All those nuances in the original solo is what makes it great!
Honestly I like Eric Turner's version just fine. Sure the differences you mentioned are there, but Eric Turner's works just fine for me. I would have never suspected they used a session player on the album and just thought he decided to take it easier live because it's harder to perform consistently live than in the peace and quiet of the studio where you can do dozens of takes.
I like Turner's version too 😜
They could have also just been drunk....
The weird thing is that live usually sounds slopier, Eric's version sounds more contained instead. I think that's the giveaway, not the mere fact they're different.
Playing live and playing in the studio are two different environments. Playing live is a lot more difficult. That should have been mentioned.
Man, you're a really great guitarist. Nailing those techniques isn't easy, let alone in all those phrases.
Great research, while using a session player definitely wasn't uncommon I would have just assumed he changed it. Back in the 80s a lot of bands, who didn't use session players, just didn't play the same solo live... George Lynch, who obviously played all his own stuff, would completely change the solos, I mean not even close but based upon the feel of the crowd. As a guitarist I thought this was phenomenal, playing in the moment but as the years passed his stuff was closer and closer to the recording. Leaving one of their concerts from the Back for the Attack era I heard someone state, "so glad he finally decided to play the solos right." I guess a lot of people just want to hear what they listen to rather than another interpretation at times.... Great video and again great job on researching this out!
For me if I wanted to hear the songs like they are played in the studio I'd stay home and listen to that. I love seeing bands change things up live. Especially guitarists! And Lynch is probably my most favorite guitarist of all time so to hear him play different things live makes me happy cause I can see what else he is capable of!
It's awesome to actually see some high quality content for a band like Warrant on youtube!
I love how at 5:43 the singer hits the bass strings in time.
I believe Jani was a drummer, explaining the good rhythm.
Great video. Big fan of Warrant. Kind of funny how people often give drummers a hard time when they say “I’ve got some songs”, but Jani Lane, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Chris Cornell… all drummers… all excellent songwriters.
Im glad this is bringing some attention to Mike Slamer. His playing on Streets "Crimes in Mind" is phenomenal.
Eddy trunk interviewed the producer of that particular record and he said that a studio musician played those solos and gave instruction to the two warrant guitarists.
Erik still smokes me on guitar, even before he put in all the practice time and roadwork. It takes real humility for a guitarist to step back and be positive when the producer suggests bringing in a ringer. Respect to the Warrant guys for that.
Agreed. Might call it 'taking one for the team'. If a band is committed to being successful then they do what is necessary to make it happen.
The whole "refusing to sell out" mentality is complete BS.
Nice to say but egos aren't that easy.
Couldn't they mix in one or 2 of the easier parts, so they can legitimately say they played on the track?
@@richardday3136 no they couldn't, the cherry pie album was a corporate- made album that Jani and warrant pretty much hated after the record company creeps took over
I think they did play some of the rhythm parts of the album although someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Jani did not hate the album, he just hated the title track. In fact he thought Uncle Tom's cabin was something of a Magnum opus for him.
But at this point the album is basically indistinguishable from the single so I understand why he grew to hate that so much.
Once again, thank you for more coverage of hair metal. I thoroughly enjoy it. Thank you for including us hair metal heads more. Your channel is very diverse with styles. That's really awesome of you. You'll only continue to grow your audience.
This is nothing new. Ever heard of the wrecking crew? I have a good friend that is a session musician. It happens much more frequently that most people realize. More often than not music is "polished" by studio pros.
Yep. There's literally an entire city full of session musicians nobody ever heard of, called Nashville, TN. And a whole lot of them don't just work on country stuff.
It's pretty common that the live solos vs the studio version vary quite a lot. But it's also a fact that quite a lot of big bands have used studio musicians to fill in various parts. Some are more honest with that info than others. One of my favorite guitarists, Phil X, did his time as a studio musician but he's really getting his dues these days. Kudos to him for that.
I think that was a producer call to bring in Mike. I think the Intro to Uncle Tom’s Cabin was done by Jani’s brother, which is a sick acoustic piece that I would love to see you cover one day. Still like Warrant and another great video as always
It was indeed producer Beau Hill’s decision to bring in Mike Slamer.
saw jani and his brother do this piece live in 2002 his bro could play
I always wondered who did that intro, I knew it wasn't Erik, joey or Jani. I wanna hear someone play the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and know who did it in the studio? I've never heard it duplicated, so I'm guessing Jani's bro did it in the studio? Did he write it too?
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a RUclips video talking about this. Started an actually interesting and very heated discussion in the comment section with this one, I dig it. Subbed
I use to play shows with them in LA before they got signed. The day I heard the album. I knew they used session guys. ROTFL.
Nice comparison video. I think that all these years later, we are not to be surprised that producers used session players on most of the music we heard and loved. The magic of the studio being able to dial in the sound and the workmanship of playing clean as opposed to playing live under sometimes not perfect conditions of sound and backline gear has been well documented. Ty for clarifying and bringing to light in a complimentary fashion.
Hi Mike, really enjoying your channel as I am a child of the 80-90's and live and breathe hard rock . Mike Slamer is an awesome guitarist and criminally underrated. If you haven't down so, check out his discography, especially Steelhouse Lane.
In I think it was 'Guitar School' but could have been 'Guitar World' Magazine BOTH Guitarists admitted that they 'wrote' their guitar solos with their guitar teachers before recording them, then in later issues the 'Letters' section was FULL Of people ripping them for it.
Nice thorough analysis (and either of these guys could outplay me in their sleep) - but two points that might compound to explain this: 1) unless you hear a first-person recounting you never know how many takes or punch-ins the studio player used for the record and 2) when performing live for broadcast, especially a broadcast that might be re-aired multiple times, I believe in scaling back on technical difficulty to be assured of nailing a good sounding run while "making it look easy". Only at home, and on smaller live gigs do I really play at my limits.
One time in the 90s, the band I was in was playing a dive bar that was pretty much always empty. We just played it as sort of a live rehearsal. My guitarist comes up to me and says, “you won’t believe who’s playing after us tonight. Warrant!”
It was at that moment I knew they were real musicians playing for the love of music. Really cool.
You should check out the documentary The Wrecking Crew. The documentary introduces you to the people/musicians who were brought it to properly play/record many popular songs from "back in the day" that I thought were played/recorded by the actual bands. Very eye opening and bitter sweet to say the least.
If people knew that so many of those great tunes were with a woman playing bass, they'd freak. Can't remember her name, but she was fantastic. She came up with that bass riff on the song..."Then beat goes on" by Sonny and Cher....that was all her doing. The Wrecking Crew provided the music on just about every album the Beach Boys ever did. Nobody had a clue.
@@eddiebrown687 Carol Kaye
I love your 80s rock videos those are right up my alley 🤘🌹🤘
Jani Lane wrote all the songs, he was the band. The guitar solos with hired guns was just the cherry on top. No pun intended. The band would be nothing without him. Art is pain I guess.
The first album is killer. Every song is great. Had the cassette and the CD.
I recall an interview he told how he wrote the song heaven walking his paper route as a kid or maybe it was walking home from school....
Jani was an amazing songwriter. I'm a big fan and still to this day listen to his Jabberwocky material.
@@bobbyanderson7133 same
I still don't believe anyone in warrant played the intro to uncle Tom's cabin and yes c.c played the cherry pie leads, you can hear his style. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jani lane before he passed when he was doing well, just a super nice guy and appreciated me coming up to him, very humble.
Well, I gotta say the biggest surprise of this video was that someone under the age of 50 was actually listening to Warrant. I was a teenager in this band's heyday and, no joke, till just now, I haven't thought about these guys once since back then.
You would be surprised at the amount of music that you listen to that is played by session musicians,my guitar teacher told me this years ago so I stopped paying for lessons and hired a session player to play for me.Apparently he’s doing really well.
so you paid the session player to pay for and go to youre lessons? or did you pay him to play you in the band? lol funny
Great comment
@@orgasmatronrickpsych when I go see him play I have to go as a tribute act of myself.
@@paulkielty3800 🤣🤣🤣
That was a really great look at some inside stuff for this song. Thank you!
I still like Warrant, even if they weren’t exactly technical powerhouses. Not every hair metal guitarist could be George Lynch. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen them twice since 2012 and both times they put on a great show. Speaking of Lynch, their current singer also sang on Lynch Mob’s 2nd album. He’s got some pipes!
Actually Robert Mason isn't performing with GL's Electric Freedom -- Andrew Freeman is. Another odd twist - Mason became Warrant's lead singer after the passing of Jani Lane. And yes, he can sing!
Good ear, dude! Most people would have NEVER picked up on that 👍
And kudos to those who commented to the intro to "Sometimes.." I always thought the same thing! Veeeery fluid! Rawk on brudda!
Watch the documentaries "The Wrecking Crew" and "Hired Guns". This has been going on for a LONG time. Even, GASP, maybe for the Beatles. Did George ever play "Don't Bother Me" live? Why didn't the Beatles play even 1 song off Revolver on their last '66 tour?
GASP?
@@perpetualbystander4516 Gasping for air. 🙂
Revolver was too complex and had too many overdubs to play live so that it sounds good. Many of the songs on it had sitar too, and those songs would have probably sounded pretty empty without them, so they just decided to continue playing those fast rockers for their final tour
They stopped touring by the time Revolver came out.
I believe George hated Dont Bother Me. He said something like it was only a writing exercise to him to prove that he could write a song.
Beau Hill's call on this. Mike also played all of the solos on Cherry Pie too (except the title track which is CC DeVille). This is why on Dog Eat Dog, in the liner notes, the band had Michael Wagener include a statement that says "no artist, except those listed, performed on this album in any capacity whatsoever". Jani Lane wrote in the liner notes: "This album is dedicated to Joey Allen, one of the most under-rated guitarists in rock today."
🤘🏻🔥 I love reading up on who worked on certain songs etc, that's why I love physical media like CD's etc, it's got all the info in there, you can often find a few cool surprises sometimes 🙂
Nice dissection my man!!! I really appreciated and learned from that
I remember being surprised to find out Aerosmith did the same thing on Train Kept Rolling. I always thought the solos on that song were really cool and being disappointed to find out that they were played by session players. They did that with other songs as well.
All the guitars or only Joe Perry's parts?
Just got recommended this channel and I'm happy about it but also sad because I immediately see you're holding my dream guitar 😩 lmao appreciate this content 🙏🏽
One factor to consider is that when a player performs live, the goal is not necessarily to hit every note on the album version.
most players are garbage live. They need the studio and 100 takes to get it right
its all fake
Depends on the band/player. I don't wanna go see Vai improv the heck outta "for the love of God"
Love this album, so glad to see you covering it.
Love this band and album. By the time they recorded Dog Eat Dog they had no need at all of a session player. That album slams!!! The guitars on it are crazy good and shows how proficient the band got on their instruments.
Was just reading the book, "Nothin But A Good Time" and they were singled out and bashed as an example of bad glam metal, largely using the standard "Cherry Pie" trope. But Dog Eat Dog and Ultraphobic are very good albums, full of excellent music. Of course they were out of fashion by that time and the sales weren't there, but that had nothing to do with quality of what they were doing.
@@TheBent139 dog eat dog is incredible.
Dog Eat Dog was an amazing album ahead of it'ss time
Dog eat dog is my all time favorite Warrant album. Very underrated. I also loved Ultraphobic. Another underrated Warrant album.👍😎🐶
@@TheBent139 By the time Ultraphobic was recorded Joey Allen and Steven Sweet had left the band
Any respect that may have been lost, learning from the Beau Hill interview, how the album was recorded, returned immediately hearing him tell how humble and cooperative both Eric and Joey were when he made the suggestion. Total admiration for those guys being able to put their egos aside.
This record was one of my early inspirations for playing guitar. I thought Joey and Eric were amazing and I wanted to play like them. Now I learn about this. My life is a lie. Nothing is real anymore. 😥
Dinna be sad. That's just how things are.
It's ok. The truth is its Erik playing Joey Allen's guitar solo. Mike Slammer didn't record it.
That was fun. I started playing in the hair metal era, and have always found that musicality and skill of the players involved is glossed over because of the over the top look and fun vibe of it all. Mick Mars and CC Deville are big examples of that. Thanks for the video.
It was the Van Halen Era, all those bands felt they needed a big plus in the lead guitars, i wonder how many bands do this to some level and it's still a secret
I'm sure it's still going on. Not sure to what degree though
It is still going on to this day . For sure
Considered the norm in pop music for 60 odd years, so likely happens in some rock bands, too. If this stuff is pop-rock then it's fair enough.
It just came out not too long ago that DJ Ashba did all the rhythm guitars on Motley Crue's Saints of Los Angeles album. I will tell you that it's not Tommy Lee on the drums on that record either. It's a drum machine. So it happens a lot.
What am I doing here? I don't even like glam/hair metal, but your way of explaining things and the back story always gets my eyes peeled to the screen. 😌
There's an interview with the producer of this album who said that the Warrant guys weren't very good and he didn't think they could compete with the other guitar players at the time so he got a ringer. Which is weird because the two biggest bands in that style didn't have very good guitarists. I don't remember anyone at the time liking bands like Warrant and Poison for the music. Girls liked the bands and went to the shows because they had crushes on the singers and guys went to the shows because that's where the girls were.
Did you just say that CC Deville wasn’t a “good guitarist”?
@@bostonvh CC wasn't compared to the other shredders of that time
@@bostonvh exactly what i wanted to ask! Cc was a dick but man, he could play.
Oh man, did I ever learn a lesson when I tried to learn a CC solo for my last Hair Metal collab. It was the 2nd hardest solo to play next to Paradise City, no lie.
@@TheArtofGuitar CC could definitely rip. underrated guitarist in an overrated band I'd say
Neat! This is a really really kick ass detailed breakdown of one of my favourite songs from the 80s.
They were always pretty up front about it, I remember reading in guitar mags about both the 1st and 2nd album they admitted having studio help, even talked about those same ppl teaching them the solos, etc, never tried to hide it For all the hate Cherry Pie got I think it's one of CC Deville's best solos......
This was an excellent video and analysis. Most of all, the session chap gets recognition.
Mike really SLAMMED that solo no pun intented
Love what you did with that 👍
Awesome vid, Mike!! Keep 'em coming!
The studio version was recorded by Joey Allen. Mike Slammer did the opening and closing solo for the song.
according to the producer Slamer played all the solos on the record ruclips.net/video/Zoh8laAJlV4/видео.html
Bruce Johansson who we know as CC Deville from Poison played solo on Cherry Pie. From Bay Ridge, Brooklyn New York. He left our neighborhood for Los Angeles after graduating high school 1980.
Slamer's version is super sassy, like a lot of good solos from that era.
That is a terrific description!
Thanks! I watched the video hoping you'd mention Mike Slamer, the Slammer is one of my favorite guitarists since about 1978 and his style and sound are unique and totally recognizable. I been saying this for 20 years....
Just shows the difference between a session guitarist and a live guitarist. It also shows how to handle taking someone else's licks and turning them into your own. Both these guitarists were excellent, but one was simply more suited for the studio than the other. No big news there.
Mike Slamer is also fantastic in front of a live audience.
I've been playing since 1987 and I've never heard of slammer. That would ntro to " sometimes she cries" I still can't figure that out and play it
I enjoyed this video because I've been listening literally this song for over 30 years and still there were tons of things I hadn't noticed! Great vid! I also think this could be a nice way to learn this solo going from the live version to try to level-up until you finally get to the studio version 😀
Rock On! 🤘
Mike Slamer is great. Never heard of him until Streets came out with him and Steve Walsh. Some great stuff on those two albums.
Great video, pretty cool to see how those of us with less skill can still survive playing some if these great riffs. One day I’ll be getting all of the licks in. Thanks!
But Eric’s guitar looks so damn cool!
Dude. BC Rich, Ibanez, Charvel/Jacksons looked amazing, it was all about look for those companies and especially custom shop stuff. I miss those days..
I'd love to have ALL the guitars that are in the Down Boys video.
@@TheArtofGuitar me too
@@TheArtofGuitar 16 year old me loved the Trojan guitar. 😁
I'm an 80s bc rich collector and that's my favorite one but I've never seen a still shot of it, what are those big inlays and what's the scheme like a face on a bill like a dead prez?
Very cool and in depth breakdown. It is known that they hired session guitarists but you’ve also got to take into consideration that solos were hardly ever played note for note back in the day live. Especially considering the pressure of playing live on MTV and where they were at back then. Nowadays much of everything is “piped in” and perfect to be able to give audiences spot on performances night after night and sadly it’s accepted. I miss the days of imperfect rock and roll.
People want to debate about "all-time greatest guitar players" and it always seem to be names of certain band members... but what if the truely great guitarists were never in a specific group? What if nobody besides their mom knows how great they are? (Not everyone can be lucky enough to have Randy Rhoads mom to boost their genius 🌠🥂🌠)
I’m way better than a lot of people out there squeaking. Having a hard time getting a group of people together that have enough skills!
This is basically the story of me learning complex solos in cover bands. Adapt, simplify and get the main memorable licks in there haha. Although it is good to come back to a solo from previous years and actually being able to play it. Shows there is at least some progression there 😂