Guitar Tricks Insider April/May Digital Edition | Page 12

CLASSIC CORNER: BACKTRACK

CLASSIC CORNER: BACKTRACK

Music is cyclical. The more things change
the more they stay the same. If tone,
vibrato, phrasing, and melody remain royal
attributes for guitar playing, Leslie West
is king of the mountain. His newest album
Soundcheck consists of covers with some
originals, which is okay because Leslie has
always known how to “rape a melody,”
as Jeff Beck has said. Leslie is master of
the sweet sting be it Jack Bruce’s “Theme
from an Imaginary Western,” Billy Joel’s
“New York State of Mind,” or “You Are
My Sunshine.” Pete Townshend invited
him to join The Who while recording their
classic album Who’s Next. Perhaps it was
the same keen ear that compelled Pete to
invite Leslie West. We sat down with Leslie
to hear more.
You have always seen the importance
of cover songs. It started with your
first band The Vagrants.

BACKTRACK

LESLIE
WEST
“ WHEN THEY CHANGE
THE KEY OF THE SONG IT’S LIKE
NIGHT AND DAY. ”

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DIGITAL EDITION

That’s all we did. I don’t call them cover
songs – to me they are interpretations of
that song. Take “You Are My Sunshine”
from Soundcheck. Everybody knows it as
a happy song. It’s a major key. And I’m
watching Sons of Anarchy on TV; and I
heard “You Are My Sunshine” in a minor
key. It sounded like a funeral dirge, so I
started working on it. I had just done a
couple of shows with Peter on Frampton’s
Circus where he had guitar players join
him (on tour). He is such a great guy. I
love this guy to death. I sent him the track
in a minor hey. He texts me right back
saying, “Man what an incredible idea to do
it.” I said I can’t take the credit for that.
I don’t know who did it; but when they
change the key of the song it’s like night
and day. I’m playing slide on that and the
tone is so clear and velvety. That’s in the
distorted channel of my Blackstar amp;
but for some reason if I roll off the volume
a little bit I can get precise slide. You
don’t want overtones out there. I’m bareass naked. I’m playing slide and Peter is
playing regular guitar. The first solo is me
and then he plays the second. And after
the break he plays the first and I play the
APR/MAY

second; and then we play a harmony line
together at the end. Now we weren’t in
the same room when we did that. I sent
him the song but it worked out so great.
Peter almost used that woman tone when
he plays. I don’t play that fast, but if you
notice Peter’s playing, he plays more like a
jazz player. After he does a line he ends up
going back to the dominant note – the first
note. I’ll play in a hole and leave the air,
the space. If you listen to Peter, he’ll finish
the line off, which is great. You can really
see the difference between his playing and
my playing.
Talk about playing covers, being
invited to join The Who when they
record Who’s Next has got to be a
career highlight.
You know what’s hanging on the wall of my
office? A platinum record to me from Who’s
Next.

You Are My Sunshine – Leslie West

APR/MAY

DIGITAL EDITION

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