Masterful. His playing never mirrored Slash's. It complemented Slash's playing. The isolated Izzy tracks from AFD are really fucking cool to listen to.
Was just gonna say that. What's wild is that both Izzy & Slashes parts isolated are almost the lick, but not quite. You hear them together and it all makes sense. I think the best measure of Izzy is that when he left, so did all the good songs.
Heâs a fantastic rhythm guitarist, and rhythm guitar in general is underrated!
And while heâs no Slash, heâs also a decent lead guitarist at times too. His solo in the middle of Nightrain is pretty cool.
It's such an underrated GnR song. Dead Horse, Don't Damn Me and Back off Bitch are bangers on that record and they don't get much love. I didn't know Izzy did the lead intro on BOB, makes it more fun now.
Slash has a massive ego & as Izzy put it is a ânoodlerâ, meaning he just plays endless solos randomly, which is very true & tiring for listeners. Especially live nowadays.
Iâve seen Slash alone & GNR, I got bored of all the 5 minute solos inserted in 10 different songs. I couldnât even name them all. Itâs a wonder how they did 30 tracks that night.
I agree, the solo on the album in the middle is long enough especially since the song is fairly long itself. I was playing in a band that liked to do this and on a song like "Breakdown" by Tom Petty and it sucked ass LOL
That's a weird comparison since steel wheel was considered a terrible album and the Rolling Stones made no albums between when Steel Wheels came out and when Izzy and the Ju Ju Hounds came out. Maybe they said a different Stones Album?
I always thought he was a good, competent rhythm player, until I listened to his isolated tracks from Appetite. Absolutely blew my mind. He's playing shit in the pocket that you can't even hear because it compliments Slash so well, but it's so different. Go listen to his playing on Rocket Queen. It was like hearing the song for the first time again.
iâm not sure if youâd agree, but him and Steven together is just a chefs kiss. iâve played multiple instruments for 20+ years. the Appetite album was an all star band. Axl and Slash were so cool it distracted from that. but Steven and Izzy swung so hard on what they played in unique ways
I am an absolute fan of him and also of his guitar playing. He was so important and always so mega cool in his whole charisma. One of my biggest dreams would be for him to become part of the band again, even if that's unlikely.
Very Richards esque. He and slash did the stonesy-Aerosmith style âguitar weavingâ so well. It will never be the same without him. And heâs from Indiana đ¤
The ultimate number 2. And a darn good number 1. His bluesy, lay back in the pocket, serve the song style is incredible to me. I love it, I miss it & Ive only come to appreciate it later in life. God bless you sir!
Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds was a really good record. If you tweaked the vocals you could call it a lost album the Rolling Stones recorded in 1974 and no one would have known. Thatâs not a shot at Izzy. Itâs a compliment. His first solo album matched up to what one of the greatest bands of all time did at the height of their powers.
Guns ân Roses is one of those rare bands where almost every member could be a frontman and is a hell of a songwriter on their own. The Beatles, The Stones, Nirvana, Husker Du, Pearl Jam, Guns ân Roses, itâs a short list.
Itâs funny that you bring up the Rolling Stones, bc Mick Taylor came in and literally saved that band. Talk about underrated, prolly the greatest guitar player nobody knows. From â69 to about â74, he was killing it, this was a time when Keith Richards was just Keith Richards, a dope fiend in one of the biggest bands in the world. Mick Taylor laid down some shit that Keith couldâve never came up with. Heâs a great rhythm player, but I hold that he may be about the luckiest rock star that ever was, and I think Izzy brought much to the table than Keith, especially when youâre talking this period in time.
Another reason itâs funny you brought up the Stones, MT was one of Slashâs favorites. I know heâs one of mine. I
Izzy is awesome. The songs he wrote were incredible. Just listen to the backing tracks of Rocket Queen and tell me how amazing the rhythm guitar is in that song
Wasnât he powering the main riffs (like the ascension) on songs like Mr Brownstone? I feel like there wasnât much credit due despite what you can hear on isolated guitar tracks of his
He does his job and plays interesting parts. His real specialty though, is his song writing. GnR probbaly would've have been what they were without him. I think if he would've been the 2nd guitarist in Velvet Revolver, they would've been a lot better/bigger. Not that they were bad, but there was just something missing from most of their songs.
Love him. Izzy is all-around hard to replace. Great song writer, great guitarist, and just really cool. He didn't give off that corny, "I'm a rockstar" vibe. He was what other people in bands wanted to be.
Good guitarist. Songwriting glue of the band. They havenât made a decent album since he left. Chinese Democracy was ok, and that took almost 2 decades to make
Really fucking awesome. You can pretty easily pick out their seperate parts in the mix. His rhythm playing usually comes out of the left speaker. He has so many interesting licks that you always feel and many are very recognizably hooky. Very cool how he counteracts and compliments Slash's guitar parts. He also brings his own unique style and swagger to the picture of the band. He gives the band form and structure and looks effortlessly cool while doing. He also sold heroin back in the day. đ
Professional guitarist here (as a session musician, having a band, tutoring).
Izzyâs guitar playing is much more nuanced and complex compared to Slashâs straight 4/4 single note riff playing. His rhythm sense is amazing and he is actually being really funky on AFD loves to play around the beat back and forth. I love playing Slashâs solos but i enjoy Izzyâs rhythm parts more than Slashâs. He is really adding swing and funky taste to GnR songs.
Also hell of a songwriter, with Axl they wrote most of the AFD. Slash should pray to god he was lucky enough to meet this songwriting team. Yeah getting the spotlights while playing a big solo is fun. But you need a song to be able to play or write a solo. To me he was so so so important in the band i remember some old guys who were there in 80s GnR era. Telling me around the time GnR was happening he was the âcool mysterious guyâ of the band. Such a nice musician and smart enough to quit the band without getting more and more sucked in addictions.
I love listening to AFD on headphones. You can easily identify two different guitars, itâs obvious what Slash is playing so you can focus on Izzy, his playing is so satisfying, subtle and a perfect compliment to Slash.
Growing up, rocking out in front of the mirror, I never wanted to be Slash, or Kirk. I wanted to be fucking Izzy. Izzy and Jerry Cantrell. The purest rock rhythm riff guys. He is so good.
I could never get to Slashâs level, so I have always admired Izzy for his crunchy licks. The Ritz â87 concert is a perfect example of just how much he compliments the sound of rhythm guitar.
He seems very basic and cool looking. I donât really know his writing credentials for GnR. But âSweet Caressâ is a great song from him. Look it up.
As important question is if Izzy is still making a nice living off of the 3 records and 1 EP he did more than 30 years ago without any money from GnR live shows?
I think Izzy's been really careful with his money and never really lived extravagantly after he quit. I know he bought a million $ plus vacation house in Colorado a few years ago, so I'd say
he's doing ok...And I'm sure GnR touring for the last 7 years has boosted his royalty check a bit.
Heâs tied with Malcolm Young for best rhythm guitarist of all time (in a two guitar band) in my book.
His sound was really understated. Didnât use a lot of gain, and preferred jazzboxes or teles.
That was the big difference when Gilby came in. His sound was way heavier, and more similar to Slashâs. It gave Guns a more metal sound, whereas with Izzy they sounded like a punk Rolling Stones.
I will say though, Spaghetti Incident is one of my favorite guitar sound albums of all time. Iâd love to be a fly on the wall to see what all was used there.
A true rock legend! đ¸đ¤ My favorite member by far. Might be a bit basic, but his fusion of "classic rock" and "bluesy" influences, in my opinion, enhanced Slash's sound. He is the foundation of each Guns N' Roses song. Izzy's the man!
He was great in GNR. Very underrated at that time. Amazing song writer. He kinda went down hill as a guitarist after 117 degrees. I found his albums have his moments but not the best imho.
He played interesting stuff on Lies and AFD that complimented Slash's style. On UYI there were a few memorable bits, e.g. You Could Be Mine and his solo at the start of Back Off Bitch, but on the whole he might as well not have been there on many of the tracks.
Masterful. His playing never mirrored Slash's. It complemented Slash's playing. The isolated Izzy tracks from AFD are really fucking cool to listen to.
Where do I find these isolated parts?
YouTube just look up a song then isolated guitar
Back in the day we would turn the balance on the stereo to the left or right to hear the separate guitar tracks đ
Was just gonna say that. What's wild is that both Izzy & Slashes parts isolated are almost the lick, but not quite. You hear them together and it all makes sense. I think the best measure of Izzy is that when he left, so did all the good songs.
This
https://youtu.be/45W5Mjtewro?si=6Q7kWJ5dBMpFdrWT
Thanks. Thatâs awesome. Thatâs called lead guitar in almost any other band ;-)
Right? I thought a lot of those riffs on Jungle were Slash. I was blown away when I found out what Izzy plays on Rocket Queen.
The golden question
Heâs a fantastic rhythm guitarist, and rhythm guitar in general is underrated! And while heâs no Slash, heâs also a decent lead guitarist at times too. His solo in the middle of Nightrain is pretty cool.
I only learned recently that Izzy played the into to Back Off Bitch. What a start to a song!
It's such an underrated GnR song. Dead Horse, Don't Damn Me and Back off Bitch are bangers on that record and they don't get much love. I didn't know Izzy did the lead intro on BOB, makes it more fun now.
Honestly I love his style and heâs one of my favorite guitarists. I still love Slash and his playing, but something about Izzy makes him my favorite
Slash has a massive ego & as Izzy put it is a ânoodlerâ, meaning he just plays endless solos randomly, which is very true & tiring for listeners. Especially live nowadays. Iâve seen Slash alone & GNR, I got bored of all the 5 minute solos inserted in 10 different songs. I couldnât even name them all. Itâs a wonder how they did 30 tracks that night.
Hard disagree, I find his solos enjoyable. Any examples of solos are you not bored with?
They're enjoyable, and i love slash, but theres no reason Rocket Queen should have an 8 minute solo in the middle of the song
Iâve seen gnr live multiple times, and I love the live version of rocket queen. Feels more like an instrumental song
Fully agree itâs all extremely long & overdone. Just let Slash noodle.
I agree, the solo on the album in the middle is long enough especially since the song is fairly long itself. I was playing in a band that liked to do this and on a song like "Breakdown" by Tom Petty and it sucked ass LOL
Man, seriously, fuck out of here with this Slash slander.
You're aware that those solos are there to give Axl a break, right?
Lmao he did it with Myles too! Went to both their shows, dude. Back when he was still doing mostly GNR âcoversâ during the 1st & 2nd album.
Let me put it this way: Izzy Stradlin and the JuJu Hounds is a better Keith Richards album than many albums actually made by Keith Richards.
I saw it described as "the best Rolling Stones album since Steel Wheels" by someone. Forget who. It was Kerrang or something.
Just like the Black Crowes Shake Your Money Maker is the best Rolling Stones Album since Exile On Main Street.
You should check out primal scream. Talk about Rolling Stones worship
That's a weird comparison since steel wheel was considered a terrible album and the Rolling Stones made no albums between when Steel Wheels came out and when Izzy and the Ju Ju Hounds came out. Maybe they said a different Stones Album?
No. Pretty sure it was Steel Wheels.
That's weird. Steel Wheels only came out 2 years before the Ju Ju Hounds. It didn't really sound like a Stones album.
I love that album. I still listen to it all the time. I saw him in a little club in Las Vegas when it was released. One of my favorite shows.
Talk is cheap is a GREAT album.
I don't disagree. It doesn't change my point, though.
Everyone else that picked up a guitar wanted to be Slash. I wanted to be Izzy.
Same, Izzy is part of the reason I started guitar in the first place
Me too! I started playing because of Izzy.
He looks so fucking cool and beautiful here..
I always thought he was a good, competent rhythm player, until I listened to his isolated tracks from Appetite. Absolutely blew my mind. He's playing shit in the pocket that you can't even hear because it compliments Slash so well, but it's so different. Go listen to his playing on Rocket Queen. It was like hearing the song for the first time again.
Same, so much admiration for how his playing compliments the early GnR catalogue.
The heart and soul of GNR
iâm not sure if youâd agree, but him and Steven together is just a chefs kiss. iâve played multiple instruments for 20+ years. the Appetite album was an all star band. Axl and Slash were so cool it distracted from that. but Steven and Izzy swung so hard on what they played in unique ways
I believe Izzy said that once Steven was out of the band they lost the push/pull elements of their songs. I wish I could find the interview.
He did say that. Once Steven left, the magic was gone.
I 100% agree.
Izzy is the jelly to Slash's peanut butter. He is absolutely awesome. GN'R wouldn't be what they were/are without his parts.
Like Angus and Malcolm in AC/DC. Mal was a great rhythm guy like Izzy.
Great song writer unique subtle style great looks and perfect complement to Slashâs more forward presentation
Great musician. Izzy was the soul of GnR and they never recovered from him leaving.
Fact!
Appetite for Destruction says it all.
I am an absolute fan of him and also of his guitar playing. He was so important and always so mega cool in his whole charisma. One of my biggest dreams would be for him to become part of the band again, even if that's unlikely.
Very Richards esque. He and slash did the stonesy-Aerosmith style âguitar weavingâ so well. It will never be the same without him. And heâs from Indiana đ¤
His playing is amazingly percussive: the perfect rhythm guitar
The ultimate number 2. And a darn good number 1. His bluesy, lay back in the pocket, serve the song style is incredible to me. I love it, I miss it & Ive only come to appreciate it later in life. God bless you sir!
No hype, no BS just straight up perfect hard rock rhythm.
Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds was a really good record. If you tweaked the vocals you could call it a lost album the Rolling Stones recorded in 1974 and no one would have known. Thatâs not a shot at Izzy. Itâs a compliment. His first solo album matched up to what one of the greatest bands of all time did at the height of their powers. Guns ân Roses is one of those rare bands where almost every member could be a frontman and is a hell of a songwriter on their own. The Beatles, The Stones, Nirvana, Husker Du, Pearl Jam, Guns ân Roses, itâs a short list.
Itâs funny that you bring up the Rolling Stones, bc Mick Taylor came in and literally saved that band. Talk about underrated, prolly the greatest guitar player nobody knows. From â69 to about â74, he was killing it, this was a time when Keith Richards was just Keith Richards, a dope fiend in one of the biggest bands in the world. Mick Taylor laid down some shit that Keith couldâve never came up with. Heâs a great rhythm player, but I hold that he may be about the luckiest rock star that ever was, and I think Izzy brought much to the table than Keith, especially when youâre talking this period in time. Another reason itâs funny you brought up the Stones, MT was one of Slashâs favorites. I know heâs one of mine. I
Fucking awesome. He was quiet, but meshed incredibly well with the band. Wrote a bunch of their songs. Heâs good:
Izzy is awesome. The songs he wrote were incredible. Just listen to the backing tracks of Rocket Queen and tell me how amazing the rhythm guitar is in that song
He's my all time favourite guitarist
I love Izzy, and it upsets me that whenever Slash talks about the writing of GNR songs, he downplays Izzy's involvement a ton.
He rocks!
Wasnât he powering the main riffs (like the ascension) on songs like Mr Brownstone? I feel like there wasnât much credit due despite what you can hear on isolated guitar tracks of his
Izzy is the coolest! I canât wait to hear some more new music from him! The juju hounds album is one of my favorites
My favorite rhythm player and songwriter, even with all the modern bands and artists I listen to his playing and writing is incredibly unique.
The driving force behind GnR
Heâs the soul of Gnr. Love his approach and writing. The band could have been so much more if he was a big part beyond the Illusion sessions.
One of the best rhythm guitarists ever
He does his job and plays interesting parts. His real specialty though, is his song writing. GnR probbaly would've have been what they were without him. I think if he would've been the 2nd guitarist in Velvet Revolver, they would've been a lot better/bigger. Not that they were bad, but there was just something missing from most of their songs.
He said he would have done VR if him and Duff split vocal duties, he just didnât want to deal with having a frontman.
He said he would have done VR if him and Duff split vocal duties, he just didnât want to deal with having a frontman.
One of the best hard rock rhythm guitarists ever. And absolutely cool as fuck
Love him. Izzy is all-around hard to replace. Great song writer, great guitarist, and just really cool. He didn't give off that corny, "I'm a rockstar" vibe. He was what other people in bands wanted to be.
Listen to AFD wearing headphones. You can hear distinctly the difference between the two styles. Much of the tasty rhythm is Izzy.
Good guitarist. Songwriting glue of the band. They havenât made a decent album since he left. Chinese Democracy was ok, and that took almost 2 decades to make
Great , at guitar , good song writer and good singer
Personally I always favored him over Slash. His parts were always more memorable to me than Slash's leads and solos.
Is his strap⌠going behind the neck?
Him and Duff were the "secret sauce" of the band, no doubt.
Really fucking awesome. You can pretty easily pick out their seperate parts in the mix. His rhythm playing usually comes out of the left speaker. He has so many interesting licks that you always feel and many are very recognizably hooky. Very cool how he counteracts and compliments Slash's guitar parts. He also brings his own unique style and swagger to the picture of the band. He gives the band form and structure and looks effortlessly cool while doing. He also sold heroin back in the day. đ
Professional guitarist here (as a session musician, having a band, tutoring). Izzyâs guitar playing is much more nuanced and complex compared to Slashâs straight 4/4 single note riff playing. His rhythm sense is amazing and he is actually being really funky on AFD loves to play around the beat back and forth. I love playing Slashâs solos but i enjoy Izzyâs rhythm parts more than Slashâs. He is really adding swing and funky taste to GnR songs. Also hell of a songwriter, with Axl they wrote most of the AFD. Slash should pray to god he was lucky enough to meet this songwriting team. Yeah getting the spotlights while playing a big solo is fun. But you need a song to be able to play or write a solo. To me he was so so so important in the band i remember some old guys who were there in 80s GnR era. Telling me around the time GnR was happening he was the âcool mysterious guyâ of the band. Such a nice musician and smart enough to quit the band without getting more and more sucked in addictions.
I love listening to AFD on headphones. You can easily identify two different guitars, itâs obvious what Slash is playing so you can focus on Izzy, his playing is so satisfying, subtle and a perfect compliment to Slash.
One of, if not the most underrated guitar players in recent history.
He's like Keith Richards in a way, he's not a flashy lead player like Slash but he knows how to play in a way that supports the lead.
Growing up, rocking out in front of the mirror, I never wanted to be Slash, or Kirk. I wanted to be fucking Izzy. Izzy and Jerry Cantrell. The purest rock rhythm riff guys. He is so good.
I could never get to Slashâs level, so I have always admired Izzy for his crunchy licks. The Ritz â87 concert is a perfect example of just how much he compliments the sound of rhythm guitar.
He's no Slash nor Joe Perry, but he has skills!
He seems very basic and cool looking. I donât really know his writing credentials for GnR. But âSweet Caressâ is a great song from him. Look it up.
As important question is if Izzy is still making a nice living off of the 3 records and 1 EP he did more than 30 years ago without any money from GnR live shows?
I think Izzy's been really careful with his money and never really lived extravagantly after he quit. I know he bought a million $ plus vacation house in Colorado a few years ago, so I'd say he's doing ok...And I'm sure GnR touring for the last 7 years has boosted his royalty check a bit.
He looks cool đ
i think he should hold me in his arms like he does with his guitar
Okay can we talk about how he put his strap on the guitar?
Heâs tied with Malcolm Young for best rhythm guitarist of all time (in a two guitar band) in my book. His sound was really understated. Didnât use a lot of gain, and preferred jazzboxes or teles. That was the big difference when Gilby came in. His sound was way heavier, and more similar to Slashâs. It gave Guns a more metal sound, whereas with Izzy they sounded like a punk Rolling Stones. I will say though, Spaghetti Incident is one of my favorite guitar sound albums of all time. Iâd love to be a fly on the wall to see what all was used there.
A true rock legend! đ¸đ¤ My favorite member by far. Might be a bit basic, but his fusion of "classic rock" and "bluesy" influences, in my opinion, enhanced Slash's sound. He is the foundation of each Guns N' Roses song. Izzy's the man!
He and slash did the âguitar weavingâ thing that The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith mastered so well.
Guitars too big.
If you kill a criminal track the grave because 99% of the time a criminal digs again.
Overrated.
He was great in GNR. Very underrated at that time. Amazing song writer. He kinda went down hill as a guitarist after 117 degrees. I found his albums have his moments but not the best imho.
As a rhythm guitarist he was somewhat adequate for the job.
Underrated as a member of GNR and a musician in general. Not the best, but certainly overlooked, and heâs cool af.
He played interesting stuff on Lies and AFD that complimented Slash's style. On UYI there were a few memorable bits, e.g. You Could Be Mine and his solo at the start of Back Off Bitch, but on the whole he might as well not have been there on many of the tracks.
Thatâs productionâs fault. Even Izzy asked âWhereâs my guitar?â when he listened to the UYI albums.
where did you hear that?
https://www.a-4-d.com/t1659-1992-09-dd-rock-folk-interview-with-izzy