In a new Guitar World feature, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan reveals the seven bassists that shaped his sound. Following is an excerpt from the rundown.
McKagan: "When I think about the players who influenced me, I have to start with a caveat. I didn't get serious about being a bass player until Guns N' Roses formed. The truth is I wasn't sure if I was going to be a drummer, a guitar player, or a bass player. And then, when this thing formed, I was like, 'Okay, now I'm a bass player; how do I do this?' But it was deeper than that. I wanted to be fucking good at it. I said to myself, 'Yeah… I want to be good but also be different.' So, that's what I was originally going for as a bass player – to be different."
Lemmy - Motörhead
McKagan: "Lemmy's bass playing reminded me that you can still be punk as fuck on bass. But the thing with that is you have to hit the notes, you know? You've got to hit the notes; you can’t go out there and be a sloppy motherfucker. Lemmy showed me the importance of being aggressive, and that when you play with a pick, you can jump, but don't be playing two notes at once. It's so important to hit your notes, and that guy was so fucking good at doing that. His sound was massive; it sounded like it was just a mess of bass, but he was fucking hitting all the notes. If you ever saw Mötorhead live, you'll know he knew what he was doing; it was obvious. But also, come on, man, Lemmy was an amalgamation of all the best things within punk and metal. He didn't take any bullshit, and I loved that."
Steve Jones - Sex Pistols
McKagan: "If you listen to Steve Jones' bass playing on Never Mind The Bollocks, that's some great stuff that was extremely influential to me early on. People don't realize it when listening to that album, but Paul Cook is such a good drummer. He's groovy, and you don't really notice it, but his kick drum is in one place, and his snare is behind the beat. That created this sweet groove that set the tone. And so, when Steve Jones – who plays bass on nearly the entire record – lays in there, it really became about the placement of his licks."
"For me, Steve's bass placement within those grooves was super-important. I took that to heart. So, if you're reading this and you're a young bass player, no matter what you're doing, listen to where the bass placement is within the beat. Sometimes, you need to be ahead of the beat; other times, you need to be behind it, and sometimes, you need to be right on top. But Steve Jones found the sweet spot with Paul Cook, which really influenced how I approached bass grooves for the rest of my life."
Check out the full list here.
Duff McKagan has shared "Longfeather", the latest single from his third solo album, Lighthouse, arriving everywhere on Friday, October 20. An official music video, directed by Connor Ellmann, Kuj Durollari, and Arben Durollari, can be viewed below. Stream the single here.
“‘Today is a good day to die’ refers not to a macabre yearning for death,” says McKagan, “but rather a lust for life and the learned habits of a good and honest daily striving. "Longfeather" was protecting his home. He couldn’t hold up ALL of the Western wave….but he did his everything to keep his family safe. O "Longfeather" is gone. And O, "Longfeather" is home. I see you. I see you. Thank you "Longfeather" for giving me hope and a solid place to stand.”
Lighthouse will be available in a wide range of formats, including streaming, download, CD, cassette, and LP. A number of deluxe versions and bundles are also available, including official Certificates of Authenticity signed by McKagan. In addition, two webstore exclusive vinyl variants – “Transparent Green & “Black Marble” and “Black Velvet” – of the deluxe packaging are on offer, including three lithographs, a 12-page booklet, a sticker, and a guitar pick, all enclosed in a transparent PVC sleeve allowing interchangeability of the graphics displayed on the cover of Lighthouse. Pre-orders – as well as an exclusive line of brand-new Lighthouse merch – are available now at DuffOnline.com.
All pre-orders from the official store or email subscribers to the official Duff McKagan newsletter will receive access to a special online album release event featuring an exclusive Q&A with McKagan and Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell (who guests on the Lighthouse standout, "I Just Don't Know").
Lighthouse sees Duff McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The album was first announced earlier this spring alongside its title track, "Lighthouse", joined by an official visualizer (see below). "Lighthouse" was soon followed by "I Saw God On 10th St", also joined by an official visualizer streaming below.
For more than 40 years, Duff McKagan has been an unstoppable creative force, spanning a multitude of bands, tours, collaborations, and writings. Now, with his long-awaited new solo album, Lighthouse, the veteran musician proves to be, at his heart, a gifted singer-songwriter with a distinctive knack for authenticity and introspection.
In 2019, McKagan opened his own Seattle recording studio, allowing him a long-hoped-for opportunity to “finally explore songs that I may have written the night before or some of those old riffs from years ago. This is a big deal for me.” He spent much of the next two years working with longtime producer/collaborator Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlile), chipping away at a series of intensely personal new songs.
Lighthouse now marks the first full-length collection born in McKagan’s studio. Songs like "Hope" (featuring veteran Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and melodic lead guitar from Slash) and the philosophical "I Just Don't Know" (featuring contributions from McKagan’s longtime friend, Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains) see McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. The 11-song collection is further highlighted by an additional take on the title track, "Lighthouse" (Reprise), joined by the one and only Iggy Pop.
McKagan is currently traveling with Guns N’ Roses on an epic global tour currently traveling North America with dates slated through mid-October. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, head here.
Tracklisting:
"Lighthouse"
""Longfeather""
"Holy Water"
"I Saw God On 10th St"
"Fallen"
"Forgiveness"
"Just Another Shakedown"
"Fallen Ones"
"Hope" (Feat. Slash)
"I Just Don’t Know" (Feat. Jerry Cantrell)
"Lighthouse" (Reprise) (Feat. Iggy Pop)
"I Saw God On 10th St." visualizer:
"Lighthouse" visualizer:
(Photo - Connor Ellmann)
