| March
12th 1998
In 1992 Izzy released his debut solo album "Izzy Stradlin' and the JuJu Hounds" (Oct. 10)... Now, 6 years later he's back with a new solo album... "117 Degrees".
He says of recording 117 Degrees (released March 10, 1998): "The sessions were real casual. I had the songs worked out on cassette, basic acoustic recordings. We'd jam through 'em a little bit, get the feel right, work on the arrangements. Nothing was written down and there was no strict style of playing. We just did whatever worked." And though the disc has a cohesive band feel, Stradlin was equally relaxed about personnel, calling on Guns colleague Duff McKagan, former Reverend Horton Heat drummer Taz Bentley, and Ju Ju Hound Rick Richards (who initially made his mark as guitarist for the Georgia Satellites). With typical modesty, Stradlin calls Richards - whose distinctive leads, solos, slide and backup vocals are all over the album - "the real six-string maestro" on the project. 117 Degrees is a no-nonsense rock and roll record that draws from many styles - metal, punk, rockabilly, blues, country, surf. Despite Stradlin's lengthy visits to Europe, the Caribbean and Central America while the album was gestating, the songs reflect life in the decidedly unpretentious locale of Lafayette, Indiana, where he was raised and still lives. "In the beginning, I'd really wanted to put out a screamin'-fast, 100-mile-an-hour record," he continues. "But after Duff got involved, we decided to work on some slower stuff to give the album more depth and variety. So we went to Rumbo [Recorders, in Canoga Park, Calif.], where Guns did Appetite for Destruction, and cut a few more tracks." Producer Bill Price, known for his work with the Sex Pistols and the Clash, lent a hand on some of the early recordings, while Ju Ju Hounds (and Sublime) producer Eddie Ashworth pitched in on the songs tracked later. Recorded in fits and starts, 117 Degrees never conformed to any grand scheme - and Stradlin wouldn't have it any other way. "The album is totally random," he insists. "It's just about situations I've been in over the past few years, mostly in Lafayette. That's always how I've approached songwriting - no big statement, just telling it like it is. Otherwise, you take all the fun out of it." International stardom, worldwide travel and widely envied chops aside, Stradlin still seems to have one foot planted firmly - and happily - in the garage. Click here for the songlist. Order Izzy Stradlin's "117 Degrees" from: CD-Now source: Geffen Records, -"Izzy section"
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