117° [IMPORT]

Izzy Stradlin

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 10, 1998)
• Original Release Date: March 10, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Universal Import
• ASIN: B000005ZL2
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,452 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ain't It a Bitch

2. Gotta Say

3. Memphis

4. Old Hat

5. Bleedin

6. Parasite

7. Good Enough

8. 117°

9. Here Before You

10. Up Jumped the Devil

11. Grunt

12. Freight Train

13. Methanol

14. Surf Roach

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Axl Rose sailed off into the operatic stratosphere. Slash sank down into the arena-metal mud. The only member of late supergroup Guns N' Roses to get it garage-rock right, in fact, was rhythm guitarist Stradlin, who hooked up with fellow riff worshipper Rick (Georgia Satellites) Richards for some of the best down 'n' dirty picking this side of Exile on Main Street. This sophomore release is sloppy, scratchy, and growling with gut-level blues-rock. Stradlin pays homage to longtime influence Ron Wood by aping his speedball cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." Naysayers may tut that Stradlin can't really sing too well. But that's exactly the point. He's singing anyway, naysayers be damned. --Tom Lanham

Product Description

Import edition of the ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist's 1998 album for Geffen. 14 tracks including, 'Ain't It a Bitch', 'Gotta Say' & 'Memphis' (Chuck Berry).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS NOW, June 29, 2005

By	[e-mail] (canada) - See all my reviews

I have JuJu Hounds and River as well as 117. If you like anything remotely close to good old rock n roll the way it should be, BUY THIS CD NOW. Izzy is by far the best solo artist to come out of GNR. He can write on anything, his stuff sounds like a raunchier version of the rolling stones. This album picks up right where JuJu Hounds took off. Some might say he can't sing, but I think that his voice rides hand in hand with his music. No matter what other bands you like, whether it be the stones, gnr, zeppelin, hendrix, deep purple, or aerosmith, this will be in your top 10 favorite albums. SPECTACULAR! BUY THIS CD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A musical collage!, December 20, 1999

By	Curt-Man (from Indiana) - See all my reviews

If you are expecting a heavy metal album here don't waste your time. If you want a great rock album with inspiration from blues, punk, surf-rock, and country then take a listen. This album shows diversity and musical maturity in Izzy's writing and playing. This album is highly recommended for music fans who like an album that doens't sound the same from one song to the next. One of my favorites!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough, straight-ahead rock n' roll, June 12, 2005

By	Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Former Guns n' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin's second album isn't quite as sublime as his magnificent solo debut, "Izzy Stradlin And The Juju Hounds", but "117°" is still a really good, solid rock record.

It is a little bit more punk-like than its predecessor, and the songwriting is not quite as consistent. But Stradlin's love for the music of Chuck Berry, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood is still very much apparent, and his musical partnership with former Georgia Satellites-guitarist Rick Richards makes for some great guitar playing.
Also, former Guns n' Roses bassist Michael "Duff" McKagan plays on almost all these songs, laying down a very prominent and completely unmistakable, metallic-sounding bass line on the great, shuffling rocker "Here Before You". He even takes a solo - the only one I can remember him ever recording.

Not many 90s rockers were even trying for this kind of unassuming, straight-ahead hard rock, and it's doubtful whether any of them matched Izzy Stradlin, even on their best day.
His songwriting has its down moments, but when he hits the bullseye, like on the slide guitar-driven acoustic blues-rock of "Bleedin", the hard rocker "Ain't That A Bitch", and the mid-tempo shuffle "Good Enough", Stradlin comes off as a better songwriter than all the pretentious, nihilistic grunge-rockers who got most of the accolades about this time in the mid-nineties.

"117°" is a suberbly arranged, delightfully raw and occationally sloppy hard rock record. It moves effortlessly between bluesy, acoustic folk-rock ("Gotta Say"), classic guitar-driven rock n' roll ("117°") and hard rock with a punk twist ("Freight Train").
It's not Guns n' Roses (unless by Guns n' Roses you mean "Dust n' Bones" and "You Ain't The First"), but it's good ol' fashioned rock n' roll. And that's even better.