listening to my other music, but
I’ve long been a big fan of metal
for its mystery and intrigue. It
makes a lot of sense when you
think about it, since metal is
rooted in the blues.
How did you get that molten
liquid lead sound on “Faithless”?
Bonamassa: Believe it or not,
that’s just the ’ 59 Les Paul into
one of the Marshalls—that rig
really is a magical combination. The Les Paul just sings
when the amp is cranked up
around 6, and the pickups and
amp seem to pick up ever little
nuance and articulation. I’ve got
a lot of great gear, but that setup
is really my bread and butter.
Which parts on the record are
you most proud of?
Bonamassa: I really like what
I did on “Save Me,” which is
built around this riff that is very
Zeppelin-inspired. The sound is
all Marshall amp and EV speakers, and for the solo I just went
for it with a bunch of sixteenth-notes that were appropriate for
the urgent vibe we were going
for.
Were your solos generally
preplanned or improvised?
Bonamassa: They were all
definitely spontaneous. That’s
the way I play, to maintain a
fresh sense of inspiration and to
avoid sounding contrived—to
keep both me and the listener
from getting bored too easily.
Glenn, all of your bass lines
on the record are uniformly
excellent, but the one on “The
Battle for Hadrian’s Wall”
really stands out.
Hughes: Yes, I think that bass
line is a good example of what
I’m talking about when I say
that the bass is an extension
of my voice. Also, the song
sounds a bit like the pastoral
side of Led Zeppelin, doesn’t
it? That’s only appropriate,
