I wouldn't be doing his solo - if I want to hear Friedman's solos, I'd listen to the recording with Friedman. I have gotten a lot from Desert Island and Speed Metal Symphony, but I think the Hangar 18 solo section is one of the most awesome rhythm tracks that one could possibly have as a platform for really exploring metal soloing. I don't see the point, personally, of rerecording the exact same solos, or imitating the vocals - I think that the best way for a cover to really stand out and add to the original is to not make it a copy but use it as a foundation, and then take a different approach entirely - look at anything from Hendrix's All Along The Watchtower to Death's version of Painkiller to Children of Bodom's version of Oops I Did It Again. All different interpretations and styles of completely different songs, and they stand out, don't they? Then look at Dream Theater's version of Master Of Puppets - I love Dream Theater, but I can't stand listening to that - partly because of the sound, yes, but mostly because there's nothing new to it. I don't know if that's completely off on a tangent compared to what the rest of the thread is really trying to do, but I'm looking to rework this stuff and give my take on Hangar 18 the same impact and value that the real standout cover songs had.
Or maybe I just need to seriously cut the caffeine. I don't know.
Jeff