GUNS N'ROSES

Like a lot of kids I used to like Guns n'Roses more than I do now. That is not to say there is anything drastically wrong with them, that I've only just discovered, but I think the impact they have on newly converted fans is more a short-term explosion than a long-term love affair. Due to their absolutely massive commercial status they are often enjoyed before their peers and influences are properly encountered by the would-be fan. To put it another way: I liked Guns n'Roses a lot more before I listened to seventies Aerosmith and the Dead Boys. That is not to say Guns n'fuckin'Roses aren't one of the definitive and best bands of the stadium rock era but when you really delve beneath the surface you will find that there isn't quite as much to laud as you once thought. Appetite for Destruction is a rock classic and one of the greatest debuts in rock'n'roll history. Axl Rose is (or more likely was) a really accomplished songwriter who was able to effortlessly combine commercial melodies with hard rock riffage and a trademark nihilistic sneer. Slash and Izzy Stradlin's dirty guitar interplay is perhaps the best of any of the stadium rock bands and, on technical ability alone, Slash is certainly one the great post-Van Halen guitarists. Still, I can't help but think a band with so much talent should perhaps have amounted to something a little more substantial. Blame Kurt Cobain, I say. Well, him and Axl Rose.

Guns n'Roses exploded onto the scene from LA in the late eighties, after the initial stadium rock boom but while it was at its peak, with their aggressive snarls, vitriolic bile, junkie nihilism, and solid hooks. Whilst the likes of Bon Jovi represented a sterilised, consumer friendly franchise for rock music Guns n'Roses were the band the kids wanted to shock their parents with. Their cause was helped by the fact that the band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was so brilliant and so packed full of immortal rock'n'roll hooks that even the most light-hearted of rock rebels could genuinely enjoy pissing off their parents. Unfortunately for Guns n'Roses, just as they reached the top of the world, grunge happened. That said, such was the genuineness of their image I personally think they may well have survived the fashion revolution intact. (And why should one image be better than the next? Personally I find kids dressed like Kurt Cobain every bit as laughable as those who might want to imitate Axl Rose.) The so-bloated-you-can-hear-them-belch Use Your Illusions still reaped massive commercial rewards and, in a way, are still very good albums; although the band's rejection of quality control means they never matched the individual triumph of Appetite. However, after releasing those two albums on the same day the band fell apart from exhaustion. A lame-ish covers album was knocked off and Axl Rose went Michael Jackson-style insane (without the paedophilia) and sacked the remaining original members of the band, including, crucially, his very own Sundance Kid - Slash. Apparently a new album is on the way (The Chinese Democracy) but I'll be a surprised man if it comes out any time soon. Axl Rose (still operating under the name Guns n'Roses) is still sporadically touring; although his frequent no-show usually results in a delightful excuse for redneck rioters. One thing is for sure, it's all a real fucking shame.

From: Matthew Daubs

Hey I came across your site, nice effort. It is nice to read a different view on the band. I’m a huge fan of gnr and some things I think you were dead on about, others I felt off. I think that Izzy was probably on par with Axl for the most important song writer. Your leaving out the post TSI? Band-members was appropriate. This made me laugh out loud: 'Dizzy Reed - keyboardist, recruited after Lies, miraculously still a member.' What the hell is the point of him? If you got the UYI Tokyo concert DVD's, all he does is bang a tambourine for 3 hours.

From: Juan Domínguez

What you really know to end up with this "What a fucking waste". Look, there are many things that we don't know about gnr's lifes and existences.
Obviously to me, this is a one man's band and that man is Axl Rose. Slash and his snakepit sounded really ugly, Duff is good third man but can't be a leader and Adler and Sorum "just" play drums. Blame it on Izzy maybe, he liked better skating, than being a gun.
GNR were and are my fave band ever, axl voice is unique and the way he develops music is unique and magical, when someone is away for 12 years is because that person decided to go...and won't blame him for that. To me that would be selfish. Yes, selfish, like saying...."hey you guys give some more of your great music otherwise i get pissed off and burn your records!".
Maybe he was fucked from drugs,drinks, life or whatever...who am I to judge that?. Probably, they all wanted to live again as they did when they were touring around California during the early 80's.
To me no shit form Kurt Cobain can get even close to what GNR did, Kurt got relevant to the point of being an idol because he died. Imagine Axl killing himself in 1992?.........he would be a God!. Metallica are really good but can even compare to GNR. The tempo, the mind process, the wrecking illusions, the twisted dreams that Axl throws into music are unique.
Sometimes, we tend to make things difficult, twist arguments and reasons a little too much.......they just left, probably they wanted to live on their own, away from press, fans and noise. They were standing at the top of the world and probably said......."well, mmm, I am a musician...I'm outta here man, this got to big, want my life back".
I don't know of any band, sport player, politician, or anyone who left being NUMBER ONE, even jordan had to lost to retire, clinton didn't get impeached, nobody leaves when they are winning..........well GNR and Axl did and that is remarkable to me. Why?....because they wanted to live, that's all.
Axl ain't a saint, perhaps he is insane but not a lot more than the common. He is a damn perfectionist, otherwise something as good as his music would had never seen light.
That's my opinion, thanks for your website man.

What a fantastic album this is! Listen to that sneer, the snarl, the bark, the bite. This is rock'n'roll at its meanest, its dirtiest, its most violent, its most debauched. "I'm gonna beat up the next hippy I see, then I'm gonna be beating up YOU". Hmmm, angry. "I cannot describe what it is like to have sex with the light on". Hmmm, sleazy. "Don't look at me that way, bitch, or your face is gonna get all punched". Hmmm, misogynist. But what's this? I must have put on the Dead Boys' Young Loud and Snotty by mistake. And what about that fantastic guitar interplay, eh? Oh... hang on, Aerosmith's Rocks has accidently slipped into the CD player. Mind you, the funny thing is, despite the fact Appetite for Destruction sounds a whole lot less original than it did when I first got it, it is actually superior to both the aforementioned albums. It is no crime to be influenced by Aerosmith's duelling guitars (probably their finest feature) and the dirty riffing and nihilistic sneer of the Dead Boys. Furthermore, GNR manage to top both bands by cranking out such a superlative set of tunes. For half an album rock'n'roll never sounded better. The fact that the second half (post-"Paradise City") does lessen the overall impact isn't a massive hindrance, and certainly not enough to warrant anything less than 10*, but it does prevent this album from romping home in the Greatest Debut Ever stakes (Television's Marquee Moon, by my count). However, it is not hard to see why this album is so highly regarded by both heavy metallers and the general public alike. On the one hand, the sheer, primal impact of this album is astonishing. It is a corrosive blast of anger, violence, sleaze, desperation, alienation, anti-authoritarianism, and everything that bad ol' rock'n'roll holds dear. However, on the other hand, the melodies are frequently eminently sing-along-able and some of the songs (the two smash hits "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" in particular) manage to incorporate brilliant pop melodies within threatening hard rock surroundings. From my point of view, though, the commercial appeal of this album is more an aside than a crucial element. What really lies at the heart of this album is the energy that explodes from your speakers as soon as you hit play. Is there any more foreboding, more threatening and more appropriate opening to an album than the echoing guitar of "Welcome to the Jungle"? Welcome, indeed - you're in Guns n'Roses' town now. Over ferocious riffing Axl spits out tales of the sleaze and alienation of sub-street level L.A., what they don't show you on the Universal Studios tour. "It's so Easy" is even better (or worse, if you like) with a non-ironic Dead Boys style paean to booze, drugs, fucking and fighting. It is perhaps the only track on the album that is too much for the pop crowd, and that only makes it even more effective. A spectularly gruesome rock'n'roll classic. Both "Nightrain" (with Slash's immortal riff) and "Mr. Brownstone" (with more classic riffing) deal with addiction, of drink and drugs respectively. "Wake up late, put on your clothes and take your credit card to the liquor store" Axl tells his bitch in the former whilst the latter is even more stark with the confessional "I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do so the little got more and more, I just keep trying to get a little better, a little better than before". For singular evidence of a combination of pop and metal no song is better evidence than the signature tune, "Paradise City". The catchphrase is sung as it sounds, happy and naive - "take me down to Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty" - but the reality proves to be a far grimier affair. The song switches to grotesque riffing and Axl starts spitting out lines about "urchins living under the street" and smoking cigarettes in the gas chamber before lampooning the idealist lies of Captain America. Two songs are unambiguous pop-metal efforts, the underrated "Think About You" and the immortal "Sweet Child O' Mine". "Sweet Child" is more than just a mere pop song, though, (as Sheryl Crow's lame cover proved) with one of the most distinctive riffs in rock history along with one of the most distinctive solos (kudos to Slash). Even the lyrics are superficially harmless (although it does seem to be literally about an innocent child) but the pop larks aren't entertained forever as Slash's initially friendly solo brilliantly and fluidly morphs into a demonic wah-wah rage (like storm clouds gathering, darkening and unleashing their fury) and the song ends with the familar scenario of menacing metallic aggression. Despite GNR's unrelenting assault of violence and bitterness the album actually ends on a light note. The closer, "Rocket Queen", begins predictably enough but, as a reverse of "Sweet Child"'s dynamics, it turns into what sounds like a genuine declaration of affection, backed up by distinctly un-threatening guitars. It is interesting in that it ends on an optimistic note, given the nihilistic alienation that precedes it, but, like a Spielberg film, the ending just seems unnaturally and unrealistically sugary. Still, a final couple of minutes of optimism does not a happy album make. It might just be Joe Perry jamming with the Dead Boys but there are few albums, if any, that match the aggression, violence and sleaze; the unrelenting energy; and the solid hooks contained on here. One of the greatest rock'n'roll albums ever.

From: Robert Goffena

Saw your reviews of Guns N Roses albums. Looks spot on.
Loved your comment about Sheryl Crow's cover of "Sweet Child O Mine". Ever notice how she completely ditched the riff???!!!
A much, much better cover version of the song was done by a band from NYC in the nineties. The band is Luna. If you haven't heard, definetly worth checking out.

After the superlative brilliance of Appetite Guns n'Roses' artistic rot was quick to set in. In the light of the evidence it seems hard to deny that money was essentially at the root of GNR's motivation and when Geffen asked for a product to flog to the gullible Appetite accolytes the band were not overly concerned about matching their artistic success. The band's original 1986 EP, Live Like a Suicide, made up side one of the album whilst for side two the band popped into a recording studio for half an hour with some acoustic guitars. Despite the unethical nature of this compilation (which is essentially what it is) complaints regarding the actual material are thankfully rather minimal. The first four live tracks are all sub-Appetite but they are still decent enough bar-room rock'n'roll and the quartet of acoustic numbers at least throws up one original classic and a song so controversial Axl Rose is still dodging accusations, almost fifteen years after the event. If I was to grade the live EP all on its lonesome it would probably still get 7*, although I would be pointing out that it does not show particular promise and they certainly saved their best songs for their following full-length debut. It also makes their debt to Aerosmith even more explicit, reinforced by the fact the mini-set ends with a cover of a seventies Aerosmith original, "Mama Kin" (from their debut). Still, Slash and Stradlin's interplay was as tight and dirty as ever, even at a premature stage, and the energy of the band sees their cover easily eclipse the stodge of Aerosmith's original. The three self-penned songs on Like a Suicide, "Reckless Life", "Nice Boys" and "Move to the City", are all much of a muchness, decent gritty rock'n'roll without setting the world alight in the same way the opening of Appetite does. I'd also venture that the quality probably marginally increases with each song, peaking with the Aerosmith cover. The acoustic side is probably also of the same overall quality (7*) but it is a far more inconsistent affair. In a pathetic time-filling exercise, Appetite's worst song, "You're Crazy", is given the acoustic treatment, meaning we have the misfortune to have to sit through it twice over two albums. The ridiculously misogynist (and surely tongue-in-cheek?) "I Used to Love Her" clearly did not have Axl fretting for hours over, as it is an obvious acoustic knock-off; although it is hardly a terrible effort. What remains on the second side, though, are two of Guns n'Roses most interesting songs. "Patience" is an unambiguous love ballad with a strong melody, nice arrangement and whistling solo. The lyrics are some of Axl's most affecting and the song as a whole is a nice, pleasant excursion. The album ends with "One in a Million" - a welcome return to the snarling, bitter menace of Appetite with Slash adding an electric lead over the accustomed acoustic guitar. Axl's vocals also return to his forte with him snarling and spitting out his bitter lyrics with genuine relish. Of course, what I've neglected to tell you is that these lyrics that he is revelling in are the most disgusting and poisonous ever recorded. Although the sleeve-notes say it is a "joke", there is no hint of irony or humour in his blasts at "niggers", "faggots", "immigrants" and so on. Some of his generalisations are astonishing (how do "faggots" come to America? or are all immigrants gay?) and putting "niggers" and the police together hardly seems a natural marriage. In one sense I can see that if you did come from a small town (as Axl did), with a narrow-mind and bad attitude, to the ethnic melting pot of LA you might adopt such poisonous views quite easily. Of course that doesn't absolve Rose, but you can still see his bravery in rejecting the smothering blanket of political correctness. Obviously I reject the lyrical sentiments out-of-hand but I still enjoy the snarl and the bite of the song. I even get a perverse thrill from hearing such disgusting bile - rock'n'roll never got any nastier than this. Of course, P.C. fans (particularly those who reject "It's so Easy") will be nothing but disgusted by the song and anyone who genuinely enjoys the lyrics I'd rather not get to know personally, but as vintage Guns n'Roses it certainly gives this album some much-needed bite. "Patience" aside, the rest of it undoubtedly sounds like the ker-ching of the cash register. There's nothing inherently wrong with any of the material but it is already clear to the more perceptive fan that Guns n'Roses were hardly in this business for artistic acclaim.

From: Peter Mowry

First, I thought the "A joke, nothing more" comment was referring to "Used to Love Her". In fact, I just checked the album cover, and I think that is pretty clear.
Second, "his bravery in rejecting the smothering blanket of political correctness". I don't think there's anything brave about being an asshole. It really is quite easy to be an asshole - I even tried it for a few years when I was a kid.
Finally, to the point. When I heard this song, I thought the mention of groups was intended to show Axl's reaction to the existence of groups in the city. About the fact that many people made a big deal about labeling themselves and others as part of a group - "police", "niggers", "immigrants", "faggots", "radicals", "racists". This was really only my initial unthought out reaction... Maybe this was just naive of me. I didn't think there could be bigotry in a song with lyrics such as:
Radicals and Racists/Don't point your finger at me/I'm a small town white boy/Just tryin' to make ends meet/Don't need your religion/Don't watch that much T.V./Just makin' my livin', baby/Well that's enough for me
At first it seems that even if he/they intended this message, maybe it could've been made clearer...
Thus I'm wondering about your opinion on the subject given my initial reaction. I haven't done any research about GnRs (or Axls) intentions with the song's lyrics, or analyzed the song very deeply from this perspective. Maybe you have?.

[You are, of course, right about the "joke" comment. I guess I must have read elsewhere that Axl tried to defend the song as ironic. However, I think your interpretation is more than generous. Yes, Axl does try to distance himself from organised fascism in the lyrics but, other than that, there is very little to suggest he is playing some kind of character and actually disapproves of the views expressed. Like I said, it is no big deal and being neither black, gay, an immigrant or a member of the filth I don't get particularly offended by it but there's no need to defend Axl just for the sake of it. Everyone knows he's a prick - JF]

From: Matthew Daubs

A note on "One in a Million". Somebody said they didn’t know Axl’s intentions on the song, I read that its about what he saw when he arrived in LA getting off the bus.. So basically he encountered 'niggers' and 'faggots' and 'immigrants'. Take out of that whatever you want.

From: Teymur Tahseen

I've been reading your excellent guns 'n' roses album reviews. I agree with almost all of what you say about Lies and Appetite for Destruction (although perhaps the lyrics are less important to me) that they are to you.
BUT I vehemently disagree with your opinion of the acoustic version of "You're Crazy" on Lies. I always thought the song was a blight on Appetite for Destruction but, when I first heard it on Lies, i used to listen to it over and over again. I think i heard somewhere that it was originally intended as an acoustic track (which would not have fitted in with the rest of Appetite). also, by the way, have you heard the version of "Rocket Queen" on Live Era. It's superb.

One of the most gargantuan events in rock history was Guns n'Roses' preposterous Use Your Illusion project. On the same day two individual albums were released, both of maximum CD length, which were immediately followed by a massive two year world tour to promote them, and with the intention of cementing Guns n'Roses' position as the biggest band in the world. If you looked up "pyrrhic victory" in future dictionaries you may well be offered the Use Your Illusion extravaganza as an example. The album sales and tour exposure did raise Guns n'Roses from the solid platform provided by Appetite to the world's biggest rock band but at such a cost that they were never able to benefit from it. Since the tour ended, a tired covers album flew off the shelves and into the bargain bins, and the original members of the band were all eventually either forced out by Rose's insane ego or left of their own accord. Twelve years on, Guns n'Roses could have been twice as big as U2 (and a hundred times better) and gone down in the history books as one of the all-time greats but the failure to kill off the wounded enemy has meant grunge has all but submerged their golden palace. Of course, they still have a loyal and surprisingly large following but too many people are deceiving themselves that Axl Rose, balding but still with bandana, and a bunch of erratic session men are still Guns n'Roses. The day Slash left was the day Guns n'Roses died and, indirectly, it can all be traced back to this album and its twin. Firstly, it should be pointed out that of all the criticisms that can be levelled at this album (and there are many) it still contains loads of really good rock songs. Legend has it that in order to find the thirty songs required to fill out the two albums Guns n'Roses recorded every single song they had ever written, including those that even preceded Appetite. Over two 75 minute albums it is safe to assume that there is a fair old portion of useless filler. Both albums condensed into a single album of reasonable length might have been more sensible but I think there is just enough of the good stuff to warrant two albums (or a double album). Personally, I think cutting off four or five songs and therefore bringing each album into an acceptable length would have been the best option. That way, the band can still release the best songs as singles and still make double the money from selling two albums at once. As opposed to Appetite's unity, each song is individually credited on here. What this most clearly indicates is that Rose is the main songwriter (which we knew anyway) but that Stradlin was clearly second in the original songwriting stakes. Indeed, some of his songs, over the two albums, are noticeable highlights and perhaps an improved working relationship with Axl might have resulted in a more acceptable successor to this duo. On this album "Dust n'Bones" is a stand-out track, whilst the segue from threatening rock song to classical coda on "Double Talkin' Jive" is one the cleverest musical ideas on the album. As might be expected, given the grandiose ambitions and outrageous pomposity of the scheme, the songs themselves are often overblown and self-indulgent, although not always to their detriment. Unfortunately, the sign of the new times is reflected in the recruitment of a keyboardist, Dizzy Reed, meaning far fewer songs rely on Stradlin and Slash's blistering interplay and, instead, are far more puffed-up beasts. As a result, this album also has a far less punk feel than Appetite and actually shares many traits and ethics with the bloated seventies rock that punk sought to destroy (history reversed, if you like). That said, the album opener, "Right Next Door to Hell", is a real old-fashioned blast of patented Guns n'Roses snarl and aggression with scorching vocals. Unfortunately few other tracks match such exploits, apart from the poor duo of "Perfect Crime" and "Garden of Eden". "Don't Damn Me" features a classic GNR riff and is suitably energetic and I also like Slash's playing on the snarling "Back Off Bitch". The cover of Wings' "Live and Let Die" is no more than perfunctory and therefore rather pointless and the duet with Alice Cooper, "The Garden", is wholly generic. Two of the biggest singles from this album are actually straight-up rock ballads. "Don't Cry" is pleasant enough whilst I still think "November Rain" is debatably the greatest rock ballad of all-time. The arrangement is overwhelmingly grandiose, although interestingly all the strings are computer generated, and the melody is flawless. Furthermore, Slash recycles his "Sweet Child O' Mine" trick by turning his initial solo into a menacing rage and thereby setting the song up for another metallic coda. Along with Bon Jovi's "Always" it is surely one of the great rock ballads of the nineties and probably of all-time. Perhaps "Stairway to Heaven" escalates it (as it essentially borrows its structure) but there are few other superior contenders. The video is also one of the best I've ever seen, with a ridiculously over the top and homoerotic story-telling theme during which Axl marries his girlfriend, Slash gets jealous and plays a guitar solo on a cliff-top and by the time he's finished getting all aggressive Axl's wife pops it and the metallic coda soundtracks a morbid funeral. The first part of the Use Your Illusion duo closes with the ten minute "Coma", one of the most metallic songs on the album and with an always-interesting multi-changing structure. The sound effects are fairly moronic (detailing Slash and Axl's Freudian nightmares) but it still manages to come across as one of the least ludicrous of the band's epics. As a whole, there is not a great deal on this album to rival the highlights of Appetite ("November Rain" apart) but there are still enough good songs to make up a good album. I do think an abridged version would have been ultimately more fulfilling, though, probably dropping "You Ain't the First", "Bad Obsession", "Garden of Eden", "Bad Apples" and "Dead Horse".

From: Seth Edwards

You're awfully nice with your reviews, more than half of what you've got up seems to get an 8* or higher! This is confusing to some who would come on your site to find out the one indispensible album from a certain artist and find out that according to you, they're all worth getting. While this may be true some sort of equilibrium should be achieved so that people can truly tell which are the quintessential and which aren't. For example, dropping a review from an 8 to a 7 won't hurt an album like Use your Illusion I which is in my opinion fairly unessential for all but hardcore GnR fans. Doing stuff like that to all your pages would make the essential albums stick out and also make it easier to read. By the way, nice job! I dig all of the artists you've reviewed thus far.

From: Matthew Daubs

For some reason I love "Bad Obsession", I think from the intro off the Tokyo concert DVD. "Dead Horse" is a great song in my opinion. Either way just my thoughts. Most of the review was right on and "Coma" is a great song although corny at the beginning (opening lines)

From: Teymur Tahseen

I too really like "Bad Obsession".
Also you overplay "November Rain". It's pretty pretentious although it has the best opening line of any rock ballad; it takes too long to get going. I think you have it the wrong way round: "November Rain" is pleasant enough and "Don't Cry" is a very tightly constructed song and one of my favourite rock ballads.

Unlike the Clash's similarly excessive Sandinista! (a double CD of maximum length) I don't think the Use Your Illusions really benefit from any sort of sprawl factor and the poor songs stand out even more. I can only presume that this is down to the fact that the songs do not all originate from the same period and, therefore, do not form a cohesive group in the same way. The second chapter carries with it a slight hint of desperation in that the poor songs are really, really poor and a handful of numbers are really, really stretched out. That said, although I will concede this is a marginally weaker affair than I it is not weak enough to obviously fall below 8* quality. In fact most of the elongated epics are actually highlights on the album with "Civil War" and "Estranged" being near-classics for the band. Of fourteen songs (two less than numero uno) we get another pointless cover - "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (as if that's never been covered before), the risible "Get in the Ring", the plain insipid "Shotgun Blues", "Don't Cry" AGAIN (with different lyrics, but the same music) and the thankfully brief "My World" which, along with being one of the worst songs Guns n'Roses ever penned, is simply one of the worst songs of all-time. It doesn't take Plato's sense of logic to realise that cutting those tracks from this album is a practical necessity (and one they failed to recognise). That said, the Use Your Illusion tracks that would demand an inclusion on any prospective Best Of compilation can be mostly found on this album. The album opener, "Civil War", originated from the War Child project (which is unusual given I'd never have usually associated GNR with charity) and is an unintentionally hilarious attempt at passing themselves off as peace-loving liberals. It certainly doesn't wash with me that a man who openly despises "niggers" and "faggots" can sincerely ask "wot's so civil 'bout war, anyway?". It also opens with a completely irrelevant sample from Cool Hand Luke. However, if we ignore the silly quotes, trite lyrics and fake sentiments, we are left with one hell of a rock epic. Personally I find that the issues surrounding the song quickly disappear when the meaty guitars first erupt onto the scene. "You Could Be Mine" was used for the Terminator II soundtrack and is an absolutely blistering assault on the rock'n'roll senses and probably their greatest pure rock song outside of Appetite. Mind you, perhaps my favourite track from the whole Illusion confusion is Izzy Stradlin's "14 Years". Other than the spurious piano it is a perfect example of the Stradlin/Slash partnership but also with one of the best and most aggressive melodies on the album(s). Stradlin's vocals also seem a lot cooler than Rose's generic screech. With "So Fine" bassist Duff McKagan also gets his turn in the spotlight with his tribute to his hero (and mine) - Johnny Thunders; who died while they were recording this album. I guess it doesn't stretch much beyond another power-ballad but it is one of the better ones from the albums. Not as good, though, as "Estranged" which probably comes into second place, behind "November Rain", as the best song from the two albums. Rose's ballad is both melodramatic and grandiose and Slash's guitar lines are so good he even gets openly thanked by Rose in the sleevenotes. Along with the Cool Hand Luke sample, proof that Rose was obviously watching too many sixties films at the time comes with his word-for-word recital of an excerpt from Vanishing Point at the end of "Breakdown" (most of which is a very good piano-based number). On the other hand, it is the expanded coda of "Locomotive" that most adds to the song, particularly Slash's wah-wah guitar solo. It seems almost incredible that this 12 year old album should be the last set of original material Guns n'Roses recorded but no matter how sad the truth is, it remains the truth. Mind you, it would be apt if Axl did release a new album in 2005 and then smug critics can quote Izzy Stradlin and tell him "you just don't get back 14 years in just one day". I'd also suggest here lies a valuable lesson for artists who want to be the biggest band in the world. If you make a pact with the devil some day he's going to take it all back.

From: Steven Knowlton

The reason for the great abundance of material (as well as the widely varying quality thereof) on the Use Your Illusions albums is that the band recorded every song that had written since they got together. No editing out of bad songs at all.

From: Andrew Webb

What do you think of the song "Estranged"? I think that is a true Guns classic showing their more melodic side.

[I agree, one of Guns n'Roses' finest melodic rock songs - JF]

From: Avery Petrowski

I just visisted your web site of Guns N' Roses Album Reviews. I don't know how old the site is or if you even still update. I really enjoyed readin the reviews and agreed with most of the comments and points. However, I have but one disagreement which I'd like to state...
"we get another pointless cover - "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (as if that's never been covered before)"
Now yes, the song has been covered many, many times. But how many people made it sound as good as Guns N' Roses did? Or should I say Slash. The guitar, solo's, and 'feel' that Slash puts into that song make it so... well I can't find the words to describe it. Of all the covers, I think it's the ONLY one that runs up with, it not surpassing, the Original. If you want to pick on a bad cover of the song, download Avril Lavigne's version. It's absolutely horrible I think. On a personal note, I feel the song is only as widely known and covered as it is because of Guns N' Roses phenominal cover and Slash's amazing lead playing. But that's just what I feel. Thanks for taking the time and reading this comment.

[I agree it is not a bad cover as such but it doesn't bring anything new to the table. And I'm afraid you are definitely wrong in suggesting Guns n'Roses did the most famous version. Dylan's original was a smash hit at the time and Eric Clapton also famously released an extremely popular cover version of it - JF

From: Matthew Daubs

I think "Live and Let Die"/"Knocking on Heaven's Door" are good covers. They fit gnr's style. also "KOHD" is a great live song. Your dead on about "Don’t Cry 2", "My World", "Shotgun Blues" (I hate that song). I think "Get in the Ring" is a 'fun' song but all the bitching completely ruined it, and the end is so corny that it make me want to stab myself. I agree about Izzy’s voice and also think Duff can sing, really I think in Velvet Revolver they should have gotten duff to sing because, well honestly, Scott Weiland is too odd for me. I love "Breakdown" and "Locomotive" (the piano ending especially) and they are widely unknown? this quote is brilliant: 'then smug critics can quote Izzy Stradlin and tell him "you just don't get back 14 years in just one day".'

Even before listening to Guns n'Roses' fifth and potentially final studio album there are unavoidable signs that it may not be that great an album. Sign #1 - Izzy Stradlin fell out with Axl and left the band, and with him went the electric chemistry he shared with Slash. Sign #2 - They thought a good name for this album would be "The Spaghetti Incident?". Sign #3 - They thought a good cover would be a close-up of a bowl of tinned spaghetti. Sign #4 - It is a fucking covers album. When you add up all these factors it is clear that, although it may be a wise man who sells it second hand, the wisest man was the one who never ventured to buy it in the first place. Of course, GNR had finally succeeded in establishing themselves as the biggest band in the world so they could have released anything and it would have sold significantly. And although this album is obviously half-arsed and uninspired it still has enough moments of rock'n'roll authority to avoid rendering itself completely useless. I guess the selection of tracks does represent some sort of genuine tribute to their heroes but I really can't help but suspect this batch of semi-obscure numbers was chosen to avoid paying out larger royalties. Sure, Duff's cover of Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is a genuinely sincere tribute to his hero but were they really that enamoured with post-Rotten/Vicious Sex Pistols' songs ("Black Leather")? If it was the case that they deliberately chose punk covers to pay less royalties it at least allowed Duff to temporarily replace Stradlin as the third most prominent member of the group. Indeed, his vocals are actually far more suited to much of the material so it is often a relief that he was confident enough to assume occasional vocal responsibility from Rose. When I originally reviewed this album almost two years ago I was basically working behind a veil (not that I was getting married or anything). Now, however, you'll be pleased to learn that I am familiar with about half the original songs included on here. On the negative side, the Stooges' "Raw Power" and the New York Dolls' "Human Being" are both butchered by sloppy and utterly uninspired performances. The latter is so bad it even made me think I didn't like the original. It is also becomes clear that Duff and myself both rather enjoy the New York punk scene of the late seventies. Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is perhaps better in its original form but Duff's sincerity means it more than deserves an inclusion on the album. They also cover the Dead Boys' "Ain't it Fun" which is easily a stand-out track on here. I'd wager, however, that this is more down to the fact the original is such a good song than Guns n'Roses offering a brilliant reinterpretation. The guitar interplay might be slightly superior to the original but Axl's vocals are a poor imitation compared to Stiv's. As far as I know, the only song to perhaps improve on the original is the Damned's "New Rose". Duff's vocals are excellent and the meaty guitars pack more of a punch than the original (occasionally referred to as the first ever punk single). The third good song on the album is the crunching version of the UK Subs' "Down on the Farm". Axl even manages a surprisingly convincing mockney accent. Other than those three songs (and the Thunders cover) there isn't much else to take out of the experience. "Attitude"'s chorus has plenty of... erm, attitude and "I Don't Care About You" is pretty humorous with its ridiculously over-the-top cartoon nihilism. This album also includes a hidden track - a shit Charles Manson song done purely for controversy's sake (and they didn't even have the bottle to credit it). Other than that, there isn't a huge amount to add. I think you'd be seriously crazy to pay anything other than bargain rates for this album and I'd only really consider it if you are a completist or really, really want to hear Guns n'Roses tackle punk covers. In any case, only about of a third of it is any good. One thing is for sure, I hope that if you could have shown Guns n'Roses in 1987 how their career ended up they would have been thoroughly ashamed of themselves. What a fucking waste.

From: Carmine DeLuca

I like your GNR page, though I think The Spaghetti Incident? is better than most people think. What's your take on Live Era? Carmine.

[I don't own Live Era although from what I've heard from other people's copies it is good but not great. Probably 8* - JF]

From: Matthew Daubs

This also made me laugh out loud: 'Sign #2 - They thought a good name for this album would be "The Spaghetti Incident?".' I really like this CD and I think it’s a ‘fun’ album to listen to. "Down on the Farm", "Human Being", "Aint it Fun", "Buick Mackane", "Hair on the Dog", "Attitude" and "Black Leather" are my favorite songs and I like all of them. "Look at Your Game Girl" from Charles Manson led me to the conclusion that he wasn’t snubbed by Brian Wilson and locked out of stardom, he was a talent less twat as this song gives "My World" a run for its money.
Live Era – you said you heard this was good but not great. Actually I think its one of the best live cd's I’ve ever heard. Its got a great track listing, I really couldn’t improve on it, every song earns its spot on the album. "Coma" is included out east (Japan I think?) and is good as well. There aren’t any bad songs on the album the only thing that bothers me is a really pointless ending to "Sweet Child O' Mine" which with my computer I edited out. The intro to "November Rain" is great. "It's Alright" is an interesting choice as well. Really if you didn’t have any gnr cds and wanted to get a good collection of the band, I would defiantly recommend buying LE because it really is a collection of MOST of the bands best songs and the emotion is there in concert. Worth buying or at least download a few songs to hear the quality.
I know that was long but I wanted to respond to everything and I actually had fun writing that. A few notes, the Tokyo concert DVDs are worth a look. Quality is average and mic feedback is bad at the beginning. But worth seeing.
Also by a coincidence tonight I met Axl Rose’s cousin and hopefully I’m getting something signed by him.

• Return to the main page

Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk