Lets Talk About Guns N' Roses

[coolgirlkdd]

i just absolutly love this band. some of my fave songs are knocking on heavens door, and paradise city...
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[fallenangel]

What do you want to talk about in relation to them? I could practically write a book...

Name a topic and I'll talk about it. (just please no more favorite song subjects )
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"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[coolgirlkdd]

lol do you got their greatest hits cd?
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[fallenangel]

No. I have all the others (Live Like a Suicide, Appetite, Lies, UYI I and II, Live Era, and even the dreaded Spaghetti Incident), so I have all the songs except a studio track of Sympathy for the Devil, which isn't worth the price. Plus, I have major issues with the tracks. Four (technically five) covers on the same supposed "greatest hits"?

I understand that a "greatest hits" is supposed to be actual hits, but come on. Ain't it Fun and Since I Don't Have You are not "hits" by any standard. Most people don't even like that album, although I do, and the songs didn't exactly tear up the charts. Ask someone which is better, Mr. Brownstone or Since I Don't Have You, and I guarantee you anything off Appetite is more worthy than anything off Spaghetti Incident. Maybe [i]one[/i] cover off there, but not both of them.

And although the other covers were relatively popular, they didn't [i]all[/i] need to be there. OR, it could have been a double disc with more of the original songs that weren't singles but are still excellent. For the price, a person would be better off just getting Appetite. And really, there aren't that many albums anyway, so it's not like trying to buy the entire KISS discography.

And perhaps my biggest issue with it, is it wasn't endorsed by a single band member. Axl (and later Duff, Slash, etc.) tried to sue the label and keep it from being put out, but lost (I'm guessing it was in their contract somewhere when they renegotiated). The track list and even the order the tracks were put in is bad, and overall it's not a good representation of the band.

So I haven't bought it, and won't buy it.
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"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[coolgirlkdd]

lol,i get the point now. well then are other cd's good?
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[fallenangel]

Told you I could write a book. That's even my summary of why I don't like the greatest hits.

If you don't have any of the other CDs, start with Appetite For Destruction. Definitely their best. I don't think any fan would argue that, unless they really enjoyed orchestras or something. After that, it's really anyone's call. The Illusion albums are great, very different from each other and different than Appetite. Use Your Illusion I has a lot of heavier songs on it, closer in sound to the Appetite than the second is. It's got my favorite song on it, Coma, as well as some of the other big hits (November Rain). It's got a lot of the songs I'd have liked to see on the greatest hits, like Coma, Bad Obsession, and Don't Damn Me.

UYI II is a bit softer, although it's still got some really hard songs like Shotgun Blues and You Could Be Mine. However, it's got more "ballad"-ish songs like Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Don't Cry, Yesterdays, etc. Then it's got some that are in the middle, like Civil War.

I like them both, and every song on both, they're just different. Depends on which you like better, really upbeat rock tunes or some of the more melodic ones.

Gn'R Lies is alright. You can pick it up used for relatively cheap. Patience and One In a Million are worth it. I really think One In a Million belongs on a greatest hits, although it wasn't a single and is horribly controversial, it's a great song and important to the band. Axl meant no general offense, as is even explained on the album cover.

Live Era is a nice way to sum it all up...live. Always a great live band. The Use Your Illusion DVDs (filmed in Tokyo) are just as good.

The Spaghetti Incident is really just a random "might as well get it" record. It's entirely covers, and you can get it brand new for usually around $4. There's some great songs on it (Black Leather, for example), but it's not Gn'R, and it's nowhere near as good as the others. I like a lot of the songs, but in no way would I recommend it over any of the others.

And there's chapter two...
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"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[fallenangel]

What the fuck? My brother left the tv on FX, and this show just came on ("The Rebel Billionaire" according to tv guide) that uses the music to Gn'R's version of Live And Let Die as its "theme song". So not cool...

As if the Grand Theft Auto commercial wasn't bad enough.
_________________
"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[coolgirlkdd]

lol i know right..... today almost anything can happen
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[ragingflea002]

Sorry for the double post.
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Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."

[ragingflea002]

Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits.. I have that one, as well as Appetite for Destruction.
Appetite is much better. Trust me, if Slash and Axl agreed that they were both angry over the Greatest Hits playlist, there's something wrong here. I have a friend who simply doesn't care because it's still Guns N' Roses and he likes the songs.
I would have expected Mr. Brownstone to have been on it. That and Rocket Queen. It looks like they were trying to make it as clean as possible, excepting "Since I Don't Have You".
That way, they could sell more copies everywhere without the annoying little "Amended Version" label on it.
Still, the choices aren't as good as I would have thought. The only ones I really like out of the C.D are:
Paradise City
Civil War
November Rain
Knockin' on Heaven's Door(not for the lyrics)
Ain't It Fun
Appetite is a great album, by my standards(guitar and bass). I'm glad Slash has since moved away from powerchords, even though they did sound good for "My Michelle" and "Welcome to the Jungle".
Although "Slither", if not in Drop D, would have been in powerchords, but that's VR talk.
I'm intrigued by Duff's excuse for quitting Gn'R. Burst pancreas, from drinkin' and partyin'.
I wasn't aware they could transplant one of those, much less someone living without it.
Use Your Illusions I and II are good too. Nice guitar work and basslines.
Can't say a thing for the "Spaghetti Incident" except for "Ain't It Fun" and "Attitude", with "Since I Don't Have You". I guess they stopped production or something because I can't find it anywhere in Charleston. I suppose it's on the internet somewhere, but since it was filler covers, I guess I shouldn't be disappointed.
The live DVD's are awesome. The one thing I like is that I can at least see Slash's fingering and that's helped me a lot on "Paradise City" and "The Godfather Theme".
Slash is an inspiration, and you can buy a Les Paul that he designed from Zzounds. Damn, if the thing didn't cost 4,999 bucks, I'd have gotten that. But since today's my birthday, I got my own Les Paul.
Duff is awesome at bass, and our bassist sees him as an inspiration.
Guns N' Roses are a good band, but the reason they're famous, other than Slash, I think, has to have been their downfall.
After the Grunge-Seattle revolution, Guns was kicked down by Nirvana's Nevermind album. The reason VR is doing so well now is that grunge and punk are literally dead, excepting Pearl Jam. Plus, Scott does his share of whining.
Axl is also a reason why Guns is famous. He's a psycho, but one of those likable psychos. The lawsuits made him infamous, not to mention plastic surgery.
Adler left because of drugs, probably the only one out of Gn'R with an excuse other than Axl. Stradlin' left because of Axl, as did Slash, Duff(pancreas excuse is bull), Sorum....
"Chinese Democracy" will never be finished. I'm not sure I'd wanna pay money for it even if it did get done. It makes it funnier now because Buckethead left and I expect they'd go through 6 other guitarists before it gets close to finished.
Guns is fading away physically, though not by memory.

_________________
Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."

[ragingflea002]

That's interesting. I'll fix that.
_________________
Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."

[fallenangel]

Duff and Slash both got fed up with Axl's "new direction" and tantrums. Izzy, although not exactly best of friends with Axl anymore, just didn't like touring at all. He still won't tour. Which is sad, 'cause I really like Izzy. He never gets enough credit, especially considering he did a good share of the writing, and his solo records are great. They really show what he can do when not overshadowed by Slash. Now he's back in Indiana, and you can look down into his backyard from a school.

About "The Spaghetti Incident?", it's not [i]that[/i] bad. If you look at it as a Guns record, it sucks. But on its own, not thinking about the five albums before it, it's not half bad. Black Leather is especially good, as is Hair Of The Dog and Ain't It Fun. Lots of good songs on it, actually. It had the potential to be a pretty cool record, like David Lee Roth's cover album from last year ("Diamond Dave"), but they just didn't pull it off. Half the songs are too close to the originals to be overly better, and some are just not great songs to begin with. Although the one Duff sings on ("You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory") is pretty good for being Duff. I'm surprised you can't find it anywhere near you. I see it all over for no more than $5 around here. Have you tried looking in used sections? I find it even more often there.

I'll buy Chinese Democracy (in theory). Because I'm an Axl nutswinger through and through...and because I really like Madagascar and want a studio version of it. I've heard most of the songs that are supposedly on it, and it's a drastic new direction than old Guns...and VR for that matter. I think, sadly, VR will take more of the Guns fans even without Axl, because new Gn'R has gone too far from the original sound. It's way more...industrial and heavy. That is, unless he scraps all the songs and starts over again. I think whoever it was who commented on the Behind The Music episode was right, that Axl is continually chasing what's "new and in", and he's too slow to ever release it in time. He played the tracks in a Vegas strip club in the middle of the afternoon once, so the tracks do exist. If anything, once he finally offs himself ( ), the label will most likely release it. They've dumped too many millions into him to not get anything back.

So [b]he'll[/b] probably never release it, but it'll get out there.

And for the love of god, he needs to lose the braids. The plastic surgery isn't too horrible. In fact, it would look relatively decent if he didn't have the braids, which just emphasize his stretched forehead. And the chemical peels that turn his skin the lovely day-glo pink. Someone needs to tell him us poor, pale redheads (or strawberry blonde in his case ) are pink enough. I think I already posted the funny story about him accidentally going in a gay gym. It doesn't even matter that he doesn't have the perfect body anymore. If he lost the braids and bothered to show up, he could still make it. His singing is off n' on, there are some days he's horrible and some bootlegs where he's still pretty damn good. But he's lost his mind and is now purely for entertainment value.
_________________
"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[coolgirlkdd]

lol,you were right. you can make a book about guns n' roses
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[fallenangel]

I know. I could do the same for Poison, but no one wants that.

It's a shame they can't just learn to live with each other like Aerosmith has, but then Steve Tyler isn't quite as nuts as Axl. Of course, looking at Axl's living environment as a kid, it's no surprise he's fucked in the head. Being slapped as a little kid for just watching a commercial with girls in it, and being told that's "naughty" is bound to screw you up. Of course the fact he knows more church choir songs than just about anyone is horribly ironic and hilarious.

I don't know how so many people can hate him, unless he personally fucked you over by skipping a show you had tickets to or something. Him throwing beer bottles at his girlfriend's head, unless you're her, has nothing to do with anyone else...and is really entertaining! "Nice" people are boring. Axl, Sebastian Bach, Dana Strum...assholes are interesting. You can't say all Axl's mental problems aren't fun to hear about. Besides, it's that insanity that made him such a good writer.

Nice Axl would be scary and unnatural.

Plus he has a nipple ring. :wub: At least, I think he still has it. Could've sworn I saw it sparkling in a picture from the last few years, but maybe he took it out.
_________________
"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[coolgirlkdd]

lol,i love guys with nipple rings!
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Too many times I've seen this, rip a whole into our friendship... 4 words to choke apon
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[ragingflea002]

I haven't bothered listening to the new Guns. I never heard grand stuff about Chinese Democracy, and plus my comp would fry.
I tend to listen to Appetite more than anything. Actually, I've been working on a cover of "Paradise City". I have the intro, verse, and chorus down pact. All I need to do is memorize the fills, the mini solo, and the ending solo is pure improv.
Even Slash improvises. All I need to do is start it out the same way, then go faster and longer, while staying in key.
And provided Chabot doesn't try to sing the way Axl does. Only I can attempt that.
But, back to Guns....
The first two ejections from Guns were, apparently, Tracii Guns(hence the Guns in Guns N' Roses), then Steven Adler. Both were drug and alcohol abusers, heavily(if I remember correctly).
The rest were Axl's fault. The new lineup would have included Zakk Wylde, but the dude was smart and formed Black Label Society(which I don't care to listen to, but it's goin further than Guns right now).
Now, he's got the drummer from Primus(you know, the hillbilly rock band with Les Claypool, the insane mad bassist?), some random bassist dude, and Buckethead's gone.
Someone should just kick Axl out and get it over with. Guns N' Roses can't come back without Duff and Slash, at the least. Axl won't even let Slash into the venues new Guns played. He used bodyguards to kick him out.
Velvet Revolver is something I wonder about. If they had stayed together, how much material off of Contraband may have found itself in a Guns album somewhere down the long and winding road? Slither with Axl on vocals, not necessarily called Slither, with different lyrics.
Right now, I'm seeing hope for good ol' sex, drugs, n' booze rock, but no hope for the quality, or for the bands. Velvet Revolver is the only one gaining positive remarks that we can at least go by, being Guns N' Roses fans to begin with. Saliva are regarded as posers and even though the guitarist shows skill, bassist ain't half bad, drums are good, vocals are screamin' sex, drugs, n' rock, they just can't cut it.
Makes me wonder about my band. Punk killed Guns, then punk killed itself. Now it's punk poser time, and only now are bands remotely similar to the style of Guns beginning to come back.
Nu metal is here, with Deftones and Linkin Park leading the way. Soon, Linkin will die, hopefully literally. Deftones are losing it, as their recent album hasn't been heard of since.
Guns N' Roses has a mighty fanbase. The only thing is too many people are being influenced by music that sounds mellow and smooth, yet scream "I hate life" lyrics.
I say "SCREW THAT". You know my philiosophy. "Why bitch about life when you can make life bitchin'?" Why aren't people getting it? Do they just like to wallow in self pity?
Uh......yeeeah.
Whores.
_________________
Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."

[fallenangel]

Tracii isn't doing too bad for himself. At least he was out there with Nikki last year, so he may have gotten the better deal, even though neither LA Guns nor Brides Of Destruction will ever compare to Gn'R. He was pretty pissed he used his day off in NYC to be interviewed by VH1 for the behind the music, then they completely cut him out of the commentary and any mention in the story. Some interesting message board comments followed... Ah, Satan's Chicken. Tracii's cool.

As for the name, there's so many stories floating around from all the band members, I don't think any of them will agree on how they named themselves. "It came from Axl's name" "it's from the combination with Hollywood Rose" "it was originally from the magazine Guns N' Ammo, but we couldn't use that and had to change it, and Slash worked for a florist at the time, so it became Guns N' Roses"... They'll never agree on anything. Ever.

I feel bad for Steven. Such a great guy and drummer, to have that happen. 'Course he brought it on himself, but it's just sad to see him these days, although he is getting better. You can understand him when he talks, at least. Hell, before VR he was the only one out there actually doing anything, so props for that. Adler's Appetite is still pretty kickass.
_________________
"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[ragingflea002]

Which Rose? Duff "Rose" McKagan or Axl?
Ah, Urban legends in the industry....
_________________
Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."

[fallenangel]

"Which Rose" what? For the band name?

Speaking of Duff, it's amazing how much smarter he sounds when he isn't falling down drunk. All his recent interviews compared to anything from 10-15 years ago. 'Course part of that could be the fact he went back to school, but thank god he changed his mind about getting a "normal" job and went back to music. :D

EDIT: and speaking of Tracii as well, he went with Axl to get the nip ring but backed out when he saw how much it hurt. Would've looked good on him, too.
_________________
"I care about people as much as I care about lawn furniture" - Dexter/Michael C. Hall

[ragingflea002]

The band name. Like you said, all urban legends.
What was the deal with the burst pancreas? Was it what I expected?

_________________
Not all who wander are lost.
"The separation between spirit and logic is reasonable because spirit is defined by faith and logic forces others to think about what they have faith in."