Quote:
They were called metal at the time, but they weren't: Metal isn't sexy, but rock is. To put it another way: You can have the rock, but you need the roll. Songs like "Paradise City" and "Welcome to the Jungle" were just simple enough; the chorus lines came right when you wanted them. Slash plays what's needed for the song, as opposed to trying to make the tune a showcase for his technique. Guns n' Roses' music wasn't full of the overblown gymnastics that a lot of guys were doing then — their stuff is just very tasty. Duff McKagan is like the bass player in AC/DC: His parts were fairly simple, but they made the band an unstoppable force. Izzy Stradlin was also important. Guns n' Roses played as a gang, which is just what you want.
Guns n' Roses are still an example of how a band can move rock forward. Sometimes you think, "How can you top anything by the Yardbirds, or Zeppelin, or the Stones?" And then you hear Guns n' Roses, and it's inspiring. You can think that it's all been written, but it hasn't. There's another way to twist those three chords around, to make it sound new, fresh and rebellious.
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-Joe Perry writing about G 'n R in the most influential artists series of Rolling Stone.
I think he nails it to be honest. The were truly a band. And yes influential.
To argue about who was most influential about a series of bands that were all very influential seems silly to me. Sure I'd likely give the nod to Metallica given they were perhaps more pioneers in that they are credited with a more distinct style along with the other big 4. Pearl Jam...is a fantastic group. Then and still. They too were very influential coming out of the Seattle scene...they were a different side of grunge. I side I could get into far easier. That said if we truly wanted to get at the roots of true influence you often have to dig deeper. Much deeper. To artists few have heard of and who sold very few albums. If you listen to Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, he has in the past said that the grunge sound and certainly a big part of Pearl Jam's sound doesn't exist without King's X. I could have picked any example but King's X is my favourite band for 25 years and I take any opportunity to plug them!