Guns 'N' Roses Reunion?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Led Zeppelin are only overrated if you think they're much better than Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath when it's quite the opposite. As far as Appetite goes, I mean it's a fun and enjoyable album but all-time great album? I think that's a stretch. I mean the first six songs are pretty strong but everything after that is mostly forgettable save for Sweet Child O Mine, which itself is pretty overrated as a song (Welcome to the Jungle is significantly stronger IMO).

It is almost like music is subjective.


For the record, I like Poison. While they are not gonna change the world, they wrote some good catchy music, which is more than a lot of bands have done.

[cam_wmh]

Vince Neil, while no angel, should've beat the sh!yt out of Axl 30 years ago.

[polak]

Axl is just a prick, Vince Neil killed someone in a DUI...

[FlamesAddiction]

I think GnR, and in particular the Appetite album deserves a place on that upper level, but I agree that the influence isn't as timeless as some other groups. I think between the years of 1985 and 1992, GnR and probably Metallica were the 2 most influential rock bands in the commercial mainstream. Sure, they are not at the level of the Pink Floyds who have been influential for decades, but they definitely made a mark.

GnR IMO started the movement that brought the "jeans and t-shirts" back to the mainstream. I know that they (well mostly Axl and Duff) dabbled in the glam look, they abandoned it rather quickly once the music was speaking for itself. Even bands like Pantera, Alice in Chains, and members who are now in Pearl Jam, used to tease their hair and wear make-up at one point. It was just expected of rock musicians at the time.

When grunge/alternative took over the mainstream rock scene, it pretty much killed the careers of glam rockers. While GnR never quite 100% broke out of that 1980s image, they did have one foot out the door and I am not sure that the 1990s changes to the music scene would have happened like it did without GnR.

[AcGold]

With Nirvana and Pearl Jam things were going to change. They were more influential by a significant factor in my opinion, not my favorite bands but their effect sure lingers more than Guns and Roses especially with Axl as a singer versus Vedder and Cobaine.

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I find this part funny as Led Zeppelin is absolute garbage and the most overrated band of all time. Appetite For Destruction is a masterpiece, everything else GNR did was mostly crap.

There is so much wrong in this sentence, it hurts my head.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by AcGold

With Nirvana and Pearl Jam things were going to change. They were more influential by a significant factor in my opinion, not my favorite bands but their effect sure lingers more than Guns and Roses especially with Axl as a singer versus Vedder and Cobaine.

As for Vedder I totally disagree. For every single person that thinks he was great there's ten people that find his vocals annoying. There's simply no way their music is going to be looked back on as influentially than GnR. The fact you hear more GnR replayed today than Pearl Jam is supports this as you rarely ever hear a Pearl Jam song on mainstream radio. To be the in the talk of greatest you have to transcend your genre and GnR did that while Pearl Jam has not. Their music as a band was okay but as a lead singer Vedder had yodel shtick but zero range as he's not even remotely in the league of a guy like Chris Cornell or even Axle who can pull off more than one trick. Hell I look at guys like Scott Weiland as more talented as he did a lot of different ranges and styles compared to Vedder's one trick which IMO isn't even a great one.

[Senator Clay Davis]

You cannot listen to modern rock radio for more than 10 mintues without hearing someone ripping off some element of Eddie's vocal style. He is by far the most ripped off singer in rock whether he's mediocre or not (and he's certainly better than Axl). GNR really aren't that influential from a sound perspective, it was their dirty, DGAF attitude at a time of partying and hair metal that was the true influence.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

You cannot listen to modern rock radio for more than 10 mintues without hearing someone ripping off some element of Eddie's vocal style. He is by far the most ripped off singer in rock whether he's mediocre or not (and he's certainly better than Axl). GNR really aren't that influential from a sound perspective, it was their dirty, DGAF attitude at a time of partying and hair metal that was the true influence.

That's a load of crap. Sure there were 90's bands like Bush that ripped off some of his elements but modern rock today? LOL They just aren't a timeless band and too many people find them annoying.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The fact you hear more GnR replayed today than Pearl Jam is supports this as you rarely ever hear a Pearl Jam song on mainstream radio.

You're likely to hear a whopping 3 GNR songs consistently on radio (Paradise, Jungle, Child). Pearl Jam? They at least get to 4 (Even Flow, Jeremy, Alive, Black). So mostly wrong point here.

To be the in the talk of greatest you have to transcend your genre and GnR did that while Pearl Jam has not.

GNR was irrelevant withing 5 years of making their debut. Pearl Jam is still one of the biggest bands in rock. I don't think either band is transcendent. GNR was also never the best band in their genre (Metallica...), while Pearl Jam kinda was for a few years.

Their music as a band was okay but as a lead singer Vedder had yodel shtick but zero range as he's not even remotely in the league of a guy like Chris Cornell or even Axle who can pull off more than one trick. Hell I look at guys like Scott Weiland as more talented as he did a lot of different ranges and styles compared to Vedder's one trick which IMO isn't even a great one.

Saying Weiland is better? Lol Weiland is perhaps the single worst offender at ripping off Eddie's style. I'm sorry but GNR simply aren't that influential musically. I think the bands you can most say they influenced are bands like Nickelback and Hinder and Buckcherry, primarily again through attitude. And that's obviously a group of bands best described as horrible.

[troutman]

What are the best Hard Rock albums (quality,impact and sales)?

Classic:

Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Led Zeppelin - IV
Queen - A Night At The Opera
Who - Who's Next
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Boston - Boston
Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti
Aerosmith - Rocks
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Stooges - Raw Power
Kiss - Destroyer
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Spinal Tap - Intravenus de Milo

Punk:
Ramones - S/T
Clash - London Calling

1980s:
AC/DC - Back in Black
Rush - Moving Pictures
Van Halen - 1984
Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Def Leppard - Pyromania

Metal:
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Slayer - Reign in Blood

Post Punk:
Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Pixies - Doolittle
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Rage Against The Machine - S/T
Deftones - White Pony
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie . . .

Grunge:
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pearl Jam - Ten
Soundgarden - Superunknown

Art Rock:
Radiohead - Ok Computer
TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

GNR was irrelevant withing 5 years of making their debut. Pearl Jam is still one of the biggest bands in rock. I don't think either band is transcendent. GNR was also never the best band in their genre (Metallica...), while Pearl Jam kinda was for a few years.

GNR and Metallica are not in the same genre, IMO.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

GNR and Metallica are not in the same genre, IMO.

Nor in the same league, IMO.

[ernie]

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.

-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!

[neo45]

Originally Posted by troutman

What are the best Hard Rock albums (quality,impact and sales)?

Classic:

Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Led Zeppelin - IV
Queen - A Night At The Opera
Who - Who's Next
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Boston - Boston
Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti
Aerosmith - Rocks
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Stooges - Raw Power
Kiss - Destroyer
Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Punk:
Ramones - S/T
Clash - London Calling

1980s:
AC/DC - Back in Black
Rush - Moving Pictures
Van Halen - 1984
Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Def Leppard - Pyromania

Metal:
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Slayer - Reign in Blood

Post Punk:
Husker Du - Zen Arcade
Pixies - Doolittle
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Rage Against The Machine - S/T
Deftones - White Pony
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie . . .

Grunge:
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pearl Jam - Ten
Soundgarden - Superunknown

Art Rock:
Radiohead - Ok Computer
TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica

This is a really good list but I would add the Stone Roses to it

I also think Use Your Illusion is getting slept on in this thread

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by ernie

-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!

Pffft Joe Perry, what does he know.

[Itse]

I've always disliked both Eddie Vedder and Axl Rose as vocalists. I fin Axl much more annoying by himself, but the dislike is almost equal because Vedder-wannabees were for years by far the most common type of rock vocalists. They were effing everywhere, all the time, for like a decade. I pretty much stopped listening to rock radio at all because of them.

They're still around, but thankfully the worst is over in that regard.

Of course you could easily argue it's because Vedder is much easier to imitate tolerably than Axl.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

As for Vedder I totally disagree. For every single person that thinks he was great there's ten people that find his vocals annoying. There's simply no way their music is going to be looked back on as influentially than GnR. The fact you hear more GnR replayed today than Pearl Jam is supports this as you rarely ever hear a Pearl Jam song on mainstream radio. To be the in the talk of greatest you have to transcend your genre and GnR did that while Pearl Jam has not. Their music as a band was okay but as a lead singer Vedder had yodel shtick but zero range as he's not even remotely in the league of a guy like Chris Cornell or even Axle who can pull off more than one trick. Hell I look at guys like Scott Weiland as more talented as he did a lot of different ranges and styles compared to Vedder's one trick which IMO isn't even a great one.

You are vastly underestimating the impetus that Cobaine and Vedder created together. And Vedder while annoying sometimes has a vast range and is still active, winning Golden Globes and getting nominated for Grammy awards while Axl has tarnished his legacy.

Your opinion about their singing is subjective remember, I'm not fan of Pearl Jam but can recognize how strong of an influence he played with Nirvana in the early 90's. They completely changed nearly everything rock and roll related for a long time. Guns n Roses was flash in the pan, a momentary collection of musicians while Pearl Jam and Nirvana changed the way every band looked and behaved, including bands like Guns n' Roses. The entire industry went from this



to this (same band)



because of 2 bands and the sound changed as well.

[WCan_Kid]

I'm not convinced that Nirvana would have blown up the same with Teen Spirit if GnR hadn't already come along and put the boots to the power ballad "metal" that was out there at the time. Hearing Sweet Child and Welcome to the Jungle after years of Home Sweet Home and Every Rose was definitely an awakening.
Metallica was huge in bringing metal into the mainstream and changing the landscape, but I put them in a totally different league than the LA glam or Seattle grunge acts.

[Erick Estrada]

Everyone forgets about Alice in Chains who are one of the most underrated bands of that age. They were actually my personal favorite of the Seattle grunge bands followed by Nirvana, Soundgarden, then Pearl Jam. IMO it's extremely tough to top work like Facelift, Dirt, Sap (collaboration with Heart and Soundgarden members), and Jar of Flies. The fact that troutman omitted them from his list just goes to show how underrated they are.