Guns 'N' Roses Reunion?

[icecube]

Originally Posted by troutman

Not at all. I can think of hundreds of great albums in the last 20 years.

All of them by Sigur Ros.

[FlamesAddiction]

IMO, their first album was iconic. They were a bridge band between the hair-glam rock of the 1980s and upcoming grunge, punk and metal resurgence of the 90s. Their following albums had their moments, but never really lived up to their first, which is the curse of a lot of these types of bands.

It's sad to see how Axl Rose has aged though. He is so pink and swollen.

[ernie]

Appetite is something like the third of fourth highest selling hard rock/metal album ever. It still sells a bunch every year to this day.

I find it hard to say the band was overrated when they are very clearly had one of the largest impacts in rock the last few decades.

They were a very good band that is clearly a case of the whole being more than the sum of the parts. All of them can write some good songs. I'm not sure any of them have written great songs alone. Together, IMO, they wrote numerous great songs.

I do think people should go back and listen to Chinese Democracy...with some good quality headphones. I think a lot of the songs could have definitely used some outside influence editing but the structuring and layering is really quite incredible in some areas. It is self indulgent. It is in need of editing. It isn't really anything new from Axl. But it can be absolutely incredible at times IMO. It is dense and often not an "easy" listen. So much of G 'n R is that easy to listen to groove and song (the aspects Slash and Izzy brought to the table). This isn't. It's bloated like the Use your illusions but somehow more focused because it's the music that is bloated with all the loops, different guitar parts, some overwrought vocals or strange vocal choices but the songs themselves are better focused. Less prone to meandering along like Locomotive did (still the longest 9 minute song I've ever listened to. The only non-throwaway song of G 'n R I truly dislike). But there are some poor moments as well. Prostitute never should have made the cut for instance.

To me the Highlights are IRS, Better, and This I Love. The last one of that list is clearly channeling the piano based ballads of Elton John but may be the best Axl has ever sounded on an album.

I actually saw the first reincarnation in Hartford. They played Hartford then MSG and then the tour blew up in Philly. The Hartford show was very good. It wasn't as good as the orginal group but Axl sounded good, the band sounded good.

It'll be interesting to see where a reunion brings them. Or if it is even announced soon. This is Axl we're dealing with. He's always late.

[aaronck]

I watched this in the summer, thought it was great. Pretty cool backstory on G n R, how they struggled and were almost dropped by Geffen, literally melted the switchboard at MTV. It's funny how things have changed so much even in the last 20 years when it comes to the music industry and promotion...

http://uproxx.com/music/2015/04/guns...s-documentary/

[Hessen]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

Haven't heard any news on Axl recently, does he have his #### together or still the same show-up-late concert type?

I went to the GnR concert in Vegas last year. It was to start at 10:30 and Axl finally showed up at midnight. Koodos to him cause he sang till 3am. Of course he kept having to leave the stage every 3 songs and came back out really hyper.

[polak]

If Use Your Illusions was one album it would've been great.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by ernie

Appetite is something like the third of fourth highest selling hard rock/metal album ever. It still sells a bunch every year to this day.

I find it hard to say the band was overrated when they are very clearly had one of the largest impacts in rock the last few decades.

I've always felt they were mostly the last breath of mainstream hard rock before it started to become genre music. Which is a huge reason why they are remembered so fondly. If you're into that kind of rock, you can connect with people from all around the world with a GnR song, but not with a newer song. Even if it's actually better. (Except if it's AC/DC.)

Which is why I don't also see them as THAT influential. Every popular band is somewhat influential, and bands in their genre obviously take influences, but after them rock moved mostly into everything GnR was not. "Professionals" instead of "Bad Boys", "Down to Earth" instead of "Larger Than Life", genre fusions instead of classic sounds, socially responsible and political (U2-style) instead of "Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'roll".

You could probably make the case that their biggest influence was in the artists that wanted to be anything but like them.

[Engine09]

Quite painful reading 20 year old EDM music fans yammer on and lay down opinions on guitar based rock. The only people I hear bashing Chinese Democracy have little understanding of musicianship, songwriting or rock n' roll in general.

That album is in the direction Axl wanted to go since the Illusion material was being demoed. He shot for grandiose arrangements and huge production, he got absolute monster players in Robin Finck and Buckethead on that album, every single solo on that album is astounding. Anyone calling that album horrible is just silly.

Great post by Ernie, he's one of the small group of guys in the music threads who knows what he's talking about.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Itse

I've always felt they were mostly the last breath of mainstream hard rock before it started to become genre music. Which is a huge reason why they are remembered so fondly. If you're into that kind of rock, you can connect with people from all around the world with a GnR song, but not with a newer song. Even if it's actually better. (Except if it's AC/DC.)

Which is why I don't also see them as THAT influential. Every popular band is somewhat influential, and bands in their genre obviously take influences, but after them rock moved mostly into everything GnR was not. "Professionals" instead of "Bad Boys", "Down to Earth" instead of "Larger Than Life", genre fusions instead of classic sounds, socially responsible and political (U2-style) instead of "Sex, Drugs & Rock'n'roll".

You could probably make the case that their biggest influence was in the artists that wanted to be anything but like them.

we can agree to disagree on this....They were and remain hugely influential in the world of rock from anything I've ever seen or heard. Slash while not immediately obvious tends to be near the top of any most influential list for guitarists, be they lists crafted by fans or the artists themselves. And Axl will forever be known as one the best front men despite his quirks. Izzy is extremely well respected for melody writing and his straight ahead rock sensibilities. When they got the collaboration right they hit it out of the park.

I sound like a G 'n R disciple and I don't mean to be (plenty of groups I like far far more), but I can't say they were overated. They weren't just popular albums but albums that continue to sell to this day in pretty big numbers (especially Appetite). We're talking nearly 30 million sales for Appetite...those aren't Thriller numbers but they are comparable to Back in Black, Led Zep IV and The Wall. It's an album that each generation of kids growing up buy. That sort of transcends the "just like other popular bands" stuff IMO. Keep in mind there less than 30 albums that are estimated to have sold 30 million. They've sold over 100 million albums on what is a pretty small catalog. It's pretty astounding really. Those are numbers reserved for bands/artists that helped define a genre not just did well within it.

Also, why people are surprised every time Axl shows up "late" is beyond me. He sort of has a fundamental belief a headliner at a true rock show shouldn't be hitting the stage anytime before 10:30. It's annoying I understand and they need to better schedule the opener so the transition isn't 90 minutes long. I agree with that.

Playing around since the rumour came out I learned some interesting things. November Rain for example was written for the Appetite album but the band at the time had a one ballad per album rule. It was modified of course, so it was a 8+ year in the making song. Axl is who he is...an artist that seems to agonize over every single bar of music and how it will be received by anyone and everyone. You just know there are hundreds and hundreds of takes for each vocal line on Chinese Democracy (which makes one wonder why the vampire impersonation line made the final cut but I digress), and hundreds of different solos etc.

[neo45]

Honestly I thought Axl put on an awesome and courteous performance in Calgary. Changed his outfit about 10 times though

[ernie]

Originally Posted by neo45

Honestly I thought Axl put on an awesome and courteous performance in Calgary. Changed his outfit about 10 times though

I have a very good friend that isn't a G 'n R fan. He's a very good guitarist and his taste go to death metal more than anything. He went to a show on the last tour because he could. He texted me immediately after with something along the lines "Wow. Axl is a rock star. His presence is commanding on that stage. Would go again for sure."

He just avoids hitting the upper register/falsetto in shows too often likely because it's pretty hard to do so night after night. It seems that he can still hit it but he's judicious in his choices live. I think he always was if it wasn't going to make a DVD or something because I seem to recall it from waaaay back when seeing them live.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

Quite painful reading 20 year old EDM music fans yammer on and lay down opinions on guitar based rock.

If that comment was directed at me then please know I used to be able to play pretty much the entire GN'R catalogue on guitar. I was obsessed with them. Anyone with ears can tell the stylistic difference between Old and New GN'R and Slash vs. Bumblefoot and Buckethead. Saying you prefer one vs. the other doesn't mean you're taking anything away from any of them in terms of musicianship or technical skill.

It's a shame that Axl decided to keep the Guns N' Roses name cause maybe if he didn't, his band could've owned their sound without the comparisons and backlash from fans of the original band.

As for the EDM comment, people can like more than one genre of music.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

They are not Zeppelin, but it's hard to think of a band today with that track record (literally track record) and popularity.

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.

[lazypucker]

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.

This is the same as saying the Beatles songs are too simple and dumb. So should the Beatles be the most overhyped band of all time?

[Itse]

Well Beatles probably IS the most overhyped band of all time, despite them really being insanely influential and quite brilliant

But there's just a point after which all hype is overhype.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I don't get, from a musician's perspective, how you could denounce any of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, or GnR.

For the sake of clarification, I have played guitar for decades, learned many songs by each of these bands and many others, and my taste in music spans genres. This to the point that my preference is good music, not bad. Totally subjective I know

Some poster in this thread lumped GnR with Poison. For shame. I can appreciate Poison for what they were, but there was no artistry there - that was fluff. And they wouldn't argue, I would wager.

There are some guitarists who are rock icons for a reason - Slash, Joe Perry, Dave Gilmour. They are that way because when they play, you pretty much can tell who it is, instantaneously. Just like blues guys - BB, Albert, Freddie, Buddy (and more) and later Stevie Ray.

This may not be immediately obvious to people who don't know them, but I liken it to people's voices. You recognize the voice of everyone with whom you are familiar. Same deal with musicians.... when their personality and artistry is part of the music

Slash and GnR are distinct. Poison is not. No offense to them, they were clear. They wanted nothing but a good time...

More importantly, hell yeah to a GnR reunion. If Axl and Slash can stop taking themselves so seriously (like Mick and Keith, Steve and Joe, etc) then let the bullets and, uh, petals fly

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Itse

Well Beatles probably IS the most overhyped band of all time, despite them really being insanely influential and quite brilliant

But there's just a point after which all hype is overhype.

I agree with you on the Beatles. They were a good band, but they were also one of the first bands being mass marketed on their looks and image at a time when teenagers started having more disposable income. There were a lot of innovational musicians doing what they were doing, but the Beatles made it commercially lucrative.

[Harry Lime]

Odds that Axl drops Slash at the eleventh hour, and replaces him with Tracii Guns, declaring the 'real' reformation has begun? Duff drops out in disgust, and Gilby Clarke arrives as the rythym opportunist. Izzy back in the fold as the only guy that can keep Axl from pissing off Tracii.

Vegas 1/14

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

This is the same as saying the Beatles songs are too simple and dumb. So should the Beatles be the most overhyped band of all time?

yes.

[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).