| Appetite For Destruction | review #2 | review #3 | review #4 | 1987 |
| GN'R Lies | 1988 |
| Use Your Illusion I | 1991 |
| Use Your Illusion II | 1991 |
| The Spaghetti Incident? | 1993 |
| Live Era '87-'93 | 1999 |
Now here's a band that could have absolutely taken over the world (and came pretty damn close, actually) as a phenomenal late 80's - early 90's answer to the influential work of the Stones. Here you had a vocalist who might have been a complete prick to the world, and he certainly had a voice that could grate on people, but regardless of those criticisms, Axl Rose could sing about the dark side of the streets with sheer conviction and power - there simply wasn't any competition. Within him, there was also a really ambitious pompous side to him that cranked out gloriously bombastic epics that were among the greatest achievements of the period. And although, he contributed to the self-destruction of the band in the early 90's by either driving the remaining members to their exit by firing them or leading them to quit (and still retaining the name), when he was backed by the classic lineup, all hell broke loose.
And what about the other guys in the classic lineup? Lead guitarist Slash in particular could seriously be considered, in my mind at least, as one of the best melodic soloists and riff writers not only in the 80's and 90's, but of all time. Seriously, I can't think of a single instance where he resorts to wanking or instances where his riffs or solos don't perfectly suit the song in question (and many of them I can still reproduce in my head even months or years after hearing certain songs). He's probably the closest thing to an absolute genius in the band, as far as I know. Too bad he's stuck in a thoroughly unremarkable hard rock side outfit (Slash's Snakepit) that's really pretty boring.
But two other essential forces in G'nR were certainly rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan. In the former's case, a rhythm player is always essential to a positively convincing two guitar attack, and Izzy really handled that task well, plus he was actually a pretty good songwriter on occasion. And as for Duff, well, he could have been easily overshadowed by the other egotistical guys in the band, but he's probably one of the better melodic bassists in late 80's and early 90's hard rock - definitely not one that always follows Slash's path. The other members are less remarkable, though original drummer Steven Adler did have a cool unorthodox style, and their more well known skinsman Matt Sorum (of A Really Boring Band, err... I mean The Cult, fame) is a fine enough professional.
Unfortunately, while this band had a great chance to become absolutely dominant forces on the scene, like many volatile bands, they later disintegrated, and a big reason for that has to do with Axl Rose and his ego, of course. Whether he tarnishes the legacy with a LONG awaited release featuring a completely different backing band (supposedly called Chinese Democracy) playing crappy industrial music remains to be seen, but still, the original (unfortunately brief) catalog of this group holds up pretty damn well by itself in my eyes.
--Nick Karn
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Sweet Child O' Mine, Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone. LOW POINTS: Anything Goes.
Often regarded as one of the greatest hard rock albums of the 80's, right up there with Back In Black and the like, the Gunners' debut was almost destined to be labeled a classic right from the time it was released. Most of the harder music at the time could be divided into the more straightforward 'make the same record over and over' bands like AC/DC and Motorhead, the thrash outfits like Metallica and Slayer, and the image driven pop metal with flashy solos like Poison. But Appetite For Destruction very much finds the golden middle - it's more or less driven by the 'tell things the way they are' streetwise lyrics (which are really intense in honesty and directness), the twin guitar attack of Slash and Izzy Stradlin (who bring in some of the best hard riffs of the decade on here), and the really really catchy poppier influence. Maybe it's not a very profound or incredibly revolutionary album, but it does have a considerable power to it.
Especially since some of these songs are a musical equivalent of a slap in the face, especially "It's So Easy", with its' incredibly snotty vocal and lyrical approach and vicious put down in the middle really fitting that description ('I see you standing there / you think you're so cool / why don't you just... fuck off'). "Nightrain" (complete with cowbell) is also a convincing 'going off the rails' "ode" to alcohol that might not have a particularly great melody, but the way it's delivered is definitely attention grabbing, and "You're Crazy" shows that they can also handle faster rockers with just as much bite and intensity (though the most effective part of the song is how it shifts into the slower chorus - groove!). There's also something about the account of a 'run from the law' in "Out Ta Get Me" that makes it one of my favorites. Maybe it's that great lead riff that drives the song over Axl's convincing cocky delivery - 'They're out to get me! They won't catch me! I'm fucking innocent!' indeed.
Since this an album about the hard lifestyle, it's also no surprise there are odes to hard drugs (also including the aforementioned "Nightrain") and sex. The nasty groove that underpins "Mr. Brownstone" in particular is absolutely priceless (especially during the lead-in to the refrain), and the character symbolism that smacks of autobiographical heroin use is effective. I've also got to mention how the unsettling guitar line Slash starts off "My Michelle" with quickly slams into a bleak tale of a young girl 'whose daddy works in porno, now that mommy's not around' and how she 'stays out late at night and she does her coke for free'. And as for the sexual side... well, okay, the highly explicit "Anything Goes" is somewhat weak, as it kinda places the shock value of the lyrics over actual important stuff like melody and great riffage, but hey, it's really the only stinker here.
I have to admit, though, that Appetite For Destruction is at its' best when the melodies and riffs are at their peak, which means, yes, that the highlights are the extremely overplayed singles. But let's face it, all of them deserve it. I dig how the opening "Welcome To The Jungle" kicks off their career with a vengeance - that echoey opening riff is one of the coolest things ever, as are the guitar breaks, the catchy intensity of the melody, and how that awesome rhythmic bridge perfectly complements the yell of 'You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby! You're gonna dieeeeeeeee' The side closing "Paradise City" is nearly as good, with Axl ranting and rapping about a place that's really the exact opposite of paradise, especially since this is one of the quintessential examples of Slash's guitar work (with his leads in between verses, the killer middle solo, and his playing when the song races towards the very end of its' near 7 minutes).
The remaining three songs, however, don't have much in common with the general attitude of the rest. The closing "Rocket Queen" actually points to the more artsy side of the band that would come out to the extreme on the Use Your Illusion records, with an effective multi-part structure (its' first one is a more straightforward groove kind of in the vein of "Mr. Brownstone", and the second is a desperate chiming pop number), while "Think About You" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" are actually love songs! And good ones at that. The former one's chiming chorus is a pleasant diversion from the rest (and it rocks out nicely in a power pop kind of way), while the latter is honestly one of my favorite G'nR songs ever.
Why would that be? I realize it's the biggest hit and one that's thoroughly unrepresentative the rest of the album. Yes, the lyrics might be cheesy romantic stuff (though still very moving and sincere). But the melodic power of it is great - the verse melody alone would make it timeless, but the opening guitar part is one of the most distinctive and majestic ever written, and the solo passage is a minute of perfectly flowing, extremely well chosen passages, some complex, some simple in their beauty. Slash rules, doesn't he? Yeah, great song there, and an excellent album, though I don't quite fall into the camp of calling Appetite their masterpiece. Some songs on here really only display the attitude of the sound and not much more, and I really don't hear too much of the ambition which would provide a masterpiece of the 90's later on, but those aren't very huge complaints. This is a fine kick in the ass for the late 80's as a whole.
Bear in mind when you read this review that I am not a big Guns N' Roses fan. Axl Rose irritates me like no other personality in the history of rock. His voice is horrendous, and his attitude towards other people is worse (if that is at all possible). Good thing he found Slash, the lead guitarist who is probably the sole reason GNR became one of the biggest bands of the 80's. Slash has a knack for writing such incredibly moving, and emotional solos with technical precsion to boot. Not really a Marty Friedman-type shredder, Slash tends to be more concerned with the emotional aspects of his solos, which gets him an A-OK in my book.
This album was hailed as the 'savior of rock' back when it was released. If you cannot remember back that far, bubble-gum pop, rap, and hair metal dominated the airwaves back in good old '87. Sure, all of the top thrash acts were puting out absolutely phenomenal releases at the time (Metallica- Master Of Puppets, AJFA; Slayer- Reign In Blood, South Of Heaven; Anthrax-Among the Living) all of which are far ahead of this album in terms of consistency and taste, but how many times did you hear "The Thing that Should Not Be" and "Aggressive Perfector" on pop radio?
See, GNR may claim to be a bunch of bad boys, but if you look at the video to "Welcome to the Jungle", they really were nothing but a hair metal band with a bit of attitude and some actual songwriting talent. That and a kickass lead guitarist. For this reason, they were accepted onto the airwaves on the strength of their megahit "Sweet Child O' Mine". Two more singles followed, those being the dumb-worded "Paradise City" (although with a very cool ending), and of course "Welcome To The Jungle". Both of those songs have really stupid lyrics (penned by the budding genius known as Axl Rose), to go with phenomenal catchy riffs and cool Slash solos.
However, the rest of the album is like a Motley Crue album. (can you tell I'm not a huge Crue fan?) Most of it sounds like Axl trying to sound tough. Which he may sound to you pop listeners out there, but I listen to real tough bands like Slayer and Nuclear Assault. So, Axl, with his tinny, shrieking voice sounds kind of lame in comparison. And it gets annoying. There are a few good other tracks here and there like "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone". But in general, I think critics tend to overrate this album because of the movement back to guitar/bass/drums it inspired. It really is not that great an album. And if you'll now excuse me, I will be moving to a far away town. See, if one of my Axl-loving friends, Mike, reads this, he is likely to dismember me.
Welcome to the jungle, ladies and germs. Shit, welcome to one of the most overplayed albums in history. Yep, this one shares this honor with Boston's debut, Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zepplin's ZoSo album, and Hotel California as one of the top radio whores of the past 30 years. Usually, this is because an album is so well-written, one single just ain't enough. I mean, look at the track list! "Paradise City"? "Sweet Child O'Mine"? "Welcome To The Jungle"? You might even hear a "Mr. Brownstone" or a "Nightrain" on the radio every once in a while, even. Anyway... So this thing is fucking full of riffs! Perhaps the most memorable is the opening guitar line to "Sweet Child O'Mine". Or maybe the repeated guitar note that kicks off "Welcome to the Jungle"? Possibly.
MY favorite tune, personally, is "Mr. Brownstone", by far. And I hate to advocate a song that glorifies heroin so blatantly, but the melody is just sweet as hell, and it can be seen as anti-thematic; I mean, would anyone really WANT to do heroin after hearing Axl sing about how it turns you into a piece of shit??? "Nightrain" talks about that nasty alcohol that can get you plastered for just $1.79! That's better than smack any day. Then there's "My Michelle", a great rocker about a fucking coke whore. Poor girl. Umm... Ah! "You're Crazy" is a good one, too, but personally I enjoy the acoustic version that you can pick up on their next album. And who can forget "Paradise City"'s cameo apperance in Can't Hardly Wait? Shit, that movie made the tune popular again!
So there's some good tunes here, right? And all is good in hard rock land... No wait!!! Let's talk about this band's fucking CHOPS for a second! Laugh if you want, but the vast majority of these tunes are at least a little complex ("Sweet Child O'Mine", "Rocket Queen") and have plenty of blistering guitar, bass and drum lines ("Paradise City"'s coda, "You're Crazy"). Right??? I know, they're the pinnacle of all the bad points of hair metal, but man these guys were GOOD! I say "Were" because now, in the Year of our Lord 2001, "They" is "him", Axl Rose. And who knows if he'll ever put out a decent album again. Sad to see this band in the decrepit state it is in now, but hey, check out their back catalogue (yeah, all 4 albums) and you might see a good hard rock band in their prime. AAAAGHH!!! Enough of my bitching. Buy this album. It, along with the albums mentioned at the beginning, is a must-have in a self-respecting man's rock collection!
HIGH POINTS: Everything. LOW POINTS: Nothing.
By now nearly every human on earth has heard a song from this album. How could they have not? This is played anywhere and everywhere. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a bar, and some mullet-headed freak plays “Paradise City” on the jukebox and yells at the bartender to crank it up. Or I get in my car, and the classic rock station is tuned in, and the fat, pimple-faced local celebrity wannabe says, “You’re in the jungle now, baby!” (those guys are so witty!) and that famous guitar intro begins.
Given all of this, it’s not surprising many of the songs on Appetite have lost their appeal. During the late 80’s when these songs were new, on the radio side-by-side with the divine works of Motley Crue, Winger and Poison, they were fun to listen to, and now in hindsight, they were a great soundtrack to a young adult’s life. These songs had personality. But now they’re hollow, still being played side-by-side, beaten to death by classic rock/metal stations. Not to mention, they are used in movies, at sports arenas, during nursing home bingo intermissions, etc. This is so sad.
The good news though, is that Appetite For Destruction is still a work of genius. Reviewers never fail to mention how the lyrics can be juvenile and vapid, and they are right. But isn’t that one characteristic of great a rock and roll song? These same reviewers also mention parties, big hair, good times, stupid fun. Ignorant assholes. What they fail to mention is these are simply great pieces of music. Without going into great detail, suffice it to say that with a few exceptions, these songs are without peer in their build and delivery. Blending, twisting roller coaster guitars, competent drumming and Axl’s unique voice all combine beautifully. Hence, they’ve been beaten to death at every opportunity.
This album has mass appeal across all social and demographic groups. Headbangers get whiplash rocking out to “Paradise City”, sadists get off to “Welcome to the Jungle”, stoners burn out to “Mr. Brownstone” and uppity types groove to “Sweet Child of Mine”. There is hardly a person in America between the age of 20 and 35 who doesn’t have a fond memory of at least one song on this album. Everyone “knows” the real meaning of each song, but in the end, nobody cares, and it doesn’t matter. This album offers something for everyone, whether in the music or the lyrics, and that does matter.
In the end, this is (in my humble opinion) one of the greatest albums ever. As much as it is overplayed, it never fails to impress me somehow. That’s what’s important. Not the impact it had on the heavy metal scene, or the statement it makes about society, blah blah. Whatever. That’s political crap. Appetite For Destruction has been (and continues to be) fantastic to listen to.
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COMMENTS
I'm going to have to agree Craig Singkofer's review way more than the rest of them. While I still really like Anything Goes, Nick Karn has a point. It's the closest thing to filler on the album. Still, it's a top notch song even though it's the 12th best song on the album.
This is a perfect album and one of the best of the 80's. I'd say it's in my top 10 of all time.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: One In A Million, Patience. LOW POINTS: Move To The City.
This isn't technically the band's studio followup to Appetite (that, of course, would not come until the grandiose release of two 75 minute albums three years later), but actually just a stop-gap release of sorts. It's actually considered an EP release, but at 33 minutes, this really could be called a full-length album, especially by such standards as early Van Halen. But anyway, side one of Lies presents the re-release of an actual previously hard to find EP from two years earlier in its' entirety (Live Like A Suicide), which consists of cover material performed in concert, while side two consists of newer, primarily acoustic, material that may be lighter musically, but with one exception, this stuff is designed just as much to shock as anything off of Appetite. So we've got two different approaches here, and that results in quite an inconsistent affair.
So let's look at the side one tracks. These are nice listens if you really wanna see where the band's coming from, but there's nothing that essential here. There's the fast-paced energy of "Reckless Life", the boring blues romp of "Move To The City" ('sometimes it gets real shitty' indeed), and the declaration of 'nice boys don't play rock and roll' on "Nice Boys" is somewhat appropriate for the band at this point in time. I do think that they perform "Mama Kin" (a tune originally from Aerosmith's debut), quite tightly, though, and it's well suited for them. All in all, decent, but who really cares? They do show the potential of the debut's sound, of course, but this is mainly of interest to those who want to see where they're coming from.
Well, the second half of the album awaits, at least, and this is the closest you'll get to a G'nR unplugged session! Except that, other than the acoustic version of Appetite's "You're Crazy" (which is the way it was done originally, and it's not really any better or worse than before), the songs are new studio creations. And these are what make the album worth listening. Of course, if you are one of those easily offended types, stay away, or at least try to get a copy of "Patience" if you like romantic ballads. Personally, I find it absolutely amazing that Axl could write such sincere and beautiful love songs and yet be such an asshole at the same time, but that doesn't take away from the power of this one, anyway. For one, it proves Slash is just as proficient at acoustic as he is on electric (both the main riff and solo are unforgettable as usual). And plus, the melody is gorgeously memorable in a charmingly poppy way, and there's even a great display of whistling.
Which makes the inclusion of the following three songs (including "You're Crazy") even more curious. "Used To Love Her" is actually labeled on the cover as a 'joke' song, and with lyrics like 'I used to love her, but I had to kill her' and 'I had to put her six feet under', it's easy to see why people weren't laughing. Regardless of the controversial lyrical matter, though, the song's a pretty dang catchy and upbeat boogie tune with another great guitar solo. And at the risk of being labeled a racist or something, I'm gonna have to say I love the closing "One In A Million". Whether Axl's being sincere about the lines 'police and niggers, get out of my way' and 'immigrants and faggots, they make no sense to me' doesn't concern me that much - what does kick my ass is how tight the band is on this number, as the melody's even more engaging here than anywhere else, and the way it comes full circle at the 'you're one in a million / yeah that's what you are' chorus is actually moving. But now that we're through with the stop-gap effort, here comes the big whopper of an album (or two)...
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COMMENTS
This one sure offended some folks, but I'm going to be completely honest--"Used to Love Her" has got to be one of my favorite GN'R songs ever! I just find it hilarious for some reason; I think it's the casual phrasings of the lyrics. I know, I'm a sick monkey. As for the very controversial "One in a Million," I don't think it's funny, but it doesn't really offend me either. I mean, we all have to vent once in awhile, right? That sounds like modern psychological claptrap that any PC bohemian could relate to . . .
I'll come right out and say that I LOVE "One in a Million". Offensive as hell? Hell yeah, but I despise political correctness. This is the anti-PC. Never mind that the song is catchy as hell and Slash contributes a very nice acoustic solo.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Coma, November Rain, Dead Horse, The Garden, Don't Cry, Don't Damn Me. LOW POINTS: Back Off Bitch, Bad Obsession, Perfect Crime.
Although Guns N' Roses certainly played the part of in-your-face rockers from the hard side of the streets on Appetite well (well, that was one side of them, anyway), these Illusion efforts prove to me that they also had ambitions of being pretentious art rockers as well. Or at least Axl Rose certainly did. Because their proper sophomore album is actually two different 75 minute double-length efforts that were released on the same day in September 1991. They're not actually conceptually related efforts, but it is almost impossible to imagine one without the other. As for the first volume's side of things, it tends to be filled with the more straightforward hard rock and rootsy pieces (with a couple of very big epics thrown in) and really rocks harder on the whole, but it's also the one which, in my opinion at least, has considerably more filler. I guess cut down the worst 20-25 minutes of this and you have one of the best efforts of the 90's.
Let's concentrate on the bad (or unnecessary) side of things first, starting with "Perfect Crime", which might be a fun listen at first, but on closer examination, it's pretty much a mindless fast-paced rant that can more or less be thrown in the garbage can. Two of Izzy Stradlin's contributions, "Bad Obsession" and "You Ain't The First" are kinda weak too - the former is a Stones-derived roots rocker that has a decent melody, I suppose, but the lyrics are incredibly awkward, and the song generally has little direction or confidence. The same can be said for the decent but unremarkable latter song, an unfulfilled and generic acoustic tune, and "Back Off Bitch" goes for the same 'shocking' approach as the 'worst' moments of Appetite and Lies, but the melody and riff is less striking, and the delivery feels so forced and gimmicky. "Bad Apples", meanwhile, is pretty much a mediocre rock song only mildly saved by Axl's vocal and lyrical charisma, and as for the cover of Wings' "Live And Let Die" - well, it's faithful and good, but it feels a bit out of place on the album.
The remaining 50 or so minutes, though, is a lot harder to complain about for me, as it's an album that easily surpasses even the quality of Appetite for me. You want the typical nasty attitude of that album? "Right Next Door To Hell", and "Garden Of Eden" deliver in that respect - these songs all have killer riffage and ultra-memorable solos, sure, but the amazing fast-past delivery of the quite venom-filled lyrics here are fantastic. But all those provocative 'slap in the face' insights on "Don't Damn Me" has 'em topped - Axl might not be a nice man, but one thing you can't accuse him of is being unintelligent. It's quite interesting how he reveals almost all his motivations within these 5 minutes, and this one has several strong melodies, too. And he can even pen an pop classic in the acoustic to electric "Dead Horse" - the verse and chorus are both among the catchiest melodies on the album, and the bridge ('I ain't what you'd call an old soul...'), with a typically brilliant Slash solo following it, is the way great pop/rock should be written. It rules.
Moving on, there are also two terrific ballads in the singles "Don't Cry" and "The Garden", the former in particular being quite a haunting little number with its' unsettlingly intimate guitar lines during the verses, but it later breaks out into a fairly moving poppy chorus (I also love how it gets heavier right before the majestic guitar solo, another one of Slash's best). The latter, meanwhile, is an almost depressing acoustic-to-electric collaboration with Alice Cooper - it's almost creepy and solitary the way the lyrics are sung, and I dig those mournful guitar breaks. But then Alice's edgy 'turned into my worst phobia...' portions make the song rock hard. It's great. And elsewhere, although Izzy Stradlin does stumble a bit with those aforementioned weak tunes of his, the other two songs he contributes here are rather good. "Dust 'N Bones" actually comes pretty close to highlight status, as it's a fine slow rocker with a pretty dramatic buildup to the chorus (with the guitar breaks and such), plus the 'sometimes these things they are so easy...' is a pretty damn memorable hook.
Then there's his "Double Talkin' Jive", one of the nastiest songs in the G'nR catalog, with some seriously disturbed lyrics, a great double-tracked vocal chorus ('double talkin' and 'I got lies' are both sung at the same time), and two excellent guitar solos (the electric one played by Izzy, and the acoustic by Slash). Though I must admit this one sounds very oddly out of sequence placed right before "November Rain". Everyone knows that hit, right? It's quite possibly one of the finest epics ever written, essentially a love ballad set to overblown proportions. It's kind of pointless to go into too much discussion about it as a result, but the melodies and lyrics in the main verse are breathtaking in their power accompanied by piano and orchestration, the two guitar solos pretty much set Slash's genius for coming up with amazingly melodic and memorable ones in stone, and the dramatic end to the song, with the dark piano notes over sweeping orchestration, is like... wow. But of course, it's been overplayed to death, so let's not discuss it further.
Especially since the whole album itself closes with another epic that I dare say might be even better - "Coma" is basically a 10 minute journey through the depths of Axl Rose's mind, a frighteningly scary place to visit if there ever was. There are so many great lyrical passages in this song that go by in a huge rush, especially right towards the end of it all. But the way that opening 'heartbeat' rhythm sets the pace for the remainder, with the shiveringly dramatic and dark guitar and bass interplay coming in there, is one of their all-time greatest moments. The solo section is damn gripping, too, and the overall toweringly pretentious tortured mood of the piece is done on a scope that I don't even know how the guys succeeded at. But it's an incredible epitaph to a hugely inconsistent album, anyway. I'm not sure how one album can consistently hit such highs one minute and ordinary generic and obnoxious filler the next, but that's how volatile bands work, I guess.
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COMMENTS
I've always been hard pressed for how to feel about this album. It is very uneven and laden with an almost unforgivable amount of filler material. But, on the other hand, Illusion I has its share of highlights, some of which are BRILLIANT! "November Rain" is a complex, emotional masterpiece, and so incredibly superior to any other mainstream rock that came out at the same time (yes, that includes "Enter Sandman"). "Dead Horse" has an irresistible melody, and "Dust and Bones" and "Bad Obsession" are wonderful rootsy rockers; "Right Next Door to Hell" and "Double Talk N' Jive," conversely, are fierce, uncompromising, hard-edged rock songs. There's sure some crap here too, though. I mean, what's with "Perfect Crime," "Back off Bitch," and "Don't Damn Me"? Sulky, tuneless, pretentious hard rock. "Bad Apples" IS a mediocre rock song. And some people really seem to like "Coma," but I think it's just nine or ten minutes of bleak, ingrained boredom. The big hit "Don't Cry"? Meah, just okay. So, like I said, I don't know exactly how to feel about this album. But that doesn't matter, because I don't listen to Guns N' Roses anymore.
BTW, Nick, you have "The Garden" and "Garden of Eden" mixed up. "Garden of Eden" is that horrendous "punk" song with the video that is funnier than The Producers, and "The Garden" is that neat, eerie song with Alice Cooper.
I'll continue my habit of pointing out songs I feel to be underrated. Here it's "Don't Damn Me." Great rapid fire Axl delivery, coupled with an incredible Slash solo equals a hidden classic.
Say, wouldn't it be cool if this had been released as a DOUBLE ALBUM? Think about it--it woulda been the longest album in world history at the time (two hours and thirty-two minutes), and the subsequent alt-rock craze might NEVER HAVE TAKEN PLACE! Think about it!
Oh, well, I guess THAT's too much to hope for. But just for shakes and giggles, here's my idealized rundown:
DISC 1:
1.) Civil War
2.) Perfect Crime
3.) Pretty Tied Up
4.) Live and Let Die
5.) Don't Cry
6.) You Ain't the First
7.) Bad Apples
8.) Breakdown
9.) So Fine
10.) Back Off Bitch
11.) The Garden
12.) Double Talkin' Jive
13.) Knockin' on Heaven's Door
14.) Garden of Eden
15.) November Rain
16.) My World
DISC 2:
17.) Locomotive
18.) Yesterdays
19.) Get in the Ring
20.) 14 Years
21.) Dead Horse
22.) Estranged
23.) Shotgun Blues
24.) Don't Damn Me
25.) Bad Obsession
26.) Right Next Door to Hell
27.) You Could Be Mine
28.) Don't Cry (alt. lyrics)
29.) Dust N' Bones
30.) Coma
Somebody out there with a lot of time on their hands, burn that onto two CD's and tell me what you think. I think it would have put Mellon Collie and the Infinite Happiness to shame. But that's just me talking.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Estranged, Breakdown, Civil War, Pretty Tied Up, You Could Be Mine. LOW POINTS: None.
If it's not clear by now that I very much prefer the epic, pretentious side of G'nR to their 'nasty' hard rock one, then crowning this album as the closest thing to an absolute classic from their catalog might be what does it. Because more than any other album, Use Your Illusion II fulfills the epic potential of this band to the max - here, four of the songs go over 7 minutes in length, and three of them are right up there in power with "November Rain", if not surpassing it in some ways. Sure, the nasty hard rock side surely is not abandoned here - there are still several great riff rockers, and tunes that are built almost exclusively on the explicit ranting of the lyrics a la Appetite, but generally, this album's the bombastic one of the two Illusion twin brothers. Not only that, though, but there isn't one song on here that I would put on the same level as the weak stuff from I, which proves to me that both albums weren't randomly thrown together. Maybe not all the songs are great, but a lot of them definitely are.
As with all G'nR records, this has several odd and controversial tracks, and I thought it would be cool to start off the analysis here with them. As with the last album, there's also a notorious cover, this time of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", which is probably the only slight mistake on the album - in contrast to Dylan's original, the band makes it all bombastic and repetitive at the end instead of quiet and introspective, dragging it out to twice the length of the original, though the result isn't bad. There's also a take of "Don't Cry" with alternate lyrics, which is slightly unnecessary, but actually puts a somewhat darker perspective on the song, so it's an interesting curiousity. Then there's Axl's ranting taken to the absolute extreme in the obscene and tasteless but still quite funny and convincing "Get In The Ring" (because of the exciting playing that gives it merit). As everyone knows, on this one, he badmouths journalists by name because of bad reviews on this song. And the closing "My World" is a mind-numbing and psychotic minute long industrial(!) piece that might be a foreshadowing of a future shitty Axl Rose solo... err, G'nR, album.
The songwriting voices of the other members haven't quite been ignored on this one either, though they're less apparent than before. Izzy Stradlin's contribution this time is the bluesy "14 Years", which is pretty much built in the same "Dust 'N Bones" mold, only more darker and introspective, with more excellent guitar work, and an appropriate appearance in the chorus from Axl. Duff McKagan, meanwhile, makes his songwriting debut on the Johnny Thunders homage "So Fine", which is really one of the lesser tracks here, but still has an effectively haunting and depressing atmosphere, and works quite well sandwiched in between two epics (more on them later, of course). I'd say they're just about as good as Axl's own nice ballad "Yesterdays", with well-written and resonant lyrics like 'time just fades the pages in my book of memories' and a fine piano melody.
For the more hard rocking crowd, there's the Eastern sounding aggressive tune (complete with coral sitar played by Izzy) "Pretty Tied Up", with a great chugging riff and more of them nasty lyrics you've grown accustomed to, and the Appetite For Destruction leftover "You Could Be Mine" that's actually as good as nearly all that album - the great interplay between the bass and drums right as the guitars start to kick into overdrive are enough to get the song started on a fantastic note, as it's a tough, extremely catchy rocker with an insane rap section at the end. "Shotgun Blues", meanwhile, is another rant slightly in the vein of "Get In The Ring" in terms of sheer obnoxiousness and vulgarity, but it's fast and convincingly played again, and almost a kind of guilty pleasure. It works well when you're pissed off too.
Oh, but there's still the songs that fall into a certain category that takes up well over a third of the record, and those are the epics, with the opening "Civil War" kicking things off there. Again, we see the enigma of Axl Rose aptly demonstrated here - how can he sound so sincere and powerful railing about anti-war political subject matter in the lyrics and then sound so immature just a few songs later? Regardless of the potential contradictions of his lyrical approach, though, this is a brilliantly constructed epic, building from quiet and depressing acoustic guitars and vocal melodies to a great louder arena rock style declaration in the chorus. Also, I hate to keep constantly bringing up Slash's solos here, but they are definitely a huge part of the totally great flow of this track, which all comes to an unsolved conclusion as it fades out on the line 'what's so civil about war anyway?', the wah-wah guitar and whistling in the background. Wow.
Two of the other lengthy opuses use somewhat different styles to get their point across, but "Breakdown" and "Locomotive" do it just as well if not more effectively so than that. Only the latter track's overlong and repetitive piano driven coda might prevent it from becoming an absolute classic, but the main body of the song rules. It's pretty much "Sweet Child O' Mine" turned upside down, as that song subject, Axl's fiance Erin Everly, gets to be the target of some nasty putdowns, and believe me, there are a lot of lyrics here. Only a great musical backdrop, provided here by the chugging riffs of the guitars, could make the fast, almost rap-like delivery of them in places work, and that chorus provides such a great bite. And the former is extremely interesting - it's basically a ballad with a very distinct Old West flavoring in the guitars and saloon pianos, with great nostalgia in the lyrics, an absolutely convincing melodic strength, and by the song's end, it ends up being an exciting race to the end with all sorts of great spoken word passages relating to the song's overall theme to go along with superb soloing. In other words, it's the second best song here.
The best one, though, happens to be the beyond stunning 9:20 epic "Estranged". You know, the less successful partner in the video trilogy that also included "Don't Cry" and "November Rain", with the dolphins and stuff. And I'll be damned if this isn't not only the pinnacle of the band, but also one of my absolute favorite songs of all time. This is a true collaboration of the genius sides of both Axl and Slash, as the overall flow of this pompous hard rock majesty is something that perhaps only Led Zeppelin pulled off as well - the alternations between the bare piano arrangement and tortured lyrics with the heavier and despairing guitar breaks builds up in a simply unbelievably good fashion. Like "November Rain", there's also multiple timeless guitar solos, an extremely moving piano middle, and a shatteringly climactic ending that all ends in one final piano note and a single boom of the drum. Needless to say, I am exhilarated by epic's end. Gotta tip my hat to G'nR here - while the album might not be perfect, it's certainly one of the hard rock essentials of the 90's for several reasons, and is their peak in my view.
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COMMENTS
Yeah, probably their best. Appetite is a FUN hard rock record with a capital "F," although overrated and a little uneven; I can agree with the 9 for that one. However, I find that you really can't compare the two albums--they are so very distinct from one another. Illusion II is more of a grandiose technical achievement, at any rate. I think it has its share of filler material ("So Fine," "My World," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and the alternate "Don't Cry" come immediately to mind), but it's definitely more consistent than Illusion I, and there are some great songs here. "Civil War" (a song I remember hearing on the radio back in '89), "You Could Be Mine," "Pretty Tied Up" and "Breakdown" are all classics. I didn't care for "Estranged" at first, but it seems to have grown on me the last couple times I heard it, on the live album. It's not as good as "November Rain" in my opinion, but it does make for an impressively introspective, darker epic that succeeds where "Coma" fails. And how do I feel about that adolescent teaser "Get in the Ring"? I have grown pretty good at ridiculing it, but let me just suffice it to say that Axl's whining about lambasting journalists on this album gets a bit too overt. Nevertheless, if you do own one GNR album, this one is a bit more varied and mature than Appetite, and it contains several great songs you don't hear as often as the ones on the debut.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Down On The Farm, I Don't Care About You. LOW POINTS: Ain't It Fun.
It's weird how hugely ambitious albums can be followed sometimes. After the band took a collective belch by letting out an enormous amount of epic ambition on the Illusion efforts, they apparently felt the best move was to return back to the basics for the next record. And what better way to do that than to return to their nasty hard rock roots? The basic approach to this album (their first with guitarist Gilby Clarke, as Izzy Stradlin has left the picture by now) is for the band to have a little fun performing some of their favorite songs, which are mostly punk-oriented material. You definitely know where they're coming from here. The unfortunate thing, of course, is that this effort was intended to be a little break in between the '91 albums and the next G'nR album of originals, which still has yet to see the light of day nearly 10 years after the release of even this one.
But regardless of the fact that none of these songs are originals, this can be a fun record to listen to, since they perform most of this stuff in their vintage Appetite style. Granted, some of it, like the dull and slow Dead Boys cover "Ain't It Fun", and the more routine takes of the New York Dolls' "Human Being" and The Runaways' "Black Leather" (written by Steve Jones of Sex Pistols fame) doesn't stand out too much, but nevertheless are still decent. But part of the appeal of the record as a whole is shown in how they perform songs from the Stooges ("Raw Power") and Nazareth ("Hair Of The Dog") as if both come from the same band. Cool! And what's also of interest is that Duff McKagan becomes a more prominent vocalist here, taking the mike on The Damned's "New Rose", one of the most aggressive cuts on the album in The Misfits' "Attitude" (a fine 1:42 burst), and one of the most stripped down, the moving Johnny Thunders' acoustic tune "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory".
There are also several surprises here as well. Look at what this album opens with - a laid back 50's ballad in The Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You", quite a nice little swinging tune that Axl shows himself quite capable of taking on the intonations for. Speaking of intonations, the UK Subs' "Down On The Farm" shows him adopting a somewhat faux-British accent here, and it's done in an equally hilarious and convincing way - probably the best and most entertaining song on the album. For shock value, they effortlessly place together (in a medley) T. Rex's "Buick Makane" and Soundgarden's "Big Dumb Sex" (the latter with its' seriously explicit, but misunderstood, chorus), close with one of the most vicious and hateful punk songs ever written in Fear's "I Don't Care About You", and actually cover a Charles Manson acoustic song as a hidden track. Yeah, that gained them some press. In short, this album's more enjoyable as a curiousity or an entertaining diversion than something you'll want to listen to again and again, but it's still good for what it is, even if it doesn't match up to the quality of their other albums.
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| Believe In Me | 1993 |
During the more tension-filled moments between G'nR members, bassist Duff McKagan decided to cut an album called Believe In Me in 1993, a nice effort (certainly not in the literal sense) that captured a lot of his former band's more attitude-laden moments, and was composed of his own material he wrote while on the Use Your Illusion tour with his old band.
--Nick Karn
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released by Duff McKagan
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Believe In Me, (Fucked Up) Beyond Belief. LOW POINTS: Just Not There, Could It Be U.
A surprisingly good album, given that I didn't expect it to be anything great. After all, Duff's contributions to G'nR, at least songwriting-wise (take away his bass playing from something like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and you'll notice a difference) weren't anywhere near as prominent as Axl Rose or even Izzy Stradlin. But here, he proves himself to be a somewhat competent vocalist and decent melody writer - maybe the music to this stuff is a little pedestrian, and the songs themselves aren't really sensational or anything, but most of it still manages to be enjoyable. Basically, the material here can be divided into straightforward hard rock songs with attitude-laden or misunderstood lyrics, nostalgic and/or romantic ballads (the effective ones the somewhat poppy "I Love You" and the swing-styled '2 AM' charm of the closing "Lonely Tonite"), and a focus on guest musicians that take the songs into different and interesting directions.
The best song here, the opening title track, comes from the first category - it's an excellently produced, catchy acoustic guitar driven anthem with a lighthearted focus on his 'misunderstood' state of mind that gets the record started on a good note. Actually, he seems to be most proficient at these type of songs, from the pummeling, almost Sabbath-like ominous underbelly of "Swamp Song", which makes way for some aggressive lyrics not unlike the kind you'd hear in a more ballsy G'nR song. And "Punk Rock Song", while being somewhat generic speed, is actually good and fairly exciting for the style (and mildly catchy), even if not terribly special. He does push the genericism a bit too far in the non descript and unmelodic midtempo rocker "Just Not There", though, plus the nostalgic "10 Years" isn't very memorable, and "Could It Be U" is a bit over the top and sappy, with the added orchestration not really helping at all.
One of the most attractive features here, though, is actually the presence of guests, even if a couple of the songs in this vein are not that great. The politically oriented "The Majority", with Lenny Kravitz as vocalist, isn't all that much better than Duff's own slow and bluesy "Man In The Meadow", and "Trouble", with another guest vocalist in Sebastian Bach, sounds like your average quality Skid Row song (though still good). The otherwise just decent political megaphone funk of "(Fucked Up) Beyond Belief", though, simply comes alive in the beginning with an excellent Jeff Beck guitar solo, and the somewhat juvenile but still likeable rapping from Doc Newmann that dominates "Fuck You" is an intriguing diversion. All of this contributes to a not exactly essential, but still perfectly decent and enjoyable effort from one of the unsung heroes in G'nR, a record which fans of the band may enjoy somewhat.
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| It's Five O' Clock Somewhere | 1995 |
| Ain't Life Grand | 2000 |
Released during the turmoil in the Guns N' Roses camp, Slash's Snakepit was the side project of guitarist Slash, and featured appearances from former other GN'R members Gilby Clarke, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed, vocalist Eric Dover, and bassist Mike Inez of Alice In Chains and Ozzy Osbourne fame. The debut, It's Five O' Clock Somewhere, showcased Slash's guitar skills and was released before he later quit GN'R. And several years later in 2000, he formed a completely new lineup and released the slightly better, but still somewhat generic and pedestrian, Ain't Life Grand.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
Yo, Slashes Snke Pit is the #2 band of all time cause Guns n' roses comes to 1st anytime.
released by Slash's Snakepit
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Dime Store Rock, Doin' Fine. LOW POINTS: What Do You Want To Be, Beggars & Hangers-On, Neither Can I, Monkey Chow, Back And Forth Again, I Hate Everybody (But You).
Now this is certainly a side project that had a lot of potential - and yet it somehow failed. What really confuses me about the first Slash's Snakepit album is how many seriously talented musicians were involved, and it almost goes without saying that Slash's excellent guitar work is quite prominent throughout the record. But what seriously brings the album down is the painfully generic rock and roll songwriting on display here. Frontman Eric Dover (of Jellyfish fame) doesn't exactly help matters either, as he's got an extremely dry, unemotional and lifeless voice completely unable to make the generic material come to life. And even though Slash's playing is technically good, he simply cannot captivate enough to make this album anything more than a horrendously overlong 69 minute bluesy yawnfest. Seriously, the amount of generic filler on this record is almost unbearable.
Thankfully, these songs aren't really awful as a whole, and there are a few relative highlights that are enough to lift the album up from atrociousness. The generic fast rocker "Dime Store Rock" is probably the best of the lot - the vocal melody might be deadly conventional, but at least it's a great vehicle for Slash's soloing, and it does have an exciting, almost progressive, arrangement, so it works. "Doin' Fine", meanwhile, actually works despite an obnoxiously juvenile tone to it, as it's a fun lyrical account of all these folks getting totally wasted at a party, and it has probably the most memorable chorus melody on the whole album. And... let's see... Slash's solo spot "Jizz Da Pit" is an entertaining shot of his great technical skills, though it's not as memorable as your average awesome G'nR solo. Oh, and "Be The Ball" actually displays some level of epic feeling and conviction, with more fine chugging guitar work.
The rest of the album, though, is barely worth mentioning. I've listed about six low points up there, mainly because these are just the songs that either I can't remember anything interesting or engaging about, or were the most mopey and boring to sit through. The opening "Neither Can I" is dreadfully slow, generic, and horrendously overlong, "Beggars & Hangers-On" is an extremely dull choice for a single, the listless organ-laced closer "Back And Forth Again" makes me absolutely yearn for "November Rain", "I Hate Everybody (But You)" is simply formulaic angst, and none of the other songs strike me as having much of a pulse at all. If you're looking for the spirit of G'nR captured on this album, there couldn't be a much bigger disappointment than this one, I don't think. A low 4, and that's being generous. But at least none of these songs make me want to puke.
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