Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I bought "Contraband" of Velvet Revolver this afternoon. It's an ok album but not great.
To compare, "Madagascar" and "The Blues" are faaaar better in my opinion. I see so much more potencial there!
and if Axl was right?? What do you think?

I agree with what u are saying, but what are saying about if Axl were right?

Right in what? what do you mean

peace :peace:

right about the musical project.

the first snakepit album proves that Axl was right.

what musical project?

GRRRRRR

I can't take any more threads comparing VR and GNR

Please label such threads in future so i can avoid them

VR is a great band

GNR is a great band

Why do people need to compare them?

More importantly untill GNR rlease an album u have nothing to compare with - i know the world of GNR is slow but c'mon enough VR v GNR threads - they just descend into Dave v the rest of the board

You're right and you're wrong. You're right that Velvet Revolver's material is weak, but neither "Madagascar" nor "The Blues" are better. The fact that they are ballads only adds credence to Axl's detractors that say he is more "Funeral for a Friend than Welcome to the Jungle" post AFD. This means he would rather be singing Elton John style love ballads (like "November Rain" "Estranged") than in-your-face-rock-n-roll. Damn - Axl nearly lifted the title "The Blues" and the theme from an Elton John song.

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Elton John
(Elton John & Bernie Taupin)

Don't wish it away
Don't look at it like it's forever
Between you and me
I could honestly say
That things can only get better

And while I'm away
Dust out the demons inside
And it won't be long
Before you and me run
To the place in our hearts
Where we hide

And I guess that's why
They call it the blues
Time on my hands
Could be time spent with you
Laughing like children
Living like lovers
Rolling like thunder under the covers
And I guess that's why
They call it the blues

Just stare into space
Picture my face in your hands
Live for each second
Without hesitation
And never forget I'm your man

Wait on me girl
Cry in the night if it helps
But more than ever I simply love you
More than I love itself

Now don't rant and rave that "the lyrics are different". No kidding. But, the sentiment is the same.

I want "Paradise City" not "November Rain". Too much "November Rain", and Axl is lost. Axl already worships at the throne of Elton John, and has borrowed from him too (see "You Could Be Mine")
 

Don't worry alternativemonkey, there will be heavy songs on Chinese Democracy as well as ballads.

I couldn't disagree with u more

That Elton John song is as different from the blues as Slipknot is from Nsync - Axl and Elton both use the phrase 'the blues' , wow  ::)

An album of ballads of the quality of 'November Rain' and 'the blues' i would love - just because your too shallow to appreciate a song like November Rain doesn't make it bad....Axl is the thinking man's rockstar.

Axl is right only in the sense that he should follow his heart. Slash and crew are doing the same fuckin' thing. None of them is wrong.

"You're too shallow"? If you measure "shallowness" by people's appreciation of "love songs", you need your head examined. Afterall this is Guns N Roses, not Queen or "5150".

Go listen to the Greatest Hits. It is a "deep" album.

Axl's affinity for Elton John is well documented. For example:

Featured Review
Tumbleweed Connection is part of the early catalogue of Elton John's work that Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose reportedly once said he would love to own the publishing rights to as a work of art. Indeed, it does contain some of John's most expressive work as an artist, but with the showy stage presence and pop melodicism still under construction. Tumbleweed is characterized by John's balladeer approach, with John at his storyteller best on songs like "Burn Down the Mission." Even if the lyrics were generally written by Bernie Taupin, John's voice and inflection made every song seem deeply personal. The beautiful "Come Down in Time" displays the subtleties and sophistication of his talent, with the piano not yet serving as the instrumental focal point it would later become. The album also features the favourite "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" and "Where to Now St. Peter?" --Steve Gdula
http://www.unleash.com/picks/music/artists/eltonjohn.asp

The idea that he would use "That's Why They Call It the Blues" as a model for his own song is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Yeah,in his "artistic differences" with the rest of the band,that apparently broke them up,it turns out Axl was right.

 ::)

I was about to reply - then realised i have no idea what point your making

If you cant appreciate songs where the message is in the lyrics instead of shreiking guitars then yes, you are shallow

Guns N Roses was always more than some hair metal rock band. They wrote epic ballads and rockers. Thats who GNR was.

Shit, I hope to god they weren't a hair metal band.  I think they were the nail in the hair metal coffin and Nirvana was the hammer. They aren't Poison or Warrant. At least, I hope not.

In my belief there are two camps of GNR fans, those who want more Appetitle-style hard rock and those that want the self-indulgence of the Illussion era albums which ballads fall under.

As far a "shallow" goes, the whole debate to be quite frank - stupid. Rock-N-Roll can be as meaningful as a ballad. However, I will go on record as saying that ballads should be best left to the likes of Journey or Toto - somewhere in the distant past.

If GNR wants to be popular, ballads are probably their best shot at this stage. Note to Axl: if this is the case, please e-mail me in advance so I can shoot myself and not have to live to witness this travesty.

Hmm... just because you think so it does not mean that is the truth. Madagascar and The Blues (as much as you claim that is a Elton Jhon's rip) are better than VR songs for me. But your point is the ballads. Well, my opinion is that Rhiad and Chinese Democracy are far better than VR heavy songs aswell. It's just more complex and it didn't remind me anything or any other song that I heard before. But people are more pleased by the ballads, so you jumped in the conclusion that the only newGNR strong material are the ballads. I don't think so. If the album have a lot of Rhiad, CD and OMG, I'll be very happy with that. BTW, despite Silkworms being a shit, it's 4 heavy songs and 2 ballads.
I wonder what you think about UYI's and epics like Locomotive and Estranged... Guess you're stuck in AFD, huh?  :P

Why do you like Gun N roses then? Because the vast majority of their songs from Lies onward are Ballads. And I would consider GnR to be a hair band, considering that they're audience was the same as Poison, Warrant, Tesla, Motley Crue, Skid Row, etc. At least in the part of the world I grew up in.

Actually, I am speaking the truth. Axl would probably back me up on this one. If he felt that those five f'n songs were so good, he would've release them by now.

If you want to call it "stuck" so be it. AFD is far superior to UYI. Not that the UYI albums aren't superior to a lot of stuff out there, it is just that AFD is so good. The horns and piano don't stand the test of time though (see "Bad Obsession"). However, there are highlights like Locomotive, You Could Be Mine, Right Next Door to Hell. Still, AFD is timeless. UYI has the same production (or destruction) that Bob Rock gave to "Dr. Feelgood" and Metallica's black album. He glossed them fairly blandly.

I am beginning to question my allegiance. I thought GNR was rock-n-roll. I thought they were like Zep, the Stones, the Who, not Poison.

Axl would back you up? What a pile of crap. You don't know why he hasn't released them, so don't say you do.

And AFD is far superior in your opinion.

Because zep, the stones and the who never touched softer music. Ballads are a dirty word.

Aye right....

Elton John is one of the greatest artist of all time. RESPECT for the guy!
Axl Rose is not a 100% hard-rock singer, that's why he is SO talented and that's why his music is SO great. It would be a shitty thing if Axl was like the singer of Poison, do you know what I mean? this hair band ereas truely sucked balls and Axl was different of that shit, he played the piano, he was more sensitive and much more talented (and the band GN'R was more talented).
Axl is a guy who LOVES to play the piano, and that's why I love him so much. If he was just a "hard-rock" singer he would have never been considered as one of the greatest frontman of all time, but just as a "hard-rock"singer among thousands others who just scream in a microphone.
Thanks God, Axl is not a stupid "hard-rock" singer, but a true artist. That's why he is different. When he plays piano he just kicks ass! just listen to ESTRANGED. that's a piece of art.

Amen monkey.

That's an oxymoron. One can not play piano and kick ass. :hihi: "Piece of Art" is a meaningless phrase and does nothing to support your case.

Give me rebellion, give me punk, give me loud rock-n-roll. Elton John is great at what he does, but leave it to Elton John. GNR is great at "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City". If Axl believed differently, he wouldn't have tried to block that poor excuse greatest hits.

Long live rock. Rock is dead.

It has nothing to do with allegiance. If you like Guns and not Poison, so be it, but that era was the era Guns is from.  Not the era of the Stones, Zep and the Who (Like 20+ years before AFD).  G'n'R only has 4 albums. (not including spaghetti).

I can't cite a reference but I recall reading or hearing an interview from Duff just after UYI's came out and he said  something like "G'n'R couldn't even be considered to be in the same league as bands like the Stones or Zepp because those bands are classics with a long line of albums and hits. and that G'n'R only has 4 Albums." now I know that was like 13 years ago or something and many G'n'R tunes are now classics, but they still only have 4 albums, and the 3 bands you mentioned have, I don't know how many albums each but I'm pretty sure it's more than 4.

all is a question of diversity:
wild rock n' roll tracks + magical blues-rock/piano ballads= great music and great success

I've learned a lot today. I learned that most people like GNR because they sing ballads, and I like them despite the fact they sing ballads. This makes me different.

I'm floored. I thought there would be some hardcore rock-n-rollers here.

Give me a fucking break please. [puke]


Chinese Democracy will kick VR's ass all over the map. :yes: : ok:

I agree i dont like slither at all....Chinese Democracy will be another Appetite For Destruction

the first snakepit album proves that Axl was right.
Contraband also!

Vast majority? Yeah, lets count, Don't Cry (x2), November Rain, Estranged.  That's 4.  Unless you want to count The Blues and Madagascar thats 6...

Ready to hear something that if someone else said it, I would say that was really gay?

I watch this show with my daughter in the mornings called Bear in the Big Blue house and this thread reminds me of how this Jim Henson Bear talks. In the show he gives a topic and says "what do you think?" then you see real kids talking about what they think about it.

This post sounds like something Bear would say. I just starting laughing imagining Bear saying the words in this post.


...god i need a vacation

Madagascar is not a ballad. Its like calling imagine by john lennon a ballad.

Ok, maybe not vast majority & I may have a different idea of a ballad than you, but Rocket Queen, Patience, One In A Million, Coma, Civil War, KOHD, Yesterdays, Break Down, Locomotive & So Fine. UYI has almost 50% of the tracks over 5 minutes (Don't Cry's are 4:45 so they don't count) while AFD only is 15%.

The number of ballads G'n'R does is not the point though. My point was that some of their most memoriable songs are ballads, so how can you like G'n'R if you don't like ballads? that's all, unless, of course, your favorite Guns tunes are Bad Obsession and Dust 'n' Bones and Perfect Crime and Back Off Bitch and Right Next Door to Hell & Double Talkin' Jive (I'm not to fond OF UYI 1). If that is the case, then, my apologies.

The Stones sing " Angie". Clearly they're a hairband!!!!!!!!!