Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Not trying to troll this, just curious as to what people think. To be more specific... and so in hopes this thread doesn't get stupid... I'll start it off...

Make 2 categories on songs that are roughly as good or as enjoyable (be objective) as other Guns songs.

AFD, Lies, UYI I, UYI II songs against CD songs.

They are 2 very different eras for me, and the massive time gap of 17 years between releases its interesting. Just wanted to have a friendly discussion, and no I didn't include Spaghetti, it is ALL COVERS. So don't include those. Feel free to include LALD and Knockin, as those were covers but they were very much popular. I just didn't think including punk covers from Spaghetti in this would be the best thing in comparables.

Anyways...

Songs AS GOOD as mostly anything from AFD, Lies, UYI I and II
-Madagascar
-Street of Dreams
-Catcher in the Rye
-I.R.S.
-Sorry

Songs that I consider "better" than most of the other Gn'R songs
-This I Love (masterpiece)
-Chinese Democracy


The rest of the songs were average to bland in general for me. Still good stuff, just below Gn'R standards for me.

Street Of Dreams
There Was A Time
I.R.S.

End of list.

all the ones

Street of Dreams
Madagascar
There Was a Time
This I Love

Those four would fit right on UYI2.

Sorry
Better
Chinese Democracy

These three are as good as the rest of their catalog

Love the album, but I think Better is one of their best songs. Ever. But it's weird how people's opinion on this song kinda shifted through the years. When it leaked and the band played it live in 2006, it was a masterpiece. Even Rolling Stone said it would be a "huge hit in an alternate universe". Now, I feel it's kinda underestimated.

Better is a complexing song. I thought it was one of the best songs I'd ever heard when it leaked (still love it, but that opinion has thawed some). But I have friends that like some of the other CD songs and don't like Better. I don't get it.

Yeah, I don't get it either. Don't know if its the guitar tone, the breakdown or even if its just too weird for some people.

It's the comparison.

If this was a band with no past, that's different.  As the successor to 'Welcome To The Jungle' or 'You Could Be Mine' though?

Not so much.

I understand that. But that logic didn't apply back in 2006, tho.

Funny, but cool, that there's such a wide range of opinions of what the best CD songs are.  For me, it's Chinese Democracy, Better, Madagascar and Prostitute.

Here's what I think is a rather consistent opinion among all GnR fans (at least the ones who acknowledge its existence post-1993):  If a fan were to rank all pre-CD songs from favorite to worst and then rank their favorite CD songs from favorite to worst, most would agree that their top half of the CD songs are better than their bottom half of the pre-CD songs.  
 

I think it's, by far, the best vocal on the album.

I think part of the favorable reaction was because he really does sound awesome.

This I Love is a top 5 GNR song all time for me.  Better is up there too.

I enjoy CD, Shacklers, Street of Dreams, Sorry, Rhiad, IRS, Madagascar,and Prostitute as much as most of the bands older stuff.  Catcher and TWAT not as much though I still like them.

 Honestly off the top of my head, If the World and Scraped are the only CD songs I'm not that into.

Twat to me is one of the best gone songs ever.  I love it

Madagascar   Like it

Sorry. Love the grove. Hate the vocals

Shaker revenge.    This one makes me smile.  I like it.

I find it hard to compare the CD tracks with previous GnR songs for a variety of reasons.

Good, Better, and Best are very subjective when it comes to music... For me, none of the CD songs make the same connection that the 80's and 90's material makes... some of that is how old I was when I first heard it, what I was doing both in the moment and in that period of my life.

I grew up with Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy, Steven (and the UYI additions), but that core three that we are finally getting to see now were the constant when I grew up with this band. I stayed here waiting from the mid 90's though Oh My God, and the first taste of new music coming out of Vegas and Rio, the leaks, and finally CD, but 14 years between Sympathy and CD and various lineup changes make it hard for me to 'connect' to the music.

When an early GnR track hits the radio, I know it's Slash. When a CD track comes up on my iPod or in my car, I don't get that same recognition...

With all of that said, I have favorites on CD... I can agree that the best CD tracks are better than some of the UYI filler... but 'Big Guns' vs. 'Big Guns' I wouldn't really put a CD track with or ahead of a previous GnR track. I'm hoping for new music out of the current incarnation.