I'm new to Guns N Roses...

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

What make GNR so amazing also is just the realness.

Like in concerts, Chicago for example, who else but Axl would ever get a way with telling a bunch of people from Chicago to shut the fuck up and have them oblige?

Those concerts are so spontaneous and so chemistry filled, they hold your attention and are just great to watch.

When was this? 92 or more recently?

Chicago 1992.  In a venue now known as the Allstate Arena.

[Jim Bob]

Seems to me it would make most sense to listen to the most current album.

It would. It is great. But that is like trying to study history, starting with the present. You need to see where you came from to totally understand where you are going...

studying history ? 

its music, you listen to it.

[Jay Tea]

i think original full legnth albums are the best way to get into GNR and hear what they are all about. So for any new fan i say the essentials are AFD, UYI, and Chinese Democracy.

Spagetti Incident has no songs written by GNR and Lies only has 6 (one of which is on AFD).

[Chief]

Personally I would go chronologically, and also like others have said, let the albums sink in a little bit before getting the next one....

[Chief]

by the way, how did you get into them in the first place? what prompted you to get AFD?

I bought Appetite For Destruction about three weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I went out and got Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 last week, and although it wasn't as immediate as the debut, it's been a real grower and I probably prefer them both to APFD.

What do you think I should get next? For some reason, The Spaghetti Incident doesn't appeal to me... maybe because it's a covers album... is it as good as the other albums?

[TomFriend]

TSI has its moments. About half of it, I find really enjoyable - 'Down On The Farm', 'Ain't It Fun', 'Since I Don't Have You', 'I Don't Care About You', 'Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory'....probably would have been better as B-sides than on an album though.

[jeffaz02t]

Yeah, only right way to listen to old stuff is listening it played by new band. Why listen classic songs in their original form, performed by the people who created them? Wheres the sense in that lol??
 While doing it, you might wanna buy a huge poster of Slash and urinate over it, and then roll on it back and forth while listening to Finck's beautiful guitar.
That's the local  way.

well, excuse me for coming to a FANSITE to show my support for my favorite band. i had no idea doing so would offend some of you. yes. as witnessed throughout the 06/07 tour, it is my opinion that the current GNR play those songs better than those ex-assholes who still try sponging off the band name. i think finck's contributions to the album were absolutely amazing. and nothing about those contributions made me miss that lying asshole that you mentioned above.

Dude, stop acting like a little pop fan. I do not really care about personality or who said what to who. Fuck the gossip. Are you into GnR for their personalities? I am not. I am into them for their music, AFD through CD, KICKS ASS. I am sure you have a life-sized poster of Hannah Montana on your wall too, cause she is so dreamy!

little pop fan? i'm 31 yrs old. where did i say i'm interested in discussing some ex-asshole's personality? i was attacked for simply suggesting that i prefer the current member's versions of the AFD & UYI tracks. i'm sorry. but that's my perrogative - and one that i believe i am entitled to. i support axl rose - and i support the here and now. i'm not intererested in some assholes who have spent the better part of the last decade spreading lies about my favorite frontman. is that so strange for a fan?! yes. chinese d is my favorite album. and yes, when i want to listen to the older tracks, i choose to listen to live versions performed by the 06/07 lineup. why cant i feel that way on a fansite without being ridiculed by others and being subjected to ridiculous comments about hannah montana?

Dude, I prefer the old line up. However, I respect the new lineup and I am not sitting around praying for a reunion. I am fine with GnR in 2009... I just get so tired of people like yourself degrading the work the 'classic' lineup produced. Give the 'assholes' some credit. Even Axl thanks Slash for 'killer guitar melodies' in Estranged, and I will bet that Axl would still say that musically, Slash did some great work in GnR. Slash  as a person, that is for Axl to decide. I have never met them,  and feel no need to get in the middle of some he said-he said drama. Whatever happened, I still respect every person who has contributed to GnR...

Why do you have to spew hate to a new fan? The dude just discovered the greatest band EVER and you start him out calling the lineup that produced so much of their music 'assholes?' You say it is because of what Slash has said in the past about Axl... That sounds like some dramatic BS to me. Gossip mag style...Get over it and embrace GUNS N' ROSES...

Your constant disrespect to GnR's past is as bad as the people who talk shit about CD.  Can you not see that you behave exactly the same as anti-CD people, only against the classic lineup?

[jeffaz02t]

I hated the Spaghetti Incident at first, but now I Find myself listening to it a lot.

Really, u can put the needle down anywhere in GNR's career and find a ton of shit u like.

what is cool about GNR is, they are so much more than the famous "greatest hits"


I recommend finding and waching Chicago 92. IMO one of the greatest GNR shows ever.

I think 'Ain't It Fun' is one of GnR's most energetic, emotional tracks. Honestly, Axl's vocals are chilling. Then you have Slash's leads... ya I am putting that on right now!

[jeffaz02t]

Seems to me it would make most sense to listen to the most current album.

It would. It is great. But that is like trying to study history, starting with the present. You need to see where you came from to totally understand where you are going...

studying history ? 

its music, you listen to it.

As with most of your comments, you seem to not have ANY respect at all for history. If all you do with music is 'listen' to it, what the hell are you doing talking about GnR on a message board?  That seems like a little more than 'listening' to me...

[-Rob-]

Dude, I prefer the old line up. However, I respect the new lineup and I am not sitting around praying for a reunion. I am fine with GnR in 2009... I just get so tired of people like yourself degrading the work the 'classic' lineup produced. Give the 'assholes' some credit. Even Axl thanks Slash for 'killer guitar melodies' in Estranged, and I will bet that Axl would still say that musically, Slash did some great work in GnR. Slash  as a person, that is for Axl to decide. I have never met them,  and feel no need to get in the middle of some he said-he said drama. Whatever happened, I still respect every person who has contributed to GnR...

you can prefer whoever in the hell you want to. i never said you couldnt. a new fan asked for some advice and i simply gave him my opinion. wow. i can't believe how i am being crucified for recommending their most current & greatest work to date. sorry, but i personally have no interest in talking about what used to be. for me, this album is absolute magic. and there is by far more chemistry and talent present in this band than axl ever had with those media whore, heroin addicts of the past. i'm sorry that i'm not overly sympathetic to some group of shitheads that spent the past decade spreading lies about my favorite frontman - just so they could promote themselves as something they were not. typically, i don't go out of my way for individuals who shit on people that i love and respect. i certainly dont plan on making an exception in this case.

[lennonisgod]

Just buy all of the albums... there really aren't that many. You already have Appetite and both of the Illusions, so go out and get 'Lies' and 'CD.' Then buy 'The Spaghetti Incident' later on if you feel like it. If you're interested in live music then buy 'Live Era'.

If you don't already know how to download torrents, LEARN, and then download many of the live shows that are available through the many different torrent sites. People post live shows on this site all the time and you could download those. Download the demos and more rare shit that people post here as well.

[D]

Yeah, only right way to listen to old stuff is listening it played by new band. Why listen classic songs in their original form, performed by the people who created them? Wheres the sense in that lol??
 While doing it, you might wanna buy a huge poster of Slash and urinate over it, and then roll on it back and forth while listening to Finck's beautiful guitar.
That's the local  way.

well, excuse me for coming to a FANSITE to show my support for my favorite band. i had no idea doing so would offend some of you. yes. as witnessed throughout the 06/07 tour, it is my opinion that the current GNR play those songs better than those ex-assholes who still try sponging off the band name. i think finck's contributions to the album were absolutely amazing. and nothing about those contributions made me miss that lying asshole that you mentioned above.

Dude, stop acting like a little pop fan. I do not really care about personality or who said what to who. Fuck the gossip. Are you into GnR for their personalities? I am not. I am into them for their music, AFD through CD, KICKS ASS. I am sure you have a life-sized poster of Hannah Montana on your wall too, cause she is so dreamy!

little pop fan? i'm 31 yrs old. where did i say i'm interested in discussing some ex-asshole's personality? i was attacked for simply suggesting that i prefer the current member's versions of the AFD & UYI tracks. i'm sorry. but that's my perrogative - and one that i believe i am entitled to. i support axl rose - and i support the here and now. i'm not intererested in some assholes who have spent the better part of the last decade spreading lies about my favorite frontman. is that so strange for a fan?! yes. chinese d is my favorite album. and yes, when i want to listen to the older tracks, i choose to listen to live versions performed by the 06/07 lineup. why cant i feel that way on a fansite without being ridiculed by others and being subjected to ridiculous comments about hannah montana?

Dude, I prefer the old line up. However, I respect the new lineup and I am not sitting around praying for a reunion. I am fine with GnR in 2009... I just get so tired of people like yourself degrading the work the 'classic' lineup produced. Give the 'assholes' some credit. Even Axl thanks Slash for 'killer guitar melodies' in Estranged, and I will bet that Axl would still say that musically, Slash did some great work in GnR. Slash  as a person, that is for Axl to decide. I have never met them,  and feel no need to get in the middle of some he said-he said drama. Whatever happened, I still respect every person who has contributed to GnR...

Why do you have to spew hate to a new fan? The dude just discovered the greatest band EVER and you start him out calling the lineup that produced so much of their music 'assholes?' You say it is because of what Slash has said in the past about Axl... That sounds like some dramatic BS to me. Gossip mag style...Get over it and embrace GUNS N' ROSES...

Your constant disrespect to GnR's past is as bad as the people who talk shit about CD.  Can you not see that you behave exactly the same as anti-CD people, only against the classic lineup?

Holy shit, my new favorite poster. Where have u been this whole time?

I wish I was able to articulate that a hell of a lot sooner as that is exactly how I feel and what I have tried to say for years.

Welcome to the forum

[Jim Bob]

Seems to me it would make most sense to listen to the most current album.

It would. It is great. But that is like trying to study history, starting with the present. You need to see where you came from to totally understand where you are going...

studying history ? 

its music, you listen to it.

As with most of your comments, you seem to not have ANY respect at all for history. If all you do with music is 'listen' to it, what the hell are you doing talking about GnR on a message board?  That seems like a little more than 'listening' to me...

GnR is my favorite band.

but this isn't fucking school.

[D]

So it is sort of ridiculous especially when no body knows the whole story. I honestly am trying not to be caught up in the whole soap opera thing.

who cares? I enjoy the band for what they did, their problems with one another are THEIR problems.

a lot of posters sound  like those that won't watch an Angelina Jolie movie cause they think she broke up Brad and Jen.

[Jim Bob]

I never called anyone an asshole or said anything regarding ex-members.     All I said was dude was taking it all a bit to seriously with the whole "studying history" bit.   

Stop putting fucking words in my mouth D.

[D]

I never called anyone an asshole or said anything regarding ex-members.     All I said was dude was taking it all a bit to seriously with the whole "studying history" bit.   

Stop putting fucking words in my mouth D.

My apologies for the asshole thing Jim Bob. When people do the 1o post quote thing, it gets muddy but your attitude about the old guys in other threads made me think it was u.

I will adjust my post.

[falungong69]

god, the old band's stuff is sooooo overrated. 

Blasphemy.

i'm sorry to say it, but those old songs just do not hold up as well to me.  sure, if you like simple songs with three chords and the same blues scales, then the old band's music is definitely for you.  if you like your music to be more challenging, and complex and symphonic like queen, then join the rest of us in 2009. 

look, everybody's got different opinions and i can accept that.  but if you think 'take me down to the paradise city where teh grass is green and the girls are pretty' is an amazing idea for a song, then by all means have a blast witht he old band.  i just happen to enjoy music and art that tries to do more.  so sue me.

[RancidPunx]

god, the old band's stuff is sooooo overrated.  just go ahead and skip to the good stuff.  once you hear chinese democracy you'll wonder what you ever saw in afd. 

also, make sure to get 'oh my god,' the first single released by gnr after the old band was gone.  that songs as good as the stuff on chinese democracy (almost).

Thanks for the laugh.

OP- There are only four studio albums not counting TSI which is a covers album. Buy them all ,listen as much as you want and don't let anyone tell you what to think about what is the best album. Hell ,Your favorite GNR album might be TSI?! and nobody can tell you that you are wrong.

[MattyJam]

by the way, how did you get into them in the first place? what prompted you to get AFD?

I bought Appetite For Destruction about three weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I went out and got Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 last week, and although it wasn't as immediate as the debut, it's been a real grower and I probably prefer them both to APFD.

What do you think I should get next? For some reason, The Spaghetti Incident doesn't appeal to me... maybe because it's a covers album... is it as good as the other albums?

I'm not really sure.

I've always respected Slash as a guitarist and I have a friend who used to worship Axl Rose... then I just saw November Rain on a music channel a few months back and thought I'd give it a go...

Would you say the special edition boxset of CD is worth getting?

[Grouse]

Start with the old stuff and then work your way up, let it sink in for a while. After that go out and buy CD because the songs on chinese democracy can be somewhat of an acquired taste.