Slash makes everything better.

[JustanUrchin]

Slash sent BBF, Bucket and Finck to fetch his top hat, cigarettes, and strippers last night as he reclaimed his position atop his guitar universe then proceeded to crush ?Better? and sign ?This I Love.?  Then, when they returned from their assignments, he said, ?Boys, TYVFM.  Ashba is waiting on the other side of town itching to sell you a pair of pants.?

I realise this is a joke but I'm surprised at people undermining Buckethead's guitar skills round here. I can only assume these people aren't that familiar with his solo work, the guy is a phenomenal guitarist, his image didn't suit GNR but there's no denying his talent, Axl sought him out for a reason.

Go and listen to 'Soothsayer' by Buckethead, Slash WOULD struggle playing parts of that I guarantee you.

Yes, but it's not about Bucket's solo work, it's about Guns N' Roses. I've said it before and I'll say it again: with Slash there's something you can't learn or copy. Buckethead was and is a mechanical player, Slash is all about the feeling and sould and playing from deep down inside.

I'm not denying Buckethead's skill, I'm just saying that listening to him play is (to me) like driving a new Benz. You can see that it's good, but it's no fun. It's good, but it just is there. Then it gets boring and gray.

^^^Amen, brother.  Nothing says Gn'R like being held hostage with a Bucket guitar lesson, right?  Vai, Malmsteen, Vaughan, Beck, Bucket...yawn.  I'd rather watch a guitar being manufactured than listen to one of those players bore me with a 30 minute guitar clinic every song.  Back to the subject at hand:  Slash sent BBF, Bucket and Finck to fetch his top hat, cigarettes, and strippers last night as he reclaimed his position atop his guitar universe then proceeded to crush ?Better? and sign ?This I Love.?  Then, when they returned from their assignments, he said, ?Boys, TYVFM.  Ashba is waiting on the other side of town itching to sell you a pair of pants.?

[--DEA--]

The only one in guns I have cared about over the past 20 years is Axl. Now with Duff and Slash I can care about guns as a band again. I saw them 2006 and 2010. It was good but now its pure magic.

[Voodoochild]

Like I said before, I strongly disagree that he makes "everything" better.

But one of the things I thought he did AMAZING and way better than any previous lineup is Rocket Queen. I love the ending solo and he plays it like it's supposed to do. Also, I really loved the improvisation in the middle before the slide. Really amazing.

[estebanf]

Slash's job with the ChiDem songs at the first show in Sin City was horrorous, but im happy to see he played them a lot better in the very next show  Check this out:

https://soundcloud.com/gnrbootlegs/guns-n-roses-slashs-this-i-love-guitar-solo-t-mobile-arena-las-vegas-nv-04092016?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook

It's good to see the immense majority of the GNR fans happy and united with his presence. This feeling will not last forever: once the ''comeback'' factor vanishes, he we will need to make some serious adjustmens to his playing IMO.

I  think its a good moment to be a GNR fan, but once the hype is gone, this band needs to focus on making new music and to start looking to a future with new things. I am not feeling right now that this is a nostalgic act like I feared, and that's a good thing.

To my eyes, GNR needs to do this stadium tour, then maybe go to Southamerica, and then go into the studio to (1) give life for once and for all to the never released music from the 1996-2006 era, (2) create new music with this lineup, (3) give WAY more protagonism to Richard, and with all these things this band is perfectly able to conquer the world again. We all knew GNR could counquer the world for a limited period of time just because of the ''reunion'' factor. This wont last long. GNR needs to be an active band, abandon the ''nostalgic'' path quickly, and bring new music.

To put in one line: GNR needs to think in the future. And something tells me this is what's going to happen.

[kaasupoltin]

I  think its a good moment to be a GNR fan, but once the hype is gone, this band needs to focus on making new music and to start looking to a future with new things. I am not feeling right now that this is a nostalgic act like I feared, and that's a good thing.

.....

We all knew GNR could counquer the world for a limited period of time just because of the ''reunion'' factor. This wont last long. GNR needs to be an active band, abandon the ''nostalgic'' path quickly, and bring new music.

That is absolutely true. And as you also stated, it feels like this is not just a nostalgia trip.

We just have to hope it's true and that they are working on something new or will start to work on in the near future. This lineup could produce some amazing stuff is my belief. And the combination of Slash and Axl pushing each other to the extreme has never failed when it comes to creating good music

[The Prez]

This shouldn't be a technical, stupid discussion. Slash belongs to Guns N' Roses, end of discussion.

With Slash (and Duff) again in the band, they are awesome, there is magic, you feel "our band" is back....it's Guns N' Roses again!!!!

Without him (and Duff), half of the world couldn't care less...without them being together, GN'R is of the same level like Velvet Revolver or Slash solo... together, they smash all other rock n' roll bands out there.

(and ofcourse he IS one of the best guitar players in the damn fucking world)

 

[gunsbetterthanever]

After watching slash on you tube, it is so clear that regardless of how great the slash replacements are, there is simply no guitarist in the world that is as famous as him, and his presence is almost like a fampouus superhero comic... His look, his sound, and his style are above all...
Slash flat out has made GNR the most fanous band in the world, and I do not see how anyone else can complete Axl more than him.

The entire thing is still surreal.

[Kasanova King]

Slash undoubtedly adds a rawness and feel that has been missing since 1993.  Anyone doubting that, just doesn't understand what classic Guns sounded like live back then.  They are back, indeed.

[GypsySoul]

After watching slash on you tube, it is so clear that regardless of how great the slash replacements are, there is simply no guitarist in the world that is as famous as him, and his presence is almost like a fampouus superhero comic... His look, his sound, and his style are above all...
Slash flat out has made GNR the most fanous band in the world, and I do not see how anyone else can complete Axl more than him.

Just remember that's a two way street.  Axl hasn't exactly been a slouch with making GNR the most famous band in the world.

One can argue that Axl has been successful in his quest to not only continue the legacy of GNR but also to evolve the band beyond AFD.

IMHO, Axl has been equally as successful, if not more, with the GNR name and the "replacements" than Slash and Duff and Matt have been in their combined collaboration and their "replacements" in VR and beyond.   

Maybe it took these 23 years for all parties involved to see and admit that THIS hybrid-GNR is at the very least the right direction the band should be heading.


Yes, Slash is, was and will always be iconic Slash.

Axl is, was and will always be Guns N' Roses!!!

[SkeletorSerpent]

All great points and insights!
However, it isn't Slash in and of himself that makes "things better." It is the magic and chemistry between Axl and him. The old adage, the "sum is greater than the parts" has never been more true than with Gnr.
No matter how great the music was with all of the other line ups, or how "tight" the band was, it could never create the "GNR magic." It was that "magic" that allowed them to become the biggest band in the world and take over the hard rock genre. Was it a good band, yes! Amazing! Better than anything out there! So, it had nothing to do with the sound and quality and chemistry of the other lineups.  However, the other lineups couldn't or were unable to recreate the power and spirit of GNR. Perhaps this was due to a lack of proper marketing, videos, and getting the "band's" image out into the world and social media so that it could permeate into the collective American conscience.
When you join the two larger than life icons of Axl and Slash-- the result is explosive.
No matter what people say, GNR is not and has never been just "about the music." As talented as they were and are, GNR is more than just their music. They are a rock n roll institution. A rock n roll freight train, a force. They are the last great iconic rock band who epitomize an entire era of rock.
Love it or hate it, GNR are much larger than just great music-- they are a feeling. an attitude, a way of life. If England has Jagger and Richards, Plant and Page, then America has Tyler and Perry, Slash and Axl.

Gnr have always been just as much about the perfect rock n roll image as the perfect rock n roll sound. Very rarely does a band have the perfect image to back up bad ass rock music, Gnr did. Slash's presence reaffirmed this truth. Most bands today focus on the image and how they are perceived in the media, but their music either sucks or is mediocre at best. The bad ass image of Gnr through their epic videos on MTV was reinforced by the bad ass music everyone was hearing on the radio. The two were a perfect match. Everyone was like, "Finally, a band that looks right and sounds right." A lot of bands had a good sound, but didn't look right, etc.
GNR were the "total package," personified in the Slash and Axl chemistry duo.
In conclusion, it isn''t that Slash makes everything better. It's that the dynamic chemistry between Slash and Axl makes everything better. Only Slash can match Axl's larger than life aura and persona. GNR, being the rock gods that they are, need the larger than life icon to make GNR function at its rightful and optimal level.

[Thorned Rose]

Like I said before, I strongly disagree that he makes "everything" better.

But one of the things I thought he did AMAZING and way better than any previous lineup is Rocket Queen. I love the ending solo and he plays it like it's supposed to do. Also, I really loved the improvisation in the middle before the slide. Really amazing.

Well he does make "ALL" of the older Gn'R catalog better. As he was the one who hand a and in playing them, and creating them....

[damnthehaters]

This shouldn't be a technical, stupid discussion. Slash belongs to Guns N' Roses, end of discussion.

With Slash (and Duff) again in the band, they are awesome, there is magic, you feel "our band" is back....it's Guns N' Roses again!!!!

Without him (and Duff), half of the world couldn't care less...without them being together, GN'R is of the same level like Velvet Revolver or Slash solo... together, they smash all other rock n' roll bands out there.

(and ofcourse he IS one of the best guitar players in the damn fucking world)

 

Not really the debate we're having here, but thank you...

[GNFNR-UK]

Slash's job with the ChiDem songs at the first show in Sin City was horrorous, but im happy to see he played them a lot better in the very next show  Check this out:

https://soundcloud.com/gnrbootlegs/guns-n-roses-slashs-this-i-love-guitar-solo-t-mobile-arena-las-vegas-nv-04092016?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook

It's good to see the immense majority of the GNR bands happy and united with his presence. This feeling will not last forever: once the ''comeback'' factor vanishes, he we will need to make some serious adjustmens to his playing IMO.

I  think its a good moment to be a GNR fan, but once the hype is gone, this band needs to focus on making new music and to start looking to a future with new things. I am not feeling right now that this is a nostalgic act like I feared, and that's a good thing.

To my eyes, GNR needs to do this stadium tour, then maybe go to Southamerica, and then go into the studio to (1) give life for once and for all to the never released music from the 1996-2006 era, (2) create new music with this lineup, (3) give WAY more protagonism to Richard, and with all these things this band is perfectly able to conquer the world again. We all knew GNR could counquer the world for a limited period of time just because of the ''reunion'' factor. This wont last long. GNR needs to be an active band, abandon the ''nostalgic'' path quickly, and bring new music.

To put in one line: GNR needs to think in the future. And something tells me this is what's going to happen.

I prefer that to what he played the first night but I think he needs to actually come up with a solo for this song and stick to it (if he refuses to play the original one or a version of it like Ashba did), at the moment it sounds like he's blindly noodling his way through it, there's no real structure there. It's not memorable at all like the original was.

[jc_seven]

Slash needs "to make some serious adjustments to his playing"?  Really?

[FreddieJames]

All great points and insights!
However, it isn't Slash in and of himself that makes "things better." It is the magic and chemistry between Axl and him. The old adage, the "sum is greater than the parts" has never been more true than with Gnr.
No matter how great the music was with all of the other line ups, or how "tight" the band was, it could never create the "GNR magic." It was that "magic" that allowed them to become the biggest band in the world and take over the hard rock genre. Was it a good band, yes! Amazing! Better than anything out there! So, it had nothing to do with the sound and quality and chemistry of the other lineups.  However, the other lineups couldn't or were unable to recreate the power and spirit of GNR. Perhaps this was due to a lack of proper marketing, videos, and getting the "band's" image out into the world and social media so that it could permeate into the collective American conscience.
When you join the two larger than life icons of Axl and Slash-- the result is explosive.
No matter what people say, GNR is not and has never been just "about the music." As talented as they were and are, GNR is more than just their music. They are a rock n roll institution. A rock n roll freight train, a force. They are the last great iconic rock band who epitomize an entire era of rock.
Love it or hate it, GNR are much larger than just great music-- they are a feeling. an attitude, a way of life. If England has Jagger and Richards, Plant and Page, then America has Tyler and Perry, Slash and Axl.

Gnr have always been just as much about the perfect rock n roll image as the perfect rock n roll sound. Very rarely does a band have the perfect image to back up bad ass rock music, Gnr did. Slash's presence reaffirmed this truth. Most bands today focus on the image and how they are perceived in the media, but their music either sucks or is mediocre at best. The bad ass image of Gnr through their epic videos on MTV was reinforced by the bad ass music everyone was hearing on the radio. The two were a perfect match. Everyone was like, "Finally, a band that looks right and sounds right." A lot of bands had a good sound, but didn't look right, etc.
GNR were the "total package," personified in the Slash and Axl chemistry duo.
In conclusion, it isn''t that Slash makes everything better. It's that the dynamic chemistry between Slash and Axl makes everything better. Only Slash can match Axl's larger than life aura and persona. GNR, being the rock gods that they are, need the larger than life icon to make GNR function at its rightful and optimal level.

All of this  The fact that they just showed up, played and blew everyone away this weekend is proof of that. They don't need the hoopla, they got something special going on between them.

It's their chemistry that makes it so amazing. I would say Duff's definitely part of that, but in a less obvious way.

[jc_seven]

All great points and insights!
However, it isn't Slash in and of himself that makes "things better." It is the magic and chemistry between Axl and him. The old adage, the "sum is greater than the parts" has never been more true than with Gnr.
No matter how great the music was with all of the other line ups, or how "tight" the band was, it could never create the "GNR magic." It was that "magic" that allowed them to become the biggest band in the world and take over the hard rock genre. Was it a good band, yes! Amazing! Better than anything out there! So, it had nothing to do with the sound and quality and chemistry of the other lineups.  However, the other lineups couldn't or were unable to recreate the power and spirit of GNR. Perhaps this was due to a lack of proper marketing, videos, and getting the "band's" image out into the world and social media so that it could permeate into the collective American conscience.
When you join the two larger than life icons of Axl and Slash-- the result is explosive.
No matter what people say, GNR is not and has never been just "about the music." As talented as they were and are, GNR is more than just their music. They are a rock n roll institution. A rock n roll freight train, a force. They are the last great iconic rock band who epitomize an entire era of rock.
Love it or hate it, GNR are much larger than just great music-- they are a feeling. an attitude, a way of life. If England has Jagger and Richards, Plant and Page, then America has Tyler and Perry, Slash and Axl.

Gnr have always been just as much about the perfect rock n roll image as the perfect rock n roll sound. Very rarely does a band have the perfect image to back up bad ass rock music, Gnr did. Slash's presence reaffirmed this truth. Most bands today focus on the image and how they are perceived in the media, but their music either sucks or is mediocre at best. The bad ass image of Gnr through their epic videos on MTV was reinforced by the bad ass music everyone was hearing on the radio. The two were a perfect match. Everyone was like, "Finally, a band that looks right and sounds right." A lot of bands had a good sound, but didn't look right, etc.
GNR were the "total package," personified in the Slash and Axl chemistry duo.
In conclusion, it isn''t that Slash makes everything better. It's that the dynamic chemistry between Slash and Axl makes everything better. Only Slash can match Axl's larger than life aura and persona. GNR, being the rock gods that they are, need the larger than life icon to make GNR function at its rightful and optimal level.

All of this  The fact that they just showed up, played and blew everyone away this weekend is proof of that. They don't need the hoopla, they got something special going on between them.

It's their chemistry that makes it so amazing. I would say Duff's definitely part of that, but in a less obvious way.

Duff is definitely a massive factor. He is a major cog, a bonding, and a special talent all his own. It is beautiful to see these three guys working together again.

[SkeletorSerpent]

Regarding the phenomenal and dynamic chemistry we've seen in the GNR reunion, it appears that Axl and Slash have decided to compromise and meet in the middle in order to resurrect, save, and preserve the final and ultimate GNR legacy, so to speak. Axl seems open to returning to his groovier, raspy "blues-based" classic rock mode and wants to perform in "continuity" with his past legacy and image. In other words, Axl seems reminded that he is first and foremost a gritty, soulful, blues based hard rock n roll singer. Likewise, Slash seems very open to the CD era and wants to graft Axl's CD songs back into the ultimate GNR legacy in order to bring to fruition the "grand GNR vision." Slash is fully embracing the CD songs and placing his heart and authentic "touch" into the songs, not only "making them his own," but "making them "GNR's own." Slash and Axl both seem like they are keeping the bigger, historical picture in view and unifying all GNR era's and eclectic styles (punk, metal, blues rock, prog rock, honky-tonk/southern country rock) into one, coherent and cohesive sound and brand. In other words, saving and preserving the band's place in rock history.
In addition, Slash and Duff have sobered up and are ready to embrace the iconic grandeur of Axl's original vision. They can better play the more complex songs and aren't afraid of ballads and softer songs. They seem to have become "aware" of how profound the band's complex ballads are and how these type of songs helped place them in the pantheon of rock n roll. They separated them from being JUST a good, straight forward hard rock band like ACDC, Motley Crue, etc. and lift them to the level of the Stones and Zeppelin. They are embracing the band's eclectic genius.

[D-GenerationX]

They also don't look like they hate each other.

Its so evident in far too many clips from the UYI that not a one of them is having fun on that stage.  180 degrees now.

It's very welcome.

[SkeletorSerpent]

Exactly! I bet if Axl and Slash would've given each other a big fraternal handshake hug and exchanged brotherly smiles during the show and projected it onto the large Jumbotron, they would have blown the roof off the place.

[Thorned Rose]

Yeah the end of the UYI tour did look like they were just doing it... because they really didn't know what else to do, and because they kinda had to.

This truly does look like they are enjoying the moment and all that it includes. I think they get it now, and I think they finally understand all the lacking years.

I mean we got "Coma" live. That itself was pretty cool... it is a Slash song too, and one Axl had a hard time writing. It seems like this might be something for the fans, of course they will make a lot... A LOT of money too.

Richard and Frank don't need to be left out of this, they both are really good. I like Richard more than Frank, but they both are awesome additions. I simply want a "Best Of" or "Definitive" collection BEFORE the Late June tour start. There's time for that. I would also love some sort of announcement about future plans if there is any.