Considering everything that's happened, do you think Slash was right about the need to go back to their roots and to being a classic hard rock band?

[TombRaider]

I wonder what would've happened in the world of GnR if Axl had listened to Slash and if they'd gone back to a normal raw rock n' roll level, to put it in Slash's own words. You know, a bass player, two guitars, a drummer and a singer, playing badass rock n' roll songs. Maybe a ballad here and there, but with the focus on being what they'd been or rather what they once were. Would that have backfired on them, considering the changes in the music biz at the time and grunge and all that or do you think it'd have paid off in the long run?

And I don't even think Slash was voicing his desire to go back to being a rock n' roll band just to spite Axl. I'd like to think he wanted to do that for the good of the band. Call me naive. I don't know.

Edited July 6, 2013 by TombRaider

[pepsicoca]

yes

slash was right

[Amish]

Yeah, Slash was right, because Axl is the only one LEFT.

...Get it?

[wasted]

Snakepit wasn't classic hard rock. Chi dem, Better, SoD, TWAT, Catcher, Madagascar, TIL all show that Axl has the keys to GNR. Slash would have been great on these songs and he could of rocked on his own songs under GNR too. They blew it by quitting. Over petty control issues.

Edited July 6, 2013 by wasted

[TombRaider]

I wouldn't call them petty, but that'd require a different thread.

[wasted]

No basically bcos Slashs brand of hard rock did not sell that well. If he was right the music would do the talking. Axl on the other hand knew he was fucked but had to find a way to carry on. Eventually he found way to keep GNR going and gave us a great album and great shows but never going to be that same band of brothers. It's a different ship of pirates.

I wouldn't call them petty, but that'd require a different thread.

They did not like what GNR became and bailed. It's not thread worthy. Edited July 6, 2013 by wasted

[TombRaider]

Chinese Democracy is a good album and I also like some of the songs Slash has released as a solo artist, but I think all their solo efforts, including Duff's and Izzy's, go to show they were a band and that the whole band was greater than the sum of its parts.

[Coma16]

Slash wanted GNR to compete against nickleback lol

[sweetness]

Yeah. There was no point in Axl spending so much time on this supposedly "experimental" album when in the end it wasn't very far removed from GNR's original sound at all.

Guns N' Roses staying together and writing more Guns N' Roses songs would have definitely been the best thing for Guns N' Roses

[wasted]

I believe the delay was just getting sued for the name, and band members leaving for these delays.

GNR became about the epics on a commercial level and that's all Axl. Every other member was a punk production wise.

[Nosaj Thing]

Chinese Democracy is an awful record, so yeah, maybe Slash was right, who knows and who cares at this point.

[Chris 55]

Snakepit wasn't classic hard rock. Chi dem, Better, SoD, TWAT, Catcher, Madagascar, TIL all show that Axl has the keys to GNR. Slash would have been great on these songs and he could of rocked on his own songs under GNR too. They blew it by quitting. Over petty control issues.

It's a lot more than control issues. Axl not showing up for writing sessions etc.

[pepsicoca]

Slash wanted GNR to compete against nickleback lol

yeah right

maybe some nugnr fans would be happier if the original five hadn't created guns n'roses in the first place.. they would certainly have prefered if axl had hired his current hacks in 1985..

[SoulMonster]

No, that wouldn't have worked because Axl wouldn't be interested.

[ManetsBR]

That was not possible. Axl was fascinated with grunge and industrial rock on the moment he heard it. When you have that kind of ambition, it's not something that you can pull out of your head.

I don't wanna go into the discussion of who was right, who is more talented etc... But Axl was the only one on the band who managed to notice that the industry was changing, and that if they wanted to stay relevant, they would have to evolve. There was no space for hard rock music anymore. Obviously they would have released incredible hard rock albums if they wanted to, but their relevance was not going to go up.

And I'm not saying Axl only wanted to change the band's style to stay relevant, he really seems fascinated with that new kind of rock that appeared on the 90s. On the Illusions you can feel the evolution from Appetite, and that's coming from Axl. The epic vibe of that double album is his touch.

In my opinion, it was great for both Axl and Slash that they went on separate ways. They wanted different things.

There was a moment in their lives in which they both wanted to play hard rock, and that's when they released the best hard rock album ever, Appetite For Destruction. Then, Axl slowly started to distant himself from that genre, while Slash was still truly passionate about it.

That's why I consider Axl a genius... He manages to do brilliant music in any genre he has ever tried. This is the kind of people who move music forward: the people who are not affraid to try new stuff. Too bad he's a fucked up lazy psycho. Well, I guess there's really this thin line between being a genius and being a mentally ill person.

Edited July 6, 2013 by ManetsBR

[Drakestar]

looks like my (yes) vote evened up the count.

[Kapitch_77]

The band should have done what they were great at: hard rock. Slash doesn't mind with ballads since he has at least one or two on each of his albums. Nobody (the fans) wanted synth and millions of layers on a GNR album before the new band, that was Axl thing, and it was a bad idea. Slash was right.

[trqster]

Slash was damn right to leave Axl's delusional vision for (nu)Gn'R.

[MYWIFEMYLIFE]

GNR never been a classic hard rock band.

They changed the rock scene from the moment they put AFD out. Then they showed more talent and their initials with Lies, went on strong with revolutionary UYI's. Chin Dem was a step to take, to me, it suceeded once again.

I liked Duff's BIM, Izzy's all albums, and Slash's ALG also. But none of these had the depth and the creativity of a GNR record. Old GNR wounded badly with Steven's departure, and died when Izzy left. This is 20 years ago, people should get over it.

[Vincent Vega]

The band should have done what they were great at: hard rock. Slash doesn't mind with ballads since he has at least one or two on each of his albums. Nobody (the fans) wanted synth and millions of layers on a GNR album before the new band, that was Axl thing, and it was a bad idea. Slash was right.

Yet November Rain with all of it's piano and synths was GN'R's second biggest hit in their entire history, second only to SCOM.

[ManetsBR]

The band should have done what they were great at: hard rock. Slash doesn't mind with ballads since he has at least one or two on each of his albums. Nobody (the fans) wanted synth and millions of layers on a GNR album before the new band, that was Axl thing, and it was a bad idea. Slash was right.

Yet November Rain with all of it's piano and synths was GN'R's second biggest hit in their entire history, second only to SCOM.

Excellent point to use with this "too much synth and piano" bullshit.

[Dariablue]

No basically bcos Slashs brand of hard rock did not sell that well. If he was right the music would do the talking. Axl on the other hand knew he was fucked but had to find a way to carry on. Eventually he found way to keep GNR going and gave us a great album and great shows but never going to be that same band of brothers. It's a different ship of pirates.

I wouldn't call them petty, but that'd require a different thread.

They did not like what GNR became and bailed. It's not thread worthy.

You're so clueless it's laughable.

[wasted]

Snakepit wasn't classic hard rock. Chi dem, Better, SoD, TWAT, Catcher, Madagascar, TIL all show that Axl has the keys to GNR. Slash would have been great on these songs and he could of rocked on his own songs under GNR too. They blew it by quitting. Over petty control issues.

It's a lot more than control issues. Axl not showing up for writing sessions etc.

axl had songs to work on slash rejected. And that is a control issue. They all wanted it their way. We know how that worked out.

[Kapitch_77]

The band should have done what they were great at: hard rock. Slash doesn't mind with ballads since he has at least one or two on each of his albums. Nobody (the fans) wanted synth and millions of layers on a GNR album before the new band, that was Axl thing, and it was a bad idea. Slash was right.

Yet November Rain with all of it's piano and synths was GN'R's second biggest hit in their entire history, second only to SCOM.

One great song indeed. Without the synths it would still be a great song though, and no need for synths and piano on each damn tracks.

[Kapitch_77]

I think recording has become a nightmare for Axl because in his head each songs need millions of layers of crap and need to be epic. He's mistaken... Songs with simple structure, 2 guitars, one bass and drums should be the way to go at this point, add some piano (from Axl) here and there, simple lyrics... Going back to basic, going back to what GNR is.