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Piano in Use your Illusion: Was it a mistake?


Piano in Use your Illusion  

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I believe the Piano is what stands GNR apart from all the other bands of that era and that's why they stand alone. 

Axl had the vision and knew this, and that's why GNR is still such a big band. Let's think about it for a minute, the band is still filling stadiums 30 years after they started, not many bands can say that. But why??? Well even though it's a small catalogue it's unique! There is something in GNR for everyone, my mrs loves NR, sweet child, the casual fan loves Jungle, PC or sweet child... The catalogue has a lot of different songs doing different things and the piano is a huge part of it. It shows that GNR had the ability to create new sounds and there was more than just one layer to them. 

I'd probably get bored of we had 4 albums in AFD style, as others have pointed out ac/dc have released more but you can get lost in it record to record and it just all feels the same. 

Also, I never saw the piano in the live setting as cheesy, I love it, and although Axl has struggled on NR recently I always saw him sitting down at the piano live as a symbol of the band being so epic, it's such a brilliant change up to see live and those epic 9 minute ballads is the band at its height of succes and awesomeness for me... 

 

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I don't think piano is a bad thing. To me keybords are more of a problem.

I love 14 Years, Civil War and the Locomotive outro as they are. The piano parts are awesome on them. Axl's ballads are based on piano. They are necessary as well.

The Illusions suffer from other things than from the piano.

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16 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

I don't think piano is a bad thing. To me keybords are more of a problem.

I love 14 Years, Civil War and the Locomotive outro as they are. The piano parts are awesome on them. Axl's ballads are based on piano. They are necessary as well.

The Illusions suffer from other things than from the piano.

 

This! 

Piano isn't the issue on illusions, it's all the little quirky things in each song that are unnecessary. 

From strange noises at 2:10 on KOHD that resembles some sort of gun reloading (I take it that's what it is) to the ending on don't cry that's not needed, to the strange noises Axl makes at the start of so fine with his mouth, to even the intro to civil war, the phone call spiel on KOHD, there's lots of little things that annoy me... 

Piano certainly doesn't come into it for me personally. 

 

 

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I only love the piano in rocker songs like 14 years, Dust and bones... My favorite UYI's song is You could be mine, I think I say it all since is the one that sounds more like AFD. Anyway, I have a very unpopular opinion about November Rain :ph34r: Give me Patience as the big GnR ballad over NR any day. 

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I honestly think they did well adding the piano and Dizzy to the band at the time. Some say songs like Civil War didnt work with the piano lines, but speccialy in the outro it gives a great approach to the song, it feels more Rock N' Roll and less Heavy Metal, what I think is great. Had they stuck to heavy metal at that time they'd be just another one and maybe the album wouldnt be as huge as it were, piano have made things different, the extra effort have made things different, its a nice thing when not exageratted as CD. Great addition. 

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I don't think that on most of the ''rockers'' there is much piano on UYI. For me it definitely adds something, I like the piano, and Axl's piano parts are rather interesting on most songs. And a piano can definitely rock too... just listen to Breakdown or Civil War... those songs rock and so does the piano.

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5 hours ago, Tadsy said:

I believe the Piano is what stands GNR apart from all the other bands of that era and that's why they stand alone. 

It's not like GnR were the only rock band that used the piano, even in their era. I think what made them stand out was having really good songs and charismatic bandmembers. 

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2 hours ago, Magnus Cavalerra said:

It was certainly not a mistake, what rock band that can create a piano masterpiece like Estranged?

Queen... Aerosmith, just to name two. But the list is really long, though. I love Estranged, I think it's a genius song, but it's not like there aren't other rockbands with amazing piano songs.

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11 minutes ago, EvanG said:

Queen... Aerosmith, just to name two. But the list is really long, though. I love Estranged, I think it's a genius song, but it's not like there aren't other rockbands with amazing piano songs.

Is there any song with same vein like Estranged? I mean, a power/epic ballad not regular piano rocker ala Civil War, i would like to hear it. Few years ago i regularly searching "top ten power ballad" hoping to find something similar to Estranged but wasn't satisfied. The one that maybe fall in same category is that long Meat Loaf song, but that song is cheesy as hell. So maybe you know some obscure power/epic ballad that usually missed from popular top ten list please do tell, I'll apreaciate it.

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5 minutes ago, Magnus Cavalerra said:

Is there any song with same vein like Estranged? I mean, a power/epic ballad not regular piano rocker ala Civil War, i would like to hear it. Few years ago i regularly searching "top ten power ballad" hoping to find something similar to Estranged but wasn't satisfied. The one that maybe fall in same category is that long Meat Loaf song, but that song is cheesy as hell. So maybe you know some obscure power/epic ballad that usually missed from popular top ten list please do tell, I'll apreaciate it.

I think what Slash did on Estranged made that song really unique, can't think of a similar song. Queen has great epic piano songs like Save Me or (especially) Bohemian Rhapsody, though, which might be the closest thing. Well, off the top of my head anyways.

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1 hour ago, Magnus Cavalerra said:

Is there any song with same vein like Estranged? I mean, a power/epic ballad not regular piano rocker ala Civil War, i would like to hear it. Few years ago i regularly searching "top ten power ballad" hoping to find something similar to Estranged but wasn't satisfied. The one that maybe fall in same category is that long Meat Loaf song, but that song is cheesy as hell. So maybe you know some obscure power/epic ballad that usually missed from popular top ten list please do tell, I'll apreaciate it.

Uhm... not exactly obscure, but you have Bohemian Rhapsody... I know that song has been overplayed like crazy, but it has everything... melody, metal riffs, piano ballad part, even an opera part. It's kinda like Estranged, just more complicated. Aerosmith's ''Dream on'' or ''Amazing'' can tickle your fancy perhaps.

Edited by EvanG
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13 hours ago, Get In the Ring Motherfker said:

I don't mind the piano on the ballads and even some other songs, what bothered about the illusions is the production and mainly Izzy being turned down ft the most part 

Yea the rockers suffered from either Izzy being turned down or his rhythm guitar not being present at all in some songs.

The songs where Slash played rhythm guitar have very straight forward power chord rhythm. Those songs sound more like Slash solo songs than the dynamic guitar duo you get throughout AFD. Not sure if it was a power struggle or Izzy being MIA and slash taking it upon himself to redo Izzy's parts?

Now listen to Slash's song Ghost which Izzy played on and the dynamics of the duo is all there loud and clear.

Uncoincidently after that song was written Slash began Praising The special dynamics he and Izzy had together.

Edited by Top-Hatted One
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8 hours ago, Tadsy said:

 

This! 

Piano isn't the issue on illusions, it's all the little quirky things in each song that are unnecessary. 

From strange noises at 2:10 on KOHD that resembles some sort of gun reloading (I take it that's what it is) to the ending on don't cry that's not needed, to the strange noises Axl makes at the start of so fine with his mouth, to even the intro to civil war, the phone call spiel on KOHD, there's lots of little things that annoy me... 

Piano certainly doesn't come into it for me personally. 

 

 

I like the movie samples on civil war & kohd. I also love the long note at the end of Don't Cry and Smoke em if u got em at the end of Don't Damn Me. I like My World for what it is. These things make GNR who they are. Now the Get in the ring rant and crowd noise is a bit lame 

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1 hour ago, BorderlineCrazy said:

I think what Slash did on Estranged made that song really unique, can't think of a similar song. Queen has great epic piano songs like Save Me or (especially) Bohemian Rhapsody, though, which might be the closest thing. Well, off the top of my head anyways.

I agree. Slash's feedback on those riffs is why the song is so unique. I wouldn't even bother comparing it to Bohemian, Dream On, Comfortably Numb or stairway. Without Slash's riff it would be comparable to those songs 

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38 minutes ago, J Dog said:

I dig the piano. The piano has been a part of rock damn near as long as the guitar. It's good.

i love the piano! it goes well in rock IMO. give me a bluesy, rollicking piano and i am happy :) Bohemian Rhapsody, Light My Fire, Werewolves of London, Great Balls of Fire, Roadhouse Blues...i could on for hours! :headbang::dance:

Edited by AxlsFavoriteRose
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To me, piano only sounds good when the song is piano centric song, meaning when it is initially written on piano (Estranged, NR, Breakdown)

Piano incorporated into existing songs (Bad Apples, 14 Years, Dust n Bones, Civil War, Pretty Tied Up, Yesterdays) doesn't work for me. Clutters up the sounds space too much because Axl/Dizzy are trying too hard to be "present" on the track, while completely detracting from the guitars.

 

Itd be like if there was a piano banging away on the root notes in the 5th octave on YCBM or WTTJ. While it may suit some, it doesnt suit me

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