The greatest American rock band of all time? Surely not Guns N' Roses?

[dalsh327]

Make sure you let @neil_mccormick know how you feel.

"Compared to guitar greats, Slash is all technique and no feeling IMHO"

[Estranged Reality]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap. It encapsulates a lot of Axl Rose's energy back then, an angry young kid barking at the world that's 'out ta get him' but deep inside he's just kind of vulnerable and afraid. Maybe that sounds pretentious but I really do think that's a big appeal of Appetite, there's a depth to the overall record and it's just kind of perfect, isn't it.

[Johnny Drama]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap.

1. Nothing says Tom Petty, hair metal and hate of GN'R like Tom Petty performing with Axl.

2. Hey you brought the signature back!

[Estranged Reality]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap.

1. Nothing says Tom Petty, hair metal and hate of GN'R like Tom Petty performing with Axl.

2. Hey you brought the signature back!

I re-discovered my old Photobucket account from yeeeaarsss ago, and lo and behold, there was my old signature (which I thought I'd lost forever). You're the first person to actually mention the fact that it was my old signature! I don't know if it's because we have so many newer users or if it's just because nobody cares. But yeah, it's nice to have it back.

[GNR123GNR456]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap. It encapsulates a lot of Axl Rose's energy back then, an angry young kid barking at the world that's 'out ta get him' but deep inside he's just kind of vulnerable and afraid. Maybe that sounds pretentious but I really do think that's a big appeal of Appetite, there's a depth to the overall record and it's just kind of perfect, isn't it.

I don't think GN'R had much to do with the end of hair metal. I mean, were they more grittier and harder the other band, yes. But, their image and sound wasn't much different than the other bands. Their first song to get number 1 on the Billboard charts was the soft-rocking Sweet Child O' Mine. Than, the hit song off of Lies was Patience, an acoustic ballad. Axl outfits weren't much different from all the other singers, leather jackets and leather pants. He even had his hair teased up in the beginning.

And, even after Appetite came out, Hair Metal was still in full swing. You had Skid Row with I Remember You being a big hit for them. Bon Jovi released New Jersey, with included Bad Medicine. Winger's first album came out in 1998 and it went Platinum. Warrant released Cherry Pie in 1990 and it was a huge hit for them, making the top ten. Motley Crue came out with Dr. Feelgood, which was their most successful album during the 1980's, spawning 5 hit singles. The image and sound of Hair Metal didn't really go anywhere until Nirvana came out, than everything changed.

[Estranged Reality]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap. It encapsulates a lot of Axl Rose's energy back then, an angry young kid barking at the world that's 'out ta get him' but deep inside he's just kind of vulnerable and afraid. Maybe that sounds pretentious but I really do think that's a big appeal of Appetite, there's a depth to the overall record and it's just kind of perfect, isn't it.

I don't think GN'R had much to do with the end of hair metal. I mean, were they more grittier and harder the other band, yes. But, their image and sound wasn't much different than the other bands. Their first song to get number 1 on the Billboard charts was the soft-rocking Sweet Child O' Mine. Than, the hit song off of Lies was Patience, an acoustic ballad. Axl outfits weren't much different from all the other singers, leather jackets and leather pants. He even had his hair teased up in the beginning.

And, even after Appetite came out, Hair Metal was still in full swing. You had Skid Row with I Remember You being a big hit for them. Bon Jovi released New Jersey, with included Bad Medicine. Winger's first album came out in 1998 and it went Platinum. Warrant released Cherry Pie in 1990 and it was a huge hit for them, making the top ten. Motley Crue came out with Dr. Feelgood, which was their most successful album during the 1980's, spawning 5 hit singles. The image and sound of Hair Metal didn't really go anywhere until Nirvana came out, than everything changed.

No offense but I think if you really believe all that, you don't perceive Guns N' Roses and their history the same way that I do. And nothing about "SCOM" or "Patience" are remotely hair-metal.

GN'R most certainly helped end hair metal. It brought in an era of stadium rock. Watch the Use Your Illusion tour footage. "I Remember You" wasn't even really hair metal, it was an anthemic tune. Bon Jovi ditched their excessively glammed-up image. Hair metal was pretty much done by the early '90s, and it wasn't Nirvana singularly who killed it off. It was a gradual, cultural shift. And GN'R and their move toward stadium rock was a part of that, yes. I'm not saying they alone killed off hair metal but you get what I mean. Of course Nirvana kind of killed off some of the stadium rock sheen of GN'R -- a move away from big, bombastic, over produced stuff like the Illusions towards raw alternative/indie rock. But anyway...whatever.

[DieselDaisy]

I would put The Doors ahead of GN'R.

Here is something to think about: 1/10th of Guns N' Roses was English!

[Padme]

What's up with this trend of people posting polls from random websites and then saying its irrefutable proof?

I don't fucking care what a poll from a random shitty website says. I genuinely don't care.

I could find a million other idiotic polls from a million other idiotic websites which state the complete opposite of the ones which say that DJ and bumble are the greatest guitarists of all time or that nu-GNR is the world's leading band in 2014. Why don't you post those polls? Oh yeah, because those polls don't support your opinion, so therefore they aren't fact.

Only the polls which support YOUR opinion are factual. Got it.

There are 2 things going on. There is a BBC series about the Ultimate American Band. And the article posted by volcano where the writer questioned that GN´R is that band. I haven´t watched that BBC series but they claim that GN´R is the Ultimate American Band. The problem with the guy who wrote the article about that BBC show is that he mentioned "The Boss" as the number 1. But he is a solo artist. And the writer forgot about bands like Credence, VH or Lynyrd Skynyrd. So the BBC series and the guy who wrote the article are wrong one way or another. I guess the key is to watch that show to find out why they think GN´R is the Ultimate American Band

[GNR123GNR456]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap. It encapsulates a lot of Axl Rose's energy back then, an angry young kid barking at the world that's 'out ta get him' but deep inside he's just kind of vulnerable and afraid. Maybe that sounds pretentious but I really do think that's a big appeal of Appetite, there's a depth to the overall record and it's just kind of perfect, isn't it.

I don't think GN'R had much to do with the end of hair metal. I mean, were they more grittier and harder the other band, yes. But, their image and sound wasn't much different than the other bands. Their first song to get number 1 on the Billboard charts was the soft-rocking Sweet Child O' Mine. Than, the hit song off of Lies was Patience, an acoustic ballad. Axl outfits weren't much different from all the other singers, leather jackets and leather pants. He even had his hair teased up in the beginning.

And, even after Appetite came out, Hair Metal was still in full swing. You had Skid Row with I Remember You being a big hit for them. Bon Jovi released New Jersey, with included Bad Medicine. Winger's first album came out in 1998 and it went Platinum. Warrant released Cherry Pie in 1990 and it was a huge hit for them, making the top ten. Motley Crue came out with Dr. Feelgood, which was their most successful album during the 1980's, spawning 5 hit singles. The image and sound of Hair Metal didn't really go anywhere until Nirvana came out, than everything changed.

No offense but I think if you really believe all that, you don't perceive Guns N' Roses and their history the same way that I do. And nothing about "SCOM" or "Patience" are remotely hair-metal.

GN'R most certainly helped end hair metal. It brought in an era of stadium rock. Watch the Use Your Illusion tour footage. "I Remember You" wasn't even really hair metal, it was an anthemic tune. Bon Jovi ditched their excessively glammed-up image. Hair metal was pretty much done by the early '90s, and it wasn't Nirvana singularly who killed it off. It was a gradual, cultural shift. And GN'R and their move toward stadium rock was a part of that, yes. I'm not saying they alone killed off hair metal but you get what I mean.

Bon Jovi really didn't ditch their glammed-up image until Keep The Faith. Watch the video for I'll Be There For You, Jon has he's teased up hair and make-up on, and it was a big hit for them in 1989. I didn't say that SCOM and Patience were hair metal, I'm just saying that they were big hits for them and they weren't much different from other bands at the time. I Remember You (the song and video) was as hair-metal as you can get. I get what your saying, I do. I just think that GN'R didn't have much to do with the end of Hair Metal as Nirvana did.

After Nevermind was a huge hit, many, many bands changed their look and sound. Motley Crue came out with the heaviest album in 1994, Warrant released Dog Eat Dog, their heaviest album. KISS went full-on grunge for a bit, Bon Jovi ditched the hair-metal look and sound for both KTF and These Days. Hell, you had Axl Rose wearing flannel on stage afterwards. Nirvana was pretty much a cultural change.

[Estranged Reality]

I really hate how the author tries to make a point in that article of lumping GN'R in with hair metal (something so many people unfamiliar with the group and its history do), by quoting Tom Petty's comments about hair metal and directly implying that GN'R was part of that scene. They weren't. I don't need to tell all of you guys that this is the case -- but GN'R was the first step toward wiping away the hair metal trend, by bringing back bluesy hard rock that felt legitimate and lived-in and lacking the empty "sex drugs and partying" anthem of hair metal. It just kind of irritates me to a great degree when I see people -- especially critics writing journalistic articles like this -- trying to discredit GN'R by pushing them into a category where they don't belong.

Anything Goes is the closest they ever got to "hair metal" and even that song has a lot of pathos and grime to it that you won't find in a song like "Girls Girls Girls" by Motley Crue. I mean the way Axl sings about sex in that song...I don't think it's a very good song personally, but man, you can read into it a lot, just the way he sings about having sex, there's like a fear and a disgust in the delivery of those lyrics that makes it at least compelling, and that alone renders it better than most hair metal crap. It encapsulates a lot of Axl Rose's energy back then, an angry young kid barking at the world that's 'out ta get him' but deep inside he's just kind of vulnerable and afraid. Maybe that sounds pretentious but I really do think that's a big appeal of Appetite, there's a depth to the overall record and it's just kind of perfect, isn't it.

I don't think GN'R had much to do with the end of hair metal. I mean, were they more grittier and harder the other band, yes. But, their image and sound wasn't much different than the other bands. Their first song to get number 1 on the Billboard charts was the soft-rocking Sweet Child O' Mine. Than, the hit song off of Lies was Patience, an acoustic ballad. Axl outfits weren't much different from all the other singers, leather jackets and leather pants. He even had his hair teased up in the beginning.

And, even after Appetite came out, Hair Metal was still in full swing. You had Skid Row with I Remember You being a big hit for them. Bon Jovi released New Jersey, with included Bad Medicine. Winger's first album came out in 1998 and it went Platinum. Warrant released Cherry Pie in 1990 and it was a huge hit for them, making the top ten. Motley Crue came out with Dr. Feelgood, which was their most successful album during the 1980's, spawning 5 hit singles. The image and sound of Hair Metal didn't really go anywhere until Nirvana came out, than everything changed.

No offense but I think if you really believe all that, you don't perceive Guns N' Roses and their history the same way that I do. And nothing about "SCOM" or "Patience" are remotely hair-metal.

GN'R most certainly helped end hair metal. It brought in an era of stadium rock. Watch the Use Your Illusion tour footage. "I Remember You" wasn't even really hair metal, it was an anthemic tune. Bon Jovi ditched their excessively glammed-up image. Hair metal was pretty much done by the early '90s, and it wasn't Nirvana singularly who killed it off. It was a gradual, cultural shift. And GN'R and their move toward stadium rock was a part of that, yes. I'm not saying they alone killed off hair metal but you get what I mean.

Bon Jovi really didn't ditch their glammed-up image until Keep The Faith. Watch the video for I'll Be There For You, Jon has he's teased up hair and make-up on, and it was a big hit for them in 1989. I didn't say that SCOM and Patience were hair metal, I'm just saying that they were big hits for them and they weren't much different from other bands at the time. I Remember You (the song and video) was as hair-metal as you can get. I get what your saying, I do. I just think that GN'R didn't have much to do with the end of Hair Metal as Nirvana did.

After Nevermind was a huge hit, many, many bands changed their look and sound. Motley Crue came out with the heaviest album in 1994, Warrant released Dog Eat Dog, their heaviest album. KISS went full-on grunge for a bit, Bon Jovi ditched the hair-metal look and sound for both KTF and These Days. Hell, you had Axl Rose wearing flannel on stage afterwards. Nirvana was pretty much a cultural change.

i'm not disputing that nirvana had a greater impact, so we're saying the same thing.

just saying GN'R/Appetite wasn't hair metal, just because it came out during an era when their hair was puffy.

[Rovim]

Fuck the writer who's responsible for this shit article, but imma go full fanboy on this bitch and vote for Gn'R.

[Carburetta]

Great, can't wait for this series! Guns n' Roses the greatest American band of all time, brilliant!

[Carburetta]

These BBC4 music docs are usually excellent with first rate contributors, wouldn't be surprised to hear the the thoughts of some ex members on these shows.

[Apollo]

What's up with this trend of people posting polls from random websites and then saying its irrefutable proof?

I don't fucking care what a poll from a random shitty website says. I genuinely don't care.

I could find a million other idiotic polls from a million other idiotic websites which state the complete opposite of the ones which say that DJ and bumble are the greatest guitarists of all time or that nu-GNR is the world's leading band in 2014. Why don't you post those polls? Oh yeah, because those polls don't support your opinion, so therefore they aren't fact.

Only the polls which support YOUR opinion are factual. Got it.

Best post of the topic.

Funny how upset people get over some random guy's opinion.

[jmapelian]

Dumb ass article

[DangerousCurves]

After reading the "about the author" blurb, it seems to me the author of this article is just pissed off that he didn't have the chops to make it. He also has been riding the coattails of U2, making his mark by writing about a band that he isn't a part of. I don't care if he is Bono's long lost twin. He, himself, isn't in one of the biggest bands in the world. I don't necessarily disagree with everything he said, I just think it's terribly presumptuous of a "never was" to pass judgment on one of the greatest rock bands of all time. If he actually had talent, his good buddies in U2 would have hooked him up with a label. This is kind of like me scoring Olympic gymnasts because I did a cartwheel once. What he fails to "get" is that while the music was great, they were the whole package.

" But I look at all that flamboyant screeching, widdly guitar and sexist posturing and think is that really the best a country of three hundred million can do?"

Are. You. Kidding. Me?

Axl has one of, if not THE most recognizable voices in rock (ok, he used to and now sometimes does). Beyond the technical stuff like range, tone, pitch....it was his PASSION that made him amazing. To watch Slash perform was like watching him make love to his guitar. The bluesy, poignant melodies and the blistering solos were un-fucking-believable and brilliant. Izzy was a song-writing machine who could take bits and pieces and make them a real song. Duff is the coolest cat to pick up a bass and he and the drummer du jour always presented a groove to set up the rest of the band for success.

The only band that I would even come close to putting in the same category would be Aerosmith. There are other bands that absolutely deserve to be on the list - Heart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR, Boston, Steppenwolf, Van Halen to name a few. But Guns absolutely deserves to be in the Top 3.

Edited January 9, 2014 by DangerousCurves

[Val22]

There are so many great rock musicians/bands since the 60's. How can you choose and make a list?

I'm so sick of lists. Who cares?

It's every person's choice, but yeah, GNR would be up there, but there are just too many and I think it would be super hard to put them in a certain order of importance or greatness.

[Hollywood Gunner]

Fuck yes they are! Im getting a bj to the estranged video from an ugly chick right now (dead serious) and the musics makin it better

While posting

[wasted]

Aerosmith. Given their success in part 2. especially as its such American success. Money in the bank., big sales, big shows.

[RichardNixon]

Nothing tops the seven DLR-VH albums, IMHO.

[niceguy]

Fuck yes they are! Im getting a bj to the estranged video from an ugly chick right now (dead serious) and the musics makin it betterWhile posting

Smart move!

I def enjoy BJs from an ugly chick, if she has good technique, but actually doing her isn't appealing.

[bacardimayne]

Fuck yes they are! Im getting a bj to the estranged video from an ugly chick right now (dead serious) and the musics makin it better

While posting

[Hollywood Gunner]

Fuck yes they are! Im getting a bj to the estranged video from an ugly chick right now (dead serious) and the musics makin it betterWhile posting

Smart move!

I def enjoy BJs from an ugly chick, if she has good technique, but actually doing her isn't appealing.

She had GREAT technique... most ugly chicks do (they kinda have to)

Didnt do her either, i was seriously streaming youtube vids and decided to come n post when estranged started

[D..]

In terms of pure hard rock, Guns N' Roses is the best rock band ever, with Queen, and my third pick would be Muse. I'll also add Pink Floyd that I rank as high as GN'R and Queen, and maybe above, but it's not really "rock n' roll". GN'R is to rock what Mozart and Rachmaninov were to classical music, they were the pinnacle, the absolute achievement of Rock.
This article is kind of pointless, the documentary was a hard work in the making and for once, we got an intelligent mind behind it, not some wanker who praises teenager bands like Nirvana or overrated artists like Bruce Springsteen. Waste of my time.

[Mr. Dude]

Aerosmith. Given their success in part 2. especially as its such American success. Money in the bank., big sales, big shows.

and generic tunes written by marketing firms. Can't get any more American than that.