madmardigan

At the time I thought they were awesome (well still do, but there’s a lot of filler for me), but as I’ve gotten older I’ve increasingly felt they were probably too ambitious and 2 or 3 albums too early in their career trajectory.  But you know, if they didn’t come out when they did, grunge probably would’ve killed them. 

Strip away some of the covers and the filler and UYI is one great album

Rolling Stones released hit record after hit record through nearly 4 decades. Their continuously released new music from the 60's to the 90s crossed generations. The Stones have been 1 of the biggest touring acts since at least the 80s.

It's not even close.

Guns coulda woulda shoulda but they didn't. And with the music industry having changed so much, it will be nearly impossible for them to catch up. 

Without new hit albums (or music at all) released in a regular cycle, GnR will have a difficult time equaling the scale of the NIYL tour going forward. People just aren't going to continuously shell out 2 bills to hear the same 30 year old songs over again every few years. Bands like the Stones or U2 are able to fill out their set lists with music spanning decades. GnR has basically 5 years worth of music including a few covers.

I think the 2 biggest issues facing UYI is it's excess and lack of cohesion. UYI is pretty much the culmination of the late 70s - 80s metal/hard rock/Rock God era and is that genre's last final rage against the dying of the light. The double album release, the huge tour, the style of that era looking ridiculous with the arrival of grunge, UYI is everything that gave rise to grunge like 70s arena rock gave rise to punk. Instead of being a blast of energy like Appetite is, it's viewed by history as a dinosaur roaring at the meteor approaching.

The music itself on the album is problematic and doesn't hold together nearly as well as it does on Appetite. It's too scatterbrained. Like they had a ton of ideas, the means to do it but no filter. I mean you have songs like YCBM which is from the Appetite era next to the grandiosity of a 70s style power ballad in November Rain. And then of course there's shitola filler like My World or Get in the Ring which add nothing to the album and are completely masturbatory. 

Had they stripped away the filler (seriously... 2 Don't Cry's??), lose a cover and made it into one strong album then I think it would've helped to make the album as a whole stronger. Especially as it's viewed by history. If they were hell bent on making a double album, then GnR should have conceptualized the tracks on each better. Like make I the stripped down hard rock album and make II the more experimental one.

All the biggest touring acts (U2, Springsteen, Stones etc) play both stadiums and arenas as the seasons permit. 

A major band may make less playing arenas than stadiums, but it’s still an assload of cash and certainly more than they would make not touring. Plus I think overhead for arenas vs stadiums is less (smaller personnel, smaller stage to transport, less security, ushers, etc)

On 9/7/2017 at 7:47 AM, Tourettes2400 said:

Really enjoyed the interview but Jericho gets on my nerves!

You just made The List!

WRT to Axl's change from glam hair to straight natural hair, my theory is that he probably notice it was beginning to thin and did what he could to try and save it or prolong the process. I can't imagine the gallons of aqua net and blow drying are great for thinning hair.

I first got the album on cassette in maybe 88 or 89, 4th or 5th grade sometime around there. I still have it along with Lies, UYI 1 & UYI 2 in an old cassette case back at my parent's house. Basically that cassette case is a time capsule of late 80's - early 90s metal bands: GnR, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Cinderella, etc

Thinking some more about my AFD cassette, I'm trying to remember if its the original one I got or if I replaced it later on because the original got eaten or melted Anyway, I miss that smell of opening a new cassette package, especially the clear cartridge cassettes. I don't know why but they smelled different when you opened the packaging.

Axl's voice is probably off for a number of reasons 

He's in his 50s number 1 and he's still running around like it's 30 years ago. And let's be honest, he doesn't appear to be in peak physical shape (though looks can be deceiving). I have to imagine that would do a number on your wind. 

They've been touring over a year now. Huge football stadiums. That's gotta be exhausting. Throw in an AC/DC tour as well and I'm surprised he sounds as good as he does. 

And comparing vocals from GNR tour to AC/DC may not be a fair comparison. I'm no musician but it seems plausible at least that AC/DC songs may be easier than GNR songs

ill bet that after this short break and if they don't record vocals for a new album during it (lol) Axl will sound a lot better in May.