Roush

I don't think artistic relevance is at the forefront, ya know? CD was essentially a bunch of incidental leaks capped with 3 random tracks.

I really wish Axl took the "Oh My God" approach, and persevered with an awesome, creative record that had no ties to GN'R. He was talented, ambitious, youngish, pissed off, and had something to prove. Would it not have been cool to see Axl in an intimate club with a few L.A. musicians jamming weird 'Axl' songs? But the current material speaks for itself. I think between label pressure, lawsuits, recording loans, and the press having their way with him - it crippled the simplicity of playing live music. And more importantly - playing whatever he felt like. We ended up with, essentially, an Axl solo record with too much polish. It tried pleasing too many critics, and it failed.

But therein lie the true GN'R spirit. A lyrical ethos based on self-destruction, and youth - by definition alone - cannot last forever.

Axl's ego clearly matches his waistline.

Whether intentional or not - Axl Rose has faded into obscurity, along with the GN'R name. Chinese Democracy was a catastrophic letdown.

It doesn't mean there aren't a few good songs on there. Same with solo albums from Slash, Izzy, or Duff. I think it'd be impossible for their solo careers not to yield just ONE cool song.

Yet it would have been nice if Axl had let GN'R retire with "Sympathy For The Devil".

Appetite's a great record. He has nothing left to prove. Although it is a sad day when Fake GN'R has truly succeeded its Spinal Tap moments.

They can't be any more self-satirical. "This I Love" is "Lick My Love Pump".

It's not the same delivery, but the dude hits all the notes, the band sounds good on it - no complaints.

WHAT HAPPENED?!

Cornell has been living off past glories since Superunknown, whereas Weiland has proved himself to be a consistently adept songwriter, shown by both the last STP album and his immense second solo record.

Bull. Down On The Upside is their best record. And that came after Superunknown. Chris' first solo record, Euphoria Morning, was pretty good. Scream was shit.

I do agree about Scott's solo records being class. As were No. 4, and Shangri. Libertad, and the new STP were irrefutable shit.

The only difference between the two is Scott talks some stupid shit.

When I think of wasted potential - lots of artists come to mind. But none come close to GN'R. Axl, Izzy, and Slash weren't the best at what they do - but they worked with what they had, and made incredible music. Songs like Locomotive, Double Talking Jive, Dust N' Bones made me pick up guitar. There is no cooler riff than Izzy's Rolling Stones-meets-Gypsy Blues swag he spat on "DNB", and "DTJ". And Slash on "Locomotive"...damn.

This band lacks all of what I just mentioned. It's like one of those fantasy band conversations - yeah, put all the best players in one pot. In theory, it should be high-calibre. But even with all that talent, musical education, and technical proficiency- they lack that x-factor: chemistry.

Buckethead, Brain, and Pitman are all talented. But there's no replacing Izzy's Southern flavor coupled with Slash's solos.

Guns N' Roses is like having grits, and whiskey for breakfast.

Not tofu, and a Jenny Craig shake.

I love how some users' entire existence on this board is dedicated towards reminding everyone how they blame Axl for the dissipation of the old lineup. Let's see- Adler's a crackhead, Izzy is the most flighty person perhaps ever, Gilby is the epitome of douchiness, Slash has gigantic ego, Duff is "Mr. Acquiesce", and yet somehow it's all Axl's fault according to the anti-GNR cupcakes. :eyeroll:

Every original member was FUCKED UP - chemically, or mentally - and THAT is why they made good music.

It's like being in an intense 2-month relationship. It isn't healthy, it's not meant to last long, but it's the single most passionate tryst of your lifetime. It nearly killed you, but you remember it forever.

That is the volcanic groove captured on Appetite, and Lies.

Not to be cynical, but does anyone really care at this point?

Chinese Democracy flopped. Hard. People will drop money to hear Axl karaoke. But as far as new music goes? Come on, now. And if you think I'm full of shit- the Best Buy retail price speaks for itself.

Chinese Democracy is the antithesis to Appetite For Destruction.

It's been like 15 years. Guy's got a family, and kids. Sorry to break it, but that's a lot more important than a band that hasn't been culturally relevant in 20 years.

I remember the heckling U2 got when they declared they would no longer do the old songs. They only wanted to focus on the new stuff. Fans were not happy. I think that did change. Just goes to show you can never please all the fans all the time.

I would be happy just to see any incarnation of the band live. Somehow, I keep missing it.

Apples, and kiwis.

Even with Matt Sorum's big stupid reverby drums - it still rocks.

They still haven't done YCBM right.

Interesting question.

I have no idea where this will lead.

Guns N´ Roses of 2011 seems more to be a personal thing for Axl Rose and for his own enjoyment, as the music stays within his walls only. It´s too bad he couldn´t do it without dragging the Guns N´ Roses legacy with him.

He could just bury the name, and it´ll all be fine.

As it is now, Guns N´ Roses doesn´t exist. It is totally Axl Roses personal project, and people outside of the band doesn´t even get to hear music.

This would not have been a problem at all if it hadn´t been called "Guns N´ Roses".

When it comes to DJ Ashba. I don´t understand this at all.

He moves like Slash.

He walks like Slash.

He wears a fucking top-hat.

If Axl suddenly wanted to go down the classic rock-path again, he could call Slash instead of this poser.

I don´t think he´ll be in this band for long. So I think (and hope) his influence on the music will be minimal.

The big risk here, is that things will be just like with Chinese Democracy. A really good album, but all the years and adding musicians, cutting and pasting made it worse than neccesary.

The best day will be that day, when Axl just call up a good lineup (without Ashba, maybe with Buckethead, Josh Freese, Brain, Izzy or Duff), just hitting the studio and record a good motherfucking record and promote it, release it and tour it.

This would be fantastic.

It's really, really frustrating Axl can't come full-circle. To him, it's "selling out". I respect that, but I also respect that those guys need each other. But Axl's all about holding grudges. Problem with grudges is they don't inspire - they actually inhibit any sort of personal growth. No one has ever, in the history of the world, benefitted from holding a grudge.

And folks on here subscribe to the popular notion that Slash is a boring, uninspired guitar player. I can see why people can stereotype that (due to recent works) - but it doesn't hold water when one considers Slash has played flamenco, pop, and accreted the Odin-like "Serial Killer" solo. But like Axl - he's not inspired at the moment, so he's bored, apathetic, and releases pish like "Libertad", and that solo record.

Did anyone else notice how Duff turbocharged Axl's performance in London? The dude gave a lot more. And THAT kind of energy would amplify ten-fold with Izzy, and Slash there.

Axl's pretty much done, I'm thinkin'.