themadcaplaughs

Agree with Shackler's going this early being a travesty!

Going with Sorry again. 

Gonna get it for this one, but had to go with "Sorry": the "doom metal" classic  

Totally great song, and have enjoyed it each time I've seen it live, but probably the only other track on the album I can take or leave (although it's a large step above the previous two eliminated songs). I do particularly love Buckethead's restrained Pink Floyd-ish gutiar solo, though. Everything else on here will be tougher for me as they are all songs I actively engage with. 

I actually really like "If the World", but totally understand it does not appeal to everyone. I distinctly remember laughing when it leaked in 2008 and all the reviews described it as being a mix of a bad porno soundtrack or a Roger Moore era James Bond movie.

3 hours ago, Jakey Styley said:

I’ve always liked Riad. The intro is ridiculous and the lyrics suck (though they’re apparently about someone really interesting, according to that note he wrote) but the song has some really great vocals including one of Axl’s highest notes near the end - “sweet salVAAAAAtion”. This song suffers a lot from the instruments being buried amongst each other. It’s hard to pick out what’s actually happening. I always felt it sounded quite modern (at the time…)

I voted Chinese Democracy. This song has never impressed me. It was cool in 2002 when it was sorta grungey, but IMO lost its identity the more it got worked on. It starts with a generic riff (rock you like a hurricane adjacent), has lackluster vocals (especially live, axl sounds like he’s trying to take a shit when singing the chorus), and also not good lyrics. I like the solos and outro, but this song doesn’t melodically grab me at all.

 

This was what I was trying to say re: the mix of "Rhiad" in yesterday's thread. I know a lot of people don't like the "layers" on Chinese Democracy, but none of them bother me on any of the other songs. This is the exception. I still think it's a B-/C+ tier song even in older mixes, but the power of the riff rings much clearer in older versions. The one that ended up on the album sounds absolutely muddy, and no instruments get a chance to shine. 

Not a huge fan of "Scraped", but at the very least I remember it. "Riad N' the Bedouins" never really made an impression on me. Additionally, the song is unique to me in that it's one of the few that I feel was substantially better in its earlier forms. Unlike many here, I actually like most of the "layers" added to Chinese Democracy over time (with a few exceptions), but all the changes on this song just make it even more of a slog. In earlier forms, it still does not leave much of an impression, but at least has a potency and urgency missing in the studio version. Also, I liked Robin's (?) janky solo on the older versions much more than Bumblefoot's additions. 

11 hours ago, Powderfinger said:

They probably wanted the glory of “Reuniting” GNR. 
 

 

It all played out in typical GNR fashion. 
The thing I recall the most is how fucking pathetic Matt Sorum was, Adler took it all in his stride. But still, Sorums a prick.

What did Sorum do? I know in his book, he talked about how Slash/Duff basically left him high and dry and were going to have him play tambourine, but did he do anything publicly that was bad? 

20 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

What a weird post. There's grown adults who listen to Billie Eilish, Eminem and all sorts of shit, lol. RHCP are in their 50s-60s and aren't exactly making music for 'the kids' anymore.

I like their new album, but I've always liked their mellow stuff - Scar Tissue, Soul To Squeeze, Wet Sand, etc. and this album is pretty mellow.

I was not saying adults do not across the board listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was being a little bit cheeky, and it appears that may have been lost over text. My point was that I've always seen RHCP as a band that people generally tend to really adore at younger ages (say 15-25) and then sort of discard as their music tastes evolve. I am not saying they stop liking RCHP, or won't check out new material they release; just that they do not seem like an "important" band anymore once you hit a certain age, and have generally expanded into knowing more about the bands that inspired RHCP. 

I did not know grown adults listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Other than the occasional "oh cool, one of their old jams is playing on the radio" moments, I always assumed they were a band perpetually being discovered and primarily enjoyed by teenagers; teenagers who will then discard the band when their musical pallets evolve.  

Gonna go "Raw Power". Not bad per se, but probably their most boring cover in my opinion. I would take "Sympathy for the Devil" over this. 

Truly stunned at how much people hate "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory". Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly care for it either, but it certainly doesn't inspire in me the vitriol it seems to for others. I voted out the Manson song this round. My next choice would have to be "Raw Power". I just find it mediocre in just about every way. 

Would have loved "Locomotive" to win (possibly my favorite GN'R song), but either of these are solid choices. I understand the beauty of "Estranged", and it definitely stands as a unique achievement in the band's discography. That being said, to me, "You Could Be Mine" seems like quintessential GN'R in attitude. 

Had to go with "Yesterdays", but not an easy choice as I genuinely love that song. 

I am gunning for "You Could Be Mine" to win, but I imagine it will be one of the epics - like with Use Your Illusion I. I am going to wager it will be "Estranged", but maybe the forum will surprise me and get behind "Locomotive". 

4 hours ago, alfierose said:

Getting harder now. Went for Don't Cry Alt. I like the alternate version but at the end of the day it is a duplicate so can't rank it higher than the remaining tracks.

I feel like you and I have been fairly similar in our votes! 

This may be the hardest one yet; to have so many good songs that I genuinely love. Had to go wit Don't Cry (Alt.) this round for the same reason. I might have to go for "Yesterdays" next, which seems...wrong. 

Honestly would not be surprised if DJ Asbha just brought this up again since he saw it gained some minor traction with rock journalists the first time. While there are legitimate criticisms to be leveled against his skill as a guitarist, I imagine what continues to rub many the wrong way about him was his seemingly unending attempts to attract attention tohimself. He acts like a teenage girl when it comes to his social media presence. Part of the appeal of literally every other member of Guns N' Roses was that they just kind of did their own thing and at least kept the appearance of not trying to force the media to pay attention. 

All being said, I did enjoy the version of "Bella Ciao" he released a few months ago, but the two single before that were horrifyingly terrible. 

10 hours ago, Towelie said:

I never understood why Shotgun Blues gets so much hate - Get In The Ring is clearly the major dud on UYI2 (not including My World).

 

This. I can write off "My World" as a legitimate, but failed, experiment on Axl's part. "Shotgun Blues" remains a "C" tier song, but it has a certain charm. "Get in the Ring", to me, seems like something that appeals to a person when they are in high school, and never again. For me, it just presents such a momentum killer in what is one of their best string of songs. 

2 hours ago, mystery said:

Even as a greatest hits collection you could probably completely ignore The Spaghetti Incident and I'd hardly call the songs on there hits. My Michelle, You're Crazy from Lies, and Rocket Queen could all replace them and SFTD. Those songs feel like a much better representation of the band.

The funny thing is the reviewer Chris Ott was such an asshole that Pitchfork decided to just delete his reviews from their website entirely. The only way to find his reviews is through the Wayback Machine.

Pitchfork is infamous for deleting older reviews; particularly when they use less than PC language (like this one) or when it's negative review for band that later gained popularity, credibility, or a general critical reassessment. They reviewed Appetite for Destruction in 2017 (as part of their Sunday review of classic albums) and gave it a perfect score. 

To be fair, if I remember correctly, their Chinese Democracy review, while not positive, was more even-handed and actually gave some thoughtful discussion to the music. Also, they gave more attention to "Absurd" and "Hard Skool" than a lot of other major publications which cover rock music.  

First off, completely forgot that Pitchfork reviewed this album back in the day. Second off, I tend to forget just how insufferable and overwrought those old Pitchfork reviews, up until about 2010, really were. They started toning it down considerably after that, and even more so once they got bought. But my God, those older reviews are like reading the old movie reviews at Ain't It Cool News from the 1990s. 

For all the hate it gets, I consider the Greatest Hits album to possibly be one of the most important in terms of the band's commercial legacy. This album and Velvet Revolver combined helped introduce the band to a whole new generation of young adults at a time when many saw GN'R as a footnote in musical history. It helped cement the band's status as a legacy band. 

Would take "My World" over "Get in the Ring" any day. 

VERY hard round for me; this seems harder than this point in Appetite for Destruction. I hope for "Coma" as a winner as it remains an unmarked opus in the band's catalogue. Ultimately went with "November Rain" here. The outro is gorgeous, but I feel Don't Cry is hard to beat in effectiveness and one of my favorite Slash solos. 

1 hour ago, EvanG said:

I think it's just an error in the booklet. Slash has said before that the only lead part Izzy played on UYI is the intro to Back Off Bitch.
What made it an interesting discussion is that the solo sounds a bit uninspiring if it is Slash. You would have expected him to play it more like the way he plays it live.
But it has Slash's tone and why would he play it live if he doesn't play it on the record?
I think one of the arguments was that Izzy could have played it with Slash's guitar and amp settings and that live he left it up to Slash because it turns into a prolonged solo and Slash is the noodler in the band after all.

 

This. There's a thread somewhere here about it. Certain pressings of the CD and cassette list Izzy as lead guitar on the song, but other say Slash. It's 100% Slash. 

Voted for "The Garden" again, but "Don't Damn Me" would be next. Surprised there are people who do not like "Perfect Crime", I think that's one of the most badass songs they've recorded. 

Now we're starting to get tough; gonna have to go with "The Garden". 

For as much as people talk about the Use your Illusions album containing filler (and admittedly, the Use Your Illusion II seems a little bit more guilty of this than Use Your Illusion I), after eliminating these first three songs, it has actually made me realize how solid of an album this is. I am going to have to go with "Live and Let Die". I consider it a completely serviceable cover, and always killer live (the one song Axl has never faltered on), but the band doesn't put enough of their "stamp" on it to make it stand out. Like others said, it came down to this or "Bad Obsession" at this point, but I think "Bad Obsession" has enough of the GN'R "soul" that I am willing to let it live another day. 

Did not even have to think: "Back off Bitch". 

With Appetite, I had a general idea of where things would go, even if it was not my personal opinion (i.e., I am a huge an of the Appetite version of "You're Crazy" but know it is not well-loved). Lies came out swinging with one of the songs I assumed would go towards the end being knocked out early (or was it even the first one to go): "Reckless Life". 

Looks like Use Your Illusion I will follow the "Lies" trend. I certainly did not expect "Bad Apples" to go first (as it's looking). I personally love the song, but figured it would at least make it half-way. In complete seriousness, what makes "Bad Apples" worse than, say "Back off Bitch", one of the most boring songs in the GN'R catalogue? 

Maybe it's because it remains a Guns N' Roses song I overlooked for years (so it has not "worn out" to me), but I actually consider "You Ain't the First" one of the highlights.