not an expert, haven't been around long enough, but whenever i hear about CD and Axl being a perfectionist, i just don't think it's true. i hear music in my head sometimes, and i imagine art sometimes. my inability to translate that into real world material is extremely frustrating, maddeningly so. i always figured Axl was similar. not trying to make perfect music, but just trying to get the sound he hears out into the world exactly as he hears it. which is difficult, cause the sound changes, the human brain is inconsistent. it's like chasing a heat mirage, it's always far away. the ability to stop and accept what you've made despite its imperfections is a learned skill.
AFD and UYI were combined efforts. CD? it was just Axl. he had people play on it, yes, but i'm pretty certain it was just his vision. not a great artist contributing to a collaborative work, but a great artist trying to translate from mind to matter. that's always been the difference from my pov.