Guns N' Roses = Best Rock Band Ever

[ITW 2012]

GNR and The Stones are my two all time favorite rock bands.

[Granny]

Alright. Read the discussion so far. The thread is titled "Guns N Roses - Best Rock Band Ever". That means, we don't talk about how big they were, how much albums they released and sold and how many people like or liked them, or which influence they took on music history. This is all not part of the question.

First: We are talking about ROCK bands. The Beatles e.g. have never been a rock band, have they? They were always a POP band. Pop as in popular. Popular music is called popular because it is meant to be universal and pleasant to most people. True Rock n' Roll has never been meant to please as many people as possible. It was from the beginning meant to excite and to stir up, to have its listeners freak out and revolt against the establishment and due to this quality to disturb and outface the establishment and its representatives. This is the spirit of Rock n' Roll. Rock n' Roll is rebellion, nothing less. If it ain't rebellious, it ain't Rock n' Roll.

Second: Having stated this, the best Rock band must be the one that best represents this spirit of rebellion and never ceases to do so. Right?

Third: And only now do we really enter the field of personal opinion, wouldn't you agree? The difficult thing about things like "spirit" is, that it is so difficult to measure. Everybody has a different impression about its intensity and how it resonates with him. But I would certainly say that TO ME there is no rock band that captured the spirit of vicious rage against the establishment better than Guns n' Roses did. And at least Axl Rose still is a true rocker who give's fuck about what everybody expects him to do for what reason ever as long as he doesn't want to do it for his own reasons. I don't really know about the rest of the new lineup. If they are as rebellious as Axl they don't show it like he does.

So, my personal conclusion: Guns n' Roses in the line-up they had when they first hit the established rock scene big time were the best Rock n' Roll band ever. Appetite For Destruction, truly. The Most Dangerous Band Of The World, truly. The one who mainly transported this mean and aggressive attitude of the band to the audience and the only one left to apparently still live it is Axl Rose. He grew older, became more balanced, but he does still live it.

If young Guns n' Roses were the best Rock band ever, then Axl Rose is indeed the last man standing today and the world's best rocker. Not the best frontman ever, not the best singer ever, but for now the all time best rocker.

[Gibbz]

In my opinion, I'd have to agree with you on this one.

[AxlCorp]

this topic is about personal perspective

for me, I agree, GnR, best band ever.

but I understand other's opinions.

[bacardimayne]

I'd say The Beatles.

I have to somewhat agree here. The Beatles were, in my opinion, the best and most influential band ever. GNR is definitely my favorite though.

Watch me get called a Beatles educator.

[jmapelian]

As much as I love GnR and AFD is one of my favorite albums of all time; in no way do I consider then the best rock band ever-my vote would probably go to zeppelin, who is my favorite band

they just don't have the body of work or longevity - I mean, they were huge from 88-93/4; and really don't resurface w/ new material till 2008 that largely came and went w/ little fanfare except among die hards

[Scaramouche]

It's funny how a person starts a topic on a gnr forum saying that gnr is the best band ever, and all we do is to not agree.

I guess we can agree on one thing, to US they're the best!

They're the best band out playing right now right? U2 is one we can compare, but they're lame concidered to gnr. Even Muse is lame if you put them on a stage besides of gnr. GREAT I really love guns right now

[sweet child 76]

I think GNR was the best rock band to ever come out of the 80's, for those of us that remember the spandex and big hair days of glam metal. when GNR came out they were different, dangerous and Axl scared the crap out of our parents, which is exactly what appealed to kids of the time. I think they injected something into the music industry which was badly needed in the late 80's. Therefore, I think they were the best rock band of their day,best rock band ever? Well it's hard to say, but they were extremely influential on the music scene of the time. I think the Stones or Zeppelin are good candidates, but GNR changed the sound and look of rock music.

[Tyson]

People, essentially, everything comes down to opinion. In MY opinion, GNR are the best EVER. I'm not looking at longevity, consistency or album totals. I am talking about the amount of great songs they made and how they stack up, in my estimation, against other bands considered to be classic rock. Yup, I really like The Stones and think Zepplin made some incredible music. Call it taste, but I will take GNR over both of those bands any day of the week.

[sweet child 76]

Don't get me wrong, I think GNR are the best ever, but thats just my opinion.... I never listen to the Stones or Zep . Thats for my parents

[Loaded]

No

[dalsh327]

Alright. Read the discussion so far. The thread is titled "Guns N Roses - Best Rock Band Ever". That means, we don't talk about how big they were, how much albums they released and sold and how many people like or liked them, or which influence they took on music history. This is all not part of the question.

First: We are talking about ROCK bands. The Beatles e.g. have never been a rock band, have they? They were always a POP band. Pop as in popular. Popular music is called popular because it is meant to be universal and pleasant to most people. True Rock n' Roll has never been meant to please as many people as possible. It was from the beginning meant to excite and to stir up, to have its listeners freak out and revolt against the establishment and due to this quality to disturb and outface the establishment and its representatives. This is the spirit of Rock n' Roll. Rock n' Roll is rebellion, nothing less. If it ain't rebellious, it ain't Rock n' Roll.

Second: Having stated this, the best Rock band must be the one that best represents this spirit of rebellion and never ceases to do so. Right?

Third: And only now do we really enter the field of personal opinion, wouldn't you agree? The difficult thing about things like "spirit" is, that it is so difficult to measure. Everybody has a different impression about its intensity and how it resonates with him. But I would certainly say that TO ME there is no rock band that captured the spirit of vicious rage against the establishment better than Guns n' Roses did. And at least Axl Rose still is a true rocker who give's fuck about what everybody expects him to do for what reason ever as long as he doesn't want to do it for his own reasons. I don't really know about the rest of the new lineup. If they are as rebellious as Axl they don't show it like he does.

So, my personal conclusion: Guns n' Roses in the line-up they had when they first hit the established rock scene big time were the best Rock n' Roll band ever. Appetite For Destruction, truly. The Most Dangerous Band Of The World, truly. The one who mainly transported this mean and aggressive attitude of the band to the audience and the only one left to apparently still live it is Axl Rose. He grew older, became more balanced, but he does still live it.

If young Guns n' Roses were the best Rock band ever, then Axl Rose is indeed the last man standing today and the world's best rocker. Not the best frontman ever, not the best singer ever, but for now the all time best rocker.

All pop means is that it was or is popular and appeals to a wide range of people. If you're talking about Paul Anka or Frankie Avalon, sure.

Calling the Beatles a pop group is like calling the Eagles a country band.

Rock music wasn't a "f-- the establishment", it broke racial barriers, and THAT scared the hell out of the establishment. Frank Zappa wrote about this, and what John Waters made "Hairspray" about - cops shut down rock bands at the time because you had RACIAL INTEGRATION. It wasn't about the music. It was about racism - black men having their way with white girls. In the late 50s, whether this was an effort by Hoover or by coincidence, they silenced most of the biggest voices in rock and roll within a YEAR.

Then there was Ricky Nelson. Who was more rock than pop, and because of the TV show - wound up being the biggest rock artists of the late 50s-early 60s. It's a given he kept rock music alive in between Elvis and The Beatles. And as far as rock star deaths go - most impressive rock star death.

Then these British kids came over with a LOT more respect towards black music and the artists that created it, which is why a lot of R&B artists wound up touring Europe in the early 60s on these package tours. The stuff from America that wasn't being played on radio, the bands in England wound up learning a lot of it... and the kids in parts of England could relate to the blues and rock, yet on home turf, none of these legends got the respect they deserved and were either homeless or working menial jobs. By the end of the 60s, they were pretty much set.

Also, people started becoming more tolerant towards integration. Rock music without a doubt was THE biggest contributing factor to that. Black artists started being promoted better, were on album covers, Ray Charles played a big part in that, too... he came up with a country record. Louis Armstrong, too. But in the 60s, black artists were in the forefront of music. A lot of black artists wound up doing pop and rock music, and having more and more hits.

The Beatles helped bring some of the Motown hits to the forefront. The first albums they did in America featured a pretty healthy dose of Smokey, Little Richard, and even the girl groups were covered. So they DID do some pop songs, but they were still NOT what I'd call a "pop" act.

But there's way too many songs to mention to label them "pop" - A Hard Days Night, Helter Skelter, Back in the USSR, I Am the Walrus, Revolution, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, etc. Where's the pop sound?

Other than that, Dave Clark 5 you could call pop, but to me they had a great pounding beat to their songs. The Yardbirds were more pop than The Beatles were, in that case. Which is why Clapton left.

A pop act from the 60s is something like Hermans Hermits or The Monkees, or the Bee Gees. Maybe The Beach Boys. The stuff Burt Bacharach did with Dionne Warwick was what

pop music was. Pop singers - Tom Jones. Then you have black singers like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding or Tina Turner that were more rock than R&B. If you look at what was winning Grammys in the 60s as "pop", most of it was theme songs. to movies.. "A Summer Place", and these were all being played on the radio.

Look at what was considered "pop" in the 60s, then you'll see and hear The Beatles were rock and not pop.

Here's a question - do you think of "Chinese Democracy" as a "rock album"?

[Stipemanblue]

Don't get me wrong, I think GNR are the best ever, but thats just my opinion.... I never listen to the Stones or Zep . Thats for my parents

The top 3 best bands in terms of judging the overall quality of their albums would be:

1. The Beatles

2. Guns N' Roses

3. The Clash

[dalsh327]

What music critics won't admit to is how GNR saved rock music. They bridged the past (Stones, Aerosmith) to the future (grunge, metal, unplugged, etc). The music business in the late 80s was doing about the same as they are today... a lot of people were being cut from labels, music industry was losing millions. You did have "alternative rock" bands, but if you go back to the late 80s, there was a LOT of overproduced garbage on the radio. It was a fresh sound, a kick in the ass that led to bands like Janes Addiction and even Nirvana and Pearl Jam getting signed.

[jmapelian]

I think GNR was the best rock band to ever come out of the 80's, for those of us that remember the spandex and big hair days of glam metal. when GNR came out they were different, dangerous and Axl scared the crap out of our parents, which is exactly what appealed to kids of the time. I think they injected something into the music industry which was badly needed in the late 80's. Therefore, I think they were the best rock band of their day,best rock band ever? Well it's hard to say, but they were extremely influential on the music scene of the time. I think the Stones or Zeppelin are good candidates, but GNR changed the sound and look of rock music.

according to ozzy in his book; zeppelin changed rock just as guns did w their first album; it's all cyclical

[F*ck Fear]

GnR is my favorite band, thats all that matters to me.

Agreed 100%

[Jumpin' Jack Flash]

I think GNR was the best rock band to ever come out of the 80's, for those of us that remember the spandex and big hair days of glam metal. when GNR came out they were different, dangerous and Axl scared the crap out of our parents, which is exactly what appealed to kids of the time. I think they injected something into the music industry which was badly needed in the late 80's. Therefore, I think they were the best rock band of their day,best rock band ever? Well it's hard to say, but they were extremely influential on the music scene of the time. I think the Stones or Zeppelin are good candidates, but GNR changed the sound and look of rock music.

I think you're talking 'bout Nirvana mang..

[WWEROSES]

I think even today GN'R are very underated as a rock band. Even with the old line up. It just pisses me off that they don't really get the credit they deserve, especially with the new line up. Of course, back when they were doing the night club scene, they were getting alot of attention and from what I heard, alot of record labels were to scared to sign them. That right there has to show how great of a band they are. They shooked the world up when all we saw on tv at the time was all these pretty boys in make up and big teased hair all singing and sounding the same. They came and changed the music all for the better. As much as I hate asscoiating GN'R with the 80s, because to me, the 80s and 90s was a bad time for rock music. And GN'R was very much a big part of the 90s as they were the 80s, but thats beside the point. GN'R changed the scene of the 80s alot, changed a generation..much like Nirvana did for the 90s. As far as maybe public or media concerned, they are one of the greatest rock bands ever, but like I said, they wont ever really get the credit and respect that they deserve.

[bacardimayne]

I think GNR was the best rock band to ever come out of the 80's, for those of us that remember the spandex and big hair days of glam metal. when GNR came out they were different, dangerous and Axl scared the crap out of our parents, which is exactly what appealed to kids of the time. I think they injected something into the music industry which was badly needed in the late 80's. Therefore, I think they were the best rock band of their day,best rock band ever? Well it's hard to say, but they were extremely influential on the music scene of the time. I think the Stones or Zeppelin are good candidates, but GNR changed the sound and look of rock music.

I think you're talking 'bout Nirvana mang..

Heh.

Heh heh heh.

Heh heh heh heh heh.

No.

[Jakey Styley]

I think GNR was the best rock band to ever come out of the 80's, for those of us that remember the spandex and big hair days of glam metal. when GNR came out they were different, dangerous and Axl scared the crap out of our parents, which is exactly what appealed to kids of the time. I think they injected something into the music industry which was badly needed in the late 80's. Therefore, I think they were the best rock band of their day,best rock band ever? Well it's hard to say, but they were extremely influential on the music scene of the time. I think the Stones or Zeppelin are good candidates, but GNR changed the sound and look of rock music.

I think you're talking 'bout Nirvana mang..

Heh.

Heh heh heh.

Heh heh heh heh heh.

No.

Lolnirvana

[laxrat]

I love GNR and think they're the only remaining great rock band. Maybe the Stones and U2 still exist, and heck The Who just did the Superbowl, but I don't see them as quite at GNR's potential level IMO.

But as far as "best ever," Zep is beyond all else as far as I'm concerned.

[ColdHeartBreaker]

Nivarna Zeppelin = both got boring, pretty fast.

[D..]

Nivarna Zeppelin = both got boring, pretty fast.

Totally agreed. Nirvana suck imo, no interesting guitar part not to mention the total soulless voice & lyrics. Zeppelin have some great riff but lack something, can't put my finger on it but I don't get it.

[dalsh327]

I love GNR and think they're the only remaining great rock band. Maybe the Stones and U2 still exist, and heck The Who just did the Superbowl, but I don't see them as quite at GNR's potential level IMO.

But as far as "best ever," Zep is beyond all else as far as I'm concerned.

U2 will be around as long as the four of them keep going.

Doing the "Tyson vs Ali" debate - putting GNR in their prime up against Led Zep or The Who in their prime, an Eddie Trunk question...

[loved2deth]

I love GNR and think they're the only remaining great rock band. Maybe the Stones and U2 still exist, and heck The Who just did the Superbowl, but I don't see them as quite at GNR's potential level IMO.

But as far as "best ever," Zep is beyond all else as far as I'm concerned.

U2 will be around as long as the four of them keep going.

Doing the "Tyson vs Ali" debate - putting GNR in their prime up against Led Zep or The Who in their prime, an Eddie Trunk question...

IMO, they are the best ever. Queen is #2. If it still gives me goosebumps years later, it is classic.