Was "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" worthy of being a GN'R album?

[Shuffle]

The way it was released? No. But if the whole band would've worked on the songs, including (and especially) Axl, the finished record wouldn't have been It's Five O'Clock Somewhere but an entirely different beast and it could've been a really good GN'R album. It still would've missed Izzy's touch but Gilby was a decent stand-in so it could've worked out alright.

[Velvet-Rose]

I've always believed this album to be the closest thing we've had to Guns since.

Throw in some better lyrics, Axls howls, a bit of interplay between Slash, Duff and Izzy and its easily worthy of a Guns place.

Much much much better than CD.

[Rovim]

As it is, it just doesn't compare with anything Gn'R released, including Chinese Democracy. I do think it could've been a lot better with Axl,Izzy and Duff working on it but the songs Slash came up with are nothing special imo. His playing is great though, as always.

It just seems it wasn't a finished work, but had potential. You don't get the replay value that you get with any Gn'R album.

[Vincent Vega]

I wouldn't have wanted Izzy to come back.

I'd have liked to see what Axl, Gilby and Slash could do together.

As ir is, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere is Guns minus Axl. It's basically like what Heaven and Hell was to Black Sabbath:

It's Guns N' Roses just released under another brand name.

[bacardimayne]

Sure, it's good compared to most of the solo material any of the members have put out since, but I still don't think it'd have been worthy of the Guns name. The songs really aren't that good when you compare them with what GNR had written before, even the Illusions. Nothing without Izzy should be called GNR imo, and that includes CD.

Edited October 30, 2010 by bacardimayne

[Vincent Vega]

Sure, it's good compared to most of the solo material any of the members have put out since, but I still don't think it'd have been worthy of the Guns name. The songs really aren't that good when you compare them with what GNR had written before, even the Illusions. Nothing without Izzy should be called GNR imo, and that includes CD.

Even if the lineup was Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Steven/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Paul/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

I mean if you have Axl, Slash, and Duff, you have 3/5ths of the original GN'R, which is more than half.

[bacardimayne]

Sure, it's good compared to most of the solo material any of the members have put out since, but I still don't think it'd have been worthy of the Guns name. The songs really aren't that good when you compare them with what GNR had written before, even the Illusions. Nothing without Izzy should be called GNR imo, and that includes CD.

Even if the lineup was Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Steven/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Paul/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

I mean if you have Axl, Slash, and Duff, you have 3/5ths of the original GN'R, which is more than half.

Yes. Axl and Izzy were the core songwriters of GNR. Without Izzy, the songs would never be the same. Snakepit simply does not sound like GNR in the way the other albums do.

[Velvet-Rose]

Sure, it's good compared to most of the solo material any of the members have put out since, but I still don't think it'd have been worthy of the Guns name. The songs really aren't that good when you compare them with what GNR had written before, even the Illusions. Nothing without Izzy should be called GNR imo, and that includes CD.

Even if the lineup was Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Gilby/Duff/Steven/Dizzy?

Or Axl/Slash/Paul/Duff/Matt/Dizzy?

I mean if you have Axl, Slash, and Duff, you have 3/5ths of the original GN'R, which is more than half.

Yes. Axl and Izzy were the core songwriters of GNR. Without Izzy, the songs would never be the same. Snakepit simply does not sound like GNR in the way the other albums do.

I agree and disagree.

Snakepit sounds like Guns n Roses through Slash's playing, personality and style. Slash is Guns n Roses so it sounds guns n roses. But it lacked the 4 other key elements to Guns (in most songs, Duff did a couple songs here and there)

CD, sounds like Guns as far as lyrics and vocals go.

Loaded, VR and Izzys effort have a lot of Guns n them...but more sparadically.

It all has that Guns sound a feel...but a watered down one due them on being a small percentage Guns.

[bacardimayne]

I agree and disagree.

Snakepit sounds like Guns n Roses through Slash's playing, personality and style. Slash is Guns n Roses so it sounds guns n roses. But it lacked the 4 other key elements to Guns (in most songs, Duff did a couple songs here and there)

CD, sounds like Guns as far as lyrics and vocals go.

Loaded, VR and Izzys effort have a lot of Guns n them...but more sparadically.

It all has that Guns sound a feel...but a watered down one due them on being a small percentage Guns.

It sounds like a Slash solo album. I simply can't imagine them being released by the actual GNR band. When I listen to I5oCS I don't think "Guns N' Roses", I think "Slash". The only exception is Beggars' first verse, which kinda reminds me of some UYI songs. Like classicrawker said, the songs themselves don't sound like GNR, but the riffs had potential. With the whole band writing on them from the start, it might have produced a few good Guns songs.

[GNR123GNR456]

I agree and disagree.

Snakepit sounds like Guns n Roses through Slash's playing, personality and style. Slash is Guns n Roses so it sounds guns n roses. But it lacked the 4 other key elements to Guns (in most songs, Duff did a couple songs here and there)

CD, sounds like Guns as far as lyrics and vocals go.

Loaded, VR and Izzys effort have a lot of Guns n them...but more sparadically.

It all has that Guns sound a feel...but a watered down one due them on being a small percentage Guns.

It sounds like a Slash solo album. I simply can't imagine them being released by the actual GNR band. When I listen to I5oCS I don't think "Guns N' Roses", I think "Slash". The only exception is Beggars' first verse, which kinda reminds me of some UYI songs. Like classicrawker said, the songs themselves don't sound like GNR, but the riffs had potential. With the whole band writing on them from the start, it might have produced a few good Guns songs.

Yeah, im the same, I think, this is a good Slash solo album. I don't think Guns ' Rose becasuse it's not Guns N Roses.

[The Glow Inc.]

Voted yes...

It's 5 o' clock is fucking awesome and features some of Slash's best guitar playing ever.

And yes, that album with Axl vocals would have been fantastic.

Not sure why Axl rejected it...

[Velvet-Rose]

I agree and disagree.

Snakepit sounds like Guns n Roses through Slash's playing, personality and style. Slash is Guns n Roses so it sounds guns n roses. But it lacked the 4 other key elements to Guns (in most songs, Duff did a couple songs here and there)

CD, sounds like Guns as far as lyrics and vocals go.

Loaded, VR and Izzys effort have a lot of Guns n them...but more sparadically.

It all has that Guns sound a feel...but a watered down one due them on being a small percentage Guns.

It sounds like a Slash solo album. I simply can't imagine them being released by the actual GNR band. When I listen to I5oCS I don't think "Guns N' Roses", I think "Slash". The only exception is Beggars' first verse, which kinda reminds me of some UYI songs. Like classicrawker said, the songs themselves don't sound like GNR, but the riffs had potential. With the whole band writing on them from the start, it might have produced a few good Guns songs.

I get what your saying.

But I identify Slash's guitar and sound Guns n Roses, in the exact same way as you (and I) hear Axl's voice and think Guns n Roses.

I defo agree that it dosent have the re-play factor that GnR albums have. But as far as im concerned...Its some of Slashs best material...just weak in the parts Izzy, Axl and Duff would have filled.

I love Adlers Cowbell on it too but Matt does a fine job of Drums himself.

[J Dog]

No for two reasons. First I dont think is was on Guns level, it was good, but thats about it, as someone said it doesnt have the replay value. Second, at that point in time, the Guns sound was kind of going out of style. They needed something fresh to remain relevant. If they had followed up TSI with 5 o'clock, it would not have been well received imo.

Edited November 3, 2010 by J Dog

[dalsh327]

Hard to say. Once the band and producers fleshed it out, would've taken on a whole other direction.

The problem is if a band feels like they need to compete with what's out there, they start sounding like it, and people will always call them out when they do it. It's a sign that a band is losing it's mojo. It's one thing to use a hot producer because you want to still sound like the same band everyone knows and loves, but when you start wanting to sound like what's hot at the time? Real risky. Think Dave Mustaine doing "Risk" and hockey anthems. Or Van Halen III. Or KISS "Carnival of Souls".

[sergiodefenders]

5 Oclock Somewhere sounds exactly what it is...ideas Slash had for the next GnR album before Axl, Izzy, and Duff added their parts...........Slash said repeatedly in inteviews in 1994/ 95 that it was a collection of songs he wrote for the next Guns album. After itnitally rejecting them Axl came back to Slash and wanted to work on some of the songs but Slash had already committed them to his Snakepit album by that point.

I think Izzy's 2001 interview in Classic Rock magazine gives a hint of what might have happened with the 5 Oclock songs if he had still been in the band

"In Guns N' Roses, I would come up with an idea for a song [starts playing simple chords] and the first thing that would always happen was Slash getting hold of it and going chunka-chunka-chunka!" He hacks out a blur of agressive riffs. "I'd be going, OK, it's already changed a little bit. Then Axl would come in and go, 'We've gotta do more lyris, we've gotta have more vocals, more back-ups, let's layer this'. So by the time it was finished it was like, holy shit! What a monster!"

Also from the same article when asked if there was a reunion would they be able to come up with a new album togther after all these years

"Well, you know what? It's funny cos like me, Duff and Slash - we could go in and make a Guns N' Roses record in a week. basic tracks. [but] vocals and leads [instrumentation] could take God knows how long..."

IMHO, not all the songs form "It's 5 Oclock Somewhere" where Guns material but many of the riffs would have made great Guns songs with some massagin of Axl, Izzy and Duff............

The AFD band just had the perfect chemistry for writing songs when they were all writing together which is why AFD is one of the all time greatest rock albums.....In the case of Guns N Roses the sum is much greater than the individual parts..............

think the same.