I think people are underestimating the effect losing Robin had on Axl

[Jordan Rose]

I saw how happy Axl was to have Robin come out on stage at the HOB in Hollywood. He had a crazy amount of energy. It also sounded a million times better. Im pretty sure Robin was Axl's favorite guitarist. The worst part of the fucked up release of CD was Robin not being there.

That is awesome. Axl rarely sings the naaa naaa naas on the outro which spoils it for me but he gave that 100% and the screaming part was album quality.

Loss of Bucket >>>>>>>>> Loss of Robin >>>> Future Loss of BBF >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Future Loss of Swag

This.

[trqster]

Robin was a sloppy mess playing live.... People just have short memory I guess cause I still remember him back then0 getting flamed all the time on this forum...

@5m25s - Robin's solo

@3m25s - Robin's solo - fortunately BBF kicks in and saves the song...

[Shackler1987]

ehm where did BBF save solo in SCOM coz it is robin from beginning till end

[Russel Nash]

ehm where did BBF save solo in SCOM coz it is robin from beginning till end

This, Robin solo on SCOM was the best one.

[themadcaplaughs]

I, personally, always thought Robin was great. In regards to those who used to flame him and now miss him, sometimes you don't know how good something is until it's gone. With DJ Ashba we have a guitarist that not only mangles solos, but has absolutely no character or his own. I haven't watched that video of Robin playing "Better" with the band in 2012 since the show came online last year, but the difference is literally night and day.

[Russel Nash]

I, personally, always thought Robin was great. In regards to those who used to flame him and now miss him, sometimes you don't know how good something is until it's gone. With DJ Ashba we have a guitarist that not only mangles solos, but has absolutely no character or his own. I haven't watched that video of Robin playing "Better" with the band in 2012 since the show came online last year, but the difference is literally night and day.

Robin was the last Lead Guitarist we had. Now the job is been distributed between the 3.

[One.In.A.Million]

I was always an avid Robin supporter as soon as I became a GN'R fan in early 2004, and I always praised him on the boards. He always noticed me during live shows, and even stagedived on me at Wembley 2006, and the next night he nodded at me to ask me if I wanted a water bottle, and he came right to the barrier and gently threw one right in my hands... GREAT guy.

And then when I flew to Las Vegas from London in 2006 for the 2 Joint shows, as soon as Robin saw me during Jungle. he gave me his sarcastic one sided smile, which I loved and he proceded to destroy WTTJ.

DJ can't play the SCOM solo, or the TIL solo, or the Better solo, or the even the SCOM intro. his solo pieces are the SAME fuckin pattern repeating over and over again, and he doesn't even play the proper chords in Better.

Robin is God, and DJ is a peasant on the streets... simple as.

[Shackler1987]

ehm where did BBF save solo in SCOM coz it is robin from beginning till end

This, Robin solo on SCOM was the best one.

for me personally his SCOM solo and ISE solo were full of energy, which Mr. Ashba lacks and I also enjoyed his NR solo

Edited March 11, 2013 by Shackler1987

[One.In.A.Million]

ehm where did BBF save solo in SCOM coz it is robin from beginning till end

This, Robin solo on SCOM was the best one.

for me personally his SCOM solo and ISE solo were full of energy, which Mr. Ashba lacks and I also enjoyed his NR solo

Robin managed to play the Appetite solos full of energy, while changing them slightly so it braught a fresh approach to the song. He done this to every solo on Appetite, while DJ boringly just copies Slash note for note, and even manages to do that in a generic and boring fashion.

The difference between people thinking Robin messing up a solo, to DJ messing up a solo. Is that Robin often did this on purpose because he got SO into the feel of the music, that he just loses himself in the moment, because he's a true artist.

While when DJ messes up, it's clear that it's simply because he's not skilled enough to handle the demand of a live GN'R show. he looks scared up there sometimes, as if trying to simplify every guitar part he can, just to get through the show...

Edited March 11, 2013 by One.In.A.Million

[Sigh]

I always think it's a shame how members who wrote CD, are no longer involved. People like Robin, Bucket, Brain and even Paul. It's kind of like the best band the world has ever seen that never was able to flurish, and create albums of GOLD.

Now I have no hope in people like DJ, who is just a typical gimicky, Motely Crue type of player which I dispise... The best I wish for now is either Robins return, or at least him returning more for special guest appearances like he did in LA.

That video of Better from LA posted above is proof how much more talented Robin is than DJ. Robin literally just pissed over everything DJ has done live with GN'R since 2009, with that ONE performance of better.

Are you referencing Paul Huge?

[Shackler1987]

ehm where did BBF save solo in SCOM coz it is robin from beginning till end

This, Robin solo on SCOM was the best one.

for me personally his SCOM solo and ISE solo were full of energy, which Mr. Ashba lacks and I also enjoyed his NR solo

Robin managed to play the Appetite solos full of energy, while changing them slightly so it braught a fresh approach to the song. He done this to every solo on Appetite, while DJ boringly just copies Slash note for note, and even manages to do that in a generic and boring fashion.

The difference between people thinking Robin messing up a solo, to DJ messing up a solo. Is that Robin often did this on purpose because he got SO into the feel of the music, that he just loses himself in the moment, because he's a true artist.

While when DJ messes up, it's clear that it's simply because he's not skilled enough to handle the demand of a live GN'R show. he looks scared up there sometimes, as if trying to simplify every guitar part he can, just to get through the show...

Yeah Ashba is good g. player but he does not use soul while mimicking Slash solos ...

[maynard]

Robin is great, specially in NIN where the guitar parts are more about the atmosphere than licks and soloes. He's a great guitar player, don't get me wrong, but he's used to play more with emotion than with technique.

I'm sure his credits go beyond those in the CD booklet. His backing vocals were also very good. Too bad he got tired of GNR, he's my fav guitar player ever.

[Russel Nash]

Robin is great, specially in NIN where the guitar parts are more about the atmosphere than licks and soloes. He's a great guitar player, don't get me wrong, but he's used to play more with emotion than with technique.

I'm sure his credits go beyond those in the CD booklet. His backing vocals were also very good. Too bad he got tired of GNR, he's my fav guitar player ever.

His backing vox on madagascar, OTGM, Brownstone (live).. just perfect.

[evergreen_layne]

Robin is great, specially in NIN where the guitar parts are more about the atmosphere than licks and soloes. He's a great guitar player, don't get me wrong, but he's used to play more with emotion than with technique.

I'm sure his credits go beyond those in the CD booklet. His backing vocals were also very good. Too bad he got tired of GNR, he's my fav guitar player ever.

His backing vox on madagascar, OTGM, Brownstone (live).. just perfect.

Damn watching that 2012 vid made me realize if Robin was still in GNR I would actually go see a show. Haven't seen a show since he left.....

[Cosmo]

You guys overanalize stuff in such a way... LOL

[magisme]

You guys overanalize stuff in such a way... LOL

Let's certainly hope not. Unless they're into that.

[jmapelian]

Its funny you mention robin, when axl mentioned missing slash and duff as signifacnt contributors to his writers block, but no robin, i wonder why?

[tr420]

Robin is great, specially in NIN where the guitar parts are more about the atmosphere than licks and soloes. He's a great guitar player, don't get me wrong, but he's used to play more with emotion than with technique.

I'm sure his credits go beyond those in the CD booklet. His backing vocals were also very good. Too bad he got tired of GNR, he's my fav guitar player ever.

I think he's mine as well. I think his solos are the best on CD.

[estebanf]

GNR has seen so much turnover that the fans become numb to losing another guitar player. But Robin was the guitar player Axl wanted to relaunch GNR and had worked with him since '97. As long as he had Robin Axl felt like he had a partner to go and conquer the world with. Robin was the one person since the originals that had enough charisma on stage to hold his own without Axl. Now when Axl leaves the stage he takes all the charisma with him.

I agree 100% with you.

[cheesecake]

Its funny you mention robin, when axl mentioned missing slash and duff as signifacnt contributors to his writers block, but no robin, i wonder why?

I thought he said they were the contributing factor to his writer's block, NOT missing them is the contributing factor to his writer's block. Something about him claiming Slash said he was an idiot (or along those lines, can't really recall).

[Iron MikeyJ]

I think both buckets and robins departures had a lot to do with not only axl's psychy, but cds continued delay. I think if bucket hadn't quit cd would have been released around 2004. From all the interviews I've seen its probably quite true that axl took the better part of a year off to replace buckethead. Then when bumble came in axl took the band on tour to make money I'm sure, hence the 2006 tour. Then when robin quit that is probably one of the main reasons why cd got no promotion or videos from axl. Because now he had to replace one of the biggest contributers to the album. That's why I don't completly blame axl for this stuff, because imo bucket and robin deserve just as much blame. If they would have remained loyal and stuck it out we would have had at least two albums by now.

With that said Ilike this line up better and I feel they could make a better guns n roses album than the other line up did, even though I love cd. But because of finacial issues, I think another album is quite a while away. Let's be honest here the last time axl made a record fast and inexpensive was gnr lies, and that was a long time ago. It will take at least two years of serious work to see an album imo.

Now back to robin. While Ido think axl had a lot of hope and faith in him, axls no fool, he knew his limitations. When robin messes up, the whole audience knows it. That's the difference between him and every other guitar player gnr has ever had. When ashba or even slash messed up, only guitar nerds would notice. But with robin everyone noticed. Which Idont hate him for. He just struggled with the classic stuff, but he was great on his own stuff, better than ashba imo. But ashba is better at the classic stuff, and good enough with the cd stuff. So he is a better fit for gnr imo.

My final point is yes I'm sure axl mourned the loss of both robin and bucket, but let's be real here. Axl recovered from the loss of slash, so do you really think he was gonna let bucket or robin stop him, no! He just took a year off and found a replacement. When slash quit axl was probably on suicide watch, all bs aside. And Idont say that as a knock on axl, it just has honestly had a huge impact on not only his career, but also his life.

[jimb0]

Robin should have always been rhythm with a few solo spots on songs like Izzy. His duo spots with Bucket and Richard were pretty entertaining. Even his work on sailing. However alone, with no backing tracks, his solo spots made me wanna cringe. He had soul, but he didn't have great chops.

[Iron MikeyJ]

I'm sorry but some of you robin fan boys are full of it. You guys make so many excuses for robin messing up. "He is just so into it that he looses himself, he changes the notes to bring them into the modern era, blah blah blah." The truth is robin had limitations! He is not as versitile of a guitar player that some of you think he is. He did an admirable job on the classic stuff, not horrible by any means. But you all need to stop drinking that kool aid. He struggled with every damn solo slash ever wrote. Period end of story. Its not any other reason, its just plain and simple they were hard for him to do. But that's ok, he played his own stuff great. Some have different talents and abilities. Slash can't play eddie van halens stuff what so ever. He looks like a damn amature when he tries. It just is what it is. But that's why ashba is a better overall fit for gnr than robin was, he plays the classic stuff better than robin and plays the cd stuff pretty solidly as well. Yes ashba is flawed also, he doesn't play the fast part in scom, and other things. But Iwould much rather have ashba and bumble splitting solos like they do, then watching robin butcher the whole damn thing. Musically scom sounds the best right now since slash left. Anybody that disagrees is just a robin fanboy. Sad but true.

Exactly jimbo, well said.

[Bruno P.]

He fucked up because he couldn't handle the material properly at times, simply put. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but his live playing sometimes was so bad that I couldn't listen to some of his solos. His bending was often out of tune, his take on the old material wasn't the best, like this one...

It was cringeworthy. But at times he was plain awesome, like in RIR 2001, when he played much better the same solo, or most of his SCOM solos. But yes, all in all his live playing was hit and miss, but his studio work was that much better. Either way, I cared more about Bucket in 2002 and about Ron in 2006, so I kind of felt he was the secondary guitarist in my books.

People complaining about the way they split the SCOM solo now are totally clueless. It's being played the way it was played in the studio - the first guitar (Ashba's) does the bending after the 1st bit of the solo while another guitar (Ron's) plays the 2nd bit. Before the fast bit Ron does some great guitar harmony following DJ's solo - you can hear it properly at the O2 show, left channel. Here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MTuHeuHH-88#t=212s

Again, Robin was great in a studio setting, but too hit and miss in a live setting. DJ is better at the old material simply because he sticks to what Slash did - and I like Slash's original takes better than Robin's most of the time.

I'd take Robin back any day of the week, though.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Bruno Poeys

[jimb0]

Robin pushed back CD due to some 'tuning problems' which they say had nothing to do with him. We know better.

Robin didn't fuck up - he re-imagined Slash and played Slash better than Slash they say. Yeah, right.

I would hate to fucking be the dude responsible for editing his in studio solo's that's for sure. Too many pitch corrections.