If GnR released an album in 1997.......what would have happened?

[Apollo]

Since there is no news about a future GnR album, let's talk about the past for a minute, just for run.

Let's say the band took a year or two off from each other, vacationed, cleared their heads, etc and got back together and wrote a new album and released in 1997.

How do you think it would have done???

Obviously we don't know what songs would have been on it. So pretend it's an extension from the Illusions, with a bit of a harder edge (not as many ballads). Songs similar to:

Nightrain

Rocketqueen

Oh My God

You Could Be Mine

Set Me Free

Fall to Pieces

This I Love

Whatever the best 2-3 songs that were on the Snake Pit albums.

Street of Dreams

IRS

Perfect Crime

Keep in mind that the five biggest "songs" of 1997 were:

candle in the wind - Elton john

Missing you - Puff Daddy

Barbie Girl - Aqua something

Don't Speak - No Doubt

MMMbop - Hanson

And the "big" rock songs were by Oasis, Foo Fighters. And rock hits included songs like "Falling Down" by Aerosmith, Midnight in Chelsea by Bon Jovi and The Meaning Remains by Metallica.

Personally, I think that the rock world NEEDED a Guns n Roses album and a quality GnR album would have been the biggest rock record of the year. You Could Be Mine is better than any of the rock hits of that year.

So that's my humble opinion.

A GnR record would have been the biggest selling rock album of 1997.

You?

[DR DOOM]

I'm sure it still would have been a big seller, but in my neck of the woods GNR became really passé around 1994 when suddenly "everybody" traded their GNR shirts in for Pearl Jam ones

Least that's how I remember it

[Apollo]

I'm sure it still would have been a big seller, but in my neck of the woods GNR became really passé around 1994 when suddenly "everybody" traded their GNR shirts in for Pearl Jam ones

Least that's how I remember it

Agreed that they were overplayed and people got sick of them.

But by 1997 they'd been out of the public eye for a couple of years.

[DR DOOM]

I'm sure it still would have been a big seller, but in my neck of the woods GNR became really passé around 1994 when suddenly "everybody" traded their GNR shirts in for Pearl Jam ones

Least that's how I remember it

Agreed that they were overplayed and people got sick of them.

But by 1997 they'd been out of the public eye for a couple of years.

I remember being very excited when Ozzy hired Joe Holmes and let Zakk Wylde go (96 IIRC) because he was supposedly now in GNR

[maynard]

By 1997, grunge was not huge anymore. I remember seeing Oasis and The Prodigy everywhere... It's Axl, Slash, Izzy (?) we're talking here right? They're more than capable of creating a cool 90s rock tune... without selling their soul in the process. Take Slither for example, it sounds really fresh, drop D tuning, yadda yadda yadda, but it's still clearly Slash... Of course a song like My World would never be a hit, Axl simply can't do industrial, he sucks at it.

A solo album by Axl would be the perfect way to go. JBJ did it, Rob Halford did it, Bruce Dickinson... They were mature and humble enough to do it and they have my respect, specially Bruce. His solo albums are 1000 times better than IM, IMO.

[DR DOOM]

I know it's pretty much hated, but I think Motley Crue's Generation Swine from 1997 was/is a (mostly) really good album and in a (my) perfect world the 97 GNR album that never made it would be something like that.

It has some "grungey" bits, some electronic elements...they got it out of their systems.

Edited June 16, 2014 by DR DOOM

[Guest Len B'stard]

I'm sure it still would have been a big seller, but in my neck of the woods GNR became really passé around 1994 when suddenly "everybody" traded their GNR shirts in for Pearl Jam ones

Least that's how I remember it

Exactly how i recall it too, earlier even, like 92/93.

[Lio]

I personally don't think it would have been such a success. I was just looking at what I listened to in 1997 (music I heard when I went out, on festivals etc...) There were the ones you mentioned, but also Radiohead, Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Blur, Oasis, The Verve, Chumbawamba... It could be me, though, I wasn't really into rock anymore at the time.

EDIT: And yes, what Lenny and Dr. Doom said: I think GNR became passé here maybe as early as the second half of 1992.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Lio

[Guest Len B'stard]

By 1997, grunge was not huge anymore.

This too although it kinda became the standard of American rock to a fair few particularly uninspired people, so you had grunge smelling shit out for a fair while after, even now really.

Edited June 16, 2014 by sugaraylen

[D-GenerationX]

I'm sure it still would have been a big seller, but in my neck of the woods GNR became really passé around 1994 when suddenly "everybody" traded their GNR shirts in for Pearl Jam ones

Least that's how I remember it

Same here.

I always said they needed to wait it out until, say, 1998. Then they'd have been welcomed back.

[maynard]

Chumbawamba...

Shit man, now I'm all nostalgic. What a shitty band hahaha

EDIT: Just imagine a GNR show with RATM as openers. Fucking killer!

EDIT 2: Watching Oasis and GNR same night at Rio 3 left my teenager dick hard for like, 2 weeks

Edited June 16, 2014 by ProstituteComa

[alfierose]

I personally don't think it would have been such a success. I was just looking at what I listened to in 1997 (music I heard when I went out, on festivals etc...) There were the ones you mentioned, but also Radiohead, Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Blur, Oasis, The Verve, Chumbawamba... It could be me, though, I wasn't really into rock anymore at the time.

EDIT: And yes, what Lenny and Dr. Doom said: I think GNR became passé here maybe as early as the second half of 1992.

Same here. I remember a lot of Brit Pop. Can't speak for the rest of the world of course.

[Lio]

Chumbawamba...

Shit man, now I'm all nostalgic. What a shitty band hahaha

EDIT: Just imagine a GNR show with RATM as openers. Fucking killer!

EDIT 2: Watching Oasis and GNR same night at Rio 3 left my teenager dick hard for like, 2 weeks

I only know the one song (Tubthumping), I still think it's great though

[SlashisGOD]

A solo album by Axl would be the perfect way to go. JBJ did it, Rob Halford did it, Bruce Dickinson... They were mature and humble enough to do it and they have my respect, specially Bruce. His solo albums are 1000 times better than IM, IMO.

Bruce's solo albums are fucking great, but better than Maiden? I don't know man. Skunkworks is his best though IMO.

I think a GN'R album in 97 would have been a modest hit, but by that time they were out of favor. I think it would have sold a few million and then been forgotten. The mid-late 90s were a bad time for real rock/metal music.

[maynard]

A solo album by Axl would be the perfect way to go. JBJ did it, Rob Halford did it, Bruce Dickinson... They were mature and humble enough to do it and they have my respect, specially Bruce. His solo albums are 1000 times better than IM, IMO.

Bruce's solo albums are fucking great, but better than Maiden? I don't know man. Skunkworks is his best though IMO.

I think a GN'R album in 97 would have been a modest hit, but by that time they were out of favor. I think it would have sold a few million and then been forgotten. The mid-late 90s were a bad time for real rock/metal music.

Yeah man, just my humble opinion. I fucking love Bruce's albums, specially those with Adrian. 80s Maiden is equally great, of course.

[IncitingChaos]

Axl said it was some of their best work, but Slash left so he obviously thought it sucked!

I'm guessing it had a really mature rock sound. Something like civil war with a mix of November rain type songs. Slash probably wanted something really simple where as Axl was looking to make things really deep and complex.

I think Axl just wanted to keep being the best band with a new sound. He likely hated the idea of complacency and re doing the same sound over and over.

Slash probably wanted to keep the formula going.

In the end had the record released id imagine it being a bunch of 6-8 minute songs with mature lyrics and fast pace guitar playing from Slash. Who knows what the sound was of the album though. I think Axl said they completed 7 songs with Slash before he left. It would be interesting to hear those songs now...or maybe we have heard them.

[MEXzilla]

If Axl would have released CD in 97 or early 00s the band and himself would have been immortalized as the greatest band of their time, quite arguably ever(imo they are). Similar to how U2 or Madonna or Chilli Peppers and many other old acts made a record at that time(whether good or bad) GnR would have had success and people would have gone crazy. Comebacks can make people forget the past and or fix it, GnR would have gotten the respect they deserve.

[Coma16]

It would really depend on the material.

[UK SUBS]

Honestly? If GNR had kept together from '94 and released and toured every 4/5 years? They'd be as big as The Rolling Stones, U2 and Queen -- in other words, one of THE greatest bands in the world. Absolutely no question.

[maynard]

Honestly? If GNR had kept together from '94 and released and toured every 4/5 years? They'd be as big as The Rolling Stones, U2 and Queen -- in other words, one of THE greatest bands in the world. Absolutely no question.

Agreed. Specially with a Axl solo album out of his system.

[Apollo]

Honestly? If GNR had kept together from '94 and released and toured every 4/5 years? They'd be as big as The Rolling Stones, U2 and Queen -- in other words, one of THE greatest bands in the world. Absolutely no question.

Finally, somebody who gets it.

I don't understand people claiming that GnR was blasé and nobody cared about them anymore. It's like they forgot just how HUGE GnR was.........and they've forgotten that bands used to put out albums every couple of years. What is even more strange are the ones who say that nobody would have cared about them in 1996 or 1997 but them claim that an album in 2014 would do great?

We're talking about what was probably the biggest rock band in the world at one point. Why wouldn't people care anymore about them? That's like saying people wouldn't care about - in their heyday - Metallica or Aerosmith or The Rolling Stones.

Axl put out a GnR record in 2008 that didn't include any original members and it sold 5 million copies. A GnR album in 1997, with Slash/Duff and Izzy would have easily sold 10 million copies and been the top selling rock album of the year. The Illusions sold almost 20 millions album each. You think those 20 million fans would have dropped down to almost nothing a few years later?

I guess the real question then would be why were bands like the ones I mentioned (metallica, Bon Jovi) able to release albums and remain successful - but you think Guns n Roses wouldn't have? Especially considering how well their last album of original material did?

[tinyrobot]

There's no way to know, but one thing is for sure, if they had kept releasing albums steadily, they would be one of the greatest bands ever.

That's where Axl and everybody else failed, not thinking years ahead, and not accepting that is perfectly fine to make OK music once in a while. Not like every album had to be like AFD. And if that next album had failed, they could have created a new one next year. I dunno why this worked different for GNR, when most successful bands mentioned above never got stuck.

It definitely had to do with their personalities and horrible egos. Shitty people ruining an awesome band.

I don't know about Axl making a solo album...who would have convinced him of that? Can't believe how insecure he is with all the talent he has.... Terrible mistakes.

[IncitingChaos]

Sad thing is Axl told Slash they would be the greatest band ever and make billions if he didn't leave. It was one of Axl's last pleas in his phone calls with Slash to get him to stay. Maybe that's why Axl is still bitter, because of what Slash gave up.

Edited June 16, 2014 by IncitingChaos

[Val22]

1997 saw the "pop" era. Backstreet boys, Hansen and other boy/girl bands.

I think hopefully, just like in 1988 GNR would have made an album that would have turned the tide back to hard rock and roll and knocked all those poppy songs off the charts.

I think the original members should have taken a break and gone to rehab and taking care of themselves. Then they should have all met up and rationally discussed the future of GNR. Everyone was burned out after UYI1 and 2 and the tour, so what they needed was good management to let them be for awhile.

But no one was rational enough to think and no one helped them along. Every band has their problems and since GNR blew up fairly quickly, none of them were really ready for it. Instead of having people who looked after them and cared for them, they were all "yes men" and let them run wild.

It's really a shame because this is a band that changed the world and yet no one came to their rescue when they imploded.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Val22

[Evil Ernie]

Another GNR album in the 90's?

IMO it would have been one of the biggest sellers of the decade. Possibly more than IYI's.