war wrote:

am i better than you? no. do i know more about music than you? no. but i do honestly believe some can process more than others. i can smoke a joint and listen to catcher (album version) in awe as i soak in the collage of sounds. others can't and that is why this song is not for everyone. no song, ofcourse, is for everyone. you will never find me voluntarily listening to sweet child or novmeber rain.

Millions of stoned hippies loved the grateful dead, too.

I prefer to not have to be stoned to appreciate Guns and Roses.

It isn't because the music is "Too Complex" *my favorite excuse* or what have u, I just think it sounds very manufactured, very robotic, very tight and the music just doesn't breathe. too much studio magic etc etc.

sometimes I just want to hear a kick ass guitar solo without 2 billion effects on it.

The VR and GNR thing is perfectly easy to see

VR, dirty bluesy riff rockers could use a bit more focus a la Axl

GNR  too many ballads not enough balls which the old band lends

I get where you are coming from D-machine.  I think CD, Raid, Shacklers, and Scraped are the weakest songs on the album.  Those 4 songs could have been great if their arrangements had been more raw.   Its on those 4 songs that I really miss Slash and the rest of the original members.  I find myself wishing those songs had more prominent drum, rythym guitar, and bass riffs (especially in the intros)....and a lead guitar that connected with the songs better .  Could I at least get a little cymbals and cowbell? 

I think Axl is great at singing vocals, writing lyrics, and composing ballads...but he could use a little help on his rock arrangements.

That being said, I really love the album.  I haven't listened to a cd this much in years.

Smoking Guns wrote:

D, I appreciate your posts and your honesty.  GNR was like the San Francisco 49'ers of the 80's early 90's... A dynasty.  When anything less than a championship was a disgrace.....  Now 49'er fans are happy with a winning season and say "well, there is a lot of parity now".  GNR used to be the biggest greatest baddest band on the planet.  Now none of those words make me think of GNR.  Its a shame to see how far GNR has fallen.  I do "like" some songs on the album.

To a certain extent I think GNR fans hold Axl to an unfair standard. Granted he brought some of that on himself with allowing the album to be hyped so much, but NO ONE from that era can make music like they did in their prime. Its literally impossible. All artists peak in their late 20s/early 30s. Are Metallica, AC/DC. Megadeth,etc. making music to the standard they set decades ago? Hell no. I haven't heard the AC/DC album in its entirety yet, but that Metallica album is pure shit. These bands are all shells of their former selves. You cant expect AC/DC to make Highway to Hell quality music anymore and you cant expect Metallica to make a Master of Puppets/Justice type album anymore. All these artists we grew up with are either approaching fifty or are in their fifties.

So why does Axl have to be placed on a pedestal he can no longer stand on? When VR released their first album, I didn't see people bitching that it wasn't as good as their prior resumes. They just enjoyed whatever songs they liked on the album. Axl releases something and its supposed to surpass AFD.

IF there's a second album, I hope Axl avoids creating another hype machine(it clearly didn't work on any level) and just lets the music do the talking. Then maybe expectations can come back down to earth. Face it....He will NEVER, ever do anything fresh or innovative again. He can still make some good music obviously, but its time for the long time fans to realize the AFD-UYI type output of music for this band(ANY lineup) is loooooooong gone.