This. SG is just ball bustin' me. The reality is Myles on his best day and Axl on his worst... is no Axl Rose. Myles does sing SCOM better than Axl these days, but even on Appetite For Democracy, I would've taken that SCOM over most Myles/Slash performances.

With all these GN'R with Slash, Duff, Dave & Matt rumors, and with Scott's death, I actually dug up and listened to VR with all the fans talking about their memories of VR... and.... wow.... VR HAS NOT aged well AT ALL.

Contraband is a little better than I originally gave it credit for. I loathed it in 2004. I still don't think it holds a candle to Chinese, but there are some solid songs on there... for their time. One of the main issues which plagues Contraband is it very much sounds like a record with singles from 2004. The album is not near what Slash fans make it out to be, and I actually think Slash's 2010 solo record is superior to it, but of those two, they are without a doubt the closest Slash has came since 1993 of re-capturing his Guns glory.

Libertad is a fucking drink coaster. That album was a waste of computer hard drive space in whatever studio they recorded it in. Scott phones it in and sounds wasted and uninterested even on the record, and most of the songs blend together and are VERY forgettable.

Bucket, even with his 800 albums a year, i'd take Bucket's solo records ANY DAY of the week over Slash's.

P.S.

For all you Gunners looking to catch up on what the returning old Guns were doing since 1990-1993...

My recommendations:

Slash -- VELVET REVOLVER: Contraband (2004) & Slash (2010)
Izzy -- IZZY & THE JU JU HOUNDS (1992) and honorable mention to 117 Degrees (1998)
Duff -- DUFF: Believe In Me (1993) & VELVET REVOLVER: Contraband (2004)
Steven -- ADLER: Back From The Dead (2012)
Matt -- THE CULT: Beyond Good and Evil (2001)

All of those are solid records. Solid. My favorites of the bunch are actually Duff's Believe in Me & Steven's Back From The Dead. But all of them are solid.

You really need nothing else other than those records. That is a definitive collection of all of their post-GN'R stuff.

I agree, but despite whatever David Bowie and/or Mick Jagger told him about being a business man first, Axl is still an artist, a performer, passionate, and driven purely by emotion.

Those people NEVER do well in business. They take EVERYTHING personal, everything is an attack on them, and they retreat into emotional surrender, then come back roaring like a lion, and even more restrictive and untrusting then they were before.

Thank goodness Axl went into the business that he did, and that he didn't become a mob kingpin or some criminal figurehead. I have no doubt he would've been a BRUTAL and RUTHLESS bossman. He would've taken everything personally, everything was an attack on him and his "family", and he would've paid it back in oceans of blood. He's a very reactive guy, and wouldn't have trusted anyone imo.

Maybe all of what you said Apex is a step in the right direction. Maybe Axl getting that softer touch and thicker skin underneath is the reason Slash is back in the band to begin with. Axl is letting go of his demons. That's a good thing... hopefully.

I've spent years comparing live boots from the '87-'93 era to the 2001-present era. I primarily grew up in the latter. I personally feel there's a, frankly obvious, benefit to the use of 3 guitars live. The songs pound-for-pound sound richer and fuller in a live setting with 3 guitarists versus back in the day with 2 guitarists. Slash, Duff & Gilby all said how hard some of the Illusion arrangements were to duplicate in a live setting with just Slash & Gilby. Many of the songs sound like they are missing additional rhythm, which they are. Axl allowing the band to all share different solos is simply out of indulgence and being fair to all of them (DJ, Ron & Richard).

Obviously the situation is MUCH different with Slash back on board. He wrote all of those solos and other stuff as well. He's going to be playing all his material and thensome.

The better question is, what happens with the Chinese material. If the rumors are true, they are practicing that material. Is Slash going to revert to Bucket/Ron's role on those songs, and let Richard take lead, with a different guy on full-time rhythm, like Izzy or Dave?

Obviously the plan was simply for the 2 guitarists config with just Robin/Paul, and Bucket changed that. But Axl kept it for a reason, and I don't think it was "Bucket material that Ron could play". Somewhere along the line Axl started to prefer the 3 guitarists config, despite critical and fan disdain for it.

For the record... I prefer just Slash on lead, and Richard/Izzy on rhythm, and going back to the traditional Guns live sound.

I understand and see your point now. If they do a 3-guitar deal, especially in studio, Axl's not going to allow Richard to walk, and Slash is far more likely to want to write with Kush (if Izzy's not there), than he is someone else.

Still would be curious if Axl would consider moving Richard to Lead 2, and put Tommy Stinson on rhythm to sub-in for Izzy, AND if Slash would be willing to write with Tommy.