D-Machine wrote:

I respect U2 and I consider them one of the greatest bands ever but I personally have never been able to get into them.

Yeah me too.  I actually used to hate U2 because my older sister liked them.  She actually liked GNR too and I hated them as well.  It wasn't cool to like what your older sister liked.  Needless to say I quickly changed my mind on GNR.  I no longer hate U2, but I don't own any of their albums, have never bought or illegally downloaded any of their songs.  I like some of their songs, if they come on the radio I may think twice about changing the channel, but I don't really get them either.  I went to see a U2 cover band a few years back, it really wasn't my choice, I just went along for the ride.  The guy dressed as Bono and did the whole rap, it was entertaining.  But yeah, never really got into them and I doubt I'll start now.

Communist China wrote:

Making it through means that your career isn't killed by it. Bands like Poison or Warrant or even Motley Crue or Van Halen were never able to get big again once grunge rolled through. Anyone can have a few down years, and These Days still sold 10 mil+ worldwide (and I would NEVER call it one of their best albums).

The grunge era is one of the most depressing things about GN'R's demise because they had the power and ability to come out of grunge still credible and still successful. I think their collapse hurt a lot of other non-grunge rock bands of that era, although I admit I could name none specifically.

I didn't call it one of their best, I said it was the best. Which in my opinion it is.

Also, I was speaking only of US sales when I mentioned that it didn't do well. Here in the US, Bon Jovi was as dead as all the others when that album came out.

They only had another spark with Crush in 1999. And how you can say that grunge had any effect on Van Halen at all is beyond me.