oneway23 wrote:

Smoking Guns, GNR is no longer a blues-based hard rock band.  How could anyone expect them to be?  When there are new chefs in the kitchen, the ingredients are bound to change.  While I agree that there are occasions in the new tunes that may attempt to replicate Slash's style (whether they were explicitly directed by Axl to attempt to capture "that" sound, or they elected to do so of their own volition is unclear), for the most part, the tones and effects being used on most of the songs seem to identify which guitarist is playing.  That, in and of itself, is a pretty major feat when you consider who they are replacing.  Most of us can already discuss Finck's "sound", Bucket's "sound", Bumble's "sound", etc....Whether or not one enjoys what they are hearing is another debate altogether.

Yes, I agree with you there all the way.  Just saying, there are moments where the songs call for a certain type of sound it seems, and these guys really have limited experience in going for that sounds.  Bumble can probably play the most challenging music ever written on the guitar, however, his feel on "his" solos in GNR is bad.  He has a bad feel.  However, he is a monster player when playing covers, when its "his" work, it doesn't sound right.  Finck seems to try to play the "Slash" role the most.  He has some "tasty" solos, and also some really average ones.  Bucket, the most original of the new group is my favorite, but even he a lot of times doesn't fit for the direction the song is going.

strat0 wrote:

Hopefully Axl will still be able to hit them notes at 56

That's my biggest concern with a reunion.  Whilst I am convinved it will happen at some point, I don't necessarily want to see one right now.  But that thought is balanced with the fact that I don't wanna see them in 10 years time with arthritis, wheel chairs and zimmerframes.  I would rather it never happened if we were just going to see caricatures of themselves being performed by senior citizens.