Speak for yourself. I know love Think About You more than I do SCoM. DTJ & PTU are close to my favourite tracks on UYI's. I'll always maintain PTU is the direction they should've explored. It's such an amazing piece.
Izzy, more than any of them, is tapped into the source. He's a classic, traditional songwriter. His songs could be folk songs, they could be pop songs, they could be psychedelic hard rock songs - Think About You could've been done by The Crystals or The Ronettes back in the day.

His solo stuff alone, if there never was a guns n roses, would still be an incredible body of work. Think how feted Americana guys like Howe gelb or Ryan Adams are these days, they've got nothing on Izzy. Westerberg's a comparable peer I guess.

I just connect more readily with his influences & songwriting than I do the more pompous self absorbed styling a of Axl & his influences. Slash I wish would play more acoustic stuff, get closer to his Rory Gallagher roots than playing the populist cartoony guy. Izzy's range & unabashed pilfering & homages from reggae to pop is like a gateway to the world I live in. He could've been a New York Doll. When I'm listening to the stuff Axl & Slash come from it's more like I'm visiting (except for Rory G & maybe ELO's Telephone Line - & Todd Rundgren is great too).

Having said all that, you're right about the songs that defined the band.
But every historic band have at least one or two mega hits or identifiable classics & that's it - the Bryan Adams model again is something I like to use.
However, Guns never had any filler. It's what makes them so special.
Even if you take away the famous songs & are just left with Izzy's GnR songs you're still going to get some of the greatest rock songs ever, so I don't see how he's overrated. He's underrated if anything. He's brilliant, knows his stuff, a proper learned craftsman. You should appreciate him more tbh mate, his songs are magic & have the alchemy of the greats.
If I met him I'd give him a hug.

Re atoms nest:
Izzy isn't blazing a trail? What do you want him to be Taylor swift? Phil Collins? Gareth Brooks. He writes great rock n roll records, what more do you want from him?? He does his job & does it real well. Everything else is just wasted/wasteful energy.

Telling you mate, the only time Axl n slash will be in the same room will be when they're performing. IF they're recording material (which they're not) they'll have a errand boy delivering tapes & notes or emailing shit. Maybe they could Skype..
They'll play in a small room in a club venue for Rosario Dawson & maybe someone will record it on their phone.

& there you have another post brimming with optimism. You're welcome.

Fred Durst was the man responsible first of all.

Sorry man lemme know if yous need a body for heisting/extra man or even hosting higher ranking missions for you to grind while I chill.. Didn't mean to gate crash a bunch of guys killing each other