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KNAC:
Guns n' Roses (Geffen) Well it's about fucking time! Geez, it's only taken GNR like a thousand years to put out an album! Compiled from various shows across the planet from 1987 to 1993, this sweet baby features all the hits and more and displayed the Gunners at their best, sweatin' and grindin' out hard-edged, sleaze-o-rama rock n' roll. The opening batch of tunes on this baby remind you just why Guns ruled the world in the late-'80s: "Nighttrain," "Mr. Brownstone," "It's So Easy," and "Welcome To The Jungle." Whew! Every song smokes! Great sound, great performances. And damn, if "It's So Easy" doesn't stand the test of time as the baddest songs in rock history! "Turn around bitch I got use for you!" Hell yeah! In fact, the rest of disc 1 is all pretty stellar up until the triple threat trilogy of ballads, "Patience" into a Sabbath ballad (?) "It's Alright" into "November Rain." Of course, only Axl would chose to cover a Sabbath song?and have it be one of their few piano ballads! Oh Axl. Disc 2 is a little spottier, but still quite strong. Powerhouse slammers like "Out Ta Get Me" and "Rocket Queen" are stuck swimming in the abyss with throwaways like "Yesterdays" and their played out version of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." All in all though, the weak spots are few and the great songs override the few duds. My only real complaint is that there is no indication where and when the songs were recorded. It would be nice to know which tracks were from the club days and which are from the overwrought arena era. The inclusion of horns and keys are always an indicator that the performance is from the Use Your Illusion tour, which is not necessarily a good thing. But any complaints are washed away by the inclusion of chestnuts like "Move To The City" and "Dust N' Bones." All in all, there's something here to satisfy every Gun collector. |
