Guns N’ Roses’s 10 Greatest Songs and Greatest Discs (Representative Songs and Hidden Masterpieces)

In this issue, I will cover the ranking of Guns N’ Roses.

It is sometimes said that the best of the best albums don’t make sense for these guys.

It is true that listening to “Appetite for Destruction” may help you understand this band better than listening to the best of the best.

In this ranking, there are more songs from the early period.

However, there are good songs in the later period as well.

I have chosen only the songs that I like.
This blog is an automatic translation of a Japanese blog into English.

Please understand that it may be difficult to read.

No.1「You Could Be Mine」(Album:Use Your Illusion II)

■Song Title：You Could Be Mine
■Album Name：Use Your Illusion II
■Video link：「You Could Be Mine」

When this album was released, the band was at the peak of its popularity.

Their debut album was a monster hit, and the EP that was released in connection with it was also a big hit.

Nearly three years had passed since the last EP.

In the meantime, various disturbing incidents had caused a lot of buzz, and this album was released without making us feel the interval of less than three years.

This is the second album, and it’s actually a two-disc release.

The song was a big hit thanks to its use as the theme song for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

The song was written by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin.

During this period, they were able to produce hit movie tie-ins and double albums despite various scandals such as racist incidents and drug scandals.

Even in the face of headwinds, they were forging ahead with an overwhelming energy that outweighed them.

I can feel the momentum of moving forward with such contradictions in this song.

Matt Sorum’s drums in the intro are treated like a dub, which is very cool.

No.2「Don’t Cry(Original)」(Album:Use Your Illusion I)

■Song Title：Don’t Cry(Original)
■Album Name：Use Your Illusion I
■Video link：「Don’t Cry(Original)」

This song can be found on both “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II,” which is practically a two-disc set.

This version is the original, although there are some subtle differences in the melody and lyrics.

I don’t understand why they put almost the same song on both.

However, they seem to have their own logic, and I have the impression that they are pushing a logic that is not apparent to the casual observer even outside of this.

For example, the original cover of their debut album is an illustration of a robot about to attack a woman, which is not very pleasant to look at.

Also, there was a boycott of their EP album after they were accused of singing a racist song.

It’s like they don’t care about the opinions of the people around them, they just do what they want to do.

It’s like we do whatever we want.

This song was co-written by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin.

The lyrics are sympathetic to Axl Rose’s girlfriend, who is always getting into trouble with people around her, but it seems to me that Axl’s own problems are projected in the lyrics.

No.3「Nightrain」(Album:Appetite for Destruction)

■Song Title：Nightrain
■Album Name：Appetite for Destruction
■Video link：「Nightrain」

I chose four songs from my debut album.

The debut album is truly a flawless album, and there is not a single song to be discarded.

In particular, the first song “Welcome to the Jungle” followed by “It’s So Easy” and “Nightrain” is just amazing.

These are all great songs that would have been worth the price of the album if they had been included.

They have a best-of album called “Greatest Hits”.

But when I saw the song list, I thought it would be better to listen to the first album by itself.

When you try to balance the album, you have to include boring albums and singles that are not good.

I tried not to make that kind of mistake in my selection for this feature.

The best of the best doesn’t have this song on it.

I tried to choose only songs that were straightforward and appealing without considering balance.

Hopefully, this article will awaken more people to their appeal.

No.4「Sweet Child o’ Mine」(Album:Appetite for Destruction)

■Song Title：Sweet Child o’ Mine
■Album Name：Appetite for Destruction
■Video link：「Sweet Child o’ Mine」

This band was out of the LA metal stream.

In other words, it’s a stream of heavy metal centered in Los Angeles, but LA metal also has a stream of Bat Boys type bands such as Motley Crue.

This band’s debut was also marketed in that way.

However, this band was accepted by a very wide range of people.

I think the reason why this band was accepted by a wide range of people was because of the overwhelming quality of the songs, especially the songs that had an easy to understand appeal.

This song, for example, can be performed simply on an acoustic guitar and still conveys the quality of the song.

In fact, this song has also been covered by many artists, including Sheryl Crow.

Sheryl Crow’s cover won her a Grammy, but half of the credit goes to the appeal of the song.

The arpeggios by Slash are impressive in this song.

I love the guitars from about 1:16, and I sometimes listen to the first half of the song on repeat just to hear this part.

Many of their songs are surprisingly long, aren’t they?

This song is also over 5 minutes long.

No.5「Patience」(Album:GN’R Lies)

■Song Title：Patience
■Album Name：GN’R Lies
■Video link：「Patience」

These guys have had a bit of The Rolling Stones in them since their debut.

Perhaps a large part of it comes from Izzy Stradlin.

This song was written by Izzy.

It’s a sober and tasteful song, similar to the Stones’ “Wild Horses”.

This album is not an album, but an EP.

The first four songs are live takes from the previously released “Live Like A Suicide”, and the second four are newly recorded acoustic numbers.

You can almost think of it as an original album.

On the acoustic side of the second half, “Used to Love Her” is another pop classic, also written by Izzy.

Once again, I think the early days of this band relied heavily on Izzy’s songwriting ability.

Incidentally, Izzy seems to have been greatly admired by Axl Rose.

I’ve read that Axl Rose likes Izzy so much that the other band members are a little put off by it.

But now, Izzy seems to be keeping her distance from the troubled Axl.

By the way, the title of this song is “Patience.

I wonder if Izzy had a lot of patience during his time in the band.

No.6「Double Talkin’ Jive」(Album:Use Your Illusion I)

■Song Title：Double Talkin’ Jive
■Album Name：Use Your Illusion I
■Video link：「Double Talkin’ Jive」

The album title is “Use Your Illusion”.

Somehow, when they say it, it sounds like “use your imagination to fit in with our way of doing things”.

Nevertheless, this album is a musical masterpiece.

This song, for example, is such a masterpiece that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been cut as a single.

It’s not on the best of the best, but it’s a song you can’t pass up.

Like “You Could Be Mine,” Matt Sorum’s drumming on this song is exhilarating.

But this album, which is practically a two-disc set, has a lot of really great songs.

There are many other equally great songs on this album, including “Locomotive,” which has a great second half.

No.7「Welcome to the Jungle」(Album:Appetite for Destruction)

■Song Title：Welcome to the Jungle
■Album Name：Appetite for Destruction
■Video link：「Welcome to the Jungle」

They are characterized by their “immediacy”.

There are some up-tempo numbers where the goodness comes out slowly, but in their case, it comes through more than enough from the beginning.

The driving feel of the guitars at 1:05 is something that impressed me the first time I heard it.

I envy those who are about to hear this song for the first time.

By the way, some of you may think this is their first single.

Actually, “It’s So Easy” was the first single, and this song was the second single cut.

At that time, they hadn’t had their breakthrough yet.

At that time, MTV refused to air their videos because of their bad behavior and many problems caused by drugs and alcohol.

But thanks to the efforts of Geffen Records, they managed to get it aired.

The song became a huge hit and the band became a monster band, selling over 28 million copies worldwide.

I guess you could say they overcame their bad reputation with their ability.

But the name of the song “Welcome to the Jungle” is also the words of someone who knows exactly who they are.

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No.8「Paradise City」(Album:Appetite for Destruction)

■Song Title：Paradise City
■Album Name：Appetite for Destruction
■Video link：「Paradise City」

They are a group of members with rich personalities.

In my image, Axl Rose is the one with the sharp elements of punk and industrial, and the flashy ballads.

Slash is a craftsman who plays guitar that directly affects the listener’s instincts.

And Izzy Stradlin is the person who symbolizes the pop side of this band and the Rolling Stones-ness.

The resulting music shows an interesting combination that is unique to this band.

Velvet Revolver, formed by Slash and Duff McKagan, and Guns, which became Axl’s solo project, have many great songs.

However, these bands do not have that “dangerous when mixed” chemistry.

The magic of the band can be felt only in these days.

No.9「Attitude」(Album:The Spaghetti Incident?)

■Song Title：Attitude
■Album Name：The Spaghetti Incident?
■Video link：「Attitude」

This album is a cover album of all songs.

When this album was released, it was met with surprise.

This is because there were unexpectedly many punk covers.

This song is also an original by a punk band called Misfits.

You may not be familiar with this song in Japan, but it is one of their most popular songs.

They have covered famous songs such as “Mama Kin” by Aerosmith, “Live and Let Die” by Wings, and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan.

This album was controversial even at the time.

First of all, “The Spaghetti Incident?” was taken from the fact that the band members called the cocaine they had hidden in the refrigerator “spaghetti”.

Also, the first song starts off with a doo-wop style song, which I’m afraid is a bit of a joke.

The cover is also in bad taste, isn’t it?

All of the songs on this album seem to be out of place, but I think this one is quite good.

No.10「November Rain」(Album:Use Your Illusion I)

■Song Title：November Rin
■Album Name：Use Your Illusion I
■Video link：「November Rain」

I used to wonder why the second album was a two-disc set, but now I think I kind of understand.

I think it was because they wanted to include 10-minute songs like this one, “Estranged” and “Coma”.

Those three songs alone are almost 30 minutes long.

I’d like to include longer songs, but then the shorter songs that I really want to include won’t fit.

So, I imagine that they decided to make it a 2-disc set and include everything.

When this second album came out, there were some people who praised it and some who were disappointed, probably because of these long songs.

I actually didn’t like this song much in the past, but now I’m reevaluating it.

The expressive power of Axl Rose’s vocals is wonderful, but the reason why I reevaluated this song is because Slash’s guitar is wonderful.

Slash is a guitarist who can play single notes or chords that work physiologically.

Another aspect of him, the guitar that sings well, is featured heavily in this song.

I even think that Slash is the star of this song.

Other「Catcher in the Rye」(Album:Chinese Democracy)

■Song Title：Catcher in the Rye
■Album Name：Chinese Democracy
■Video link：「Catcher in the Rye」

Finally, I will start with the album after Slash and Izzy left the band.

This album is said to have an industrial or heavy rock feel to it, and in fact it does have some of those elements.

This album was supposed to be a new color, but at the time, I felt that it was a little too new.

This album was released in 2008.

On the other hand, “The Fragile” by Nine Inch Nails, a representative of industrial music, was released in 1999, so there was nothing new about it in 2008.

Nevertheless, there is a quality to this album that cannot be overlooked.

How about this song, for example?

The newly recruited guitarist, Buckethead, has a different flavor from Slash’s, but his performance is excellent.

The only thing is that the old vices still remain.

The album title is “Chinese Democracy,” which means “democracy in China.

They’re still as provocative as ever (laughs).

In addition, the cover shows a modest bicycle reminiscent of old China, and I wonder what they are trying to say.

Incidentally, because of this, the album has been banned in China.