Just to add, the end of guns n' roses prime was not because of Nirvana, in fact guns n roses were one of the few bands that had survived the grunge movement. Which is impressive.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I agree on this - and it’s no slight to Nirvana either. I don’t see why we have to take sides when both bands make such good music.

@marinadiamondz

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower you're right, music is music, but that's another topic

@seanbeckett4019

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, Guns N' Roses definitely brought themselves down, internally.

@northernpunx1978

Жыл бұрын

@@seanbeckett4019 Axl was mostly to blame at that time. Sad but imagine being the front man of that monster of a band? It’s enough to twist any reality into knots.

@seanbeckett4019

Жыл бұрын

@@northernpunx1978 I also kind of sense that Axl may have felt "odd man out" in a way, and couldn't really hang out casually with "the guys" anymore, drinking and goofing around. I'm just speculating, but I've always wondered.

Coma is a genius of a song, no chorus but a great song on so many levels

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I agree 100%!

@barry1369

8 ай бұрын

They played it at Hyde Park when I saw them my life peaked at that moment 😂

I’ve always said about Guns n Roses that a ton of their songs sound different at the end compared to the start of the song. It never bores you even the 10 minute songs. Paradise city is a great example of this. The intro is very vibey and chill, the middle of the song is more energetic and grungy and then the outtro is total chaos and blends the song all together.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Very true, and in the context of what I was saying about It's So Easy (that it makes an effective opening to their gigs), Paradise City is super effective too, since it ends the shows with chaotic cacophony, leaving the audience wanting more.

@dantedlane2

Жыл бұрын

Justin Timberlake,Isley brothers,later stones,later Beatles the same

Rocket Queen for me is genius when talking about the structure

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

The switch in the second half is perfect!

GN'R songs are so we'll structured you won't notice it's much longer than usual songs! Love this vid

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Honestly!!! Listen to Rocket Queen and tell me it’s two songs in one! Amazing…

@lau1110

Жыл бұрын

I adore Rocket Queen ❤️ the rhythm, the lyrics take me exactly to the place they want ❤️🔥 🥺

@frizzyhairedfool6186

Жыл бұрын

Spot on! For example when I listen to Estranged, Coma, etc, they feel more like a normal length song because they just grab you.

Guns n roses were still selling out stadiums during the grunge era. Nirvana didn't kill off GNR, Axl Slash and Dufff not getting along did. The UYIs albums were two of the biggest albums of the early 90s

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I say this exact thing at the end of the video

As a 22 year old psycho Guns N’ Roses fan, so cool to see a video like this from someone in my generation!!! I have a November rain and estranged tattoos, just the song titles in axls handwriting. Glad to see someone speaking the straight truth like you!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! Good to hear I’m not the only under-50 that loves them!

The things that's amazing about Guns is how incredible all the long songs are on the Illusion albums

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

They’re all so great - I think Estranged and Coma are my favourites

@seanbeckett4019

Жыл бұрын

I think it is sometimes overlooked, how long many Guns N' Roses songs are. Even a seemingly brisk rocker, like You Could Be Mine, is 5:44. Given the runtime of both Use Your Illusions I and II combined, it's kind of like getting 4 albums, not just 2.

@Dave_Langer

Жыл бұрын

A fun fact about the UYI songs is a good number of them came from the AFD era. Don't Cry, Nov Rain, You could be mine (the lyric is in the AFD liner notes), Back Off B, The Garden, and Bad Obsession.

They are a musically gifted bunch. I can remember clearly the first time I listened to a GNR tape in a clapped out old car. It was Lies. I was immediately hooked. I was 12, 1990. I love music and listen to anything that isn’t complete nonsense, but nothing has ever bettered that feeling of falling in love with GNR’s music back then. I miss their music and would love to see where they are as a unit these days if they were to cut new music. R’n’F’n’R

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

That's really cool. I wish I was born to see them in their prime, it seemed magical.

@daviemoloney6670

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower They we’re magic. A powder keg band that were hard to ignore.

This is one of the most complex and virtuous and creative bands ever. They pushed music forward in their time. I mean imagine comparing GN'R in terms of complexity, virtuosity and creativity to the rest of the bands that started from the same movement as them like Poison, Motley Crue, etc. GN'R coming from the glam movement and ending up with the Illusions is just unbelievable, proves those guys had more potential than any other glam band combined. And let's not even start talking about the same topic but with Axl personally instead of GN'R as a band: a man born from the glam scene ending up creating something as wonderfully unique as Chinese Democracy... I don't think absolutely anybody saw that coming when they saw that 25yo guy on the stage singing in the clubs in Hollywood

@AlbertGenower

11 ай бұрын

This is why I hate it so much when people talk about how GNR were this excessive, untalented group of glam-rockers that were dethroned from their unearned top spot by Nirvana and grunge in general. They have far more in common with the envelope-pushing hard rock bands of the 70s like Led Zeppelin or the sometimes campy flair of bands like Queen. Combining these elements with a solid rhythm section and two generational virtuosos in Slash and Axl was completely unstoppable. I agree about Axl. I think Chinese Democracy is what you make of it. If you go in looking at Axl as an egotistical megalomaniac whose penchant for overindulgence is his own undoing, then that's what you'll get. But if you go in looking at Axl as an often-troubled genius perfectionist with one of the great voices the world has ever seen, then you'll hear a fantastic album.

@marianopie3785

11 ай бұрын

@@AlbertGenower couldn't agree more

@justbubbles_

3 ай бұрын

Take into account that axl's taste of music is very extense, he listen from opera to rap is so weird but fantastic

Cool. Finally, somebody talking sense about GnR. For the record, I was a fan in the early 90's and nobody else seemed to like them then, in the UK. I have always considered their song structure to be extremely dynamic, something which seems lost on most people. Thanks for mentioning a couple of keys too. I play a bit of guitar, but I'm not technical. I really wish guitar books would tell you the key the song is in using actual words! Sure, keys change, but it would be nice to know for sure, as a causal amateur, what key the song is in!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed :)

Forever will be my favorite western band of all time

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

They’re so good!

Gnr song structure is so unlike any other band

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Agreed!

Gn'R is the band of my life

@txmvz

Жыл бұрын

Great analysis btw!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

3:33 I also believe there is an element of them putting solos and that axl screech at the back end of the 1st song is a way to get both axl and slash a little extra time to warm up, in axls case he’s not blowing his voice out in the 1st line. In slashes case he’s playing through the adrenaline hit before he has to master melodic and precise movements. So I think it’s so easy is the perfect starter because it is a great warmup for the stars.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

That’s a great point - and it also ties into what I think was saying in another comment about Paradise City - its near cacophonous ending fits so well with the last moments of a gig.

AFD belongs on top shelf, clearly. But also on my top shelf are the longer songs of the UYI albums and quite a few of the regular length tracks. For me, they validate why I was so captivated by the musicianship to begin with. Soul-shaking good.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I think all of their original, studio material is top notch stuff, though I think their peak was in the UYI period.

Rocket Queen's outro makes me wanna drive a convertible...

The reason they usually open with It’s So Easy is because the first 3/4ths of it is easy for Axl to sing. It’s a warm up song. What’s usually the 2nd song? Yeah, Brownstone.

@AlbertGenower

4 ай бұрын

At their most manic and frantic in the mid-later stages of the Use Your Illusion Tour, they would often open with Nightrain. That must've been a challenge.

Always been a fan. I love how their songs comes with a twist,, like a good movie with a twist..

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Indeed!

@seanbeckett4019

Жыл бұрын

A twist, I think that's a good way of putting it 😁👍👍

a 20 y/o GNR fan also from the UK here, totally agree. keep finding myself listening to the illusions and appetite on repeat, thought about starting a cover band too

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

You should do!

@0l1music15

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower somehow managed to find 4 other gnr fans at uni!!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@0l1music15 you and me both.

@0l1music15

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower sick, you still at uni?

I always noticed that in a lot of GN'R songs, the guitar solo backing bit was a totally seperate piece of music. As opposed to usually using another verse or chorus (if that makes sense?)

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

That's really interesting - I'd not noticed that. Do you have any examples?

@frizzyhairedfool6186

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower 'You Could Be Mine' is the first one that springs to mind. 'Welcome To The Jungle' is another one.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@frizzyhairedfool6186 Thanks so much! Maybe you’ve given me another video idea there :)

@frizzyhairedfool6186

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower Haha, awesome! 😁👍

@ChiragDJ

Жыл бұрын

@Frizzyhairedfool ya in welcome to the jungle it's different beat, bass line and rhythm parts in slash solo but it sounds cool. They were legends of music 🎶 I wish 1 more gnr album should be released now of more 10 banger songs

Excellent video man! Appreciate the use of notation and great musical analysis, this deseveres plenty more views. Kudos also for having Prostitute as an honourable mention! I find it kind of sad, but apt for their career how their works of music have merely been reduced into the three big 80s glam hair hits, while their strong sense of musicality is often overlooked. It's not hard to understand why you chose to focus on their use of outros, which is a skill they definitely mastered. Whether it be a Zeppelin-esque ending of Axl going amuck on the hook with Slash by the side playing his mind off like You Could Be Mine and Don't Damn Me, or a nuanced approach such as in Double Talkin' Jive, Locomotive and Prostitute, they usually manage to capture the listener by the beginning and then grab them tightly again just before it ends. I can never truly decide on which GN'R songs are my favourite, but There Was A Time is definitely one that is close to my heart. On that song I can imagine Axl trying to pick out elements which made epics such as November Rain, Coma, Breakdown etc so effective. It starts off dramatically, with a chorus and some ambient beats, before aptly painting a strong picture with Axl's lyrics and a mellow guitar theme. If I'm not mistaken, the entire song is pretty static harmonically, but certain changes in instrumentation and dynamics make new parts stand out effectively. During the first solo, everything save for an electric guitar has vanished, with only acoustic guitars and percussive beats accompanying the solo. It manages to keep a steady crescendo ongoing, introducing more accompanying orchestral strings, guitars, drums and so forth. After the ''choral'' section after the solo, we get to another guitar solo, which in reality is more of a thing. The crescendo from the first solo is still ongoing, and when Axl reemerges, he delivers one of his most impressive vocal performances, managing to lift the crescendo to a climax using merely his voice. Then the third solo arrives, arguably one of the best in GN'R catalogue. Buckethead reintroduces the guitar theme heard in the very beginning of the solo, and builds it further with fantastic virtuostic playing. Ironically, the outro after this solo may be the weakest point in the entire song. We transition straight to the very same part pre-solo where the song ends pretty abruptly, and while the vocal delivery is interesting, I am sure GN'R would have lifted this song even higher had they taken a page off of their handbook on their best outros. Perhaps the structure itself was detrimental, they could have easily painted themselves in a corner with building the song up in a crescendo so early, with the climax appearing already 2/3's into the song. Again, really good video! Had to click subscribe after this.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for writing all this. Taking the time to write this in response to something I’ve made really makes it feel worthwhile making these videos. There Was A Time is actually my most listened GNR song overall (according to statsforspotify.com at least) but the structure of the song wasn’t something that I’d ever particularly considered. Chinese Democracy as a whole gets an unfairly bad reputation from GNR fans (good music still exists without Slash, people!) and There Was A Time is definitely its crowning achievement. I love the first solo in particular, the stripped back texture is a nice break from the heavy chorus. Axl hitting that high note is also phenomenal, it really shows if you listen to the isolated vocal track (which, judging by the extent of your knowledge of the song, you’ve seen) here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qmWHsI-qcrbIisY.html Thanks again for taking the time to write this and I’m so glad you enjoyed the video.

"GN'R WRITE UNIQUE OUTROS TO SONGS" 👍observation! Rocket Queen, Patience, Catcher In The Rye, Don't Damn Me, It's So Easy, Locomotive (their Laya) ALL prime examples. GREAT POST. 👍 and Subscribed!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I think Locomotive is amazing - especially the last couple of minutes.

@1badjesus

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower THERE WAS A TIME..I tell people it's common for guitarists to get applause durin solo at rock show but NEVER do vocalists get applause for singing certain songs.. EXCEPT FOR AXL when he performs There Was A Time. The rare shows on YT prove this (especially Dublin 2011 or 2012). I once asked Dizzy Reed at a bowling alley in Hollywood why they don't do it more often he said "it's a difficult song to perform".. tho understandably being so they sadly at the many GNR shows I've attended (4x alone in 2006 imho their BEST era) they haven't played that fav track of mine.. perhaps at my deathbed show they will! lol 🤘🖖

As eloquently put as it was dead on, that last statement. Thank you, this is exceptionally well done

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

Great video! Thank you for showcasing their talent and skill for songwriting. I'm probably biased, but I think GNR is a band that is sometimes underrated in some ways, particularly by people who haven't taken the time to check out their entire discography. As you mentioned, they often get lumped in (wrongfully so, in my opinion) with hair metal bands because of where and when they started out. In my opinion, their sound is quite different and their skill and songwriting ability is much greater than most of the hair metal bands at the time.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I agree with this 100%

I absolutely love the acoustic version of Estranged playing in the backgroud :-)

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Here's a link: kzread.info/dash/bejne/a5WKz9GEo5nUnbg.html

Excellent analysis. Congratulations. A bit of a quibble/doubt regarding the DTJ solo: I remember my CD liner notes list that Izzy'd played 'Lead and Rhythm Guitars' (obviously referring to the electric ones) whereas Slash is credited for 'Classical Guitar Solo' and (alongside Duff) 'Acoustic Rhythm Guitar', which would mean that, despite Slash playing the (electric) solo on stage, it'd been Izzy in the studio (sort of like Eagles with 'I Can't Tell You Why' with Frey having recorded it but Felder reproducing it live and in the video).

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Good point - the liner notes do say it's Izzy. I'm conflicted because it sounds like a Slash solo to me (though I have no actual evidence for that beyond the way it sounds to my ears) There's some debate about it on this thread: www.mygnrforum.com/topic/213146-which-songs-dose-izzy-stradlin-plays-lead-guitar-on-guns-n-roses-ablums/ Thanks so much for watching :)

@basstian

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower Wow, that was a long thread but quite informative as well. I do agree liner notes could've been mistaken and that's it. Happened a few times on Queen records as well... in fact, that'd be a nice topic for a video!

Yeah ! Guns ; AND; ROSES ! ×100 !

Great video

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! :)

wish you would have included songs like There Was A Time, Prostitute, This I Love and Street Of Dreams. All songs with great outros from their last album.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Maybe there will be a Part 2 one day - I love Chinese Democracy!

@luisrafaelferminmontilla7987

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower please do, is my personal favorite. Have you heard the leaked songs from those sessions? There's a couple of them that exemplify what you're talking about.

@seanbeckett4019

Жыл бұрын

I revisited Chinese Democracy recently (after initially dismissing the album), and I really took a liking to some of the tracks. The second half of There Was A Time, in particular, really struck me.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@luisrafaelferminmontilla7987 I have indeed - I hope we can hear finalised versions one day

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@seanbeckett4019 I was exactly the same - I thought 'no Slash, no GNR' for the longest time and I regret that. There Was A Time might be my favourite GNR song

Great video. Fully agree. GNR definitely was their own thing. Going from Its So Easy (more punk than anything of the grunge era )and epics like Estranged were just killer. Axl’s natural low voice is awesome too. I respect anyone who’ll do long songs. Its like a F U to radio stations.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

When I saw GNR in July, Axl was having vocal problems and had to sing in his low tenor for the whole gig. Ironically, his vocal problems made him sound a lot better because he was forced to use this tenor.

Great video!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

Damn dude subscribed!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

Great analysis! 👏

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much !! :)

oh, I like this video. BIG like. Thanks.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

Great video. As a suggestion, do it for Coma.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Coma is fantastic - honestly worth doing a whole video on it alone. I wish they played it more in their heyday! Thanks for watching :)

I find it interesting you say that WTTJ, SCOM, and PC are the best known among your generation. I'm 46 so not part of that generation, and for me those were the biggest and most classic of their repertoire, but I had thought a lot of the Illusion songs had usurped them in terms of popular culture, eg. KOHD, LALD which is played as often as WTTJ on radio, YCBM, and November Rain, which has about 5 billion YT views, even classics like ISE, MB and RQ which were popular at the time but not singles like the first 3 mentioned are now incredibly popular nowadays. I just find it interesting that the 3 original big ones are still now the most well known.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I suppose it is interesting… I guess both LALD and KOHD are covers so they are treated slightly differently, but most people my age wouldn’t know November Rain, Estranged, Don’t Cry, etc. Which I think is a massive shame

@mrsoikawa

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower Interesting, so it's my generation that are playing the hell out of NR on KZread lol Would you say that WTTJ, PC and SCOM are even genuinely well-known in general, or just the best-known, i.e if someone knows any GnR songs those are the ones they will know?

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@mrsoikawa I would say everybody knows SCOM just because it’s played so much, and people know the other two because they’re in so much media (Jumanji, Burnout Paradise, etc.)

I love this, man!

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

Why... didn't you hit the bangers like breakdown and dead horse those outs are wild

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Maybe I'll do a Part 2 eventually!

you converted me into liking gnr !

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I’ve converted you into a lot Cait!

@barry1369

Жыл бұрын

Great to hear

Hey mate can you give me the link of that background music you used (acoustic version estranged)

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Here it is: kzread.info/dash/bejne/a5WKz9GEo5nUnbg.html

@xavier3631

Жыл бұрын

@@AlbertGenower thank you my friend

Wow, a superb video..

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much :)

AXL IS KING, THE BEST

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

His voice is truly unbelievable

Axl is ALIEN

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

He's incredible

Hey! What’s that version of Estranged is playing in the background?

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

It’s this classical guitar version: kzread.info/dash/bejne/a5WKz9GEo5nUnbg.html

I was sure you were gonna talk about Estranged lol. Why didn't you?

@AlbertGenower

11 ай бұрын

There's loads of songs I could've talked about - Rocket Queen, Estranged, Coma, There Was A Time, etc. - just not enough time to fit them all in one video!

@marianopie3785

11 ай бұрын

@@AlbertGenower You got a point there lol I gotta say tho it would be awesome if you did another video with those songs, but I understand the work it would require

@marianopie3785

3 ай бұрын

​@@AlbertGenower I'm sorry man but I'll have to insist you do that video with those songs we mentioned lol I just need it

@AlbertGenower

3 ай бұрын

ahah well I admire your dedication! I've added it to my list :)

Not yet mention the fact that axl invented Nu metal. Listen to song my world.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Lots of people hate My World but I like it in a weird kind of way. I'd rather listen to it than some of the more forgettable UYI tracks like Bad Apples or Garden of Eden

they outsold Nirvana

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. Anywhere between 15-25 million records depending on which estimates you use.

I feel sorry you just finding out how deep the rabbit hole goes. From Sex Pistols, Terminator, Cint Eastwood, Buckethead, to GTA San Andreas. Young child of course there is more and you have much to learn.

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

I've been a Guns N' Roses fan for years and years and I didn't know about them in the scene with Clint Eastwood!

Genius and guns and Roses ? Is a bit of a stretch . I’m pretty sure it was on accident, for sweet child of mine

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

To each to their own I suppose

@Mr54M1

Жыл бұрын

Would be interesting to know how much of the genius is intentional and backed by theoretical knowledge, and how much is just coming through by ear. Harmonies in Estranged etc. are displays of superbly solid musicianship

@AlbertGenower

Жыл бұрын

@@Mr54M1 I would guess most of it intrinsic, though Slash’s autobiography does talk about a certain basis of formal theoretical knowledge

@AdrianArgu

Жыл бұрын

Way too many amazing accidents (a lot of other great songs besides sweet child) in my opinion. Well I may be biased. At their peak I was a kid just starting to listen to music. I can't objectively say that I'm enjoying them to this day not due to nostalgia. I'm sure though that I appreciate the songs and solos more today, after a few decades of playing a guitar.