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Guns n' Roses - Greatest HitsIf time is the true test, then Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits confirms that they really were one of the greatest rock & roll bands in the world. While, in retrospect, fellow graduates of the class of 1987 are about as cool as poodle perms and spandex, the LA bad boys still rock like gods. Listening to the sun-drenched chords of "Paradise City" and the ensuing stadium-sized swagger is enough to make wearing leather trousers and bandanas seem like a good idea. Of course, it helped that for them sex, drugs and rock & roll was a way of life, not a fashion statement. As Axl Rose wails "I wanna watch you bleed" on "Welcome to the Jungle", like a chain-smoking lunatic possessed, it's hard not to believe he meant it. Yet equally, it was his surprisingly poetic nature that made genuinely touching love songs of "Patience" and "Sweet Child of Mine".
Though none of their subsequent albums matched the drug-crazed genius of Appetite for Destruction, they did, as the Greatest Hits reminds, have their moments. From the bloated Use Your Illusion I & II came ultimate rock ballads "Don't Cry" and "November Rain", along with the primal rage that was "You Could Be Mine". And while the covers of the The Spaghetti Incident were largely forgettable, the fact that their final single was a seedy sneer through the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" seems spectacularly fitting. --Dan Gennoe ... Read More » |
Average User Rating: 80% (97 Reviews) | |
| 4 / 5 | Good for an introduction, not for die hard fans
Mr. Michael D. Robson (United Kingdom) - 29 March 2004 Being a Guns N' Roses fan I bought this album just so I had every release. Although i'm not dissapointed with it, I am not pleased either. One problem I have with the album is the lack of tracks. A GNR greatest hits should be a double CD with around 30 tracks in my opinion. Its missing such tracks as 'Its So Easy' and 'Mr Brownstone' from Appetite For Destruction. From the Use Your Illusion Albums where are 'Bad Obsession', 'Dust N' Bones' and many more. The tracks from The Spaghetti album should have been missed off, and more Appetite For Destruction added. Its such a shame this isn't better. You have to listen to all of Appetite just to know what GNR were all about. Saying that important tracks are there, Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, November Rain...all great rock tracks, some of the greatest rock tracks ever. In conclusion if you need to listen to some GNR for the first time then buy this. It has a good range of songs and for the price you can't go much wrong. Once you've listened to it then go through their back catalogue and you won't be dissapointed. For the hardcore fan this is dissapointing and you feel like the GNR feel is missing somehow. The fact that Slash, Axl, and Duff actually got together and tried to stop this being released because they didn't get to choose the artwork, the tracks, or anything to do with it says it all. GNR by name, not quite by nature. Buy it anyway if your a fan to add to the collection, never heard of GNR, GET THIS NOW AND YOU WON'T LOOK BACK. |
| 5 / 5 | superb compilation
"dan_halpin" - 5 March 2004 I usually stay clear of greatest hits- they tend not to do the band justice. not in this case. For anyone who may have forgotten, this greatest hits is a timely reminder of how brilliant and imnportant guns n roses are. A band that had one of the best guitar players around, a band who had a cult following, a band who quite simply were remarkably good at making great songs. The tracklsiting barely contains one weak track. Infectious riffs, slow ballads, screeching guitar solos, melodic pino melodies.... it has it all. And yes Sweet Child O' Mine is on there. but really it is just one of many superb songs. The inclusion of November Rain and Don't Cry only adds to the bands legend as you listen to these wonderuflly crafted songs. Enjoy. |
| 3 / 5 | good, but missing some important songs
"starvinnuno" - 8 March 2004 Its good to see that guns n' roses are finally realeasing something (shame it is a best of though). However any real guns n' roses fan will already have all these songs (apart from maybe their cover of sympathy for the devil). This album is also missing classics such as estranged and contains too many covers. But it gets 3 stars for having both november rain and sweet child o' mine on the same cd. A good introduction to any new gnr fan, but true fans won't need it.... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | If Not The Greatest Hits, Certainly The Most Accessable
Daniel Mercer "dgenerationx_69" (Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire) - 24 June 2006 Whilst certainly not the biggest Guns N' Roses fan in the world, I often found myself unable to resist their catchy hits and so, upon seeing this CD available at a budget price, I snapped it up and I am sure glad I did. This CD has not left my player since it arrived and to me it is an album I can listen to all the way through everytime I put it on. Whilst the most hardcore of G N' R fans may say that there are better songs that could have been included on this release, I feel that these are the most accessable songs that will bring in new fans. After all thats probably what Geffen where hoping since they actually wanted to sell copies of this thing. For me the album does a good job of showing all sides of Guns N' Roses, from the rocking anthems like Welcome To The Jungle and Paradise City, to the power ballads such as Patience, Don't Cry and November Rain, and of course a few cover versions such as Knockin' On Heaven's Door and Live And Let Die. Not to mention my own favourite Civil War. Whilst there may infact be a few too many cover versions and the record company could have gone with a few other original tracks already suggested in the other reviews, this album is still a great purchase and whilst to some it may be Guns And Roses lite, it is certainly a great way to introduce yourself to the band.... Read Full Review » |
| 4 / 5 | Good but SHOULD be better
"rik3008" - 9 March 2004 This album covers G'N'R history, but lacks in that it simply isn't good enough to represent this band's career. It has most of the singles, but misses It's So Easy and the absolute must Nightrain. Also, of the 14 tracks, 5 of those are covers, meaning the album doesn't showcase G'N'R writing talent well enough. Finally, this album DOESN'T include Estranged, which is one of their best songs. the Appetie songs are good, and the Use Your Illusion albums have November Rain and You Could Be Mine. Also, The Spaghetti Incident has 2 full songs and G'N'R Lies only 1, and a new song wouldn't go amiss. It is a good selection but not as good as it should be. Other songs missed out are the likes of Coma, Rocket Queen and Pretty Tied Up. If you want an introduction to Guns' work then buy Appetite before going onto the UYI albums, because this just misses out too much quality and has too many covers.... Read Full Review » |
RRP
£16.99
Release Date
2 June 2008
Price Range
£6.99 - £12.49