Guns N’ Roses – Greatest Hits

Time and music have a funny relationship. In one way, it seems like just yesterday that I was listening to Appetite for Destruction for the first time. But when you stop and put a pencil to it, it’s actually been seventeen years.

It’s amazing that Guns N’ Roses’ legacy still remains today. After releasing an album, an EP, an album of covers, and a double album, the band disintegrated. By the time the band released “You Could Be Mine,” Steven Adler (drums) was out, Izzy Stradlin (guitar) was missing, and the band had added Dizzy (on keyboards). Five years after the band exploded, they imploded.

Guns N’ Roses “officially” broke up in late 1993, rougly ten years ago. For half of that time, we’ve been hearing about Chinese Democracy, Axl Rose’s new album with an all new GN’R lineup. By playing life a couple of times and leaking a song snippet or two to a couple of radio stations, Axl has managed to keep his band in the news despite the lack of a new album. The ex-Gunners have managed to use this exposure to their advantage as well, recruiting Scott Weiland (ex-Stone Temple Pilots) as a vocalist and calling themselves Velvet Revolver. Despite all these bands writing all this music, no one’s released a damn thing.

Until now. Universal Music proudly presents Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits (Volume One, no doubt).

GN’R officially released five albums — none of them out of print or difficult to find. Fans of the band who already own all five albums will be disappointed to find no new material here. Greatest Hits consists of the band’s big radio singles, and a few cover tunes. If you were a fan of “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City” from Appetite for Desctruction, you’re be one happy rocker. If you were a fan of other songs (like “Mr. Brownstone”, “Anything Goes” and “Rocket Queen”) you’ll be SOL here.

With only room for fourteen songs, it seems like a waste to include tracks like “Ain’t it Fun,” “Since I Don’t Have You” and “Sympathy for the Devil” on the disc.

I listened to the entire thing and enjoyed it thoroughly. I miss Guns N’ Roses and can’t wait to hear what both camps have in store for us in the future. However, the world has changed a lot since 1987. For the price most double albums (and many single ones) you can buy a CD-Burner (if, for some reason, your computer didn’t come with one). If you’re any sort of GN’R fan you already own the albums, and if you own the albums you can create this one. If you’re not a collector, save your cash and wait for both Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver’s new albums.

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