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Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
I just came accross this transcript from Sept Classic Rock magazine. (thanks goes to anythinggoes78 over at CD.com):
Each Band Has One Song Selected This Is GNR's
Welcome To The Jungle
Guns N Roses first manager, Alan Niven didnt go for an obscure Guns classic, he chose the song that put GN'R on the map: Welcome To The Jungle. " Despite the fact it was probably the weakest performance on the demo i recieved from Geffen, it was obvious this was a song that would be important to GN'R" says Niven. " I made that plainly known to their A&R man and to the band. The band duly 'nailed it' in the studio, Axl and Slash coming up Roses in particular".
" Chosen to be the first video, no-one was quite sure how to represent the song until i suggested we steal from three classic movies: Midnight Cowboy, (The Story of an innocent loose in the underbelly of New York), The Man Who Fell to Earth , (A Bowie movie about an alien trying to comprehend human behaviour), and Krubricks Clockwork Orange. Geffen wouldnt come up with the budget needed, so I 'piggy backed' the shoot on a Great White video Shoot using the same director and crew. Great White had already broken through with Rock Me. By using cameras and crew for four days we could spread the rental costs and expenses over four days, get discounts and get the Storyboard for .... Jungle Shot.
" Sent to MTV, .... Jungle was Ignored for six months. Just as it was at album radio stations. Still, word of mouth from the tours with The Cult, Alice Cooper and Motley Crue drove sales to 250000 albums. Geffen thought they would call it a good day for a debut album at that point. But there was enought belief in Guns in a number of key people that the video was given the slimmest of chances in an overnight showing.
" The response was instant and legendary. Geffen claimed all the creditfor the airplay, but many people pressed for the airtime - Geffen would demand that any and every video they made got played. Ultimately it got played because of the undenible groundswell that the band themselves had generated by making a brilliant record and touring behind it.
The Great Eight By Alan Niven
This is why GN'R worked so well together. Izzy had the eternal Rock 'N' Roll groove (he and keef are from the same mould); Steven Adler provided a vital exuberance despite being a less then technical drummer; Duffer locked it all - and Steven down; and Slash's slithering and laconic guitar played brilliantly against Axl's angst-ridden voice of sandpaper and molasses.
Their best songs? The following are those that would connect on one beat, no matter what frame of mind i was in:
1. Welcome To The Jungle
The anthem the whole world embraced: the helter skelter intro riff., the banshee howl from out of the shadows and darkness of paradise city lost. No-one has since topped this sonic mayhem. It is still the song used to raise the adrenaline and stir a crowd at any sporting contest. Take that one to heart.
2. Paradise City
The Magnificent sweep of sound that contains all the heart, soul and muscle of GN'R. Groove, power, attitude, lyricism, a serpentine middle eight guitar part and a truely demented and barely controllablecoda. Just huge.
3. Sweet Child O' Mine
All about the vocal and the lyric: 'Her hair reminds me of a safe place where as a child I'd hide' is so personal, particular and poetic that would be sufficient reason alone. But then Slash rose to the challenge of Axl's content and performance with his intro and solo.
4. Rocket Queen
The strength and swagger of this groove would be enough, but then the lyric demystifies the Axl enigma. Sex for powers sake? Grace 'n' love for gods sake. He Cared
5. Nightrain
The anthem the world missed; a great mythological lyric, and a sizzling guitar solo out that i still think ends far to soon.
6. Reckless Life - The Demo
Close your eyes and you are back to the autumn of 1986 and in The Troubadour. A blistering manifesto.
7. Dust N' Bones
Its so fucking Izzy. i love him and his vibe. 'Nuff said.
8. Its So Easy
The first single ever released. 'How do you like us now, fuckers?
Of course there are other terrific songs and moments. Civil War, for example, should be noted as a key moment when Axl shifted from LA sexual politics to social statesmanship and commentary. November Rain, on the other hand, as superb as it is, has always felt like an Axl solo track to me - the beginnings of Chinese Democracy.
Taken from the Sept 2008 Issue of Classic Rock now go buy it , any spelling mistakes are probably mine in the copying.
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
Niven has good taste, but in my opinion Reckless Life shouldn't be anywhere near a best of list.
I can see why old school Guns fans have a certain appreciation for it though. Its definitely the best Live Like a Suicide track.
5. Nightrain
The anthem the world missed
Good call. The central CA rock stations played the track back then like it was a top 10 hit.
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
Nightrain is one of my all time favorite GNR tracks, so much so that I use it on my Xbox Live account as my name. I love the lyrics and I love the exuberance of youth in the track. I understand why Slash was so excited to play it, it's the fun song that's completely badass and screams of a drunken good time. It's pretty much what the band most likely was truly about back then. Well, those an other activities. 
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
I would add:
You Could Be Mine - I think this is one of the greatest rock tracks ever recorded
You're Crazy (accoustic) - Axl's best peformance IMHO
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
This is where I say Paradise City is the absolute most overrated song ever.
I agree....sometimes i even change the station when it comes on.
its so repetitive, never been a fan...maybe because everyone else raves about it so much? I dunno
- JordanRose
- Rep: 6
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
bigbri wrote:This is where I say Paradise City is the absolute most overrated song ever.
I agree....sometimes i even change the station when it comes on.
its so repetitive, never been a fan...maybe because everyone else raves about it so much? I dunno
I love the first half of it but the repetitive wanking and chanting outro shit bores me. I hate it getting dragged out live and I hate it being the last song. I'd rather Nightrain closed the show or a little surprise like Don't Cry popped up after.
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
I don't listen to the song that often, but I do think it's a great song to end a live show with. The end of the song is so high energy...it leaves you wanting more. I wasn't a huge fan of the song when it came out, but appreciate it a lot more now since I didn't overplay it when it was out and I can appreciate the experience from a live perspective.
Re: Classic Rock 100 Greatest Rock Songs & Alan Niven's Great 8 GN'R Songs
I love the first half of it but the repetitive wanking and chanting outro shit bores me. I hate it getting dragged out live and I hate it being the last song.
I get caught up in the guitar work and pretty much shut out Axl at that point, so the end of song doesn't bother me as much as it obviously does you.
