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Re: GnR = The Beatles?
I've been wanting to make this post for years (I think I've made part of it at some point in the past). There are some obvious differences, but a lot of similarities too.
Axl = Lennon
Both misunderstood extreme talents. Wrote some amazing songs alone and with the help of their writing partners. Moody, unpredictible, edgy. The insecurity of both is amazing given their talents.
Slash = McCartney
McCartney is miles ahead of Slash as a song writer, but the similarity comes from being the more consevative guy that wants to stick with what he knows works. Lennon once said something about Paul writing nothing but silly love songs implying that was all he could do. Paul responded by writing Silly Love Songs (or whatever the title of that song was). Slash is pretty much Slash...though he branches out occasionally for other projects, most of his own work is straight blues rock.
Izzy = George
Quiet, softspoken, but immensely talented and key to the sound of the band. Both wrote very good songs on their own, and contributed guitar parts that fit the songs perfectly. Neither band would have been the same without them.
Steven = Ringo
Lets face it: nobody care about the drummer. Both were vital to the sounds of the songs, but both were better known after their careers in the band for being outspoken and a little on the weird side due to drinking/drugs.
Duff = George Martin
Duff and George were both more or less in the background, but key to making the sound that each band had. Duff's melodic bass is one of the coolest things about GnR. It's subtle most times, but it's there and adds a lot to the sound. Martin put the songs together for the Beatles and wrote many of the orchestra arrangements that were key to many of the Beatle songs.
Beta = Yoko
I'm not sure I even really have to explain this one. The only difference is Yoko was part of breaking up the Beatles and Beta is part of keeping apart GnR. Both were supportive of the insecure talent they were with, neither is much to look at, but are loved in their own way by that superstar.
Making it
the Beatles were huge in England pretty quickly, but it took some time to win over the US. GnR was big in LA, but took some time to win over the US. Once they won them over, both blew up fast and out of control. This was a huge part of some of the problems both experienced down the road (imo). it also allowed them to evolve and put out music like the albums mentioned below.
UYI = White Album
I know this has been said a lot and some people dismiss it. The similarity is that both albums are all over the place with songs written mostly individually instead of as a team as had been done often in the past. That shows in both records. Both bands had people fighting to get their songs on the album.
Songwriting
Both bands wrote music that may not have made it onto an album for several years as the changed them and/or perfected them over time until they felt they were good enough for the album.
Cover Songs
Both bands played a LOT of cover songs and had a way of making them their own.
Relationships
Fractured. Different groups of them were able to get along at various times, but never were able to get everybody together (obviously Lennon's death ruined any chance of that longer term).
R&RHoF
No Axl (probably no Izzy), no Paul due to unresolved differences with band members.
Obviously there are some major differences as well, but there are a lot of similarities.
Dig in...feel free to add to this, rip it apart, or completely ignore it.
- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
Good analogy... I'd also point out that Lennon had a five-year gap in his career, when he didn't do anything creative, just sat at home. Lennon and MyCartney had a well-documented feud, and John wrote some nasty songs against Paul. I'd quote 'How do you sleep?'
so sgt. pepper took you by
surprise
you better see right through that
mother's eyes
those freaks was right when they
said you was you was dead
the one mistake you made was
in your head
how do you sleep?
ah how do you sleep at night?
you live with straights who tell
you you was king
jum when your mamma tell
you anything
the only thing you done was
yesterday
and since you've gone it's just
another day
how do you sleep?
ah how do you sleep at night?
a pretty face may last a year
or two
but pretty soon they'll see
what you can do
the sound you make is muzak
to my ears
you must have learned
something all those years
how do you sleep?
ah how do you sleep at night?
Could be something off CD or the first Snakepit record 
(Sidenotes: Paul didn't trust in Sgt. Peppers' success; there was a rumour after the Abbey Road album that Paul was dead, and it's another guy on the over; Paul's biggest hit with The Beatles was Yesterday; Another Day is a song by Paul's post-Beatles band, The Wings; Paul had a very strong connection to his mother)
More sidenotes:
Steven is more of the Pete Best of the band, as he wasn't there in the height of their popularity. In this case, Matt is Ringo, who spent more times in the spotlight.
Yoko One - could be Beta, but Paul Tobias would give her a run for it. Lennon had Yoko Ono as a writing partner, and they released numerous albums together, 1 or 2 in the late Beatles years. And just like Yoko, Paul was there with the band during the late years, like an outsider band member or so. Although Lennon didn't get Yoko Ono to sing verses next to McCartney's. 
And as it seems, just like in The Beatles' case, one of them will die before the reunion. 
- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
Well, it's more interesting than the RRHOF circus, so I continue ...:haha:
Paul McCartney is more like Axl is the sense that he wanted his father-in-law to manage the band after Brian Epstein died. The others wanted Allen Klein.
Lennon and McCartney talked and occasionly played together after the Beatles. All the members played with each other, but the four of them never did it together.
John had anger issues. Some sources say he beat up even his ex, Cynthia.
GN'R and Beatles also share some sad past: early bass players, Ole Beich and Stu Sutcliffe both died young.
...John Lennon spoke about his relationship with Paul in one of his last interviews. He said:
"I used my resentment against Paul, that I have as a kind of sibling rivalry resentment from youth, to write a song. It was a creative rivalry… It was not a vicious vendetta… but I felt resentment, so I used that situation the same as I used withdrawing from heroin to write Cold Turkey; I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and the Beatles to write How Do You Sleep?"
and what Paul had to say about it:
"The answer to John was well - I was sleeping very well at the time. Before John died I got back a good relationship with him. That was very special. The arguments we had didn't matter. We were able to just take the piss about all those songs; they weren't that harsh. In fact, I have been thanked by Yoko and everyone else for saving the Beatles from Allen Klein. Everything comes round in the end."
I wish that Axl and Slash (and Izzy) would get to this point. Duff is there, for sure.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
Relationship wise, your spot on. Both of you. The ONLY way Axl is gonna get there with Slash, is if Slash calls up Axl personally and says SPECIFICALLY to Beta (he better hope he reaches Beta, she's the sane one of the bunch from all of the people who've talked to me about dealing with her... Fernando is an ASSHOLE), but Slash says specifically that "I want to talk to Axl about patching up our bad history, whatever that may be. I know I did some things wrong, and I would love for the opportunity to please talk those things out. I don't want to carry this around following me forever. If you could please put me in contact with him, I would be very grateful and humbled. I would really like to get this done."
That's where Axl's at. He wants communication, and he wants SLASH to do it, because Axl feels Slash is where it's all at.
Slash on the other hand looks at it like we do. WHAT THE FUCK? I have to call Axl and crawl on my hands and knees BEGGING for "The Great One" who broke up the greatest rock band of the last 25 years, stole money from me (from a lack of the real GN'R), stole the band name, left my band and took the name with him and then forced me to become his employee, and has made it very clear he hates me, and in my eyes without any justification. He fucked me.
And Slash is STILL there too. And rightfully so.
I personally think the only things that MIGHT change something is if Slash loses his marketability and his active spotlight dies and he REALLY pushes for a GN'R reunion before he's too old, and/or (God forbid) an act of God. Something that threatens mortality and it brings them together.
Music wise, I still stand by GN'R being The Sex Pistols with two extra albums. I don't know any other band that ruled the world, walked away on top, and the whole thing was done in six years. Boom, that's it.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
I actually do think Beta absolutely, genuinely cares about Axl. I think she's doing what she thinks is best for him. I don't think it's about protecting the golden goose, because, she's going to be set for life anyway.
Yoko actually tried to get with Paul first...
And I think Axl wants Slash to say what he did at his house, whatever that was exactly, in public.
This is just personal on my end, so don't shoot. Their post band careers strike me as similar in ways too.
Paul went the safe route musically, leaving behind the experimental, ground breaking levels he made with The Beatles. John went on to make music that was not initially accepted, but there were moments of brilliance and carried the burden of splitting up The Beatles, right or wrong.
Paul was also very passive aggressive and could/can be very snide, where John would lash out and go for the throat.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
I actually do think Beta absolutely, genuinely cares about Axl. I think she's doing what she thinks is best for him. I don't think it's about protecting the golden goose, because, she's going to be set for life anyway.
Yoko actually tried to get with Paul first...
And I think Axl wants Slash to say what he did at his house, whatever that was exactly, in public.
This is just personal on my end, so don't shoot. Their post band careers strike me as similar in ways too.
Paul went the safe route musically, leaving behind the experimental, ground breaking levels he made with The Beatles. John went on to make music that was not initially accepted, but there were moments of brilliance and carried the burdon of splitting up The Beatles, right or wrong.
Paul was also very passive aggressive and could/can be very snide, where John would lash out and go for the throat.
Good points - especially on the post Beatles stuff.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
I actually do think Beta absolutely, genuinely cares about Axl. I think she's doing what she thinks is best for him. I don't think it's about protecting the golden goose, because, she's going to be set for life anyway.
Yoko actually tried to get with Paul first...
And I think Axl wants Slash to say what he did at his house, whatever that was exactly, in public.
This is just personal on my end, so don't shoot. Their post band careers strike me as similar in ways too.
Paul went the safe route musically, leaving behind the experimental, ground breaking levels he made with The Beatles. John went on to make music that was not initially accepted, but there were moments of brilliance and carried the burdon of splitting up The Beatles, right or wrong.
Paul was also very passive aggressive and could/can be very snide, where John would lash out and go for the throat.
Good catch on the Yoko thing. It's always been rumored, but never confirmed, that originally Stephanie hit on Slash, and Perla hit on Axl.
Like I said, never confirmed tho, but widely speculated.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
When I saw the thread title I immediately thought wtf? Not bad though it turns out. For being two vastly different bands they do have a lot of similarities.
Shame the world can't just see them for what they are. A huge band that produced an inordinate amount of cracking tunes in a short time span. All the while bands like Metallica have every press journo and random housewifes praising them.
They deserve a lot more credit.
Re: GnR = The Beatles?
I still think that had something tragic happened, like they all flamed out by 1992-94 period (think Steven is fired, then OD's, Izzy sinks into even more addiction after leaving and dies by 1995/96 when he OD'ed, Slash OD's in 1992 / tour is off, Axl commits suicide in 1994 due to stress, burnout, outright craziness, and disillusion ala Cobain, and Duff succumbs to heroin in 1994 or alcohol in 1997 as he told in his book).
I think if they had blown up like everyone predicted... they would be more fondly remembered.
Sounds horribly macabre, but death tends to immortalize and the media plays it up, and ultimately history is re-written. There's alot of people who sold FAR more records dead, than they ever did alive.
