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Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
For myself I think it’s a totally underrated gem. It’s not aspiring to be anything more than mindless fun. And since it’s not trying to be more than it is, it ends up being cool as such - because it’s just a fun cover album, a band having fun playing songs they enjoyed hearing; nothing more or less. Since there’s no attempts to make “art”, there’s no pressure and one could argue the band gels here more naturally than on any album than perhaps Lies, in that there is a natural energy to it. There is no diverging interests here like with the tug of war between Axl, Izzy and Slash displayed on the Illusions. There’s no darkness of a band living in poverty struggling, as on AFD.
Spaghetti is just the sound of a band at the height of its success actually enjoying themselves, a last little bit of calm before the inevitable storm that came after
That being said, IMO, it’s a B album, in the same way a B movie is a B movie. It could never be called great (however it does, IMO, contain Axl’s best vocal performances)
But it’s fun
That’s just my opinion;
I am curious to hear yours
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
It was marketed in Australia as the new GNR record, so I was somewhat disappointed at first when I figured out it was all covers.
I agree with your thoughts - if you think of it as a genre piece, like a fun covers record - which it is - then it kicks ass. Worth mentioning the Great recording quality too - I still think sound wise it's GNR best sounding record.
Ranking the tracks....TBH i don't really rate Duff as a singer...so I lean towards the ones he's not on. Sorry duff...I actually love Duff's bass playing and he's a cool dude. He's good at that punk sound but it's not what I'm into musically...like I love him...but I didn't come to GNR to listen to duff sing sorry my man....like I don't go to BLS to hear Zakk play piano even though he's badass at it. It's just me I guess.
Anyways, so that's my first thoughts, but yeah specific tracks I like:
Since I don't have you....Axl sounds fucking amazing...odd retro style for GNR but damn does he make it work...classic Axl really in everyway...subverts what you think he's going to do but delivers in excess.
Down on the Farm is just awesome from front to back.
Human Being. Axl nails this hard. He's kinda hard to understand in places, but when you listen to this one more and more you realise it's just the whole band kicking ass over and Axl brings it on a level that most just can't. I wanna hear this band live today lol.
Black leather. Underrated track where Slash shows how everything he plays is sexy, even when he's riffing on the rhythm lines.
Aint it Fun. Can slash's tone get any better? like serious the opening few licks of this alone would make me buy a new amp. Or maybe new hands. it's beautiful.
Big Dumb Sex. Yeah it's fun and I like it. I know the soundharden pppl around here probably don't like it. But I always crank it.
Hair of the Dog - well...it may not have been written by Axl...but it just seems to apply to him so perfectly....feel like slash could have done a better solo here...but it's still probably my favourite track on the record.
The rest of the songs I just don't get into due to lack of Axl or just not kinda my style...but those ones I listed I love so deeply that I love the whole record.
- Miguelox26
- Rep: 5
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
Totalmente infravalorado!....todabia recuerdo cuando abri el libreto del casette y vi las converse axl!...era un niño de once años!...ja.ja...suenan duros y abrasivos!...es una mezla punk y hard rock esplosivo y sonido muy bien conseguido!...suena mejor que use your illusions y apesar de ser versiones estan en llamas!....discazo!
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
I really like the record and wish they would play more of it live. Do Ain't It Fun or Since I Don't Have You already. They were singles and have never been played live. Would make way more sense than playing random ACDC covers...
My ranking:
Ain't It Fun
Down On The Farm
I Don't Care About You
Raw Power
New Rose
Black Leather
Attitude
Since I Don't Have You
Human Being
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory
Hair Of Dog
Look At Your Game Girl
Buick Makane
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
Like “Lies” it bought them time which of course they then squandered. For a while U2 did something similar: Release a big album that required a lot of time create and follow it with a record that would keep the band in the spotlight while they made another labor-intense album.
War > the Under a Blood Red Sky live e.p.
Unforgettable Fire > the Wide Awake in America e.p.
The Joshua Tree > the half-live and otherwise written on the road Rattle & Hum
Achtung Baby > Zooropa (originally intended as an ep) / Original Soundtracks 1
GNR should have issued an ep built around “Oh My God” and anything else they had ready but thought would not fit on the album. Looking at their setlists from 2000, “Madagascar” is obviously a gem and “Chinese Democracy” an important statement so take those off the list of candidates, but they did have “Silkworms” and at the very least the re-recorded versions of songs from the original lineup. Had they gone with “There Was a Time” as the track promoted at radio they would have had a sort of “More Lies” on their hands and been on everyone’s radar in anticipation of the album.
“There Was a Time”
“Oh My God”
“Silkworms”
“Knockin’ …” (acoustic)
“Welcome to the Jungle”
Oh well.
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
I liked it... always did. The production is amazing. This record sounds amazing LOUD and should only be played loud.
Having said that...
This album should not exist. It was originally supposed to be on UYI but obviously they didn't have room and the idea of potentially releasing 3-4 albums was ditched. It then morphed into a "punk covers EP" we were supposed to get quickly after the release of UYI.
This was its tracklist...
New Rose
Down on the Farm
Raw Power
Ain't It Fun
Attitude
I Don't Care About You
Once Izzy bailed, this EP must have been scrapped and it gets expanded along with adding Gilby to the songs and turned into a throwaway album as the UYI era was being wrapped up.
It stuck out like a sore thumb in the pop culture of 1993-94. They didn't even promote it...they were all obviously burnt out. The only interview was Slash in either People or EW magazine.
The label didn't seem to care either. One song... whether it be Ain't It Fun, Black Leather, etc. needed a hard push as the first single. Little did anyone know, Ain't It Fun is the single. Should've informed radio....they were just cherry picking their own singles. My region briefly pushed Hair of the Dog.
The album quickly gets buried.
A few months later, Since I Don't Have You is released as a single/video...which really sticks out. It briefly enters rotation on top 40 radio and MTV but since the band isn't doing anything....it dies.
The world wasn't holding its breath for new GNR at the time...only the extreme hardcores cared. GNR were the most uncool thing in the world in 1994 and 1995.
Instead of releasing these songs as an album, should've used some of them as B sides for the next album... although hindsight tells us this would've been a mistake.
The album is really only known for the Manson song and what a joke of a last album it is.
It's unique not just as the cover album it is...but how the lead singer isn't even the singer on a portion of the record. He's also not in the photos...it's just a picture of his shoes.
Duff sings 1/3 of the album and Slash sings a song as well.
It was never going to be taken seriously under any circumstances.
Since I Don't Have You - This doesn't belong here. This should have been on some sort of soundtrack...or not even release it.
New Rose - I like the original idea of this being on UYI. It was talked about during the years of hype. Once hearing it and Duff's Believe in Me, I think it would have fit better on that.
Down on the Farm - Shouldn't be on here. Civil War deserved to be a single in 1990 and this should've been its B side.
Human Being - One of the highlights of the album. That outro is a jam for the ages.
Raw Power - This probably should've been on Believe In Me as well...or a B side to a UYI single.
Ain't It Fun - A highlight of the album. Should've been on UYI.
Buick Makane/Big Dumb Sex - Love Buick Makane... virtually a novelty song with the Slash vocals. Probably doesn't belong here...but it gets the job done. The Big Dumb Sex outro sucks...bad. There's no emotion behind it ..sounds like he's reading the line from a cue card. Should've went all out and recorded the full song... might have been better.
Hair of the Dog - Funny to see this pop up on the album because I wanted to hear them cover Nazareth....but not this song. They played it safe with this choice. Oh well... better than picking Love Hurts.
Attitude - This also belonged on UYI or Believe In Me. Should've been released when it was being performed live...not after.
Black Leather - Highlight of the album. Way too good to not be a single.
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory - Belongs on a Johnny Thunders tribute album or something. Duff is clearly wasted during the recording.
I Don't Care About You - I don't care about this song....
The Manson song is ok I guess but doesn't belong. It's not really a GNR song and is only hear to create controversy.
It's sickening how this was their last album.
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
They did do a few interviews for it, as a matter of fact Axl and Slash’s last joint interview to date was to promote TSI in January 1994. Slash did the typical magazine interview scene for it.
Slash wanted Guns to do a club tour to promote TSI further, but Axl said no.
And they planned to do a video for Aint it Fun as well, the video got so far as to be written by Del James, but for whatever reason that never came to be
Re: What’s your opinion of the Spaghetti Incident? Rank the tracks!
I don't like it when bands do too many covers. If you do a cover there should be a reason behind it. KOHD is cool because they take a very solemn song and turn it into a party anthem. LALD is superfluous. It's nothing more than the original with GN'R playing the instruments.
A whole album with covers should never be done by anyone. You are literally turning yourself into a tribute band.
Still though, Ain't It Fun is a great song and it becomes even greater when sung by Axl/Monroe and Slash playing the guitar. Of course I like listening to that song. TSI has a lot of good songs and GN'R is playing on them. It might be a dumb album but it's also a very good album. The whole band performs with top energy. The renditions aren't very creative but they sound good. A fun bar type album. Not something they should have done but as it stands quite enjoyable.
Top songs for me would be:
Down on The Farm
Hair of the Dog
Ain't It Fun
I don't Care About You
I can do without the songs with Duff on lead.
Look at your game girl is not really a great song, but as the last song on the last album by the old band it complements the sadness of the whole thing. It's a bittersweet moment when it starts to play. Charlie had a capacity for sadness. Good choice even if it was only for the controversy.
In hindsight the album was a fitting end to the trajectory of the band. 'time went by and it became a joke.
