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Re: RRHoF Discussion (Izzy/Slash/Axl Press Statements)
I've been following the soap opera that this thread is and honestly stripping away the insults, everybody makes some good points (even Ali).
Having said that, Axl + Slash = Coma and Estranged. I don't think you can really say Axl + Izzy is better than Axl + Slash because despite the small sample size, the results are stellar.
Carry on; I'll be lurking. Nice to see that while I was an active participant, I wasn't the cause of all the drama. 
Re: RRHoF Discussion (Izzy/Slash/Axl Press Statements)
I've been following the soap opera that this thread is and honestly stripping away the insults, everybody makes some good points (even Ali).
Having said that, Axl + Slash = Coma and Estranged. I don't think you can really say Axl + Izzy is better than Axl + Slash because despite the small sample size, the results are stellar.
Carry on; I'll be lurking. Nice to see that while I was an active participant, I wasn't the cause of all the drama.
I'll agree it's close. On the one hand you have YCBM, DC, Nightrain, Patience, You're Crazy and on the other Coma, Locomotive, Jungle and DDM.
Despite Slash' awesome contributions I'd consider Estranged and NR 90% Axl songs. A solo is not that hard to make when there's already structure and melody.
That being said, Slash efforts appear to drop drastically once Izzy left the band. Perhaps there was some sort of ego contest going on (for Slash, don't think Izzy cares) that made him go the extra mile. Either way I've always felt Izzy was an integral part of the band. Not just in writing, but also as some sort of psychological factor, respected by Axl and feared by Slash.
From what we hear the late UYI lineup trying to make a record was a disaster.
Re: RRHoF Discussion (Izzy/Slash/Axl Press Statements)
slash writes riffs and solos very well
axl writes melodies, piano based songs, and vocals/lyrics very well
Izzy writes rhythm tracks and song structures very well
Together they produced one of the greatest albums of all time of any genre
apart they've all produced inferior material
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: RRHoF Discussion (Izzy/Slash/Axl Press Statements)
Nevertheless, behind Axl he is the main songwriter on all the old albums. The difference between UYI and Snakepit is really him, and it's huge. Sure, the unique Slash style is there but a bunch of substance had been lost.
I respect your opinion, I just don't quite see it that way.
Firstly, I think the whole way songwriting is legally recognised as whoever provides the lyrics and melodies only is sort of flawed. Sometimes a beat or something is pivotal to a sound - like the bass line in Bille Jean, the drums in "We Will Rock You", and many times guitar solos that make a song are ignored legally.
I think Slash is the type of player that fundamentally transforms the songs he played on, much like Axl does vocally, which makes the original distinction of who showed up to rehearsal with the original song idea less relevant. Say "Knocking on Heaven's Door" - Axl adds that "Aye Aye" thing that it's impossible not to sing now when you hear any version of the song even other bands - Slash added those bluesy and amazing solos that really captured the heart of the song - yet legally it's Dylan and that's all there is to it.
But GNR really made it their own. And I think it's the same with the Izzy tracks. What would DTJ be without those Slash guitar solos at the end - they make the entire song. What would YCBM be without the Slash riffing and solos and without Axl's incredible vocal lines. Don't want to offend the Izzy fans but they'd be sort of bland. IT's not that his songs arn't good. It's that if Axl and Slash and Duff added their sound to your song or my song I believe it would also get to that level. Alone Izzy would have written stuff like You Aint the First, 14 years without the chorus and maybe Dust and Bones and stuff like that without the solos and without Axl's touches and it would be nice but not anything approaching what GNR is.
To my ears something like Snakepit1 is far closer to GNR than an Izzy album. I don't mean to be running him down - I like his songs too - I'm just saying put Axl and Slash together on anything and you hit that sort of magic - this belief that it requires izzy musically I think is inaccurate - it's possible they require him for political reasons to balance dynamics in the band or something... but musically he's a wonderful addition but not essential.
Maybe I hear it different to you. I honestly think if you took an instrumental version of the UYI rockers - like "Don't Damn Me" and then an Instrumental version of songs like "Soma City Ward" or "Dime Store Rock" from Snakepit 1 that the differences guitar wise are very minimal. In other words - had Axl been willing/allowed/whatever to play on Snakepit 1 it would have come out a very GNR record.
If you disike Slash solo stuff I think it's because it lacks Axl not Izzy. Axl's the one who makes the serious changes to Slash's basic tracks. Not that Izzy's guitar stuff isn't cool...but it's just not essential to me. I guess maybe we have different tastes though - as my opinion is if you take the best of VR, Snakepit, Slash Album and his guest apperances - Slash has some very strong riffs outside of GNR.
Not to mention that in terms of a one off performance not songwriting, such as this RRHOF show, any rhythm guitarist would be able to play what's needed while Axl and Slash grab the limelight.
