Greatest Hits [Digipak] [PA] - Guns N' Roses > Reviews > Guns 'n' Roses - The Greatest Hits

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Average
Value for Money

Advantages:	first 9 tracks are everything that can be hoped for (barring Patience)
Disadvantages:	no band input, mixed playlist, poor packaging

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Axl ‘shoot myself in the foot’ Rose and his band of merry men return from a lengthy hiatus with the release of their official greatest hits package. Although I say official, in truth had Axl had his way then this release would never have seen the light of day. As hard as he and Slash tried, even efforts in court failed, they couldn’t stop Geffen Records releasing what they saw as an acceptable package. Geffen it seemed, having been taken to the limit with constant promises of Chinese Democracy, took it into their own hands to place together a collection of songs and rush release it. If I were to be honest, this is one of the worst ‘hits’ packages that you will find, not because of the music, rather due to the circumstances. Firstly, for a greatest hits package there is very little here that can’t be purchased on a market stall for £3.99, a flimsy collection of a mere 14 songs from a band that have a career spanning 20 years, quite frankly isn’t acceptable. The big hitters are all here - November Rain, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Paradise City and Civil War, but it just doesn’t suffice for what is supposedly their greatest hits……….

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Live and Let Die
Don’t Cry (original version)
November Rain

- all taken from 1991’s Use Your Illusion I

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Civil War
Yesterdays
You Could Be Mine
Knocking On Heaven’s Door

- all taken from 1991’s Use Your Illusion II

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Patience

- taken from 1990’s Lies

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Since I Don’t Have You
Ain’t It Fun

- both taken from 1997’s The Spaghetti Incident ?

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Welcome To The Jungle
Paradise City
Sweet Child O’ Mine

- all taken from 1987’s Appetite For Destruction

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The gripe for me, and many people that I know, is that only three tracks were selected from the incredible Appetite For Destruction, whilst a couple of howlers (Patience, Live And Let Die) made it onto the record. This may have been Axl’s argument for stopping the release, not having faith in the label to choose the correct track listing, and with the evidence pretty clear, Axl may well have had a point. The music that is here, in large, is absolutely brilliant - with the beautiful November Rain, the eerie Don’t Cry and the utterly superb Sweet Child O’ Mine all main fixtures. My argument is in no way aimed at the music that Guns ‘n’ Roses gave us, rather it is what has been chosen as their career spanning package. As someone who owns all their studio material anyway, this doesn’t effect me, but for anyone that wished to get themselves into the band (assuming that you, like me would aim for the greatest hits collection first), this simply doesn’t do the band, nor their music, full justice.

"When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same

'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain...."

Thinking slightly more positively, Geffen have at least got 50% of the track list to standard, with the first half of the album without doubt the strongest, giving us all the big ‘guns’ within the first 7 tracks, leaving November Rain and Don’t Cry as the sole big hitters in the latter half of this hour long compilation. ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, a horrendous Rolling Stones cover, is one that truly should have stayed on a comeback album for a 2020 release, with the original being a shambles the hint should have been well and truly taken not to venture into murky waters. The packaging to the album is at first glance a good view - a very neat cardboard sleeve with a good selection of pictures and information included overleaf, but the one thing I shall warn you about is that these ‘modern‘ style cardboard sleeves tend to wear thin very quickly (much like my patience for the record).

"She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that
special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry..."

The most endearing moment is the epic cover of Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ a song covered by many, but rarely this well. Slash makes it his own and Axl sounds like he’s been singing it all his life, truly wonderful. As some of you may know from past reviews, I have a huge soft spot for November Rain, the track that turned me onto the louder side of life and a track that I hold great respect for. The nine minutes that it spans for drift by as if a second had past, showing that when the jobs done right, it’s magnificent, but sadly enough it’s just not done regularly enough and I would honestly say only purchase this if your getting into the band. As I’ve been a fan for years I can freely turn to my CD collection for the omissions.

"My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can't deny
And are washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars..."

The music chosen is top drawer (In the majority), but the bands music is jeopardised by a mixed play list, weak packaging and much hype over nothing I’m afraid. Chinese Democracy had beta be on the horizon because this is certainly not the way that one of the finest rock bands in history wishes to go out. It will be said that die-hard fans will love this regardless, but I am such a fan and personally this could, and should, have been so much better. The second half of the playlist needs seeing to, the packaging needs a sort out and the band need input into it - here's hope to a 'proper' hits package in the near future.

"Mama take this badge out of me, I can`t use it anymore.
It`s getting dark, too dark to see.
I feel like I'm knockin` on heavens door..."

What must be kept in mind however is that this was not the bands selection, this was most likely thrown together by some back room office junior at 4 in the morning (probably had Eminem on his MP3 player)

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Track Listing -

1. Welcome To The Jungle ****
2. Sweet Child O’ Mine *****
3. Patience *
4. Paradise City ****
5. Knockin On Heaven’s Door *****
6. Civil War *****
7. You Could Be Mine *****
8. Don’t Cry *****
9. November Rain *****
10. Live And Let Die **
11. Yesterdays **
12. Ain’t It Fun **
13. Since I Don’t Have You *
14. Sympathy For The Devil *

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www.geffenrecords.com 

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