Probably the only person not to welcome this essential chapter in the history of modern rock will be troubled front man Axl Rose. Because every song on this record sounds as if it is his career death knell.
A new album or a reunion tour? I'll pay you not to spoil my memories. In 1987 the guitar bursts of Welcome To The Jungle and Sweet Child O' Mine were the war cry for a young generation of rockers to get real. A lengthy adolescence later, and 20 million copies of Appetite For Destruction sold worldwide, this greatest hits is an inevitable chronicle of decline.
It must have been tempting to include all of that first album. Of the remaining 11 songs, three are covers (Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Live And Let Die, Sympathy For The Devil), albeit brilliantly executed. That tells a story. The Use Your Illusion double album gives up seven songs, including the grand ballads of November Rain and Don't Cry. But nothing will match those edgy first steps. A musical monument, best enjoyed with a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Updated: 09:02 Thursday, April 08, 2004
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