GUNS N’ ROSES have announced an APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION deluxe edition coming in June. While “Rocket Queen” will certainly be on it, it’s highly unlikely the interview track below will.
Fans of vintage Guns N’ Roses (what other kind are there?) should always be alert and eyes open for old singles. Whether CD or vinyl, some of those old Guns singles have buried treasure on them. One is “Patience”, released several months after the Lies EP from which it sprang.
Here’s some truth for you, and it’s rather strange. “Patience” simply sounds better with the crackle of vinyl. I can’t explain it but I sure can testify. Just a little bit. Just enough to transport you back in time to 1989 when people were spinning Lies on vinyl (or at least cassette tape) nightly. The delicate strum of acoustics accentuate one another, and hot-damn, it’s hard to deny the timelessness of “Patience”. The missus and I played it at our wedding reception and it was a highlight of the evening. Almost every couple dancing to it that night is still together. Magic, people! It’s real.
But no, the real treasure is on side two, and it’s not “Rocket Queen”. Don’t get me wrong! “Rocket Queen” is an amazing showcase and could still today be the best tune Guns have ever laid to vinyl. It’s heavy, it’s soft; it has a bit of everything. I’d put it in my top five. But you already have Appetite for Destruction, so you know this already. What you have probably never heard before is the second track on the B-side, a vintage interview (7:44 long) with the elusive W. Axl Rose himself.
Conducted in his apartment among his broken platinum albums, Axl is asked some point-blank questions. Did you know Duff had his own comedy version of “Patience” that could have come out at some time? Axl even dropped lyrics from a new Izzy Stradlin song still two years down the road. “Double talking jive, get the money motherfucker, ’cause I got no more patience…” He also revealed they had a lot of ideas…anything from “10 songs to 30 songs”. (Turns out, it was 30.)
Axl confessed that his violent streak comes from frustration and stress, and that he has always smashed his things. It’s clear that this guy, sitting at the very top of the rock pile, needed some mental health care. Bon Jovi, after all, didn’t smash his platinum albums. He even went as far as to warn psycho fans to stay away or deal with the consequences of getting in his face.
It’s an odd interview, and revealing. That’s why it’s a treasure worth seeking. A single like this is valuable to fans who need to know these bits of trivia and minutia.
GUNS N’ ROSES – Acoustic Session in NY (1987 radio broadcast, Laser Media release)
Radio broadcasts of historic value can be found for dirt cheap. Guns N’ Roses played an intimate set on October 30 1987 at CBGB’s in New York, and today you can own a CD of it just by being in the right Walmart.
The GN’R Lies EP was still over a year away but several tracks were previewed: “Patience”, “Used to Love Her”, the acoustic version of “You’re Crazy” and the controversial “One in a Million”. It was only the second time “One in a Million” had been played live and the audience doesn’t particularly react where you think they would. They do, however, get quite a kick out of “Used to Love Her”. According to Rolling Stone, there were about 100 people in the club that night. They also got to hear the unfamiliar “Move to the City” and “Mr. Brownstone”.
The balance of the CD is from an unknown gig, fully plugged in: “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, a ferocious “My Michelle” and a very early cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by the original five. Since you’re never poorer for owning vintage live Guns with Izzy and Steven, the three tracks are welcome bonuses (though a source listing would be nice).
Do you remember your first Guns N’ Roses? I sure do. I skipped Appetite and went straight to GN’R Lies. We were heading to the cottage one spring weekend and my parents offered to buy me a new cassette. “Patience” hadn’t even been released as a single yet. I knew no songs. But I was intrigued by the idea of a half-acoustic EP. I fell in love with the acoustic guitar around that time, and I wanted to check out Lies as my first Guns. I’m kind of proud that my first Guns wasn’t Appetite.
The acoustic side was the second; first I was assaulted by the jet-propelled electric “live” side. Which wasn’t really live. It was recorded in the studio with crowd noise dubbed in from the 1978 Texxas Jam. If you listen to the vocals, knowing that Axl is always in motion on stage, you can tell they are not live. This is, of course, with 20/20 hindsight. This electric side was a reissue of the first Guns EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide. Fans had been paying ridiculous amounts of money to acquire it, so Guns decided to beat the dealers by simply reissuing it with some new songs on top.
“Reckless Life” dated back to Hollywood Rose. Even though it’s not from Appetite, it sure could have fit on that album. It had the energy and the hooks to make it. It speaks to the strength of the album that songs like “Reckless Life” were left off. A slick and groovy tune, “Move to the City”, is also included on Lies. It’s obviously different from the direction of Appetite (horns!), but not all that dissimilar to the Illusions albums. The electric side is rounded out by a couple covers, something we later learned that Guns really excel at…or fail completely. There is no in-between with Guns N’ Roses covers. They either rule or suck. Both covers on Lies rule: “Nice Boys” (Rose Tattoo) borders on punk, foreshadowing the future. Finally, Axl announces that “This song is about your fuckin’ mother!” Not exactly the kind of thing parents enjoy, but a killer track: “Mama Kin” introduced many youngsters to the Aerosmith classic for the first time.
That first side felt dangerous. We were used to bands like Def Leppard. Suddenly this guy is talking about our fuckin’ mothers? Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide aka “side one” is also catchy as fuck, so we kept going back for round two, three, and more.
It was actually quite genius of them to pair Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide with four acoustic tunes on side two. The contrast works, and when you flip the record it feels fresh when you drop the needle again. In fact it’s easy to just flip back to side one and listen again. The quality of the acoustic songs didn’t hurt. The side progresses from softest to hardest. “Patience” is first, which eventually became one of Guns’ greatest hits. You didn’t hear acoustic guitar solos often back then, or a ballad with no drums. Even though ballads were all the rage, few bands had a song like “Patience”. The brilliance of “Patience” isn’t the melody or the whistling. It’s the minimalist arrangement.
I still remember my dad watching the “Patience” video with me. “That guy’s not a very good guitar player!” he scoffed as Slash solo’d. He never liked Guns N’ Roses.
“Used to Love Her” was always a bit of a novelty, but even so, a good novelty track. “A joke, nothing more,” according to the cover. It’s about a dog, in case you didn’t know. “Used to Love Her” is upbeat, catchy and easy to sing along to. Regardless of what my dad may think, Slash’s (electric) solo work on it is tops.
One of the most interesting songs is “You’re Crazy”, a re-recording of the Appetite for Destruction favourite. The cover states that it was originally slow and acoustic, before being cranked up on Appetite. Because it’s unique, the Lies version is the better of the two. It was notorious in the highschool halls for its refrain of “You’re fuckin’ crazy.”
Even more notorious however was the closer, and for good reason. Certain words in certain contexts are unpalatable. Context is the key. It matters who is saying the word, and why. Words in themselves are not offensive, it is their usage that can be hurtful. “One in a Million” is an ugly, angry song. Axl’s pissed off at the cops, religion, and seemingly homosexuals and the black community as well. Some of the harshest words are levelled at foreigners:
Immigrants and faggots, They make no sense to me. They come to our country, And think they’ll do as they please. Like start some mini-Iran, Or spread some fucking disease. And they talk so many God damn ways, It’s all Greek to me.
Later on, Axl has the gall to state, “Radicals and racists, Don’t point your finger at me. I’m a small town white boy, just tryin’ to make ends meet.” Here we are in 2017, three decades later, and the world is still infested with angry, small town white boys. Although Axl smugly apologized for the lyrics in advance on the front cover, “One in a Million” can’t be excused that easily. Axl has since worked with gay and African American artists…hell, Slash’s mom was African American. As a fan of the music, I would like to hope that Axl has learned more about the world since 1988. We are shaped by our experience, and I hope Axl has had more positive ones.
Moving on from the lyrics, the interesting thing about “One in a Million” is that it was album debut of Axl Rose’s piano, on a song solely written by Axl. It’s simple and guitar based, and Slash’s acoustic solo is utterly fantastic.
Finally, one of the most appealing aspects of GN’R Lies is the cover. Taking a cue from Jethro Tull, the cover looks like a newspaper replete with dirty articles. Open it up, and there’s a naked woman inside. “The loveliest girls are always in your GN’R L.P.” says the headline. I quickly folded up the cover to hide it from my parents.
Lies was a good stopgap for Guns, considering the five year gap between Appetite and Illusions. It demonstrated growth, and cool roots. It will always be remembered for “Patience”, but also a couple ill-advised words that had lasting repercussions.
GUNS N’ ROSES – “Patience” (1989 Geffen 12″ single)
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