Under Cover: Sweet Child o' Mine

Scott Gagner "Sweet Child 'o Mine" (Guns N' Roses)

In honor of their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, this week we'll feature indie singer/songwriter Scott Gagner's stripped down version of the Guns N' Roses classic, "Sweet Child o' Mine" here. Be sure to check out his excellent original music too (reviewed here).

Sheryl Crow also did a nice cover of this one:

Cover tune catastrophe: Welcome To The Jungle

One of the most intriguing cover concepts I've heard in sometime: the great jazz artist Etta Jones does her interpretation of a classic rock anthem. The reworking just doesn't work for me, nor does it provide a chance to let Etta shine, so what's the point? It's gonna bring you down...huh!

Etta James "Welcome To The Jungle" (Guns-N-Roses)

Classic melodic rock CD of the week

By Stephen Kasenda

GUNS N’ ROSES “Use You Illusion II” (1991)

The second disc in the epic Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion” series is often hailed as superior to the first. The usage of the blue color on the cover would appear to represent a relaxing, bluesy, more laid-back batch of songs, but the gang keeps the anger and hatred going strong on several tracks, including "Get In The Ring" and "Shotgun Blues".

The Terminator soundtrack tunes, "Civil War" and "You Could Be Mine", are two tracks to fall in love with at first listen. "Yesterday" is a sway into light rock with a passionate vocal and delirious rhythm. The rendition of Dylan's classic, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" is another instant hit, making a good stadium chant for every concert they held. "Estranged", the last section of the ballad trilogy, is one of their masterpieces, featuring a captivating voice and a breathtaking solo by the Axl Rose-Slash duo. The closer, "My World", is blatantly their worst creation and unnecessary filler, but overall this is an enjoyable disc packed with many good songs. If I have to pick one, I chose blue over yellow.

Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.

Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview


Sebastian Bach “Kicking & Screaming” – The outspoken and always entertaining former Skid Row frontman returns with his latest solo release, “Kicking & Screaming”. As you would expect, there’s no shortage of loud, in-your-face guitar shredding and dazzling solo work. Bach sounds as potent as ever, showing off the full range of his vocal talents through these thirteen tracks, and his lyrics remain sharp. That’s the good news. While “Kicking & Screaming” has plenty of testosterone and muscle, it often lacks the melodic hooks that would make these songs memorable. That is regrettable, because Bach used to write some killer ones. In short, Bach delivers a solid record to pump your fist to, but not much to sing along to. My favorites in the set include “Caught in A Dream”, “As Long As I Got The Music”, and “One Good reason”. Also, don’t miss “I’m Alive” and “Wishin’” – two of the best ballads he’s done as a solo artist – each feature compelling instrumental dynamics and Bach simply nails the vocal.

Sebastian Bach – official site.

Check out the video for the title track:


Surprise of the week
Beam me up, Scotty. William Shatner has covered Black Sabbath’s "Iron Man”, one of the tracks from his upcoming album, "Seeking Major Tom”. Give it a listen and read more details here.

News
For you “die” hard vinyl fans: now there’s a company called Andvynyly that offers a service to turn your cremated ashes into a record. What song would you like to be? Check it out here.

Julian Lennon to release first album in 13 years (his sixth studio album) this October, called “Everything Changes”. Details here.

Check out this explanation of the famous Guns N' Roses video “November Rain” here.

Some classic Bob Seger is finally coming to iTUNES along with a free EP – check it out here.

Will CDs go the way of the dinosaur within five more years? Here is an opinion.

Deck the halls with Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots)? Yep.

Random iPOD song of the week
L.A. Guns – “Never Enough”


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Rare CD: Duff McKagan "Beautiful Disease"

"A VERY HARD TO FIND, NEVER RELEASED SOLO ALBUM OF DUFF MCKAGAN

In 1998, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan was preparing to release his second solo album, Beautiful Disease, when his label, Geffen, was swallowed up in the massive Polygram-Universal merger. As a result, the album was lost in the shuffle and McKagan, who was dropped from the label, announced that it would probably never be released. Nonetheless, some promo copies leaked out and quickly became sought-after collectibles. It's easy to see why — the album reunites McKagan with his fellow GN'R alumni Slash and Izzy Stradlin (playing together on record for the first time in seven years), and also features former Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin and ex-Black Flag frontman Dez Cadena. Even without the special guests, though, the album would be worth hearing. McKagan's writing had grown by leaps and bounds from his previous album, 1993's Believe in Me, which was uneven. There isn't a weak moment here — from the thundering hard rock of "Seattlehead" to the gorgeous "Song for Beverly," the album hits the mark on every track. Though McKagan promised to re-record some of these tracks, it's a shame these original performances will most likely never see the light of day. Fans who would like to hear what the lost great album GN'R never made might have sounded like should make an effort to track this down.

TRACK LISTING:
Seattle Head
Who's To Blame
Superman
Song For Beverly
Put You Back
Shinin' Down
Missing You
Hope
Holiday
Then And Now
Rain
Beautiful Disease"

4-1-08: SOld for $268.87 on ebay (11 bids).

Not currently available on Amazon.com. Check now.