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A review of Guns N' Roses' "Locomotive"
Posted on 11/4/14 at 11:13 pm
Posted on 11/4/14 at 11:13 pm
What we've got here is the piece de resistance of the Guns N' Roses catalog. Inexplicably, it is a hidden gem amidst the tour de force Use Your Illusion albums. Let's take it blow by blow.
Matt Sorum leads the charge by laying down the groove on drums. Then, Duff comes in and gets his five seconds of 4-string glory. What's next is a twin guitar barrage of rifftastic genius. One can envision Izzy Stradlin on his telecaster and Slash on his Les Paul laying it down with bloodshot eyes, cigarettes dangling from their lips, cocaine and alcohol coursing through their veins.
Axl then joins the group and puts down eight minutes of possibly his lyrical zenith. What seems like stream of consciousness rambling is filled with gems like:
"You can use your illusion, let it take you where it may. We live and learn and then sometimes it's best to walk away. Me, I'm just here hangin' on to my only place today. At least for now anyway, I've worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away."
The riffage continues and Slash stretches out for no less than FIVE guitar solos, including during the epic outro, where Axl reminds us that "Love's so strange."
LINK
I remember there were times when I would listen to this eight and a half minute freakshow rocker 20 times in a row. I still think of this song as what I had hoped modern American rock and roll would become.
......and then Nirvana came around the corner.
Matt Sorum leads the charge by laying down the groove on drums. Then, Duff comes in and gets his five seconds of 4-string glory. What's next is a twin guitar barrage of rifftastic genius. One can envision Izzy Stradlin on his telecaster and Slash on his Les Paul laying it down with bloodshot eyes, cigarettes dangling from their lips, cocaine and alcohol coursing through their veins.
Axl then joins the group and puts down eight minutes of possibly his lyrical zenith. What seems like stream of consciousness rambling is filled with gems like:
"You can use your illusion, let it take you where it may. We live and learn and then sometimes it's best to walk away. Me, I'm just here hangin' on to my only place today. At least for now anyway, I've worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away."
The riffage continues and Slash stretches out for no less than FIVE guitar solos, including during the epic outro, where Axl reminds us that "Love's so strange."
LINK
I remember there were times when I would listen to this eight and a half minute freakshow rocker 20 times in a row. I still think of this song as what I had hoped modern American rock and roll would become.
......and then Nirvana came around the corner.
This post was edited on 11/4/14 at 11:14 pm
6
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:40 am to Fontainebleau Dr.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:48 am to DosManos
Definitely a gem that I admit to having overlooked. I will devote this morning to getting reacquainted with this song. Thanks man.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:51 am to DosManos
Great song, but I think Estranged is Axl's masterpiece.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 9:01 am to Fontainebleau Dr.
quote:
One can envision Izzy Stradlin on his telecaster and Slash on his Les Paul laying it down with bloodshot eyes, cigarettes dangling from their lips, cocaine and alcohol coursing through their veins.
Axl then joins the group and puts down eight minutes of possibly his lyrical zenith. What seems like stream of consciousness rambling is filled with gems like:
"You can use your illusion, let it take you where it may. We live and learn and then sometimes it's best to walk away. Me, I'm just here hangin' on to my only place today. At least for now anyway, I've worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away."
This right here pretty much sums up why I believe GnR is one of the greatest rock bands ever. In my opinion, they were the only band to ever truly pull off the combination of raw sleeze and musical talent into something so well-balanced it's scary. I believe they deserve more credit (although they do get a lot) and should never EVER be lumped in with hair bands as some people are wont to do.
"Locomotive"'s outro might just have turned my crappy morning into a good day.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 12:15 pm to Fontainebleau Dr.
Ah, Guns N' Roses, one of my all-time favorites. At one point I thought Axl Rose was the coolest, most bad-arse dude on the planet, and while I still am a fan, it's just a shame how this band ended up the way it did. They could have truly been the Rolling Stones of our generation, but they had too much drama to stay the course. Still, "Appetite for Destruction" and the Illusion albums were rock classics through and through
Posted on 11/5/14 at 1:11 pm to Fontainebleau Dr.
25 years later, I still find myself wishing I was Duff.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 3:06 pm to RedHawk
quote:
Great song, but I think Estranged is Axl's masterpiece.
I won't argue too heavily against this. I love Estranged. It's also a strong showing by Slash, who shows taste and restraint throughout the song.
But "Locomotive," to me, is the band's masterpiece. This song just kicks my arse every time I listen to it.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 4:43 pm to Fontainebleau Dr.
quote:
But "Locomotive," to me, is the band's masterpiece. This song just kicks my arse every time I listen to it.
You and I are eyeball to eyeball on this one. I too could listen to this track over and over. I was so burned out on GNR after Appetite but this tune brought it back.
really Pretty Tied up and Locomotive are a 1-2 knockout.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 5:25 pm to Fontainebleau Dr.
The bassline on that song is amazing.
There's a lot of bloated shite on those Use Your Illusion records, but that song ain't one of them.
There's a lot of bloated shite on those Use Your Illusion records, but that song ain't one of them.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:58 pm to SaintlyTiger88
quote:
They could have truly been the Rolling Stones of our generation
Posted on 11/5/14 at 8:59 pm to SaintlyTiger88
quote:
They could have truly been the Rolling Stones of our generation
I felt that way at the time too. So much potential.......
Posted on 11/5/14 at 9:05 pm to SaintlyTiger88
quote:
Ah, Guns N' Roses, one of my all-time favorites. At one point I thought Axl Rose was the coolest, most bad-arse dude on the planet, and while I still am a fan, it's just a shame how this band ended up the way it did. They could have truly been the Rolling Stones of our generation, but they had too much drama to stay the course. Still, "Appetite for Destruction" and the Illusion albums were rock classics through and through
No Axl had to much drama. Everyone else seemed to be on the same page but all kept drifting further and further away. No one can or ever will touch what they mastered in such a short span but Axl is truly fricked up in the head.
Posted on 11/5/14 at 11:53 pm to coonass27
When people talk about the foo fighters being a great American rock band - I just can't put them in with the likes of GNR. Like someone else said- they walked the line of rebellious sloppy sleeze and high end musicianship so well.
Axl isn't a likable dude but that band was a group of rock stars and not just dudes that dig playing music.
Axl isn't a likable dude but that band was a group of rock stars and not just dudes that dig playing music.
Posted on 11/6/14 at 8:43 am to Fontainebleau Dr.
I forgot how badass this song is. So I'll I just drop This Rehearsal With Jeff Beck
No vocals, just a jam session, wish it was studio quality.
No vocals, just a jam session, wish it was studio quality.
Posted on 11/6/14 at 6:29 pm to voodoodawg
I want to say that they only played that song live like twice. Notice Gilby Clarke is virtually nowhere to be found guitar-wise during the rehearsal. Ol' boy couldn't hang on that tune.
Posted on 11/6/14 at 7:03 pm to coonass27
quote:
No one can or ever will touch what they mastered in such a short span
This post was edited on 11/6/14 at 7:04 pm
Posted on 11/7/14 at 9:20 am to coonass27
It's true Axl is fricked up and had too much drama, but I think it was necessary for their legend. It would have sucked if they continued to make music of lesser and lesser quality.
I'm not really sad that the band stopped making music together so early. It sort of adds to their mystique and it makes me appreciate their 3 main albums more.
Besides, there's nothing worse than a 50 year The Who anniversary tour (even though Axl still technically tours as GnR and is a joke, but you get my point. better to go out like a crazy m'fer than become lame and a caricature of yourself).
I'm not really sad that the band stopped making music together so early. It sort of adds to their mystique and it makes me appreciate their 3 main albums more.
Besides, there's nothing worse than a 50 year The Who anniversary tour (even though Axl still technically tours as GnR and is a joke, but you get my point. better to go out like a crazy m'fer than become lame and a caricature of yourself).
Posted on 11/7/14 at 9:21 am to DosManos
By the way guys, if anyone wants to read an excellent article on Axl Rose, check out the link below. It's by John Jeremiah Sullivan for GQ magazine. It's such a good article I've read it multiple times. Enjoy.
The Final Comeback of Axl Rose
The Final Comeback of Axl Rose
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