It’s So Easy: A Millennium Tribute To Guns N’ Roses

publisher

impulse buy

Mascot Records
Produced by Jake Brown

These all-star tribute albums for classic rock bands are something to be wary of when they get released. Mostly because a small collection of about five different small rock labels (including Mausoleum, Rock Candy, Deadline, Versailles and Cleopatra) have a habit of rereleasing the same tribute songs on CDs with different covers and different names. There’s another particular Guns N’ Roses tribute album, for instance, that is available under three different titles on three different labels with an identical collection of songs. However, there’s no need to be so wary here. This is a new album featuring many new takes on the classic GN’R songs.

They’re not all new. Jizzy Pearl‘s version of Sweet Child O’ Mine with help from Tracii Guns of Brides of Destruction and former GN’R guitarist Gilby Clarke comes from a previous tribute release (the presence of now-deceased drummer Randy Castillo should give this away to most), but the other ten tracks are new versions recorded specifically for this release. Most of them stay pretty true to the originals but, dare I say, rock a little harder. That’s not to say better. There’ll probably never be a better version of a Guns N’ Roses song than the original, but they’re nearly all heavier.

Based on this fact, there’s little point talking about every track on its own. Suffice to say that they’re all hard-rocking, well performed covers. It’s only really worth picking out where things differ. The first instance of any artistic license comes with Derrick LeFevre‘s version of Rocket Queen (missing the space on the album sleeve). His performance of the song is suitably accurate, but the guitar solo provided by Richard Kendrick (who’s own version of You Could Be Mine kicks off the CD) is simply awesome.

L.A. Guns front-man Phil Lewis and ex-Slash’s Snakepit/Alice Cooper guitarist Keri Kelli join forces for a reasonably standard version of Nightrain which comfortably re-captures the groove of the original, and Finnish rockers Valerian turn in a slightly heavier version of Mr Brownstone before Drama Queen Die‘s brilliant acoustic version of I Think About You.

The best, however, comes towards the end with One Bad Son‘s impassioned version of Civil War. Brilliantly delicate in the right moments, and then when the song explodes in true rock style, this version does it with a much heavier guitar tone than the original, marking this track out as one of the best GN’R covers there’s ever been. The performance is superb and vocalist Shane Volk is the only one on this album who retains his own vocal style and doesn’t try to sing exactly like Axl. Some, Lewis and Pearl for instance, are distinctive enough because we’re all familiar with their voices by now, but the others really do try to stay as true to the original vocal lines as possible. Volk does this as well, but in his own voice, which is much grittier than Axl’s.

Joe Delaney and cohorts from many of his bands come together with House of Lords guitarist Jimi Bell for a really gritty, heavy version of Paradise City, Delaney’s voice being much deeper than Axl’s, but equally as strong and the guitar work from Bell, as anyone familiar with his work will be unsurprised to hear, being quite superb. Lastly former Rainbow/Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Turner teams up with Harry Slash and his Slashtones to close the album with reasonably accurate version of Pretty Tied Up, probably the most unusual choice of cover song on this particular CD.

There’s only one thing wrong with this release, and that’s Jasy Andrews‘ cover of Patience. It’s not a bad cover. In fact, it’s a very good cover. But it sounds so unbelievably, jarringly out of place against the other ten tracks that it’s impossible to resist the urge to skip it. We all know Patience isn’t a heavy song, but Jasy’s version is so soft and delicate it belongs on an all-girl love songs compilation or something. Unfortunately for Jasy, who is a fantastic singer by the way, her track does not belong here. It’s obvious it doesn’t, and is therefore equally obvious that the label have included it purely because she is one of their very few recording artists and this, so they think, is good exposure. While this is certainly true for Richard Kendrick, One Bad Son and Radio Vipers, who are all also on Versailles records (the US record label responsible for this album) it is not true of Jasy. The reason being all three of the others are hard rock acts who will appeal to those buying this CD. Jasy isn’t a hard rock artist, and won’t. The exposure idea is a solid one, but the artists need to be put on releases that are going to appeal to a similar audience. Just in case though, if female singer/songwriters are your thing, check out Jasy’s debut double album Little Girl, which includes her version of Patience in the correct setting.

On the subject of the planned exposure, this CD has done its job, prompting me to check out Radio Vipers who’s version of It’s So Easy appears here, One Bad Son, Joe Delaney’s American Trash and Richard Kendrick’s bands Near Life Experience and Straitjacket Smile. All five bands are absolutely superb. I’ve even bought Near Life Experience’s debut 2002 album. Both Radio Vipers and One Bad Son release debut albums this year in Europe (both are already out in the US) and Kendrick is in the process of recording Straitjacket Smile’s debut double album, due for release later this year. Also look out for these artists to appear on forthcoming Versailles Records tribute albums for Mötley Crüe (including a new version of the Vince Neil-era Home Sweet Home by Neil’s replacement John Corabi), KISS and a harder rock tribute to GN’R.

Die-hard GN’R fans should love this. The versions are all excellent and it just might introduce you to some new bands you might like. Obviously if you’re not familiar with Guns N’ Roses (where the hell have you been?!), you’ll be needing to buy their albums first before taking a look at this one, but make sure you come back to this, it’s a hard-rocking reminder of the greatness of the original band. Axl’s new Guns N’ Roses return this year with new album Chinese Democracy (everyone hopes, but doesn’t expect) and a new tour. Jukebox will bring you all the news from the sold-out warm-up show in London next month, but for now you could a do a lot worse than check out these new takes on the old classics.

“ nearly all heavier ”

Tracklist: Richard Kendrick You Could Be Mine / Radio Vipers It’s So Easy / Derrick LeFevre Rocket Queen / Jizzy Pearl Sweet Child O’ Mine / Jasy Andrews Patience / Phil Lewis Night Train / Valerian Mr. Brownstone / Drama Queen Die Think About You / One Bad Son Civil War / Joetown feat. Jimi Bell Paradise City / The Slashtones feat. Joe Lynn Turner Pretty Tied Up

Written by Andy Lye
More: Hard Rock, Tribute Albums, Guns N' Roses, Various