I was a huge Guns N’ Roses fan back in the late 80’s. I think Appetite for Destruction was a flawless album, GNR Lies was good with the cover tunes they played and the original acoustic ones, and both User Your Illusion albums had great moments.

I remember when they came to play at Rock in Rio 2 in 1991. It was months before they released UYI, the band was huge, and everyone wanted to see them.

When they were touring for UYI I sort of started losing interest in the band. I did go see them in Sao Paulo in 93, but I thought they just had too many people on stage: 3 back-up singers, a keyboard player, one or two guys playing percussion, etc. Just too much. I liked it a lot more when it was just the 5 guys on stage. That’s why I still refer to their "Live at Ritz" gig back in 88 whenever I want to see them at their best.

Chinese Democracy has a couple interesting pieces here and there, but it overall doesn’t sound like something created by a band. There were just too many moving parts, too many line-up changes, so it lacks consistency.

It’s kind of cool Axl, Slash and Duff got back together to play some shows, but it’s still not the same thing. Izzy was a great songwriter, and Steve Adler’s drumming was an important part of the band’s sound. Axl’s voice seems to be better now than it was in the last several years, but then again, why do they two keyboard players and people playing bongos during Welcome to the Jungle, for crying out loud? I’m interested to see whether they’ll go into the studio to work on new music and hear what that music would sound like.

Anyway, this band was a big part of my life and I keep listening to their old stuff now and then.

#10: Oh My God
Sometime around 93 or so I sort of stopped following whatever GNR was doing. When they showed up for Rock in Rio II in 2001 they played this one song and I thought "wait... that doesn't sound like GNR... it sounds much heavier, and I like it!". It's definitely a unique and different song in their catalog, but I think it sounds cool.
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#9: Think About You
This is one of those songs that keep some memories very much alive for me.
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#8: You Could Be Mine
1991 was a year of my life I won’t ever forget, and any song released that year is kind of burned in my mind. At that time I was a big GNR fan and was looking forward to a new record, after listening to Appetite for Destruction and GNR Lies a LOT. When You Could Be Mine came out I was rather pleased: it sounded like the good material off AFD, it had a great videoclip, and it was the soundtrack to a great movie!
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#7: Paradise City
Cool video. Great song. Lots of memories.

#6: Rocket Queen
It’s hard to pick a favorite out of AFD, but this has always been one of them for me. I like how the 2nd part of the song seems to be like almost a different song. Also, the lyrics in that 2nd part are something I relate to.
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#5: Patience
Lots of memories here… I remember playing this song as a kid. And I remember playing it for years whenever I wanted to bring some memories back.

#4: Welcome to the Jungle
The opening track to their debut album is probably the best example of what this band sounded like in their good old days.

#3: Civil War
I love this song. It’s one of those where lyrics and the music are a perfect match. The tone of the music fits the lyrics and vice versa. This song was also the last one recorded with Steven Adler on drums; while Matt Sorum is a good drummer, Adler’s playing was more organic… it just fit the band better, I think… it was an important part of the band’s sound.
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#2: November Rain
I like piano, rock, good arrangements, memorable guitar solos, epic songs. November Rain has all of that in it. Plus, it’s another song that brings me back important memories.

#1: Estranged
I’m one of those people who prefer Estranged over November Rain. Slash’s guitar melodies on this song are killer, much like the liner notes on Use Your Illusion II said. Masterpiece.