Obi-Wanma

The band doesn't need Izzy to have a satisfying live product. It'd be nice to have him, but all they're selling is nostalgia, and it's not as if he's some amazing live performer who can never be replaced.

If they're ever going to make any new music though, yeah, they need Izzy, or I'm not interested.

Josh-da-man

This frustrates the fuck out of me.

With or without Izzy, they’re probably never going to recapture the glory of “Appetite for Destruction” (or even the “Use Your Illusion” albums). Axl, Slash, Duff, and Izzy just aren’t the same people they were three decades ago. They’re middle-aged men with investments and a steady income stream, not the hungry twenty year-olds who didn’t give a fuck about anything but proving themselves.

You can see the same thing with just about any musician. Your tenth album is never going to be as exciting as your first three or four. Though The Cure sort of tossed this idea out the window with “Disintegration.”

But, dammit, I still want a new GnR album from the original line-up because sometimes you’re going to get a “Disintegration” instead of a “St. Anger.” It’s one in a million...

TheDude

If I thought there was a ghost of a chance that a new GNR album would be any good, I may be interested in something like this. But, again - even in their heyday not all of their albums were solid. I feel that The Spaghetti Incident was garbage, and Lies was really only a half-album, at best.

So, would a bunch of burned out, aging former rock stars (who are all probably lucky to still be alive at this point) be able to come out with a new album that wasn't a piece of shit?! I seriously doubt it.

JZ1276

What about Van Halen's "A Different Kind of Truth"? That was an excellent album that I still listen to all the time.
The AC/DC album that came out around the same time of Chinese Democracy was also very good.
The last 2 Metallica albums were awesome, so there are exceptions.
Yes, it is a rare occurrence when bands that have been around for so long make quality albums, but you also have to take into consideration that GnR have not recorded any material together in 20 years, so that may be a factor if they decide to go into the studio.

GuessWho

That's a bit of an exception too. Most of the album was not written by rich guys in their 50s... but by hungry, young musicians.

Seven of the album's 13 songs are re-worked songs that Van Halen demoed in the late-1970s/early 1980s, but never officially released.

Match

Mike86

I’d be down for a new album and don’t really care if Izzy isn’t part of it. I like Chinese Democracy quite a bit, and now having Slash back in the fold it could be interesting seeing what they’d come up with. Obviously we aren’t getting another album from their primes, but there’s no reason why I’d automatically reject anything new.

stvn1974

I will take rich and bloated Axl of Chinese Democracy over young and angry Axl of "Get In The Ring" any day.

Hazel Motes

Izzy always has been and always will be my favorite member of GNR. Since I was a kid I always dreamed of a reunion. But then when we finally got it, I was pretty soured by the fact that it was just a blatant money grab and the fact that they offered Izzy bread crumbs to be part of the tour while the other 3 were lining their pockets. They had a problem paying him his fair share, but no problem going out there and playing Patience and all the other songs he wrote and co wrote.every night. I'll listen to whatever album they put out Izzy or not. But the whole reunion in general has bummed me out.

Hazel Motes

GNR put out 2 great albums from my perspective. Appetite obviously, and Use Your Illusion pared down to one album without all the filler. I know that technically doesn't count, but if you removed all the garbage from 1&2, you are left with a pretty great album. Chinese Democracy is a good album, but nowhere near great. Same with Lies. Spaghetti Incident sucks.

JZ1276

I know this, but there are bands from the 80's early 90's still making good music. Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue was excellent (although their last effort not to good). Hell, even Extreme put out an album a few years ago that was very good. Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth all still making good music.
In a way, these bands are trying to prove themselves to stay relevant so I still disagree with your original statement

dvdjunkie32

Good music, but certainly not their best. I honestly can't think of a single rock band from the 80s that didn't peak in the 80s. I'm sure most Metallica fans would agree their 80s albums are the cream of the crop.

Phodg

I think the stuff Killing Joke have done in the last 25 years (7 albums) is certainly equal to (if not better) than their output from 1980-1990 (8 albums). And it helps that it's been all the original members since 2008. But they are a rare exception and for the most part I agree.