Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Guns N Roses - Patience



As far as I am concerned, Guns N Roses only have four studio albums. “The Spaghetti Incident” is a cover album, it does not count, and “Chinese Democracy” does not have Slash or Duff, so it is not Guns N Roses album and it does not count either. Feel free to argue with me all you want; arguing with strangers is one of the many services the Internet provides us.

Guns N Rose’s second studio album “G N’ R Lies” barely qualifies as a studio album, but I count as one because it is half studio album, and half live album of songs Guns N Roses never recorded in a studio. The way I rationalizes this to myself is that those live songs are the closest thing there is to a studio recording for those songs, and the studio songs are good enough to make an EP on their own. Combined, these two parts make a good album.

It is a good album.

Thus, Guns N’ Roses have four studio albums, at least according to me.

The album “G N’ R Lies” is exactly as I described. The first side is four live songs that Guns N Roses used to play in their extreme early days that never made it onto their debut album “Appetite of Destruction.” The second side of the album was four original studio recorded tracks. I am not a huge fan of the first side of “G N’ R Lies,” those four live tracks are very raw, which is assuredly the reason why die hard Guns N Roses fan enjoy them, but I feel the recordings are a little too rough. The second half however, I am very fond of. All four songs, “Patience,” “Used to Love Her,” “You’re Crazy,” and “One in a Million,” are firmly etched into my memory. Like most people, “Patience” is the song I know best and appreciate uppermost from “G N’ R Lies.”

Guns N Roses’ “Patience” is significant for a few reasons.

“Patience” was the big hit song from “G N’ R Lies,” and really, it was kind of the only one. Other songs from the album would get plenty of play in concerts, but most of the rest of the album never got played on the radio.

When we look back on Guns N Roses music as a whole, “Patience” represents a transition in Guns N Roses, and the differences between “Patience” and every other Guns N Roses song at the time of it’s release make the change in Guns N Roses obvious, especially in hindsight. “Patience” is the first rock ballad in Guns N Roses repertoire. This was the first time Guns N Roes released a song that was entirely acoustic. We would see more of this style of song writing on the “Use You Illusion” albums, but rock ballads are few on those as well, making “Patience” unique due to its restrained acoustic style. While rock ballads were not a new thing, the popularity of “Patience” did contribute to the growing trend and did assist rock stars with their comfort level expressing their more sensitive side.

It is conventionally believed that this song was written about Axel Rose’s now ex-wife Erin Everly. At the time, 1988, Axel and Erin were going through some troubles and Axel captured his feelings in the song “Patience.” Axel’s writing this song, I believe in significant, in and of itself. A very style of song for Guns N Roses leading to the more emotional “Use You Illusion” albums, but all of that, is because of Axel Rose. He wanted to more than a rock star, he wanted to be a poet, and “Patience” is one of the more beautiful and obvious examples of Axel stepping out of the rock star image and letting his feelings pour out.

Perhaps the most obvious reason “Patience” is so memorable and popular is that it is a great song. It is a very moody song. It is sad but hopeful. It has that deeply personal touch from Axel making the whole experience of listening to it feel intimate, but at the same time, the sort of emotions Axel is expressing are so universal it is natural we relate to the song of uncertain love. However, it is still rock and roll enough to satisfy that rebel spirit I so often talk about. That is the perfect recipe for a rock ballad, mellow and emotional, but still rock and roll.

My favorite part of “Patience” is the outro. You know that part where Axel and Duff repeat just a little patience, yeah, yeah,” that part, or more specifically the part where Axel sings his final bit of poetry.

“I've been walking the streets at night,
Just trying to get it right.
It's hard to see with so many around,
You know I don't like being stuck in the crowd.
And the streets don't change but maybe the names,
I ain't got time for the game ‘cause I need you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah but I need you.
Oh, I need you.
Oh, I need you.
Ooh this time.”


Yeah, that part. That is rock ballad gold right there.

This is actually one of the few songs I learned to play on guitar, well badly play on guitar. Those mellow rifts sure are calming, invoking exactly the resonates Guns N Roses intended; just a little patience. Trouble waters are ahead for me, so maybe it is not a coincidence that this song came back into my mind and ear so much recently, I am going to need a little patience.

- King of Braves

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