On Sunday I’ll be listing my Top Ten Guns N’ Roses songs for #GnRWeek but today I’m looking at the music videos. So this list isn’t based on the songs themselves. It’s a factor of course, but I’m looking at the total package here. The style of the video, how well it works with the song, what the content is and how much involvement of the band there is etc.
It’s good to point out here that there are some excellent videos on YouTube about the making of several Guns N’ Roses videos. The series certainly covers the ‘trilogy’ that Axl was influential in writing, consisting of Estranged, Don’t Cry and November Rain. Here’s the Making of November Rain. You can find the others from that link.
Honorary Mention
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door – I’m not quite sure if the Freddie Mercury Tribute recording was released as an official video, so I’m not going to add it to the list, but I do want to mention how great that performance was.
10. Estranged
I don’t always like the story videos. And this one just seems a bit random. You can tell Axl has lost the plot a bit when he wrote the part about diving off a huge cargo ship and then swimming with dolphins. I guess no-one was brave enough to say “No, Axl, that sounds rubbish”. And the bit with Slash coming out of the water at the start of his great solo really doesn’t work at all. Certainly not compared to his great solo in the desert in the November Rain video.
9. Live and Let Die
This one is just a pretty good live performance montage showcasing the awesomeness of the Use Your Illusion tour.
8. Don’t Cry
Very nicely shot. Like I said above I don’t really like these story-driven videos. But this one certainly does look great.
7. You Could Be Mine
Not an amazing video but it does well to capture the feel of the movie and the feel of the band. Plus the extra footage of Schwarzenegger in the crowd really helps to link the two. I thought that was sooooo cool when I watched it when I was 15.
6. Welcome to the Jungle
I’m sorry Axl, but I just really don’t like your hair in this video. I don’t like that punky look. But it’s great to watch this video knowing that it is the first one they shot, right back in the early days. It is a great video and could well be higher up this chart. In fact, the whole top 6 is very close indeed and most of them could easily change order.
5. Garden of Eden
I absolutely love the simplicity of this video and watching the whole band just rock out. A very simple idea. I believe it was the director’s idea when they filming another video the same day, or something like that. I love how the guy comes in at 11 seconds and moves Slash onto the correct spot. I wonder if that was planned or if this was a rehearsal and they just chose to use that take after all and kept that in.
4. Patience
Bit of a classic one here. Just fun to watch all the guys do their little random scenes. I always thought Axl’s mic swing at the end looked a bit awkward though. I’m surprised he didn’t demand a retake.
3. Sweet Child O’ Mine
It’s hard not to have this one high up on the list. It just reeks of GnR history. The black and white feel helps give it authenticity (very random having that one colour shot at the end though) and you really feel that you’re being transported back to the time when they were just starting out. Very raw.
2. Paradise City
I don’t rank Paradise as my favourite ever GnR song but I do love this video. It’s a great rock n roll live montage video, and Paradise certainly is one of their best songs to be heard live in a crowd. There’s so much footage online in general of the Illusions Tour, but I love that this video has great footage that was shot back in 1998. One show is whilst on their tour with Aerosmith and the other is the infamous Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park where two fans died. Very poignant.
1. November Rain
This is probably the video I’ve watched the most. It was played sooo much on MTV and VH1. It is another one of the arty ’trilogy’ videos but I don’t mind this one’s story bits. It’s fun watching the rest of the band muck about at the wedding etc. And the whole thing goes along with the epic nature of the song very well. Plus two absolutely iconic moments of Slash playing in the desert and also walking onto Axl’s piano. Certainly a GnR classic. I always thought that guy who jumps over the table, knocking over the cake, was an absolute idiot, though. I mean, calm down, it’s just a bit of rain mate!