Greatest Hits (CD - 2004)

Guns N' Roses: W. Axl Rose (vocals, piano, synthesizer, percussion, programming); Slash (acoustic & electric guitars, 6-string bass); Izzy Stradlin (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Dizzy Reed (piano, keyboards, background vocals); Duff McKagan (bass, background vocals); Matt Sorum (drums, background vocals); Steven Adler (drums).

Additional personnel includes: Shannon Hoon, Michael Monroe (vocals); Gilby Clarke, Mike Staggs, Paul Huge (guitar); Matthew McKagan, Rachel West, Robert Clark, Jon Trautwein (horns); Stuart Bailey, Reba Shaw, The Waters (background vocals).

Hard-rock juggernauts Guns 'N' Roses arrived as rock & roll saviors in a dark time of generic hair metal and bloated pop. With only five studio albums to draw from (one being the all-covers SPAGHETTI INCIDENT), nearly a third of the material on GREATEST HITS is unsurprisingly devoted to other people's songs. Inclusions range from a dramatic version of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heavens Door" and an outsized take on Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" to punk classic "Ain't It Fun" and doo-wop nugget "Since I Don't Have You."

The band's original songs, however, are the heart of G'N'R's appeal. Start with the quintessential heavy-rock anthem "Welcome to the Jungle." Amid the thunderous time-keeping and tasty riffing are slinky grooves, sexy swagger, and quite an aura of danger. The acoustic "Patience" found these tattooed bad boys showing off a softer side, while archetypal power-ballad "Sweet Child O' Mine" is a perfect hybrid of sentiment and soaring guitar solos. Think of GREATEST HITS as a sampler for the sumptuous buffet that is G'N'R's recorded oeuvre. minimize