Albums of the Week: GnR Edition

Albums of the Week is a recurring feature at Pomp Culture where we will select three albums for our readers to check out. To listen to any of the Albums of the Week just click on the links provided in the sidebar. Live streams of each album can be played in iTunes, Winamp, or Windows Media Player. There is also a link to purchase music by the artists on Amazon, which I strongly encourage if you find something you like.

This week is a special edition of AOTW. In honor of the long overdue release of Chinese Democracy we're having a special Guns N' Roses Week.

Something Old - "Use Your Illusion II" by Guns N' Roses
Released: 1991
Label: Geffen
Genre: Hard Rock

Submitted by: Governor X

If you can believe it, the epic Use Your Illusion I and II were the last studio albums released by Guns N Roses before Chinese Democracy. Use Your Illusion II is the harder cock punching rock of the two and represents the band at their best. You Could Be Mine is easily my favorite G N R song and features everything a man could want in hard rock. Another classic, Estranged clocks in at over nine minutes, making it one of the better buys at the jukebox, and inspired a video where Axl, wearing a Charlie Manson t-shirt, jumps off an oil tanker to swim with the dolphins. Hard rock never again came close to this level of awesomeness and excess.

Tracks to stay tuned in for: Civil War, Estranged, You Could Be Mine


Something New - "Chinese Democracy" by Guns N' Roses
Released: 2008
Label: Geffen
Genre: Hard Rock

Submitted by: Daft Funk

Last month brought us America's first black president and Chinese Democracy. What can we expect for December, a YouTube video of Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy making out? Although no album will ever be good enough to justify more than a decade of waiting, this is still the kind of balls-to-the-wall rock you'd expect from a band named Guns 'N Roses, even if it's not really them anymore. Stop wishing for the same style of Use Your Illusion and accept the fact that this is a solid record by a new band that just happens to share the name of one of the greatest rock bands ever and you'll be fine.

Tracks to stay tuned in for: Chinese Democracy, Better, Scraped


Something Different - "Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds" by Izzy Stradlin
Released: 1992
Label: Geffen
Genre: Rock

Submitted by: The Hundley

Riding high from his work in GnR, Izzy went off on his own, clean and sober. It's almost as if he was told in rehab to "go make a record that sounds like the Stones". Is that high praise or an insult? Depends on how you look at it. What Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds is is a great record of straight ahead rocking songs. No frills, no over-productions, just a rockin' drum beat, driving guitars, some roadhouse piano, and raspy vocals. Throw in some homages to reggae and punk, and you actually have a pretty diverse record. Worth noting that the lead guitarist is Rick Richards of Georgia Satellite fame, who lends some nice slide work and some tasty, Southern licks. Good driving music and a good one to pass a spliff around to, as is reinforced by a ten second bong rip sound effect in "Train Tracks". Clean and sober, huh, Izzy?

Tracks to stay tuned in for: Shuffle It All, Cuttin' The Rug, Somebody Knockin'

Like what you hear? Have a suggestion or recommendation? Please feel free to leave a comment or drop us a line at pompculture@gmail.com.