Pros: Ain't It Fun, Hair of the Dog, Since I Don't Have You
Cons: The really awful British accent on Down on the Farm (for one thing at least)
The Bottom Line: There's nothing less representative of GNR than this album. Look for anything else from the band for a better taste of their once great rock n' roll.
lambchops's Full Review: The Spaghetti Incident? by Guns N' Roses
Most bands lack the experience and/or confidence to record a cover album. Duran Duran, John Lennon, Cat Power, Tori Amos, and Metallica have all attempted the feat with mixed results. In the twilight of their career, Guns N’ Roses tried in vain to resurrect their fan base with the uninspired 1993 release The Spaghetti Incident?
Guns N’ Roses lasted at the apex of musical stardom for just a few years. They of course ascended to fame with the epic, ferocious 1987 rock album Appetite for Destruction. The band followed with 1989’s double EP G N’ R Lies. The matching pair of outstanding Use Your Illusion albums in 1991 hold some of my favorite rock tracks (and for that matter covers--Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Yesterdays) ever.
Unfortunately at the same time the band was becoming famous, singer and lyricist Axl Rose was busy destroying himself. Rose wasn’t alone in his endeavor—Steven Adler was purportedly dependent on drugs as were other members who also abused alcohol. However it was also Rose that got the most attention with his insane trantrums and inability to be anything but a fool in the spotlight. By the time The Spaghetti Incident? was recorded, Guns N’ Roses consisted of original members Rose, Slash (whose guitar talent is near-legendary), and all-around talented Duff McKagan (guitar, bass, drums, background vocals). Matt Sorum (The Cult) was the replacement drummer for Adler, Dizzy Reed had been added on keys, and guitarist Izzy Stradlin had been replaced by Gilby Clarke (Thrills).
The fire seemed to be all but gone. Reed and Clarke never meshed well with the Guns N’ Roses sound and Sorum was a gifted though hasty replacement for Adler. Shakeups to this extent don’t bode well a band. The Spaghetti Incident? is exactly as strange, uncomfortable, and ultimately uninteresting as all the indicators would suggest. In 1993 I had hoped for more from the band and today the punk-rock covers album still fails to impress. It lacks the intensity and artisanship of GNR’s earlier albums. What’s even more troublesome is that this debacle is the band’s last album—there’s nothing more disappointing than a band with so much promise petering out after so few years.
The Spaghetti Incident? collects a total of thirteen covers (the thirteenth is the unlisted afterthought Look at Your Game Girl written by cult killer Charles Manson). Some are good, some are forgettable, and some are downright nauseating. Fortunately for GNR, at least the effort begins on a positive note with Since I Don’t Have You. The classic R&B track from The Skyliners is surprisingly sedate. Rose’s normally wild, high-pitched voice is uncharacteristically toned down and the music that surrounds him is rich and melodic with vocal harmonies and a piano (which, of course, wouldn’t be possible without Reed). For a moment the song gives me hope about the rest of the songs that follow.
New Rose is the beginning of the end as far as I’m concerned. The band's usually strong, distinctive attitude is tempered/distorted to the point it’s almost unrecognizable. They are trying so hard to add a punk snarl to the usually stark, appealing sound that the song lacks any energy. It’s dim, boring, and in no way a tribute to The Damned. Even worse however is the cover of Little Feat’s Down on the Farm. Rose tries vainly to sound like something he’s not…this time it’s British. I can envision him sitting in his bedroom with a tape recorder practicing his British drawl. It’s infinitely hilarious but makes the song difficult to stomach. Fortunately, like the rest of the songs it is over within just a few short minutes.
Human Being (a New York Dolls track) is definitely one of the better ones here. Rose sounds great, the band sounds cohesive, and it’s got some of the growl that is missing from most of the rest of the songs. Similarly Ain’t It Fun is a good and not at all pretentious and one of the better songs of The Spaghetti Incident? Hair of the Dog is one of the few from this disc to get radio airplay. The original Nazareth track is driving and upbeat and GNR does a respectable job covering it. T. Rex and Soundgarden don’t fare so well with the medley of Buick Makane and Big Dumb Sex--it’s one of the most monotonous moments of the entire album.
Attitude is probably the best “punk” cover on this disc. It’s not outstanding the vocals sound less forced than on some of the other tracks. Black Leather, You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory, and I Don’t Care About You do nothing for me. They just blend into the scenery. GNR was always all about excess—too bad that these songs are excessively forgettable. One song that is unfortunately not forgettable is that aforementioned hidden Charles Manson song Look at Your Game Girl. I’ve never heard the original, but based on the lacking quality of the remake I can’t say I have any interest. It’s melodramatic and stupid—definitely not of the caliber of the other twelve songs on this album. It was an unnecessary inclusion.
The Spaghetti Incident? is not all bad. There are some impressive moments on songs like Hair of the Dog, Since I Don’t Have You, Human Being, and Ain’t It Fun in particular. Unfortunately so much of the album is forced and unnatural. A covers project should be the most natural kind of album—cover those songs you love best. There’s no need to try to sound British (or punk for that matter) if you’re not so long as you understand the perspective of the original track. As far as Guns N’ Roses material goes, this is the bottom of the barrel.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars (rounded down because of that Little Feat cover)
Track Listing:
01. Since I Don’t Have You [The Skyliners]
02. New Rose [The Damned]
03. Down on the Farm [Little Feat]
04. Human Being [New York Dolls]
05. Raw Power [Iggy & The Stooges]
06. Ain’t It Fun [Dead Boys]
07. Buick Makane (Big Dumb Sex) [T. Rex, Soundgarden]
08. Hair of the Dog [Nazareth]
09. Attitude [The Misfits]
10. Black Leather [The Runaways]
11. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory [Johnny Thunders]
12. I Don’t Care About You [Fear]
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