Why Izzy Stradlin is the coolest member of Guns N' Roses...

....IMHO....

-Well first off, he really started the band with Axl, although Axl coined the name. Without Izzy N' Axl the band would have never gotten off the ground.

-He and Axl were responsible for the marjority of the songwriting.

-He had a great 2nd voice and a purist rock n' roll attitude.

-Even though he might have been (arguably) the most talented member of the band and probably had the coolest look, he never sought the spotlight.

-He quit the band at the perfect time, just after the UYI albums and before all the over-the-top videos. He went out right when the band were at their commercial and critical peak.

-He put out his first solo album only a year after leaving the band. And he has continued to put out albums consistantly (I think 10 in all) over the last 20 years. He puts them out independently with little consideration of any commercial success (Although to be fair, he is worth around 28 million according to reports I've read, which is pretty cool too). Most of the stuff I've heard is very enjoyable Stonesy rock n' roll. He is a "Keith" type of singer for the most part, but listening to all these songs he put out, it is easy to see why things were never the same after he left GNR.

-He is a great rhythm guitar player. An art for that is usually unsung in rock n' roll. Not only was his interplay with Slash great, he and Rick Richards (former Lead Guitarist for the Georgia Satellites) together give Keef & Ronnie a run for their money. They are probably actually better than their idols these days.

-He remains friends with all the original members of GNR. He usually stays out of the spotlight, but when he wants to experience some of the old glory, he can jump on stage with Axl's GNR or Velvet Revolver for a few tunes whenever he pleases (I think he has guested with Axl a good 15-20 times since he left the band)

-He kicked drugs & alcohol around the time he left Guns and AFAIK, he has remained sober (He turned 50 last week).

-He didn't show up to the RNRHOF, but was appreciative and made no fuss about it.

-Let's see, a multi-millionaire rock star who still makes music because he loves it and answers to nobody, doesn't care about commercial success, remains pretty much anonymous but can jump on an arena stage whenever he wants. I'm guessing he's done alright with the ladies as well.

-Forget GNR, he might be the coolest rock star period!

His solo albums are well worth investigating. Here is a discography....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izzy_Stradlin_discography

 

Agreed on all points. Maybe we could turn this into a discussion thread on his solo stuff. Some of it is really underrated.

 

I totally agree--I've never totally warmed to Gn'R, but I've always liked Izzy Stradlin as a person (based on what I read) and his solo material. He's always seemed unassuming and healthy mentally and physically. I'm glad he has received his financial due from the G'n'R material--demonstrates again songwriting is the key to continued income in the music career.

Ken

 

I agree with all in the original post. I think he just wrote the best songs in that band and they were never as good without him.

 

Agree on all points. It's revealing that the band floundered after he left.

 

No argument here. Izzy's first 2 albums (JuJu Hounds and 117 Degrees) are wonderful. And partnering with Rick Richards? Ir doesn't get any more rock'n'roll than that.

 

Izzy was the real soul of GnR. Their output without him bears witness to that.

I find it very annoying that Izzy's last 4-5 albums have been iTunes only. It's a real horrible way to release music. When it goes OOP, it's gone. You can't go find a used copy anywhere. I suppose that is just the way the labels like it. I hate it.

 

Nice original post.

I've always thought he was great as a songwriter and a player. I remember reading an interview with him where one of the reasons he left GnR was people were taking songwriting credit where none was due. I think hes done alright. I still put in the Ju Ju Hounds CD. I don't play GnR near as much.

 

When in the band, and through his first two solo LPs (I've lost track of him beyond that) I always thought he was a poor man's Keith Richards.

 

That may be a reason why some people have lost track with his music, but like it or not, it's the way of the future for most artists. He doesn't have a label. He records his albums and puts them on iTunes (and Amazon). I believe all the non-Geffen albums are up there. One day I'm sure iTunes will be lossless, but 256 AAC sounds very good, but I know many people (myself included) want better quality.

Izzy has the luxury of not having to worry about commercial success, but he still does next to nothing as far as promotion goes regardless. He puts out the info on his website if he has a new album coming and if anybody is interested, they will check it out. That is enough for him. He seems to have no ego in that respect. It's been this way pretty much since his 2nd album. He just enjoys being a working musician.

At least on iTunes you can sample some of the stuff and buy select tracks if that is your wont. Duff plays bass on some songs here and there throughout Izzy's career (and Duff's Loaded albums are pretty good too, particularly his latest one. His vocals and writing chops have gotten stronger over the years). As far as Izzy's albums since he left Geffen go, they all have their virtues and he pretty much plays to his strengths. I would check out Ride On, River, Like A Dog or Concrete first. If you don't care for any of those, I probably just stick to what you have or sample & cherry pick. His last 2 albums, Smoke and Wave Of Heat are really solid too, but I am an unabashed fan.

Oddly enough, I think his first album (the one most people know) isn't his best. Don't get me wrong, I think many of the songs are great, but it is slightly too retro and a bit too long IMO. "Shuffle It All" is one of my favorite tracks by him though...even if it obviously pinches a bit from "Tumbling Dice".

 

A couple odd points of trivia about Izzy....

-Supposedly, he had his last drink with Keith Richards and Ron Wood. Seems to make sense in many ways.

-I believe he was the first choice to fill in for Johnny Thunders when the New York Dolls initially reunited for the Meltdown Festival in 2004. Not sure what happened, but I'm sure the offer was both flattering as it was daunting to him. He would seem like a perfect choice and it would have been interesting to see what he would have brought to the band in the way of songwriting. I'm guessing he just wanted to do his own thing and didn't want any unneeded attention.

-He was originally going to be a part of (or at least lend a hand to) Velvet Revolver. Initially, he was to help with songwriting and then suggested that Slash, Duff, Matt & himself go out on the road as a foursome with Izzy & Duff singing in smaller places. The others allegedly wanted a "proper" frontman and do something on a bigger scale, so Izzy bailed....although he would guest with them live in the future.

-My own personal wish would be to see him write with Axl again. I don't care about any sort of original GNR reunion (which obviously will never happen). But it would be cool if Izzy helped out again with some of the songwriting. He still shows up and plays with Axl live. That's enough of a reunion for me.

 

Great thread. 14 Years is how I noticed Izzy. Then I paid attention to all the other songs he wrote or co-wrote, and his guitar playing. I also bought his first two solo albums.

 

I would vote for 117° as the best overall album, but "Shuffle It All" is one of my all-time favorite tracks by anyone. One of the greatest middle-of-the-night driving songs ever.

Never heard him mentioned for the Dolls slot, but that would have been interesting had they gotten as far as writing songs together. I thought Steve Conte was the perfect guitarist at the time, but Izzy could've balanced out some of David and Syl's artsy, wordy tendencies and toughened up the sound a bit.

 

what songs on Appetite did Izzy write???

 

Not all that talented, but he was in the right place at the right time. He had the tough, Stones-rock approach to songwriting that tempered the more bombastic tendencies of Axl and Slash. But his solo albums reveal that outside the occasional tune, most of his stuff is pretty derivative. Nothing that Georgia Satellites or Drivin' & Cryin' or so many other 2nd and 3rd wave roots rock bands haven't already done.

One of the things that made Appetite so enjoyable was the way that Slash played his rhythm parts up against the beat like a metal player while Izzy played off the beat like Keith Richards. The push and pull that came out of those parts was a really important part of their sound, and it distinguished them from the 1 guitar 80's metal bands that were most of the LA groups of the time.

What I do admire about Izzy is his decision to leave it all behind at the height of GNR's success (and dysfunction). It seems like he made a decision to preserve his normalcy, health, and sanity in ways that have afforded him a pretty good life.

But for those who think he's the one who had it all together, remember that their biographies generally paint him as the first to get involved with heroin, even working as a dealer. And he was in deep up until around the time of of the Illusion albums recordings. That's no kind of cool in my book.

 

Nick Kent's interview with Izzy in The Dark Stuff reveals Izzy to be one of the stupidest humans to walk the planet.

 

Of all the guys who have drawn musical inspiration from Keith Richards, Izzy is one of the best, in my book. I agree that he was the linchpin of what I did like about Guns 'n' Roses in their early days, and, when he left, I lost any interest I had in that band.

 

I wouldn't put a whole lot of credence in anything that Kent writes in that book.

And, as has been noted in this thread, whatever dumb rock and roll indulgences Izzy may have engaged in in his younger days seem to have been left behind, and Izzy now seems to have a more level head on his shoulders than a lot of rock musicians do.

 

I don't care if he works with Axl or not, but I do wish he would work with a writing partner that was a better singer. Izzy is a great backup singer and good sometimes front man. The comparisons to Keith Richards (not the songwriter Keith is, of course) are apt. I think a lot of the material on Izzy's albums would be better if there was a more dynamic presence doing the vocals. But he's happy doing what he does, so that's good.

 

Because he deliberately wouldn't shower for several days at a time - all in the name of having an easier time sliding his hands up and down the guitar neck. No, I'm not making this up.

 

Nice original post followed by some other great posts. Great thread.

I have Izzy's first three studio albums along with the fabulous live CD from Japan. Lost track of his albums after that. I love 117 DEGREES the best.

 

My favorite is River, but 117 Degrees is a close second. All Izzy's solo albums are worth hearing, IMO.

 

Yeah, I really like 117 as well.

If you are not allergic to iTunes, you might want to check out some of his other stuff. You may enjoy an album like Concrete or Like A Dog.

 

Yeah, I had no idea just how prolific Izzy's been.

I wanna check out some more of his CDs. Recommendations?

 

Nice overview Stateless. I liked the 1st Izzy album, did not pursue the rest of his catalog. And yes, he is an outstanding player.