As punk albums go,
The Spaghetti Incident? lacks righteous anger and rage. As
Guns N' Roses albums go, it's a complete delight, returning to the ferocious, hard-rocking days of
Appetite for Destruction.
The Gunners play
Stooges and
New York Dolls songs exactly as they do
Nazareth -- as straight-ahead, driving riff-rockers. After the epic
Use Your Illusions, the band sounds like it's having fun, not caring about making "art" like "November Rain" or "Estranged." Unfortunately, the tacked-on
Charles Manson song leaves a bad aftertaste, but not because of the song itself; the inclusion of the song seems like a publicity-seeking stunt, a way to increase their sales while trying to regain their street credibility. And as
The Spaghetti Incident? proves, they didn't need to stoop so low. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine