Customer Reviews

Believe in Me

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, I've heard and read a lot of negative things about this album but I tried it out for myself and was not disappointed. I was always a fan of GnR but I'd sort of forgotten about them until Velvet Revolver and sparks flew again. Hard core GnR fans will probably think this album sucks but it's really not that bad! I listened to it over and over again when I got it. Duff's no Axl, but he can hold a tune. Duff sings like someone in a punk band (he talks in most of the songs too) and he's got help from some of his rocker friends, GnR members (minus Axl) and Lenny Kravitz. There are elements of rock and punk with some ballads mixed in too. Don't be so anal cuz it's not Axl or you think Duff's trying to cash in from being a former member of GnR. He's doing his thing. Be a little open-minded and I think you'll appreciate his stuff. Props go to Duff for his good solo work.

1.Believe in Me- (9/10) The best song on the album. It's the first one and is a strong opener for the album. Upbeat and rockin.

2.I Love You- (9/10) I like this one a lot too. Starts off soft then guitars come in. Good lyrics. Duff plays all the instruments too!

3.Man in the Meadow- (7/10) Not bad, the chorus kinda goes blah for me after the 10th time hearing "with the man in the meadow."

4.(F@*ked Up) Beyond Belief- (8/10) I like this one a lot. It opens with a long but catchy instrumental, and then it sounds like Duff's talking in a megaphone. A little bit of singing follows and then another instrumental.

5.Could It Be U- (7/10) Ballad about someone who makes Duff "feel like a man." Sounds like some violins in the background. Not a bad song.

6.Just Not There- (6/10) Average song. Not bad but not great.

7.Punk Rock Song- (8/10) Very cool song. It's called "Punk Rock Song" for a reason. Quick and upbeat.

8.The Majority- (8/10) Sung by Lenny Kravitz. Catchy song with a little bit of funk I'd say. I like this one.

9.10 Years- (8/10) another ballad. Good song about Duff reminiscing of an old love.

10.Swamp Song- (5/10) Eh. It's OK. I have a hard time deciphering the lyrics.

11.Trouble- (3/10) Sebastian Bach sings lead in this one. It's a little heavier than the other songs I think. Not a fan of this one.

12.F@*k You- (5/10) Doc Newmann raps in this one with Duff singing the chorus. It's a little corny but kinda catchy too.

13.Lonely Tonite- (6/10) Slower song. Good tune to end the album with.

After avoiding this album for twelve odd years due to the negative things I had heard about it, curiosity got the better of me and I chased up a used copy. What a surprise! There is some really good stuff on here, 10 Years and Lonely Tonite are forgotten gems. Duff tries his hand at styles as diverse as rock, rap, punk and slows it down on a couple of tracks to mellow in the vain of So Fine, his major contibution to the Illusion set. Sometimes it doesn't work, most times it does. In fact, some of these tracks would not have been out of place on the Illusion albums, and could have taken the place of some of the filler including: Get in the Ring, the unnecessary second version of Don't Cry, and the two covers: Live and Let Die(Wings), and the awful Knocking on Heaven's Door(Dylan).

"Believe In Me"(1993). Duff McKagan's first solo album.

By the time it was the early 1990's,even though Duff McKagan had had a very succesful career as the bassist of Guns N' Roses,things were not going exactly well for him. Not only had several problems arised in Guns N' Roses(mostly due to GN'R frontman Axl Rose),GN'R rythmn guitarist Izzy Stradlin,who was an important part of Guns N' Roses music,had left the band. And as a result,Guns N' Roses had been left in a little bit of a hassle. However,in the midst of two Guns N' Roses crises that Duff McKagan had been put right in the middle of,McKagan was able to release a solo album at a very critical point in his career,entitled "Believe in Me". How did the album meausure up? Read on for my review of this:

While this album may not be up to par with the music that Guns N' Roses released and the music that Velvet Revolver has released,it is an underrated record that shows the talent that is really possesed by Duff McKagan (for the most part). This album opens up with it's title track,which,while it is a little bit corny,is catchy,likeable,and is a good combination of the talents of both Duff McKagan and Bobbie Brown(the model who was in Warrant's "Cherry Pie" music video)as the songwriting and performances on the track are really good,as well as Bobbie Brown's dialogue and background vocals. And besides the album's title track,this CD has several fine moments to offer--"Man In The Meadow" is a good and interesting track that could have used by Guns N' Roses,"(F****d Up)Beyond Belief" and "Punk Rock Song" are very tough and strong songs,while the closing track here,"Lonely Tonite",is a really good jazz influenced track that has some of Duff McKagan's best lyrics and singing. It was a really good way for Duff to close his first solo record. This CD does sound flawed in some areas(especially with the rap song "F**k You" which is a duet between Duff McKagan and Doc Newmann and was written by both McKagan and Newmann),and while it does aim a little bit too much towards ballads,it is,for the most part,a good mixture of hard rock,punk rock,rap music,and jazz all on one album. Duff McKagan's talent as a songwriter and a bassist,for the most part,show here,and while McKagan's singing takes a little getting used to,is actually a bit catchy and pretty much works for any type of music. And not only did Duff do a really good job at putting this album together(there are some tracks on this CD that Duff performs on all by himself!!!),some of the celebrities that appear on this CD as guests(Slash,Lenny Kravitz,Jeff Beck,Sebastian Back,among others)also play a good part in helping make this album bpth sound and be really good.

If you happen to be a huge fan of Guns N' Roses and like/liked the contributions Duff McKagan had to GN'R(singing the GN'R song "So Fine",and co-writing some of GN'R's best material,some of which includes "It's So Easy","Dust N' Bones","Civil War",etc. that are fan favorites among a lot of Guns N' Roses fans)this album is worth checking out. I recommend getting it used and cheap(I like this album,I can see where both the good and bad reviews of this CD are coming from,and this CD is a bit of an acquired taste that is mostly for die hard fans of Guns N' Roses/Duff McKagan),but if you don't own this album and are interested in owning it,you should not hesitate in buying a copy of it.

i can't believe people have crictised this album so badly it's a raunchy punk rock record full of great riffs and excellent lyrics yes i must say duff mckagan's voice is unusual but lets not say it's not a bad voice it's a rough around the edges voice but once you get used too it..and once you get used to the diverse music on this album you'll love it like i do it took me 6 listen to love this album so be patiant and let duff have his 5 minutes being a solo artist he made this while the double albums use your ilusions were in the progress...and one song was inially going to be put on use your ilussions

great album from the master who made the bass fashionable

duff mckagan believe in him

This Albums really quite amazing and yet hard to get hold of "Deleted in fact", This is Duff, who was still in Guns n Roses at the time of this Albums realease. The tracks on this album, are very different everything from Blues to Punk Rock. Sebastian Bach is on the track Troublw which sounds just amazing also there is help from Lenny Kravitz its a must for any Die hard fan. Catch this album whilst you can...

Pleasantly surprised by the overall spectrum of songs on Duff's debut.
Seeing him front a band with a guitar back in the day and pulling it off quite well (even though we all know he isn't Rob Halford) enough...he's a bass player and does quite well on his own; and with the help of some friends of course on this one.

Fav tracks are "The Majority", "Believe In Me", "Just Not There", "F Off", and "I Love You". "Trouble" is another I still groove to on occasion along with S.Bach on vocals there on that one. Also remember that the rap rock song came out back in the early 90's, and may sound cheesey by today's standards, but to me still holds up, better than Faster Pussycat's "Babylon" don't ya think...maybe not, but I still love both those songs better than anything put out by Limp Bizkit, or any rapmetal/rock band that came out after '94.

Overalll a nice intro to his work early on after the demise of GNR, and things to come due to that project not getting back together. I'de still rather listen to this and his Loaded CD's...even the Neurotic Outsiders than Velvet Revolver's blandness.

Duff's first release and, in my opinion, his weakest. There are some very strong moments, though this is one of the weaker Guns N' Roses side projects. This is really an odd record, that kind of got lost between amidst Slash's and Izzy's more successful projects (Slash's Snakepit and Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds, respectively), but perhaps the most like Guns, of all GNR side/solo efforts. There is some really good music here, but some that's not up to par with the rest of it. The more I listen to it, however, the more it grows on me.

Duff McKagan was a member of Guns n' Roses until their split. They were one of the most popular hard rock bands of the late 80s and early 90s, and as the bassist he offered some very significant contributions in the way of songs. His solo project entitled "Believe In Me" shows his impressive growth as an artist, songwriting abilities, and musical talent.

The self titled song opens this album, with a quite an obvious search for commercial appeal. The song itself is fairly catchy lyrically, but it is lacking in melody and is not one of my favourites. "I Love You" follows very well though, with a great guitar tune, and some raw vocals from Duff. "Man In The Meadow" has the musical feel of a GNR song, and rocks out pretty well. "(F*cked Up) Beyond Belief" is probably my favourite track on here, with its fierce intensity and powerful guitar. Matt Sorum plays drums on this song. "Could It Be You" is a softer song, and is less memorable than others. "Just Not There" has some impressive moments with a clean guitar solo at the end, and a pretty catchy guitar riff. "Punk Rock Song" is purely raw punk, but lacks musicality. "The Majority" is a good song with a strong vocal performance from guest star Lenny Kravitz. "10 Years" is my second favourite song on here, a ballad with a beautiful guitar melody and strong lyrical qualities. "Swamp Song" brings back the rock sound present throughout most of this solo effort, and it is a pretty good song. "Trouble" is a cool rocker, with very nice guitar work. The last two tracks on here close the album fairly well, and "Lonely Tonite" begins unusually with dialogue.

Overall, this is a pretty solid solo effort from Duff McKagan, former bassist of Guns n' Roses, and now playing with Velvet Revolver. He played guitar, bass, sung vocals, and played the drums on this album, and certainly has musical talent. His GNR roots are very much present on here, and they bring a good sound to his CD. I would recommend the album to all fans of Guns n' Roses and Velvet Revolver, as well as someone who wants a taste of different music. Duff has a very original sound.

this is a decent attempt for a bass player to sing. i cant understand why duff sings better on the spaghetti incident album and on/with neurotic outsiders... maybe this has something to do with the producers or the mixing or the songs itself... but anyhow, if you are a gunner this album is not totally a waste.

With Jeff Beck, Slash, Gilby CLarke, Lenny Kravitz, Sebastian Bach, Snake plus others, you'd find it hard to believe that this is a bad album, which it really isn't. It's not gn'r, of course, but it's deffinitly good. Its in my normal rotation of cd's i would listen to.