Ultimate La Guns

L.A. Guns | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 3, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B00006GOF2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,244 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The ultimate collection from one of SoCal s pre-eminent glam rock band, L.A. Guns!

Features the group s breakthrough hit single Ballad Of Jane along with fan favorites Slap In The Face, Never Enough, Ritual and several live tracks!

Founding member Tracii Guns was the original guitarist for mega-blockbuster rock band, Guns N Roses!

An incredible compilation that is sure to please fans of the group and all those Sunset Strip devotees of classic blues-based rock!

L.A. Guns arrived upon the mid-eighties music scene determined to create a rock and roll style that would fuse together the seedier side of the Hollywood scene in which they lived, along with a musical homage to their 70s rock heroes. L.A. Guns distinguished themselves from many of their more commercially successful peers by epitomizing the swagger and carelessness of their earlier punk and metal predecessors, yet combining skills worthy of any stage. Nonstop touring and a refusal to compromise, led to a reputation for great shows and consistent records. With the lead vocals of Phil Lewis, guitar work of Tracii Guns and Mick Cripps, plus thunderous bass by Kelly Nickels and powerhouse drumming by Steve Riley, L.A. Guns delivered the goods to a generation of music fans unsuspectingly participating in the last great era of ROCK... --Cleopatra Records

Product Description

1. Slap In The Face
2. Sex Action
3. Ritual
4. Electric Gypsy
5. Ballad Of Jane
6. Nothing Better To Do (Live)
7. Over The Edge (Live)
8. One More Reason (Live)
9. Time
10. Long Time Dead
11. Never Enough
12. Face Down (Live)
13. Bitch Is Back (Live)
14. My Michelle
15. Kiss My Love Goodbye
16. Letting Go
17. Disbelief
18. Wheels Of Fire
19. Give A Little
20. Rip N Tear

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNADULTERATED, UNSTOPPABLE LOVELY ROCK 'N' ROLL BABY!, September 24, 2002

By 

James Walsh (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate La Guns (Audio CD)

his year has been a good one for fans of true heavy metal and fans of LA Guns in general. To coincide with a brand new studio album called Waking the Dead and a successful world tour that just concluded with the band touring with Firehouse, Ratt, Warrant, and Dokken, LA Guns has released yet another compact disc that must be heard. This one is a greatest hits of sorts but not really. This is ULTIMATE LA GUNS!
What do I mean not really? Well, they are not all the original recordings but they may even be better. Filled with more energy and a live feel even on the studio recorded tracks, this is as good as Waking the Dead, which I have described as the best metal album of the year.
You get a completely packed CD of all the greatest tunes of LA Guns past. You get Never Enough, Kiss My Love Goodbye, Ballad of Jane, and a version of the Guns 'n' Roses made hit My Michelle which you may or may not consider a cover depending on what side of the fence you sit on between those two bands. Every single song on this album rocks and it really does have that live feel throughout the album that fills me with energy!
What is my favorite song? You have to hear Rip 'n' Tear. The energy in that song rivals any Bon Scott (AC/DC) performance and is simply incredible rock 'n' roll. If for nothing else, buy it for that!
As if the incredible music wasn't enough, you get a little bonus. The CD does not come in a normal crystal case. It comes in a cardboard open up case and in the packaging is an exclusive LA Guns poster. It's like a one disc box set! It's just so cool! But, don't take my word for it! Make up your own mind! Get the album and tell me if it don't get your head 'a' bangin'!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The greatest hits of L.A. Guns? Not quite., September 23, 2005

By 

William Matson (Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate La Guns (Audio CD)

'The Ultimate L.A. Guns' is a hodgepodge of tracks taken from three albums that the band cut for the small label, Cleopatra/Deadline Records. In 1999, the classic L.A. Guns lineup reformed to rerecord some of their hit songs for the cd, 'Greatest Hits and Black Beauties.' The album contained mostly subpar rerecordings (focusing only on their first two albums), some remixes and a few new songs. In the year 2000, L.A. Guns issued their first live album, 'Live: A Nite on the Strip' and the album, 'Cocked and Reloaded.' The live album needs no explanation. 'Cocked and Reloaded' had L.A. Guns back in the studio rerecording the entire 'Cocked and Loaded' studio album, probably so they could have the rights to all those new versions for licensing and royalty purposes. These are the three albums that make up everything on this collection, save for one song (which will be explained later).

The good news is that this collection includes twenty songs total, though quantity doesn't always ensure quality. Seven of these tracks are taken from the live album and they do include some tracks from the studio albums, 'Hollywood Vampires' and 'Vicious Circle', which is nice since the band never rerecorded any of that material (only choosing to focus on the first two albums, 's/t' and 'Cocked & Loaded'). The live versions (at least on here) range mostly from average to above average, but at least a couple border on bootleg quality.

This leaves thirteen songs remaining. The Guns N' Roses cover song, "My Michelle", was actually cut by L.A. Guns vocalist, Phil Lewis as a solo artist (along with guitarist, Tracii Guns). This is originally from a Guns N' Roses tribute album. The remaining tracks are primarily rerecorded versions of songs from the first two L.A. Guns albums. Most of the ones early in the album are from 'Greatest Hits and Black Beauties' and the later ones were pulled from 'Cocked and Reloaded'. Two of the remaining songs, "Time" and "Ritual", were also from 'Greatest Hits and Black Beauties', but they are brand new cuts recorded specifically for the album.

The majority of the songs here on 'The Ultimate L.A. Guns' are weak renditions, suffer from poor sound quality, or both. It isn't a reflection of this album, since the source albums for the material here suffered from the same fate. It isn't a reflection of the band, either, since the original studio versions of almost all of these tunes are potent. It is hard to tell whether to call out the producer for burying the sound, the record label (Deadline, on all three occasions) for using a shoestring budget or the band for going through the motions on a lot of these tracks. However, this album is what it is. The fact is that an album containing a lot of these same songs (the original renditions, mind you) would score significantly higher on the list of any reviewer, there is no doubt about that.

There is not any new material here and nothing of note, unless you never heard the Phil Lewis cover, "My Michelle," but it isn't exactly a world beater. Due to the shoddy versions and sound quality, recommending this album to a brand new fan as an introduction to the band, will not do L.A. Guns any favors. This is not L.A. Guns at their best. Calling this a compilation or collection is accurate, but don't consider it a "best of" or "greatest hits" or you may find yourself fairly disappointed.

Most die-hard fans might already have all of the source albums, so they won't need this, unless they appreciate the new cover art. The best market for this album would come from somebody who has followed L.A. Guns before, owning maybe a couple albums, but doesn't have anything from their time on Deadline Records. If this casual fan wants to pick up 'The Ultimate L.A. Guns' and likes it, then perhaps it would be worth tracking down the three original albums that this music can be found on.

If you are actively looking for a real greatest hits collection for L.A. Guns, the best bet would be to start with the major label release, 'Millenium Collection' (which I've reviewed) as it houses the original studio versions that fans have loved for many years. 'Fully Loaded' is a budget-priced compilation of material from two strong albums that L.A. Guns did for Spitfire Records between 2001-2002, another decent choice. Aside from that, you won't be burned buying the self-titled debut or the follow-up, 'Cocked and Loaded', which got the L.A. Guns off to a fast start.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My Start To LA Guns, May 20, 2004

By 

HeadbangerDuh (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate La Guns (Audio CD)

I had never actually heard a song by this band before I bought this. I had just heard of them by word-of-mouth, so I bought this. I think it's OK, but they cannot compare to their contemporaries. The first songs are great, and so is their remake of GNR's My Michelle(talk about weird!), but all the live material in the middle, with the exception of Over The Edge. But I can't understand: why didn't they put the original Over The Edge on here instead of the just OK live version. I dunno.