There aren’t many rock singers who, with confidence, I can say, would’ve been successful regardless of the band that they were in, the musical trends that existed, or even despite their thorny personality.
Axl Rose is one of the greatest rock singers of all time, and at one point, his singing prowess stood head and shoulders above nearly all competitors.
If rock music were a sport similar to boxing, Rose would certainly have a few jewel-encrusted belts to his name.
This is why I think it’s critical to remind ourselves of the real contribution the Guns N’ Roses frontman brought to music. These are ten times that W. Axl Rose’s singing left audiences positively floored, and me along along with them.
Axl Rose’s 10 Best Vocal Performances
10. ”14 Years”
Axl Rose made a few vocal cameos at the height of his vocal powers. And, I wish that he’d done more. His vocals have a lot of character.
On “14 Years” he plays sidekick in his own Guns n’ Roses, choosing to be Mick to Izzy Stradlin’s Keith. This is one of the band’s very best songs, and is made all the better by Rose using his grit and range over the chorus part.
As a sidenote, more Axl/Izzy songs would’ve only improved the band’s situation going forward, I think. That’s the one reunion I’d like.
9. ”Sorry”
Personally, I was one of the ones waiting on the “Chinese Democracy” like some kind of rock redeemer. And, when it was finally out, I deeply enjoyed it. If I am being honest, my opinion has slightly changed over time, and, at this particular juncture, I find the thing a little dull.
However, worries that Axl Rose’s vocals weren’t going to be a part of the equation were unfounded. No, they don’t sound like they did. It’s a matter of wear and tear, perhaps, that leads to losing much of Rose’s rich bass sound.
Still, you try to sing the high notes on the mean and vengeful “Sorry,” and see if you can do it.
8. “Thunderstruck (Live)”
Yes, he made a comeback, and yes, Axl landed another of rock’s biggest jobs in rock music. Can’t unknown singers like me catch a break?
Well, you’d have to outshine Axl and acquire more charisma. By the time he was helping AC/DC complete a global tour, he had reacquired a good part of both those things.
“Thunderstruck,” as performed live, is a testament to what hard work can do when you’re trying to reclaim past glories.
7. ”Welcome to the Jungle”
It would’ve happened anyway. Sure, “Appetite for Destruction” was the work of tight knit band whose musicians had lived together in tough conditions.
But takes Axl Rose’s voice and imagines it over a song by Metallica, Winger, or the bar band down the street, and it still stands apart.
Those incredible vocal sirens in the intro are a perpetual challenge to anyone thinking of covering Guns N’ Roses, and, sure, a challenge over the years for the man himself. It’s a colossal performance made even more powerful by the sheer anger he brings to every line, a kind of mix between Johnny Rotten and an Italian tenor.
6. ”Coma”
Axl Rose is a very smart guy and quite ambitious, too. Yes, during the 1990s, he would’ve also broken into your house and beaten you with a baseball bat for looking at him funny, but that’s not the point, now, is it?
Rose was always bugged by the people associating Guns N’ Roses with the other pop-metal bands of the 1980s. In his mind, he wanted to be like Freddie Mercury, singing in Queen.
“Coma” is an epic rock poem about overdosing and nearly snuffing it. This is certainly melodramatic stuff. But it’s the way Rose uses his singing to create a kind of opera metal hybrid, something that Layne Staley would’ve found inspiration in, that makes “Coma” great.
5. “Garden of Eden”
There was nobody on stage angrier than Axl Rose. And, sure, few people possess a vocal range like his: five octaves, from F1 to C6, which is nearly unnatural. This gave Gn’R a great head start.
Add to that the fact that he had Duff McKagan, punk bass player extraordinare, and on “Garden of Eden”, the band transforms itself into a fierce punk-rock outfit. Rose’s style of going from the almost rapped vocals to the top range singing in the chorus is fantastic.
4. ”Ain’t It Fun”
There was a sense of drama about Guns N’ Roses, and much of it wasn’t on purpose. They were a showbiz act, with plenty of anger and chemical issues fueling them.
“Ain’t it Fun” could’ve just been a polite duet between Axl and Hanoi Rocks’ Michael Monroe, another great frontman. But Axl approaches the last line of every chorus like a man screaming for his life, and doing it in perfect pitch. Amazing performance!
3. ”You Could Be Mine”
Sure, sure, Slash is a guitar hero. Duff can play funky bass. Izzy Stradlin’s got that Keith Richard groove going for him and can write songs. And, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum are the right drummers for this band.
However, replace any of those and leave the vocal track for “You Could Be Mine,” and this becomes a notable rock hit.
Rose’s vocals here are simply untouchable. His rasp and delivery across the bridge are particularly impressive. If anything, and if I were nitpicking, this could have been shortened to a 3-minute version for even greater impact.
2. ”Don’t Cry”
Axl Rose had this song in his back pocket all the while making “Appetite for Destruction.” And, one would imagine, that he sharpened the composition before finally laying it down to tape.
Vocally, “Don’t Cry” is notable for showcasing Rose’s entire range. He sings softly in the verse, climbs in the choruses, and even hums in a deep baritone in the outro.
1. ”It’s So Easy”
Axl Rose’s range put him a special category that included vocalists like Chris Cornell, Mike Patton or Robert Plant. That’s a fantastic instrument with which to work.
But, that wasn’t all that made Guns n’ Roses a success. The band’s debut album sounds like The Sex Pistols turning into a hard-rock band. Rose genuinely sounds pissed off, confused, and a little bit selfish. “It’s So Easy” almost feels like the vocals of a Los Angeles devil stalking the streets at night.
Vocally, it’s also a tricky performance. Rose delivers some of his most memorable baritone range vocals in the verse, and keeps his powder dry for the ear-shattering last chorus. “It’s So Easy” is Axl Rose’s greatest vocal performance, in my book.
