Gilby Clarke Review

Release Date: Jan 30, 2007
Label: Spitfire
Genres: Hard Rock, Album Rock
Number Of Tracks: 14
The album sounds more like an average rock album with a few killers and a few fillers.

Sound:	7
Lyrics:	8
Impression:	7
Overall rating:	7.3
Users rating:	7
Comments:	25

overall: 7.3

Featured review by: UG Team, on february 09, 2007

Sound: Guns N’ Roses seems to be a factory with its members producing fairly good rock solo albums one after another. And here’s another one to prove the theory -- Gilby Clarke’s self-titled album. But don’t be fooled by the record being self-titled. It’s far not the first album by Clarke, it’s just his way of avoiding the pompous “greatest hits.”

The CD is 14 tracks of raw (and not so raw) rock 'n' roll, carefully picked by Clarke from his 6 albums. The CD was supposed to be out before his Supernova tour and there was not enough time for new material, which quite excuses the idea with the compilation. Though there is one pleasant surprise -- a new version of Black with the vocals performed by female singer Dilana.

There’s a pretty good share of kick-ass rock like the opener -- the song Clarke is best known for -- Cure Me Or Kill Me, this time with Slash playing on it. Apart from the scary CD art, it’s not always that serious. There’re quite a few happy tracks on the album -- like countryish Skin 'n' bones with a woman providing backvocals redneck style -- it draws pictures in your head of a happy farmer who retired after a long rock star career. This seems especially ridiculous with the skulls in a CD booklet. The song is followed by an almost pop Wasn’t Yesterday Great. “Almost” stands for roaring guitars, without which it would be an all-ready hit for some boyband. If not the artist’s “hard rocker” attitude and his terrifying screaming face on the cover, those tracks, as well as a few others “boogie” kind of style, are pretty decent though. The highlight of Gilby Clarke is Black, due to the catchy melody and astonishing vocals by Dilana.

The album shines with great guitar work -- killer riffs and solos. But the solos are strictly one per song and not always as long as you would want them to be. // 7

Lyrics and Singing: Just like it says in the CD booklet “No one understands my hell,” the songs are full of bitter and anger. But only when they are not about dissolute life of a rock 'n' roll musician -- sex, drugs and everything that goes along. To match the sing-along tunes, the lyrics in the choruses are plain and easy to remember with at least two lines to be repeated.

Clarke spits the words out with aggression, putting all of his anger in the harder numbers. Though when he stops yelling, it turns out he’s got quite a goatish voice (like in the happy country Skin 'n' bones). Dilana, singing in Black gives a breath of fresh air among quite alike vocals by Clarke. At the same time she fits into the album’s atmosphere perfectly, providing all those hoarse yelling, growling and other necessary rock attributes. // 8

Impression: If it’s really the best Clarke has to represent after 13 years of work, then it’s pretty sad. The album sounds more like an average rock album with a few killers and a few fillers. Though the retrospective is a pretty good introduction to the artist if you haven’t heard his previous records (and I bet you haven’t heard much if you’re not a GN'R fan). Most of the tracks are solid rock, but there are too few to remember after listening to the record. The songwriting is really good and the songs are well put together, but there are no fresh ideas that would blow your mind. It is obvious the CD was made in a rush, as some of the tracks are evidently different (not to say louder) by sound one from another. // 7

- Kosh (c) 2008

Comments

[fcolbert]

This guy is the feminine pirate looking BACKUP guitarist of a so-so band. He wasn't even the first he was just in GNR for a couple years and not their good years. A wag of the finger to Gilby Clarke listeners.

[cerveza]

i like him, he's a cool dude but he's not really that great of a guitarist

[Jonesy2759]

looks gud

[Skywalker_90]

I bought "Pawnshop Guitars" when i was a kid because Clarke was in GNR, And next to finding it a little flat i liked it, this album is no different, However the Supernova album is freakin' awesome

[Emily...]

All i can say is, by hearing this im not really looking forward to seeing Rockstar Supernova live. Its making me a bit worried, considering RS album didnt excite me much!

[EMT911]

Gilby's image is kind of like today's television shows; filled with a bunch of beautiful people who can't act for crap!

[metal4_themases]

Supernova? Newstead is such an overrated bass player and gilby a rythym guitar player, nothing better. As for the album, it probully sucks like whatever the hell axls trying to do now.

[GATW]

What has Newstead and Axl got to do with Clarke?
In my opinion, Rockstar: Supernova was awesome. But I would definitely like too hear this, so i can have my opinion of himself. By the way, Newstead is an amazing bass player!

[binovec]

he's living off his rep from gnr! a very very average guitarist in a very average manufactured rock band!

[Nhex (PT)]

newsted has the energy of 100 ferraris

[Soul on Ice]

binovec wrote:

he's living off his rep from gnr! a very very average guitarist in a very average manufactured rock band!

Yeah, I'm with u on this one... although i like the guy as a person ^^

[Rocker1_1]

I dont know what to expect because Rockstar Supernova's first singles 'Be yourself and 5 other cliches' and 'It's all love' didnt even have solos so i hope this ones better

[mousepad]

well if hes living his gnr rep, wouldnt you say keith richards is living off his sones rep? steven tyler from his aerosmith rep? what is hte man supposed to do? forget what made him who he is?

[A7XDisturbed]

i have to admit its an ok album however, it is rather average nothing really to get excited about.

[laparsons]

fcolbert wrote:

This guy is the feminine pirate looking BACKUP guitarist of a so-so band. He wasn't even the first he was just in GNR for a couple years and not their good years. A wag of the finger to Gilby Clarke listeners.

you sir..are an idiot, gilby clarke is an excellent songwriter,a good guitar (better than izzy stradlin was at any rate) and has a great hardrock voice...what more could you want?

[ric822]

Well, he is a memeber of the Hyped up Rock Star SuperNova. Another "Supergroup" that is not at all super. The show to pick the lead singer was good, but thier own songs were just ok.
So with Rock Star SuperNova's low album sells and low concert ticket sell, maybe he needs the $$$ or maybe
he wants to prove he still has it.

[MickyD_Stud]

gilby rocks and so does supernova

[Stop Messin']

Gilby's solo stuff is way better than his GNR work. He only played on The Spaghetti Incident, while he has half a dozen solo albums under his belt. Have a listen to Live '99 and you'll see the real Gilby

Gilby Checke

[Psyence88]

laparsons wrote:

fcolbert wrote:

This guy is the feminine pirate looking BACKUP guitarist of a so-so band. He wasn't even the first he was just in GNR for a couple years and not their good years. A wag of the finger to Gilby Clarke listeners.


you sir..are an idiot, gilby clarke is an excellent songwriter,a good guitar (better than izzy stradlin was at any rate) and has a great hardrock voice...what more could you want?

Oh dear, you sir; are a moriot, which is a idiot and moron put together. The first poster is half correct, Gilby tagged along the success of an AMAZING rock band, whom were Gn'R, he did nothing more than play more-than-basic rythm to their songs during lives, and record a cover cd, entitled The Spagetti Incident. Secondly, Izzy Stradlin' was what made Guns, he co-wrote and wrote most if not all the songs with Axl, and a lot of the stuff you hear on Appetite that you would think is Slash is actually Stradlin'.

Oh, and mousepad, the difference again, is that Richards and Tyler MADE the bands, uh- what did Gilby do for Guns?

[isomniac19]

for the dude above me y are you so hard on gilby, he practically saved GNR's Use Your Illusion tours by steppin in (not tagging along) and he did an amazing job for what the band **needed him to do** which was *play rythm* see the band asked him to help out not the other way around. so he couldn't tag along.

[1llusionz]

What happen to his new band with Tommy and Jason? Broke up already?o.O

[cusic]

laparsons wrote:

fcolbert wrote:

This guy is the feminine pirate looking BACKUP guitarist of a so-so band. He wasn't even the first he was just in GNR for a couple years and not their good years. A wag of the finger to Gilby Clarke listeners.


you sir..are an idiot, gilby clarke is an excellent songwriter,a good guitar (better than izzy stradlin was at any rate) and has a great hardrock voice...what more could you want?

I kinda agree, Gilby is a great guitarist and songwriter, but not better that Izzy, cos Izzy was one of the main writing force's of Appetite and if thats worse than Gilby's solo's, well, then you can f*ck me sideways

[Psyence88]

isomniac19 wrote:

for the dude above me y are you so hard on gilby, he practically saved GNR's Use Your Illusion tours by steppin in (not tagging along) and he did an amazing job for what the band **needed him to do** which was *play rythm* see the band asked him to help out not the other way around. so he couldn't tag along.

He didn't really save anything, he auditioned and got accepted, I'm sure just about anyone could've been picked to play the role he did. So, really in my books thats tagging along, not stepping in.

Also, Gun's compromised for LACK of ability, if you check the crediting for Appetite you will see that both Izzy and Slash were credited for both rythm and lead guitar. So he did a lot more than rythm, which is only what Gilby did.

In my opinion, as much as I loved Gun's, they should've died as soon as Izzy left the band, but what do you know? They are still here with only Axl.

[isomniac19]

oh okay my bad haha