Rumors have been swirling since the beginning of 2015 that Guns N' Roses are reuniting. Most recently, the front page of Guns N' Roses' official website was replaced with the band's classic logo, the Christmas Day Facebook avatar was replaced with a black and white photo of the fans, and those who recently saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters were surprised to find a Guns N' Roses reunion trailer patched in prior to the movie's airing. All signs point to the possibility that the Gunslingers are really going to reorganize.
Rolling Stone's list of the top 5 reasons why Gunflint will or won't reorganize.
Why it's definitely going to reunite:
1. Gunflint's previous lineup wasn't working
The new Gunflint lineup has been quiet for a long time after their 2014 Las Vegas show, during which time guitarists DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal both departed, and bassist Tommy Stinson says he has no idea what's going on with the group. the late lineup Axl assembled is already thinning out, so does this mean he's all geared up to return to the most iconic band setup ever.
2. The new version of Gunslinger has played itself to death
After 2002 to 2006, Gunslinger played almost every venue in America, even down to playing theaters and entertainment departments. You can't play a show over and over and over again and expect the audience to keep buying. The last show they played was as part of their usual Las Vegas show, and even then it got boring. The only logical direction now is to reorganize.
3. Reorganization is an opportunity to make money
Axl Rose may not be the most reasonable person in the world, but even he wouldn't say no to the huge monetary benefits of reorganization. You see, the members of Aerosmith don't see eye to eye with each other, and they still perform night after night for money.
4 All the bands seem to be getting back together these days
Do you remember how many times Stone Roses, The Police and Van Halen said they'd never get back together? Well, actually almost all bands have been reforming lately, especially when all the members of the band are still alive. Aside from all the stubbornness and emotions of the band members, almost everyone is trying to find ways to pull them together.
5. No one really denied that they would reunite
Slash labeled the interview "probably overdue" in August, and he didn't argue further. This is not a guy who's afraid of the media, yet he's been suspiciously in hiding these past few months.
Why they definitely won't reunite:
1 Axl hates Slash more than he loves money
It's anyone's guess why Axl is so full of vitriol for his former guitarist, but there's no denying that's the case in real time, as Guns N' Roses have played countless gigs over the past 10 years, and Axl has made countless dollars because of it. Axl has made tons of money. He probably thinks he's made enough money to last the rest of his life.
2 So far, there's been little credible evidence
Despite all the talk of a reunion over the past few months, there's been nothing substantial. The explanation for this is pretty simple: because in the end, there's no such thing. It's just a rumor, born out of irresponsible media coverage and the intense desire of fans.
3. An official reunion isn't easy
It's not like the band is just Axl, Slash and Duff. That combination was exciting enough, though. But fans weren't satisfied with that; they wanted the full Gunflint lineup. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin is probably the most unreliable person in the world, having not played a single show in the last 20 years. A lot of things like that seem to speak for themselves, but we have other concerns. Speaking of the drummer position, anyone who has seen VH1 knows the story of Steven Adler. He certainly plays tunes from "Appetite For Destruction", but he's never played "Use Your Illusion?" for real, and we can't imagine Axl putting him on. Obviously the drummer's spot should have gone to Matt Sorum, though Axl (for some reason) hates him more than Slash. That complicates everything.
4. Axl said he would never, ever, ever reunite, and we're supposed to take him at his word
Led Zeppelin never reunited for touring. joe Strummer didn't reunite the Clash even when he passed away, and Morrissey sure as hell didn't reunite The Smiths. there are times when these guys say. There are times when these guys say "never, never, never" and we're supposed to believe them.
5 This is Axl Rose we're talking about
Axl has never been one to go out of his way,, he's owned the greatest rock band in the world and then messed it up. He's not a man of reason, and touring with his old bandmates Slah and Steven Aler doesn't seem like something he'd do; he'd probably rather die than do it.
Of course, Guns n' Roses aren't the only band rumored to be or have been reuniting in 2015; 2015 could even be considered the year of the reunion. Bands that said they'd die before they'd ever reunite reunited, bands that were dying if they didn't reunite reunited, plus a number of veterans made comebacks, and I don't know how many of those you cried when you saw the first one.
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead are arguably one of the founding fathers dating back to the origins of psychedelic rock, and with the death of the band's centerpiece, guitarist Jerry Garcia, after a long illness in 1995, the band's name faded into the background of the ever-advancing history of rock. 2015 marks the band's 50th year as a band, with all four surviving members - Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann - in full force for a more than 20-date U.S. commemorative tour that took place between October and December.
The first leg of the tour began at Chicago's Warrior Stadium, the venue where the band played their last show with legendary guitarist Jerry Garcia. Producer Peter Shapiro said in an interview, "The reason why we put the show in Chicago is because after two decades, this great American rock band returned to the place where they ended up back in the day." The band's lead singer and guitarist Bob Weir also said "This could be the last show the four of them play together."
It was also announced that director Martin Scorsese will executive produce a documentary on the band's 50th anniversary.
The 13th Floor Elevators
The other psychedelic pioneers celebrating their 50th anniversary chose to play the grand finale of the Levitation Festival (named after the band's song "I've Got Levitation"), where band members played the "I've Got Levitation" song. (named after the band's song "I've Got Levitation"), which featured Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall, John Ike Walton, and Ronnie Leatherman. It's been 45 years since the band last played together. The San Francisco legends may have been the first band to use LSD in their shows, and they were also the ones who released the first album in history to have a Psychedelic in its title, "The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators," which influenced the likes of ?R.E.M., ZZ Top, Richard Lloyd, David Leonard, and the likes of ?R.E.M., ZZ Top. Richard Lloyd, David Leonard, the Jesus and Mary ChainTT, Spacemen 3? and?Primal Scream.
A Tribe Called Quest
One of hip hop's most influential groups, A Tribe Called Quest, reunited this year to appear on The Tonight Show, while their 25-year-old debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, with Pharrell WiIlams, J.Cole and Cee-Lo Green all contributing remixes. After disbanding in 1998, the group reunited for the first time in 2006 and performed together again in 2013 when they opened for Kanye West. It remains to be seen how long the reunion will last, and whether there will be any further moves...
Ride
With the spiked-shoe style starting to make a comeback in recent years, the bands that used to lead the charge have been reuniting one after the other...
My Bloody Valentine reunited, Slowdive reunited, and now Ride are following suit. Ride have followed suit (Lush will return in 2016).
The band announced the reunion in late 2014 (in fact, the band briefly played a reunion show on a TV show in 2001), with a long list of touring plans. The spiky band formed in 1988. With the release of their debut album Nowhere in 1990, the band managed to become one of the representatives of shoegaze. This November, the classic Spike Shoes album is also celebrating its 25th anniversary with a CD+DVD reissue.In the mid-'90s, Andy Bell and Mark Gardener diverged in their musical orientation and eventually went their separate ways, leading to the band's breakup. It's worth noting that Ride's guitarist Andy Bell joined Oasis as bassist after the band's breakup and stayed with Liam Gallagher until Beady Eye disbanded last year. At this year's show, it was clear that although the band are well into middle age, they're still full of energy.
Blur
The never-ending Damon?Albarn released Everyday Robots in 2014, truly his first solo album. Everyone was guessing what his next move would be, a new Gorillaz album, or The Good, the Bad and the Queen? What wasn't expected was that this time, it was a new Blur album.
The birth of "Magic Whip" seems to have been a complete accident. The band's planned show in Hong Kong was canceled for some reason, and they were stranded in a studio on Nanjing Street in Yau Ma Tei, where they chose to record to pass the time, and the recording footage was processed and embellished and ultimately became this new album after 12 years. Ice cream, square dancing, neon lights, Mr. Yolk and Chinese characters - all oriental elements that have nothing to do with the band - are thrown around in a bewildering way. The album's message of fear and reflection on a high-tech, densely populated society was buried in a dizzying array of visual symbols.
Damon says: "When we're on stage, everyone is Blur, we're compatible with each other when we're on stage again, and when we're off stage we're our usual selves."
Graham says: "I'm not saying the process was easy or that we didn't work hard, but the process of making this album was really enjoyable. Whether or not we're going to go back to being a full-on band again is another story, but as far as I'm concerned, it's important to be a part of another chapter of Blur, and even if it's the last chapter, I hope it's an upbeat and positive end.
The Libertines
The Libertines were one of those bands that I thought would never reunite, with Pete Doherty's uncontrollable addiction and the breakdown of his relationship with his fellow members leading to the band's demise. The band's relationship with its members was broken, and the once-popular band was plunged into darkness.
In early '15, Pete was in Thailand undergoing active rehab, and the band's comeback was on the agenda. Though Pete Doherty said he "couldn't say no to a big appearance fee" and rebuffed fans who criticized him, saying "it's totally in the spirit of The Libertines" and "it's not about the money! Why?"
Recorded at Karma Sound Studios in Bang Saray, Thailand, Anthems For Doomed Youth is an album that speaks in part to the trauma of the past 18 years. The songs on the album shift between the past and the present, as if trying to exorcise ancient ghosts. On the surface, each member seems to be doing well, but they still have a lot of emotions to vent.
Anthems For Doomed Youth isn't a classic, but it doesn't completely abandon their legacy. Even if the music doesn't always match up, the lyrics reaffirm The Libertines' status as one of the UK's most influential bands, while ushering in a new generation of devotees to Albion.
Now The Libertines have embarked on the band's fourth album, with Pete working on a new solo album and Carl working on a second album with The Jackals. The Jackals on their second album, Gary runs his own label and John is working with The April Rainers.
The prodigal son returns, and thankfully it's not too late.
2015 also saw the comebacks of these guys:
It's been five years since Iron Maiden's last album, The Final Frontier, and this unprecedented window was completely unexpected. Despite health problems and the loss of a friend, the metal giant's comeback album made a triumphant return.
In 1998, Refused's immortal album The?Shape?of?Punk?to?Come was released like an alien flying saucer crashing to earth. Come 2015, they are long gone from the fledgling Swedish band they were back then. Faced with a backwash of latecomers, they have re-established themselves with their new album, Freedom.
After a decade of silence, Sleater-Kinney are finally back this year, and the girls are back. For the first time, their album doesn't have the nagging "tearjerkers," the suffocating "breakups," or the dying "lovers," but it has more people weeping than ever before. The first time I saw a movie, I was in the middle of it, and I was in the middle of it.
Electro legends The Prodigy's live show has been remarkably consistent in the 21st century, and the new album adds a lot of ammunition to their songbook. Violent, crazy and raucous, The?Prodigy's true colors remain intact.
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