I never really used to like that side of Lies at all, except from 'Patience', but I've grown to really like it. That version of 'You're Crazy' really grew on me, along with 'Used To Love Her'. 'One In A Million' is not so good, but it's bearable.
I think I prefer the Lies side to the Like a Suicide side. Well, it never used to be.
Yep, went so far that it caused controversy at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.
The gay community found the inclusion of Guns N' Roses in the line-up ridiculous because of the lyrics in 'One In A Million'. There was rumours of them boycotting their set apparently. So during 'Paradise City', Axl started making comments during the song — those being "SHOVE IT!" and "BEAT IT!". Supposedly, Axl was going to say something before 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' but he didn't. Duff actually shook his hand as an act of appreciation.
...funny thing was, pre-grunge (late-80's and 1990) there wasn't much else that I liked on mainstream besides GNR and U2. So, like you now, I went to the past and started listening to a lot of stuff from the 1960's and 1970's - namely Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.
It's strange to hear that you didn't find anything good in the mainstream as a teenager in those days -like me-.
Aside from U2and GnR there were REM and Van Halen; Prince and Springsteen were still fresh and relevant.
There was a lot of great new stuff around, just pre-grunge, including debuts for actual grunge bands Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone and Soundgarden. But there was also crossover like RHCP, Living Colour, Faith No More, Suicidal Tendencies, Beastie Boys, Urban Dance Squad; retro rock like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lenny Kravitz or the Black Crowes; There was loads of metal, poor stuff like Ratt or Poison but also brilliant work from Metallica to Megadeth, Anthrax to Queensrÿche, Iron Maiden...
in the UK there was The House of Love, the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, the Smiths/ Morrissey; Simple Minds were still going strong, Big Country...
And there was a lot going on in rap and other non-rock genres, NWA, Public Enemy, Ice-T, Erik B.&Rakim...
...nothing wrong with listening to 60s music though, I started listening to Hendrix and the Doors in the lull between TUF and JT, but I had been listening to the Stones since age 5.
I was over-generalizing but, admittedly, I forgot about the Beastie Boys and a few others.
I would also say that The Black Crowes and Faith No More were in my CD changer. I never really got into the RHCP until BSSM (1991). Kravitz wasn't too bad.
Metallica was too heavy for me. Poison was too cheesy.
The Stone Roses didn't break into my high school.
I didn't really got into REM until Automatic For the People.
I suppose you could have also mentioned Jane's Addiction.
True, it wasn't all encompassing. I would put Jane's Addiction in the crossover genre and out of those FNM and particularly Living Colour were my favourites:
...still making great albums btw, check out "the chair in the doorway"
Living Colour can simply make any music they like AND be the best ever at it:
I do highly suggest you check out some Queensrÿche, if thrash metal is too heavy and hair metal too cheesy:
You also seriously missed out on late 80s-REM: Document and Green are their best!
I "dabbled" with other bands in the late-80's (New Order, The Smiths, The Cure, THE CULT (really liked Electric), REM, even Motley Crue, etc.) but didn't take to them the way I did GNR and U2.
For many of these groups, I liked songs.
I loved albums by GNR and U2.
I would go on to expore older music and say the same thing about Led Zep and The Beatles.