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Great Music is Spontaneous, Not Tinkered With Over Years


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It seems like every time there's a pause in GN'R activity we start asking the same question: when will we see the next album. Now those questions have been fueled by DJ Ashba's latest interview regarding old material that's almost ready to go. I don't doubt it. In fact we all know there's been many tracks held back since probably 1996. Stuff's been worked on. Stuff might even be complete. But the sad part about all of this music is if it were really that good, don't you think Axl would have wanted us to hear it by now? Who knows, maybe there were some legal issues to sort out. Maybe he just doesn't want the record label to make another dime off of him. Only thing we do know is he's kept these tracks quiet for over a decade now. Hmmmm....

And the saddest part of Ashba's interview is how excited he is to just tinker with old songs. Guns N Roses has some of the most talented musicians in the industry and still these guys would be covering old material, written by other musicians. That's not how a great song comes to be. All of the spontaneity, all of the rawness, all of the relevance that made GN'R music the best can not develop from a process like this. Because what's going to happen is you have these new guys layering "their feel" and "their tweeks" onto songs they didn't even write. So stuff feels tacked on, forced, out of place and just over produced. A great idea is simple and executed even simpler. I think Axl's songs are all great. And each one of them on Chinese D actually gets better when you pull back a layer or two.

I just wish these guys would go into the studio as a band and record an album that was a response to CD, not left over tracks to CD. It's like they've heard the feedback from fans. They've seen where music has gone. They must feel some pride in what they are doing or else there's no heart or passion in the music. You can't tell a guy like Ashba or Ron to just play over a track. I mean you can, and they have, but then it's just another cover band.

I think GN'R has 4 options right now.

1. Re-unite: not going to happen.

2. Get Buckethead and Brain back and do one last Chinese D era tour (with 2 new albums from that era) as a final farewell

3. Let the existing lineup record a new album that's fresh and relevant

4. Release the Chinese D era music as 2 new albums and have the new members finish them up

As a fan, I'd accept any of these, but the one thing I hope they don't do is tour with no new studio music out.

Anyone else think Ashba sounds just like Sebastian Bach did in 2003-2007? Constantly hyping us for the music that never arrived. My sources tell me only one person doesn't want to get back in the studio to finish the songs up and ya'll know who I'm talking about.

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2. Get Buckethead and Brain back and do one last Chinese D era tour (with 2 new albums from that era) as a final farewell

This has been discussed before and the answer is no. Buckethead does not want to do anything with Axl or his band. You'll never see him playing or working with Axl again. Ever.

Edited by Nosaj Thing
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Remember when Brian May said he wouldn't recognize the stuff he played on the CD songs because of Axl's cutting and editing? When you have a maniac and dictator like Axl as the leader of a project, there won't be spontaneous moments, there won't be freedom, there won't be input from the hired musicians. They'll do what Axl tells them to do. And rightfully so, they're getting paid for it.

OH BUT GOING DOWNZ IS A TOMHASS SONGS HUE HUE. Sure, son. It is, buuuut.... It will never be released. Not even as a b-side. I consider that Axl throwing his dog a bone, nothing else.

BUT BETTA IS ROBINS SONNGG FINCK ME!!!11 So is "Instrumental 34". He might have helped written it. He has no power to change it or, um..., RELEASE it. Axl has the final word.

SILKWARM WAS WROTE BY PITT CHRISMAN AND DAZEY!!!!11 So why don't they release it? Make a lyrics-video and put it on Youtube? Simple. Because GNR is Axl's solo project.

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The endless tinkering is due to two reasons:

1- Axl's inability to let things go. In the AFD and UYI days, he wasn't in total control of the situation, so others were able to influence him to finish up and release the music.

2- Axl knows the songs aren't remarkable. They may be good songs (or not), but they're truly nothing remarkable. So, instead of releasing them, he just keeps adding more and more and more, which of course doesn't fix the source of the problem: the song isn't very good.

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There is a special light

Still shining bright

And even on the darkest night

She can't deny

So if she's somewhere near me

I hope to God she hears me

There's no one else

Could ever make me feel

I'm so alive

I hoped she'd never leave me

Please God you must believe me

I've searched the universe

And found myself

Within' her eye

So low from Axl not to credit the 10 years old girl that took 5 minutes to write these lyrics. Shame on you Axel.

lol

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John Lennon met Paul McCartney in 1957 as kids. The Beatles broke up in 1970. In other words, 13 years for the entire Beatles career, including starting a band, learning how to play, and recording every single Beatles album and song.

Also known as, the amount of time we have not been listening to Atlas Shrugged.

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GNR is now basically that old washed up band playing county fairs and doing vegas shows. Endless touring that relies on playing the greatest hits to aging, beer guzzling mainstream dude bros in their 40's and 50's who just want to get drunk and listen to shit they enjoyed back in their glory days.

The ground breaking, dangerous band from 1985-1991 is no more. The only way we're ever going to see anything close to it is if Axl gets all the original guys together into a room and they write spontaneously for a few weeks, record, release it and then go on a world tour.

Other than that, it's over. Like, Poison/Warrant over.

Edited by combos
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Totally agree. I think musicians give themselves too much credit when it comes to how great songs come into existence. It comes from somewhere else.

But even if the original lineup wanted to recreate the enviromenment that was there when all the great GNR songs were written, too much other stuff has changed. Things that are probably impossible to bring back or recreate. Money, living situations, camaraderie and other things.

People think writing music is a skill. It's not. Think of a carpenter. Carpentry is a skill. Someone who is a good carpenter in their 20's, will probably still be a good carpenter in their 50's - maybe an even better carpenter. You don't really see this in music.

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I think GN'R has 4 options right now.

1. Re-unite: not going to happen.

2. Get Buckethead and Brain back and do one last Chinese D era tour (with 2 new albums from that era) as a final farewell

3. Let the existing lineup record a new album that's fresh and relevant

4. Release the Chinese D era music as 2 new albums and have the new members finish them up

As a fan, I'd accept any of these, but the one thing I hope they don't do is tour with no new studio music out.

1. If there isn't a reunion to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's first show then they should reunite to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Appetite's release.

2. I have always said that the band should have played a theatre show with all of the musicians who had a hand in creating CD and play the album in full.

3. I think this would happen after releasing reworked versions of CD outtakes.

4. If anything new is on the way then this is as close as could get for a while.

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Option 4. 2 more GNR albums CD II & III.

Option 2030: 40-50 Chinese era tunes in a box set with a free Axl hologram. It will perform the studio version on your coffee table. Like a tiny Axl hologram and you can switch from a current look to a 2002 look and also my personal favorite: the 2006 predator I'm coming for you mean Axl look with a push of a button.

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Totally agree. I think musicians give themselves too much credit when it comes to how great songs come into existence. It comes from somewhere else.

But even if the original lineup wanted to recreate the enviromenment that was there when all the great GNR songs were written, too much other stuff has changed. Things that are probably impossible to bring back or recreate. Money, living situations, camaraderie and other things.

People think writing music is a skill. It's not. Think of a carpenter. Carpentry is a skill. Someone who is a good carpenter in their 20's, will probably still be a good carpenter in their 50's - maybe an even better carpenter. You don't really see this in music.

I don't know. I think there are examples of older artists still producing great stuff - Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen to name a few. I think though in music perhaps more than in any other art form there is the opportunity to rest on your laurels because you can just go around playing your back catalogue. Beyond a certain point there isn't the necessity to make new music. I think it's ultimately that when artists are younger they have to write music if they want to make it in the music industry and obviously they're more hungry for it. For some artists obviously this passion fades.

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2. Get Buckethead and Brain back and do one last Chinese D era tour (with 2 new albums from that era) as a final farewell

This has been discussed before and the answer is no. Buckethead does not want to do anything with Axl or his band. You'll never see him playing or working with Axl again. Ever.

Thank God. Buckethead is great in his genre ,make no mistake about that but the last thing I want to see him do is his solo act in the middle of a GNR show. rubber chickens , handing out toys and nunchacku routine is thrilling at a BUCKETHEAD show.

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Totally agree. I think musicians give themselves too much credit when it comes to how great songs come into existence. It comes from somewhere else.

But even if the original lineup wanted to recreate the enviromenment that was there when all the great GNR songs were written, too much other stuff has changed. Things that are probably impossible to bring back or recreate. Money, living situations, camaraderie and other things.

People think writing music is a skill. It's not. Think of a carpenter. Carpentry is a skill. Someone who is a good carpenter in their 20's, will probably still be a good carpenter in their 50's - maybe an even better carpenter. You don't really see this in music.

I don't know. I think there are examples of older artists still producing great stuff - Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen to name a few. I think though in music perhaps more than in any other art form there is the opportunity to rest on your laurels because you can just go around playing your back catalogue. Beyond a certain point there isn't the necessity to make new music. I think it's ultimately that when artists are younger they have to write music if they want to make it in the music industry and obviously they're more hungry for it. For some artists obviously this passion fades.

The thing about the artists you mentioned was they kept pushing forward. Some of it worked and some of it was at best mediocre but none the less it was put out there for consumers to hear. I dig what Robert Plant is doing. Working with people outside of his normal genre and creating sounds that work. Granted people still expect the Led Zeppelin sound from him but hes found a niche that works.. and he takes the old Zeppelin songs and gives them a new twist in their own right. With Axl.. his attempt at new was CD but there is very little variation on the CD/GNR sound. Take Dylan,,,has he ever sang a song the same way twice? lol how many versions of Tangled up in Blue are there? Imagine Axl doing a new verse to SCOM or November Rain....

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Totally agree. I think musicians give themselves too much credit when it comes to how great songs come into existence. It comes from somewhere else.

But even if the original lineup wanted to recreate the enviromenment that was there when all the great GNR songs were written, too much other stuff has changed. Things that are probably impossible to bring back or recreate. Money, living situations, camaraderie and other things.

People think writing music is a skill. It's not. Think of a carpenter. Carpentry is a skill. Someone who is a good carpenter in their 20's, will probably still be a good carpenter in their 50's - maybe an even better carpenter. You don't really see this in music.

I don't know. I think there are examples of older artists still producing great stuff - Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen to name a few. I think though in music perhaps more than in any other art form there is the opportunity to rest on your laurels because you can just go around playing your back catalogue. Beyond a certain point there isn't the necessity to make new music. I think it's ultimately that when artists are younger they have to write music if they want to make it in the music industry and obviously they're more hungry for it. For some artists obviously this passion fades.

The thing about the artists you mentioned was they kept pushing forward. Some of it worked and some of it was at best mediocre but none the less it was put out there for consumers to hear. I dig what Robert Plant is doing. Working with people outside of his normal genre and creating sounds that work. Granted people still expect the Led Zeppelin sound from him but hes found a niche that works.. and he takes the old Zeppelin songs and gives them a new twist in their own right. With Axl.. his attempt at new was CD but there is very little variation on the CD/GNR sound. Take Dylan,,,has he ever sang a song the same way twice? lol how many versions of Tangled up in Blue are there? Imagine Axl doing a new verse to SCOM or November Rain....

Great post, agree completely. That's the thing that depresses me about Axl at the moment. I always figured he was like Robert Plant - refusing to get the old band back together because he'd rather experiment and not just go around playing the back catalogue.

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Can you imagine if he brought back Bucket, Robin, Brain, and they billed the tour as a GNR reunion?

This has been the plan all along. Self titled GNR record aka operation: Shitstorm

Don't you just think GNR are the biggest stadium band of all time. GNR isnt a singer songwriter solo career. GNR is challenging the Zepp discography. UYI blew the Aerosmith comparisons apart.

Edited by wasted
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"Great Music is Spontaneous, Not Tinkered With Over Years" = bullshit.

There's no right or wrong way for creating music. It can either be one of those moments of genious or it can take years to mature and need a lot of effort to come out great.

Also people work at different paces, there's no right or wrong.

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As far as great albums being spontaneous - depends on the album you're talking about. If someone is composing or doing a film score, it can take years. Notice in past interviews Axl had talked about going to a lot of movies and listening to a lot of film scores, and you can hear that influencing ChiDem.

Some people wind up going back into their old notebooks and find something to use years later. Springsteen, Van Halen, Stevie Nicks, and the Rolling Stones all recorded new songs from old demos and stuff they wrote decades ago.

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