"not working on all this to keep it buried" - Axl to Kurt Loder around 1998/99

[Apollo]

On September 28, 2016 at 7:12 PM, Modano09 said:

It was probably easier for those guys to get solo stuff released than it was for Axl to get something released under the GNR name.

So couldn't have Axl released an album as a solo artist?

He CHOSE to carry on as GnR with a new set of musicians. Which turned into a revolving door of musicians. 

But at the end of the day, he chose to carry on as GnR. Nobody forced him. Keeping the name provided Axl with way more money and publicity than he would have gotten as a solo artist. 

Keeping the GnR name was a pure  financial and ego-driven decision on Axl's part. Hard to fathom that people are now claiming that keeping the name has hindered his career. 

[Chris 55]

On 9/27/2016 at 5:38 AM, North Korean Democracy said:

He also said that he'll never reunite with Slash.

YEAH! THAT JERK!

[life_247]

To be honest im not sure how it all matches up with what Axl says and how it really played out.

If you go and listen to Josh Freese and Brain Mantia on the "I'd Hit That" podcast (a little known drummers podcast - both talk in depth and candidly about their time in Guns) - Josh seems to think there was a lot of jamming and very little structured songwriting when he was in the band and Brain also said nothing happened from the abrupt end of the 2002 tour till like 2004. I need to listen to both of them back again but Im not really sure Axl's whole working on this, nearly at a release etc. etc. were all true. I think people cam in worked on it for a month or so - then a producer or band member would get booted or a new label person would come in or something and it would break for another 3/4/5/6 months.

I'm not really sure how much of an album there was in 1999 and in what state it was really in other than a year of jammed up tracks.

Josh Freese Interview: http://idhitthatpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2013-05-12T23_21_28-07_00

Brain Mantia Interview: https://www.podcat.com/podcasts/4MnIBl-i-d-hit-that/episodes/1Otze7-episode-78-brain

Edited September 29, 2016 by life_247

[Mendez]

13 minutes ago, life_247 said:

To be honest im not sure how it all matches up with what Axl says and how it really played out.

If you go and listen to Josh Freese and Brain Mantia on the "I'd Hit That" podcast (a little known drummers podcast - both talk in depth and candidly about their time in Guns) - Josh seems to think there was a lot of jamming and very little structured songwriting when he was in the band and Brain also said nothing happened from the abrupt end of the 2002 tour till like 2004. I need to listen to both of them back again but Im not really sure Axl's whole working on this, nearly at a release etc. etc. were all true. I think people cam in worked on it for a month or so - then a producer or band member would get booted or a new label person would come in or something and it would break for another 3/4/5/6 months.

I'm not really sure how much of an album there was in 1999 and in what state it was really in other than a year of jammed up tracks.

Josh Freese said in his second year with the band "we were running out of things to do, the record wasn't done...". I think he was saying that they wrote a bunch of songs, but that nothing was coming from it, so it was looking like a creative dead end, so to speak. Writing a bunch of material that wasn't being released. He didn't say there was little structured songwriting. But honestly, everything starts out as a jam.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Mendez

[Modano09]

8 hours ago, Apollo said:

So couldn't have Axl released an album as a solo artist?

He CHOSE to carry on as GnR with a new set of musicians. Which turned into a revolving door of musicians. 

But at the end of the day, he chose to carry on as GnR. Nobody forced him. Keeping the name provided Axl with way more money and publicity than he would have gotten as a solo artist. 

Keeping the GnR name was a pure  financial and ego-driven decision on Axl's part. Hard to fathom that people are now claiming that keeping the name has hindered his career. 

He possibly could have put a solo album out but everything he had recorded would have belonged to GNR, wouldn't it?

I'm not saying it hindered his career, but it probably made it more difficult to get music out. Aside from Slash, nobody else in the band has much value as a solo artist and I'm sure they know that. They're probably just looking for someone to release the music for them, I doubt there's a lot of negotiating finances.

But wasn't Axl still recording under the original GNR record deal? Either way, it's more complicated for Axl to release an album as Guns N'Roses than it is for Alder or Izzy to release their music independently or on a small record label. 

[Apollo]

On September 28, 2016 at 4:00 PM, Modano09 said:

Axl's a private, kind of, different, guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels putting new music out if just exposing himself too much.

That would be a shame. Because a lot of GnR's best work are just good old fashion rock songs. You could be mine, paradise city, civil war, Nightrain, yesterday's - those aren't Stephanie ballads. 

Axl doesn't have to give fans a piece of his soul on every album. 12 kick ass rock songs would make millions of people happy. 

[Apollo]

10 hours ago, Modano09 said:

He possibly could have put a solo album out but everything he had recorded would have belonged to GNR, wouldn't it?

I'm not saying it hindered his career, but it probably made it more difficult to get music out. Aside from Slash, nobody else in the band has much value as a solo artist and I'm sure they know that. They're probably just looking for someone to release the music for them, I doubt there's a lot of negotiating finances.

But wasn't Axl still recording under the original GNR record deal? Either way, it's more complicated for Axl to release an album as Guns N'Roses than it is for Alder or Izzy to release their music independently or on a small record label. 

Not trying to argue - just curious as to what would the reasons be that made it so hard for Axl to release music? What complications would there be with the label that don't exist for other bands? 

Why was Bon Jovi able to release (since 2000):

7 studio albums 

2 live albums 

4 compilation albums

4 EPs

and a box set. 

Thats 16 releases in 16 years. 

Meanwhile, in that same time period Axl has one album and one Greatest Hits (that he apparently didn't like). 

You could be 100% correct. I'm just curious as to what restrictions or complications that the label has against Axl has that aren't applicable to other bands?

[Modano09]

43 minutes ago, Apollo said:

Not trying to argue - just curious as to what would the reasons be that made it so hard for Axl to release music? What complications would there be with the label that don't exist for other bands? 

Why was Bon Jovi able to release (since 2000):

7 studio albums 

2 live albums 

4 compilation albums

4 EPs

and a box set. 

Thats 16 releases in 16 years. 

Meanwhile, in that same time period Axl has one album and one Greatest Hits (that he apparently didn't like). 

You could be 100% correct. I'm just curious as to what restrictions or complications that the label has against Axl has that aren't applicable to other bands?

Well there's been talk that CD was rejected by the record company at one point and CD2 may have been rejected or the company just isn't interested in releasing it. That's been rumored at least.

There were the various lawsuits Axl was involved in, personally, and with the band. That could have held things up for a while. I'd imagine him being able to continue on as Guns N'Roses while Salsh and Duff still own some percentage of Guns N'Roses was complicated to sort out.

I'm pretty sure the record deal Axl's GNR was under was the same deal the original band was under. I don't know what the terms of that were but I'd guess when the record company signed it they weren't expected it to end up being Axl's solo project. They could have been saying "we know you own the name and you can control the band but we didn't sign Axl Rose and Robin Finck - call us when Slash is back."

I don't think it's entirely out of Axl's hands, I think he's gun shy about putting music out but I do believe he was motivated and ready to go a couple of times and things go in the way.