Slash Appreciation Time

[Towelie]

2 hours ago, Naupis said:

I think vocals aside the GNR songs sound better and closer to the original with Slash's solo band than they do with Slash in GNR.

With SMKC there is none of the weird noises that come from Dizzy/Melissa that needlessly pollute songs, and Fitz is a light years better drummer than Frank on the GNR stuff. Slash also seemed to just sound/mesh better with Frank than he ever has with Richard.

The maddening thing about the GNR reunion has been that musically it would be so far ahead of where it is if Axl didn't insist on keeping Frank/Richard and crew around to some how vindicate (in his mind) his past GNR incarnation despite the fact it makes the product suffer.

Slash is playing the shit out of his guitar every night but is being let down by Frank/Richard, who just don't sound natural with him. 

Watch some SMKC shows playing the same GNR songs (ignoring the vocals) and it is startling how much better the same song sounds musically by just having guys on stage he meshes with. Axl will continue to jam a square peg in a round hole because that is what he does. but it doesn't have to be this way.

This.

Frank and Richard remain in the band to make Axl feel like NuGuns and Chinese Democracy wasn't a complete write-off. The only way for Axl's fragile ego to accept playing with Slash and Duff again is if everyone pretends this is just a natural progression of the band. Reuinion? What reunion?

It must sting for Axl though, to look out into those stadiums night after night and see a mass exodus of piss breaks and beer top-ups whenever they perform Better or This I Love.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Towelie

[ZoSo]

13 hours ago, blackrose87 said:

Absolutey agree with this however I do think it's come at a loss of that blues sloppiness pre VR he was known for. I really liked that aspect of his sound. But no doubt that now he's a much better player technically.

My thoughts exactly! I think he's a technically better guitarist now, but I prefer his earlier playing a lot better, pre-2000 probably; Blues Ball, first Snakepit etc. It just did more for me, listening to that style of playing.

[IncitingChaos]

1 hour ago, Towelie said:

This.

Frank and Richard remain in the band to make Axl feel like NuGuns and Chinese Democracy wasn't a complete write-off. The only way for Axl's fragile ego to accept playing with Slash and Duff again is if everyone pretends this is just a natural progression of the band. Reuinion? What reunion?

It must sting for Axl though, to look out into those stadiums night after night and see a mass exodus of piss breaks and beer top-ups whenever they perform Better or This I Love.

I liked at the beginning when they referred to it as a regrouping instead haha but then the money started rolling in and they were like "regrouping, reunion, call it whatever the fu*k you want" 

[KiraMPD]

Absolutely LOVE how quickly a Slash appreciation thread turns into Axl vs Slash thread.

Good job guys! 

 

 

[Lumikki]

3 hours ago, KiraMPD said:

Absolutely LOVE how quickly a Slash appreciation thread turns into Axl vs Slash thread.

Good job guys! 

Yeah, gotta love how a simple thread intended to appreciate Slash has to automatically be turned into a thread to hate on Axl by certain people. Some of the comments here are absolutely

 

5 hours ago, Towelie said:

Frank and Richard remain in the band to make Axl feel like NuGuns and Chinese Democracy wasn't a complete write-off. The only way for Axl's fragile ego to accept playing with Slash and Duff again is if everyone pretends this is just a natural progression of the band. Reuinion? What reunion?

It must sting for Axl though, to look out into those stadiums night after night and see a mass exodus of piss breaks and beer top-ups whenever they perform Better or This I Love.

As if 99,9% of the people posting about "Axl's fragile ego" wouldn't act exactly the same way in his situation. Not wanting to admit or feel like you wasted a large part of your life on something that wasn't as well received as you'd hoped for is pretty standard human behavior. People always try to down-play or present their regrets and mistakes in a different light, be it in an ordinary situation like a job interview or a more unusual one like this one. Obviously there'll be a huge amount of guys now claiming they'd have the balls to own their failures and be honest, but yeah... I'll believe it when I see it

Apart from that, Axl doesn't seem to just "accept" playing with Slash and Duff, he seems absolutely thrilled to be playing with them again. The joy and happiness on all of their faces while playing are real.

And the last sentence is simply not true in my experience. People in the back left and wandered around through any song that wasn't one of the "big hits" (whether it was Coma, Better, Double Talking Jive or TIL) and people in the front stayed and cheered for each and every song. And Axl didn't seem to be looking at a "mass exodus of piss breaks and beer top-ups", he was looking at the fans and smiling and pointing at us. But iirc, you haven't actually gone to any of the shows, so it appears to me as if you're just making up shit to support your argument.

 

Back on topic:

Slash is wonderful. Watching him play is mesmerizing because he is one with the music and off in his own world.

And Slash and Axl together... well, it's pure magic. And how it was always meant to be.

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Lumikki

[blackrose87]

4 hours ago, ZoSo said:

My thoughts exactly! I think he's a technically better guitarist now, but I prefer his earlier playing a lot better, pre-2000 probably; Blues Ball, first Snakepit etc. It just did more for me, listening to that style of playing.

It's 5 o clock somewhere is pure blues filth. Love it!

[Original]

8 hours ago, Sydney Fan said:

for the guitarists that were in Axls version of guns n roses, slash was-is- and always will be  - the benchmark.

Have always seen slash solo when he has toured in Oz since 2010. He certainly is the star of the show and you can see when he plays with SKMC band that he gells with all of them and in his mind I think he feels hes happy to be playing with a bunch of muscians on his level - he's found the right group of muscians to help push his solo material. However I think GNR is different . I think he is serious as wanting his playing to say "axl this is what guns could have been if you didn't push the band members away". Its his way of putting a stamp on GNR at this point in time and for him I think Guns has always been a case of unfinished business not only for himself but for all of us. Those of us who loved the AFD/Illusions line up and yes I agree that certain old band members should be there except for Richard and frank. Frank just comes across as having no rock n roll swagger and just a drummer for hire.

Frank just can't play- period.  Fortus is 'fine", although I'd rather have Gilby (if Izzy is a no chance). 

[2414225]

21 hours ago, moreblack said:

He's been playing out of his skin pretty much since the second Velvet Revolver album. Something happened, sobriety perhaps, but he's picked up the craft of guitar playing with more enthusiasm or something. He built on that for his solo albums, all of them have some killer riffs and solos. By the time he came back, his playing had been firing on all cylinders for quite a few years, and GNR could only benefit from having him fired up like that.

He is clean since then. But since he is clean he is more into creating catchy riffs not epic solos. 

[Gordon Comstock]

This reunion is, for the most part, The Slash Show. He carried the April '16 shows, and the vast majority of shows since the NA tour ended.

[Daedalus]

10 hours ago, ZoSo said:

My thoughts exactly! I think he's a technically better guitarist now, but I prefer his earlier playing a lot better, pre-2000 probably; Blues Ball, first Snakepit etc. It just did more for me, listening to that style of playing.

Yep, my favorite era too.

A lot of moments like this... a bit of sloppines, but playing slide with a fucking lighter!

 

[moreblack]

I like that he can do stuff like that, and then turn around and do this

 

[DieselDaisy]

Has Slosh changed his guitar setup for this tour? I just listened to two-three clips and it sounds cleaner than it ever has.

[BorderlineCrazy]

I love all eras of Slash. I think every album he's done has some beautiful solos (SCOM, RQ's outro solo, Patience, NR, Estranged, Back And Forth Again, Back To The Moment, Fall To Pieces, You Got No Right, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Messages, Starlight, We Will Roam, Far And Away, Battleground's 1st solo) and some rocking solos (Nightrain, Jungle, Out Ta Get Me, Brownstone, PC, Reckless Life, RNDTH, DON'T DAMN ME, Lomotive, YCBM, Dime Store Rock, Mean Bone, SERIAL KILLER, Life's Sweet Drug, Speed Parade, Slither, Dirty Little Thing, Let It Roll, Gas & A Dollar Laugh, By The Sword, Dr. Alibi, Nothing To Say, Halo, Anastasia, Shadow Life, Wicked Stone, Beneath The Savage Sun...). 

He's the star of the show on the NITL tour. Getting to see him live is an unbelievable experience, there's nothing like it!! 

Slash is God! 

This is one of my favorite solos ever. I love how he can improvise a new solo every night and always make it fn' excting and fresh!

[Darkenchantress]

Yep, he totally owned the Madrid show too. He doesn't need to be the most technically skilled player, he is magical and the way he connects with the crowd is simply amazing. Wish he had someone by his side to compliment his playing :wink wink: because Fortus is too much of a lead guitarist for my liking and according to Slash's bio, probably for his too. 

[Fourteenbeers]

24 minutes ago, Darkenchantress said:

Wish he had someone by his side to compliment his playing 

Who on earth are you talking about?

[Darkenchantress]

7 minutes ago, Fourteenbeers said:

Who on earth are you talking about?

Oh I don't know. No, no, no. 

[NicDwolfwood]

7 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

Has Slosh changed his guitar setup for this tour? I just listened to two-three clips and it sounds cleaner than it ever has.

From the videos and photos Ive seen, he's been playing The Silver Jubilee's since this whole thing started, instead of the AFD Slash heads he was using for SMKC. His clean sound is just normall JCM 800s

Maybe one of these days one of those youtube channels that do gear reviews will request one from Slash, Fortus had his gear reviewed a few days back. I didnt bother watching though, he's using all the shit he was advertising months back on these tours anyways. 

[moreblack]

There's this one from the SMKC days

 

[Jw224]

Any excuse to hate on Axl for some members on here it seems. 

On 07/07/2017 at 10:43 AM, KiraMPD said:

Absolutely LOVE how quickly a Slash appreciation thread turns into Axl vs Slash thread.

Good job guys! 

 

 

Slash is great and his ability cannot be denied. Saying he is the main draw is overreacting slightly though. The main draw is the original three being there, not just slash. I still wouldn't call GNR with just slash and Axl GNR, personally. 

[TupacShakur]

original 4 axl slash duff and dizzy

[Loot Man]

15 minutes ago, TupacShakur said:

original 4 axl slash duff and dizzy

Nope. Originals are Axl, Izzy, Slash, Duff and Steven. So there are only 3 originals now. 

[thunderram]

4 hours ago, Jw224 said:

The main draw is the original three being there, not just slash. I still wouldn't call GNR with just slash and Axl GNR, personally. 

 

IMO, the draw is and has always been AXL and SLASH (for the masses). Having DUFF certainly add to it greatly, but swap IZZY or STEVEN for DUFF and it would be pretty much the same. AXL and SLASH are what takes the band to a stadium level. That doesn't happen when AXL and SLASH are on their own. You could bring back 4 of the 5 but if the one missing member is AXL or SLASH, it's not going to be a big deal. But you could have 2 of the 5 with both being AXL and SLASH and it will still be pretty big. Every band member you add after just makes it that much better and more special.

The real argument/discussion is which of original 5 beyond AXL and SLASH creates the most excitement -- DUFF, IZZY or STEVEN? Just based off the message boards, I'd say IZZY by a landslide. But I'm not sure about the masses.

Edited July 9, 2017 by thunderram

[Jw224]

1 minute ago, thunderram said:

 

IMO, the draw is and has always been AXL and SLASH (for the masses). Having DUFF certainly add to it greatly, but swap IZZY or STEVEN for DUFF and it would be pretty much the same. AXL and SLASH are what takes the band to a stadium level. That doesn't happen when AXL and SLASH are on their own. You could bring back 4 of the 5 but if the one missing member is AXL or SLASH, it's not going to be a big deal. But you could have 2 of the 5 with both being AXL and SLASH and it will still be pretty big. Every band member you add after just makes it that much better and more special.

The real argument/discussion is which of the member original 5 beyond AXL and SLASH creates the most excitement -- DUFF, IZZY or STEVEN? Just based off the message boards, I'd say IZZY by a landslide. But I'm not sure about the masses.

Honestly I'd rather have Steven, I'm not really bothered about Izzy not being there. 

[RONIN]

2 hours ago, thunderram said:

 

IMO, the draw is and has always been AXL and SLASH (for the masses). Having DUFF certainly add to it greatly, but swap IZZY or STEVEN for DUFF and it would be pretty much the same. AXL and SLASH are what takes the band to a stadium level. That doesn't happen when AXL and SLASH are on their own. You could bring back 4 of the 5 but if the one missing member is AXL or SLASH, it's not going to be a big deal. But you could have 2 of the 5 with both being AXL and SLASH and it will still be pretty big. Every band member you add after just makes it that much better and more special.

The real argument/discussion is which of original 5 beyond AXL and SLASH creates the most excitement -- DUFF, IZZY or STEVEN? Just based off the message boards, I'd say IZZY by a landslide. But I'm not sure about the masses.

Duff brings a lot of energy to the live shows. For what they're doing now, Duff is more important to their machine than Izzy. With Izzy, there would be more pressure for Slash and Axl to "perform" since he's the laidback badass hanging in the shadows. Izzy would have legitimized the reunion a lot more than what we have now but for purely delivering an incredible show, you need Duff more than Izzy to deliver the "spectacle". Duff's a road warrior like Slash. 

[soon]

On July 6, 2017 at 10:08 PM, Gibbo said:

Yeah I agree Slash is defiantly not comfortable with Frank I dont think its so much fortus but I notice alot they go a little out of time in places. Even before this reunion started Slash & Duff werent happy with franks drumming and wanted Sorum, fortus even said about it in a Interview. Slashs band was alot tighter you would never hear timing problems

I didnt know about the Sorum bit.  Do you remember where I can see that?