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Axl's Magnum Opus


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The anniversary of UYI got me on a binge, and i just listened nearly to GN'R's entire catalog. For us, we might  feel like Chinese Democracy is Axl's Magnum Opus, but is it really? Not talking about the quality of the album; is it as Slash suggested, 'the album he's always wanted to write'?

 

Chinese Democracy might be flawed, or as one reviewer put "perfectly imperfect" but you can feel Axl laying his soul into that album, and expressing the last 15 years of his life up until that point. But, how does that fit in with UYI? Civil War, Estranged, Coma, November Rain; in the ballads from UYI he's largely expressing the same feelings. I'm not sure, if you asked him, which song or album he would pick as his best/favorite work. Considering how his outlook has changed over time, i'm sure in 1991 he felt it was November Rain. After the reunion, when all is said and done, looking back on things, it seems hard to pick an album, let alone a song. 

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November Rain, Estranged and Prostitute are his best songs, IMO. Honourable mention to This I Love, the instrumental is fantastic, but the lyrics and vocal layers knock it down a couple levels.

I think CD was supposed to be his magnum opus - 3 albums, bonus discs, alternate artwork - it could've been his Wall or Physical Graffiti, but because of leaks and labels and general insanity, it ended up being something totally different.

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Estranged is a masterpiece. It also couldn't have been possible without slash. Slash took the piano and ran with it. The song is a gem not many people know about because November Rain overshadows it. I agree though that locomotive and breakdown and coma lyrically might take the crown. 

CD has potential. I don't mind the album and hearing slash and duff play some songs live show me that album could have been a hit. Prostitute is my favorite and I see it as a follow up to estranged in a way.  TWAT could also be a follow up to estranged. And that sound has so beautiful solos but is a bit overproduced.

I don't know if Axl can create a masterpiece without slash and or duff. I really would like to see CD redone with slash's parts and how that would sound. 

Edited by Gunsdrummer63
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2 hours ago, Gunsdrummer63 said:

Estranged is a masterpiece. It also couldn't have been possible without slash. Slash took the piano and ran with it. The song is a gem not many people know about because November Rain overshadows it. I agree though that locomotive and breakdown and coma lyrically might take the crown. 

CD has potential. I don't mind the album and hearing slash and duff play some songs live show me that album could have been a hit. Prostitute is my favorite and I see it as a follow up to estranged in a way.  TWAT could also be a follow up to estranged. And that sound has so beautiful solos but is a bit overproduced.

I don't know if Axl can create a masterpiece without slash and or duff. I really would like to see CD redone with slash's parts and how that would sound. 

I personally think CD should have been released as is between 99 and 2001.

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44 minutes ago, RONIN said:

1. November Rain

2. Estranged

3. Prostitute

4. Sorry (would be higher if it had better lyrics)

5. Catcher in the Rye Demo w/ Brian May (had the potential to top them all imho)

I actually think Sorry isn't too bad lyrically, but the studio version just plain sucks. Live, Axl uses his baritone speaking voice and it's 1000% better

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I felt Catcher added a kinda fresh lyrical idea and the music reflected it well. on a lot of chinese tunes Axl revisited old ideas lyrically. the biggest challenge artistically could be the lyrics. it can't come off dishonest for the type of singer Axl is imo. I believe he cares about that aspect of a guns album that he'll find a way to make it sound true, no matter how silly some of the lyrics sounded like on chinese like Sorry for example, it was something Axl was aware of but it was effective so he used it anyway. 

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1 hour ago, Stoymatic said:

The General #3? What makes you feel this way? 

98% of us has never heard the song, but it's a major GnR ballad? 

Just curious

The name itself can already be considered as a mythos. But yeah, we have only heard bits and pieces. 

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Chinese Democracy is Axl's final outburst about his past relationships (Including band members). It's a journey through 15 years of not knowing what to do with his feelings, of being lost, and finally finding the path to release that hurt to the public, in the form of an album. 

The fact that various people contributed to the album, doesn't change the fact that the album is about Axl. Even though other band members might identify themselves with what is written on the songs. That is why I think this is a solo album.

In any case I think the songs that capture Axl's spirit are "Street of Dreams", "This I Love", "Madagascar" and "There was a Time"

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3 hours ago, Propaganda said:

Chinese Democracy is Axl's final outburst about his past relationships (Including band members). It's a journey through 15 years of not knowing what to do with his feelings, of being lost, and finally finding the path to release that hurt to the public, in the form of an album. 

The fact that various people contributed to the album, doesn't change the fact that the album is about Axl. Even though other band members might identify themselves with what is written on the songs. That is why I think this is a solo album.

In any case I think the songs that capture Axl's spirit are "Street of Dreams", "This I Love", "Madagascar" and "There was a Time"

Something from UYI II that makes me feel a similar pattern of feelings with CD was Estranged 

"Maybe we'll find another way,

Find another day,

With all the changing seasons, 

of our lives,

Maybe we'll get it right next time".

Axl seems like the type, 'Do as i say, not as i do'; he tries his damndest to write a track about being comfortable with unrequited love, Estranged, and needing to move on. And yet, i'm not sure if it was his perfectionest nature to try and finish CD (and he wrote those songs about past loves when he still was vulnerable and the feelings were sincere) or he REALLY couldn't move past Stephanie until those songs were finished, and he had a cathartic feeling showing the World his final image of the songs. Not sure if he still missed her or felt grief in 2001/2002, or in 06-08. Who knows. Either way i'm interested to see new songs and new emotions from the band-in the same way they weren't writing AFD-esque songs in '91 and in their solo projects. I wanna see new stuff.

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12 hours ago, Rovim said:

I felt Catcher added a kinda fresh lyrical idea and the music reflected it well. on a lot of chinese tunes Axl revisited old ideas lyrically. the biggest challenge artistically could be the lyrics. it can't come off dishonest for the type of singer Axl is imo. I believe he cares about that aspect of a guns album that he'll find a way to make it sound true, no matter how silly some of the lyrics sounded like on chinese like Sorry for example, it was something Axl was aware of but it was effective so he used it anyway. 

I think Axl has talked about this before, having to live a while before having something new to say. 

But his lyrics do seem to fall into 3 category’s rants, chicks and socio-political states of bliss. 

The reason I think CD is the best album is that sometimes a song combines all three. 

Edited by wasted
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3 hours ago, UsedYourIllusion said:

Something from UYI II that makes me feel a similar pattern of feelings with CD was Estranged 

"Maybe we'll find another way,

Find another day,

With all the changing seasons, 

of our lives,

Maybe we'll get it right next time".

Axl seems like the type, 'Do as i say, not as i do'; he tries his damndest to write a track about being comfortable with unrequited love, Estranged, and needing to move on. And yet, i'm not sure if it was his perfectionest nature to try and finish CD (and he wrote those songs about past loves when he still was vulnerable and the feelings were sincere) or he REALLY couldn't move past Stephanie until those songs were finished, and he had a cathartic feeling showing the World his final image of the songs. Not sure if he still missed her or felt grief in 2001/2002, or in 06-08. Who knows. Either way i'm interested to see new songs and new emotions from the band-in the same way they weren't writing AFD-esque songs in '91 and in their solo projects. I wanna see new stuff.

Yeah I think Axl is pretty goal oriented. He has a song that he wants to get out there. Like Nov Rain was about in some form before AFD. I think he said at some point he wanted Seymour’s son to know the truth through the record. 

But I’m not sure which songs show Axl’s undying love. There was a Time and Prostitute are more about being over it. Better too. The whole vibe is you wronged me but I’m over it. So I guess he wasn’t over it until he let the cornrows loose in 09. 

This I Love could be the catalyst for CD. I always thought it was more Everly era. But didn’t Axl think they were sisters in a past life. So maybe Axl saw them as actresses in a movie which would play into the soundtrack quality of CD. 

Edited by wasted
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