DUFF MCKAGAN Says AXL ROSE Has Come Up With 'Some Magnificent Stuff' For New GUNS N' ROSES Album

[Sydney Fan]

59 minutes ago, soon said:

I would prefer to hear the original forms of the recordings too. But it seems clear that the Axl material Duff is talking about would be CD leftovers, right? So Im just speaking within that reality.

If not CD2, my next vote is for working up the 96 sessions.

96 sessions definitely!!

[Argento]

So, basically: Fortus spoke, then Slash spoke, and now Duff spoke... only Axl left. Sounds like a commercial strategy!

[Tom2112]

37 minutes ago, YourMother'sDruthers said:

After following the comments on this post for a couple days, a few thoughts....

1.  I don’t know why anyone is clamoring for a new “record from scratch” as opposed to unreleased music from the Chinese sessions. I have a sneaking suspicion that Axl could very well be creatively (or at least lyrically) bankrupt at this point. What’s he gonna write about at this point? If Scraped is any indication of what a new (newer) song may sound like, no thanks. I’ll take 20 songs about Stephanie and Axls tortured soul all day. 

2. A release consisting of songs from the Chinese sessions with Slash and Duff adding parts/reworking songs is THE BEST (and most likely) option. What happens to the parts recorded or written by past members? I’m not sure, but it does suck that they may not be heard (especially contributions from buckethead). Maybe the original material could be released some day in some form, but I don’t know how likely it is that parts by slash, buckethead and robin all co-exist on an album (for multiple reasons).

3. Izzy is NOT coming back. The original lineup FINALLY had a chance to reunite, and they left Izzy out because he wanted an equal cut. The others were greedy, selfish slobs and predicted (correctly) that they could keep more money for themselves and exclude Izzy, and still have a successful “reunion” tour. That has GOT TO sting. For those saying it wasn’t marketed as a reunion tour, the very name of the tour says otherwise. For those saying that Izzy couldn’t be counted on, because, 1991, stop. I’m sure he could’ve mustered up the desire to pull off touring to be apart of the biggest reunion of all time and secure his finances for the rest of his life. Axl obviously thought he could’ve learned a few CD songs, too, if he was given an offer. That being said...

4. STOP USING THE TERM “BIG 3”! It really does sound so stupid. They are not Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Besides, if there WERE a “big 3” of GNR, it would be Axl, Slash, and Izzy.

Hey if you're going to go off hear say and other BS, then you get a response in kind

Izzy from "reliable" sources was not up for touring extensively, he didn't want to be on the road for 18 months of his life, he wanted to play sporadically... sporadically and more money than a guest spot was being offered for. If Izzy had said "I'll do the netire tour, as well as whatever unforeseen dates that may arise" I'm positive that he would have been on that stage. The reason Duff and Slash are there is simple. They kept their faces out there for all the years in between guns, something the other members failed to do for one reason or another. And that is why some people refer to Axl, Slash and Duff as the big 3... I also think it's a stupid title to give them though. But it DEFINITELY is because of marketing, and of course money too.

I see no reason why Axl wrould be creatively or lyrically bankrupt. He's had the best few years of his life in more recent times, if anything that should be reason enough for him to finally lift the lid and give a whole lot more music or whatever other creative outlet he has.

[Tom2112]

6 minutes ago, Sydney Fan said:

96 sessions definitely!!

Voting over two completely unheard sets of work  

I mean what's to say '96 was such a golden year for GNR? The year the band imploded after all! I very much doubt it was their most focussed creative time... I would like to be wrong but all signs point to no... I've also not heard any member saying "We had some great music waiting to go... could have been a great record" if anything the bits they have spoke about that time was that they couldn't agree on a direction and some music was just retreading old ground.

[jekylhyde]

22 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

I thought he said that in the old guns there was music written and he would then have to write around the music, and with CD era he wrote lyrics before the music, as well as having to write to pre-written music.

I don't remember him saying that, but that was a long chat  

Ok, cool. I probably remembered it wrong then. It was a quite long chat

[YourMother'sDruthers]

13 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

Hey if you're going to go off hear say and other BS, then you get a response in kind

Izzy from "reliable" sources was not up for touring extensively, he didn't want to be on the road for 18 months of his life, he wanted to play sporadically... sporadically and more money than a guest spot was being offered for. If Izzy had said "I'll do the netire tour, as well as whatever unforeseen dates that may arise" I'm positive that he would have been on that stage. The reason Duff and Slash are there is simple. They kept their faces out there for all the years in between guns, something the other members failed to do for one reason or another. And that is why some people refer to Axl, Slash and Duff as the big 3... I also think it's a stupid title to give them though. But it DEFINITELY is because of marketing, and of course money too.

I see no reason why Axl wrould be creatively or lyrically bankrupt. He's had the best few years of his life in more recent times, if anything that should be reason enough for him to finally lift the lid and give a whole lot more music or whatever other creative outlet he has.

Where did you hear that he wanted to tour “sporadically”? I’m talking 2016, not 1991. Who are the “reliable sources”?

[soon]

1 hour ago, Tom2112 said:

I mean what's to say '96 was such a golden year for GNR? The year the band imploded after all! I very much doubt it was their most focussed creative time

Im a Five O'Clock fan including Matts drumming being on fire, plus Izzy was back. Thats about all the proof I need that stuff was good! Im mean the band seemed on the edge of imploding for years and produced great albums.

These are also the sessions that Axl said he heard Fall To Pieces licks iirc. And just a year earlier Wylde had great things to say about their jams, minus a silent Axl. He even used a few tracks for himself. I think its safe to be confident that theres some good material there.

[RussTCB]

4 hours ago, D.. said:

Do you know some things we don't? ; ) Spit it out!

 I assure you I know as much or less than anyone else in the fanbase lol. I'm just going off of Axl at the China Exchange saying that Duff & Slash liked the material he's got banked. Now Duff's comments made it sound to me like he's fully on board with that material. 

[Tom2112]

1 hour ago, YourMother'sDruthers said:

Where did you hear that he wanted to tour “sporadically”? I’m talking 2016, not 1991. Who are the “reliable sources”?

The same sources you're paraphrasing. 

Niven etc. And yes they were talking about NITL.

[Tom2112]

1 hour ago, soon said:

Im a Five O'Clock fan including Matts drumming being on fire, plus Izzy was back. Thats about all the proof I need that stuff was good! Im mean the band seemed on the edge of imploding for years and produced great albums.

These are also the sessions that Axl said he heard Fall To Pieces licks iirc. And just a year earlier Wylde had great things to say about their jams, minus a silent Axl. He even used a few tracks for himself. I think its safe to be confident that theres some good material there.

It's not proof to me, those tracks could be muck! They might be great! Could be anything and that goes for the unreleased CD material too until we hear it!

Great songwriting teams sometimes make bad records, that's not uncommon. However I don't write off anything, I'd just like to hear it before giving it the album of the year award.

[soon]

10 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

It's not proof to me, those tracks could be muck! They might be great! Could be anything and that goes for the unreleased CD material too until we hear it!

Great songwriting teams sometimes make bad records, that's not uncommon. However I don't write off anything, I'd just like to hear it before giving it the album of the year award.

I get that angle. I think its unlikely that they are muck but its a fair point. I guess it makes me weigh what we know about its potential against the potential of what we know about new, from scratch tracks with the current lineup. In my mind the scale tips heavily towards 96. Im into the current line up live, but it just doesnt excite me quite as much as Izzy and Matt during classic era does for new music.

Its all just chatting though, isnt it? They need to give us something soon! 

[Fourteenbeers]

Here's a fun drinking game: take a shot every time you see the word "Izzy" on this thread.

 

[Italian girl]

20 minutes ago, Fourteenbeers said:

Here's a fun drinking game: take a shot every time you see the word "Izzy" on this thread.

 

alcohol-induced coma

[Tom-Ass]

13 hours ago, GNRfan2008 said:

 

Wonder if the bridge is burned at this point. 

I wouldn't rule anything out with this band.  Izzy did come out recently and didn't seem bitter.  

[Tom-Ass]

8 hours ago, CAFC Nick said:

My view is that Richard brings a lot more to the table than Izzy in terms of a live setting. 

I don't really agree with that.  I think he is adequate most of the time but there are still a handful of songs that his style detracts from. With Axl's voice these days there is just no room for that.  He also doesn't sing backup vocals.. Having Duff back helps but Izzy's backups were part of the bands sound.  With him and Duff singing backups you wouldn't need to anime doll. 

[default_]

9 hours ago, Nintari said:

I've been saying this for awhile now. They need Izzy on board to pull this off, at least in the studio. Without him, I'm skeptical.

This would be ideal but unfortunately I live on the real world. 

Im not 100% found of this lineup either but we cant say much if we dont have anything to judge, they never released a song after all. If they ever release anything and it sucks, Ill probably just quit GNR and be okay with the classics, cause I dont really expect the miracle of Izzy getting back and even if he gets back, theres no guarantee the material will br any better than what we would get from this lineup. 

[GNRfan2008]

1 hour ago, Tom-Ass said:

I wouldn't rule anything out with this band.  Izzy did come out recently and didn't seem bitter.  

 

It's pretty amazing to me how forgiving he seems to be through the years. They screwed him back in the day on royalties and he agreed to do the 1993 shows to get $1 million of royalty money that already belonged to him. Good for the fans they got to see him and the other 3 guys together one last time, but Izzy was entitled to that money even if he refused to do the shows. He played nice in that situation. Think I would have gone the mean guy route and sued them for the money. 

In this case, if they try to bring him back for songwriting and touring...I would demand the same "equal share moving forward" that he demanded in 2016, PLUS a good share of the profits they made from the 2016-2018 tour. That tour wouldn't even have existed without the great music Izzy helped write and create 30+ years ago. 

Edited February 25, 2019 by GNRfan2008

[RussTCB]

43 minutes ago, default_ said:

This would be ideal but unfortunately I live on the real world. 

Im not 100% found of this lineup either but we cant say much if we dont have anything to judge, they never released a song after all. If they ever release anything and it sucks, Ill probably just quit GNR and be okay with the classics, cause I dont really expect the miracle of Izzy getting back and even if he gets back, theres no guarantee the material will br any better than what we would get from this lineup. 

Exactly. 

I really don't understand people who've made up their mind about material before they've even heard it. 

I mean, what if some of GNRs best songs are yet to come and Izzy has nothing whatsoever to do with it? I'm not saying that's likely, but it is possible. A lot of people here seem willing to give up on new material on the assumption that it'll be terrible without Izzy. 

Having said that, I'm sure there's a good amount of people who are prepared to proclaim any new material as the best songs of all time without having heard it as well. 

Me personally, I learned my lesson during the lead up to Chinese. I went into that whole era fully prepared to hate anything that Axl and the new Guns N Roses lineup came up with. I was damn dear shocked when I found out I genuinely liked the songs I heard. 

So from there out, I'm good to just sit back and listen to whatever comes, then get around to making a judgment call. 

[ksks12]

6 hours ago, YourMother'sDruthers said:

After following the comments on this post for a couple days, a few thoughts....

1.  I don’t know why anyone is clamoring for a new “record from scratch” as opposed to unreleased music from the Chinese sessions. I have a sneaking suspicion that Axl could very well be creatively (or at least lyrically) bankrupt at this point. What’s he gonna write about at this point? If Scraped is any indication of what a new (newer) song may sound like, no thanks. I’ll take 20 songs about Stephanie and Axls tortured soul all day. 

2. A release consisting of songs from the Chinese sessions with Slash and Duff adding parts/reworking songs is THE BEST (and most likely) option. What happens to the parts recorded or written by past members? I’m not sure, but it does suck that they may not be heard (especially contributions from buckethead). Maybe the original material could be released some day in some form, but I don’t know how likely it is that parts by slash, buckethead and robin all co-exist on an album (for multiple reasons).

3. Izzy is NOT coming back. The original lineup FINALLY had a chance to reunite, and they left Izzy out because he wanted an equal cut. The others were greedy, selfish slobs and predicted (correctly) that they could keep more money for themselves and exclude Izzy, and still have a successful “reunion” tour. That has GOT TO sting. For those saying it wasn’t marketed as a reunion tour, the very name of the tour says otherwise. For those saying that Izzy couldn’t be counted on, because, 1991, stop. I’m sure he could’ve mustered up the desire to pull off touring to be apart of the biggest reunion of all time and secure his finances for the rest of his life. Axl obviously thought he could’ve learned a few CD songs, too, if he was given an offer. That being said...

4. STOP USING THE TERM “BIG 3”! It really does sound so stupid. They are not Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Besides, if there WERE a “big 3” of GNR, it would be Axl, Slash, and Izzy.

This, especially no.4

[El Guapo]

1 hour ago, ksks12 said:

This, especially no.4

But Duff got the tenderness

[DieselDaisy]

The reason people mention Izzy when songwriting crops up is Guns have done bugger all songwriting wise since he quit in 1991. The stuff they were working on in the mid '90s was probably a bunch of bollocks which is why it has never seen the light of day. 

[Sydney Fan]

5 hours ago, Tom-Ass said:

I don't really agree with that.  I think he is adequate most of the time but there are still a handful of songs that his style detracts from. With Axl's voice these days there is just no room for that.  He also doesn't sing backup vocals.. Having Duff back helps but Izzy's backups were part of the bands sound.  With him and Duff singing backups you wouldn't need to anime doll. 

I would take izzy on just stage presence alone.

 

[Stoymatic]

5 hours ago, GNRfan2008 said:

 

It's pretty amazing to me how forgiving he seems to be through the years. They screwed him back in the day on royalties and he agreed to do the 1993 shows to get $1 million of royalty money that already belonged to him. Good for the fans they got to see him and the other 3 guys together one last time, but Izzy was entitled to that money even if he refused to do the shows. He played nice in that situation. Think I would have gone the mean guy route and sued them for the money. 

In this case, if they try to bring him back for songwriting and touring...I would demand the same "equal share moving forward" that he demanded in 2016, PLUS a good share of the profits they made from the 2016-2018 tour. That tour wouldn't even have existed without the great music Izzy helped write and create 30+ years ago. 

From things I've read about Izzy, he seems like he doesn't need or want to deal with any BS stressful anxiety ridden crap. I think this may explain why he "played nice" and didn't stir the pot anymore than it had already been. 

He honestly doesn't need the fame or money it seems. Why would he decide to put himself in a toxic situation if he didn't need to?

Also the stress and stuff would probably lead to heroin use again.....just saying

[megaguns1982]

Slash probably has a whole bunch of Izzy recordings from the sessions leading into his first solo album. Izzy was the only guitarist other than himself to play on that album and I seriously doubt that “ghost” was the only song they recorded.

if any more slash/Izzy recordings exist from those sessions and slash still has them, he should dust them off and present them to axl and duff.

[GNRfan2008]

51 minutes ago, Stoymatic said:

From things I've read about Izzy, he seems like he doesn't need or want to deal with any BS stressful anxiety ridden crap. I think this may explain why he "played nice" and didn't stir the pot anymore than it had already been. 

He honestly doesn't need the fame or money it seems. Why would he decide to put himself in a toxic situation if he didn't need to?

Also the stress and stuff would probably lead to heroin use again.....just saying

 

Valid point on avoiding drug relapse. He seems like a pretty laid back guy to put up with all the BS through the years. I hope the guys will bring him back into the group at some point.