Sonny Crockett

This is Sly Stallone (changed my name, don't ask), anyway I succumbed and heard the demos. To get it out of the way the demos fucking ROCK. No it was not worth a 13 year wait, more like a 3 year wait max....anyway....I've given them all a good listen and thought I'd start a discussion on what works and perhaps what is missed from the older material....

The Good:

1. Wow, how many different styles of music does Axl take on in these demos? I hear rock/industrial/new age type strings/pop/nu-metal/shredding type thrash just off the top of my head. Its all seamless, the mixing and weaving in and out of each genre....

2. The change is welcome....I think fans can enjoy this stuff, though it seems more geared for the fans of the estranged/november rain style....I can see nightrain/its so easy style fans not digging this though....

3. Guitar work is wonderful, THANK GOD. That was my biggest worry, are these guitarists going to let down Axl's work.....and lower slash's standards. Thats not the case at all....

4. The songs kick ass, they are all great except for IRS which is good but needs work....its a bit of a simplistic rocker with some nice arrangements....

5. This is SO much better than NIN or any other type of band he was trying to stylistically emulate. It's like he took the best aspects of many different bands he was influenced by, added his own spin to it and created gems....

6. Axl has a very noticeable pop sensibility, he can create catchy choruses and hooks....

7. Catcher in the Rye is a fucking gem....I love this song....up there with the blues, personally I enjoy this one more....

The Bad(not bad perse, but needs work):

1. The songs, though Im not complaining, don't really ROCK...there are no bone crunching YCBM/RNDTH type arrangements which is fine, maybe they'll be on the album (I sure hope they are)....

2. Axl's voice - It doesn't sound so far removed from his live voice in the 02 demos. He doesn't have that strong raspy growl or that whine he had in the UYI days....I thought he might be able to duplicate it in the studio but it looks like its really changed for good. As it stands, his voice sounds nice on the ballads, but it lacks power and is more helium/airy, again think back to Nightrain or The Garden....that voice is gone forever it seems...

3. Hip hop/pop - At times the songs choruses sound too "poppy"(better)....its kind of a big departure from the jack drinking, chain smoking days of hard rock....the hip/hop beat in better and TWAT is cool but again comes of a little odd....this could just be me....

4. Nu metal influence - The dreaded powerchords....I don't know what your take on it is, I like the arrangements in these songs and Axl uses the powerchords in the context of the songs well but I can't help but think GnR were NEVER about powerchords that was Nirvana's thing, Guns was about full blown rock....I know its a different beast, but it still is a little weird hearing it in a guns song....

5. The modern factor - The music sometimes sounds like the kind of rock you hear on mtv these days...especially due to the powerchords and trippy hip hop beats, ofcourse this material is much much better, but it still sounds too "hip" and of this time period....Less of that timeless feel in UYI and AFD....

6. Slash could have played on this, I don't see what the problem would have been. He's played these style solos (besides the shredding) on Streetchild, Locomotive/Breakdown,etc....

7. As cool as the guitar work is, it doesn't have the standout solo, the mindblowing solo you will be humming to yourself like SCOM or Estranged. The solos work well in the context of the song and don't become standouts. Is that intentional or not I wonder....I'm really curious to hear the guitar work on the rest of Chinese Democracy.....

The Ugly:

Chris Pittman's effects in Better, the computer/nintendo masturbation thing....WTF is up with that mate?

Overall though 2 thumbs up...the demos don't seem to suggest that all this time was worth it, but the album is going to kick ass that much is a certainty.....this music is going to work really well with the youth of today....believe it....

its never going to happen. for the love of god please quit making threads about this

Relax....take a deep breath....exhale....now do it again.....

Great great song....I'm really digging it....

Just bumpig this up because of the new 3 cd stuff. The plan for 2 cd's (or even three) has been around for longer. But in term of succes and marketability I'd like to add this.

The options:

- 3 cd box set

- 3 cd's released at the same time but sold seperately (like UYI)

- 3 cd's somehow connected that will be released over a londer period of time (for example 1 each year)

Now... the way I look at it the last case is the only way that would really sell. Three at the same time would be overkill for many people. A box set would be way too pricey. So the way I look at it spreading the releases is the only way that has a real chance of succes.

I think a boxset should be done only for rarities/demos (the lost album from 94-96 with the original band) and the actual album ought to be more than one disc. Anything less would be a copout and would be criticised by the media and fans. A double album is acceptable, and then a single album later on...For 10 yrs in the making, nobody wants to get a single album release, it would be dissapointing even though it makes sense (give the people more time to get into the music)

lol....listen to IRS.....it's far from finished. You can hardly hear Axl because of the bad mix.....and in some parts, the raw sound doesn't come up in it's full volume.....it's like everything is buried.....you need to crank up the volume to hear the potential of this song!

This song it's harder than you might think!.....the studio version will blow us way!

You sound like an employee on Axl's payroll. Stop hyping this shit up Funral....