SoulMonster

I am not so sure it won't come out without Slash. It wouldn't make a lot of sense now when the band is touring and caching in on Slash having rejoined the band, but this touring won't last forever and if Slash hasn't already added his parts to the song I suppose Axl will release them without Slash. Maybe after the current lineup has disbanded or as part of some box set in the band's sunset years. I agree with you that new music written by this lineup is required to make the band relevant again. That being said, I don't think they can become relevant again except to old fans who still listen to rock. Slash and Duff clearly wants to make a new record, a physical testament to them being back in the band and possibly - in their mind - to end the band on a better note after the detour that was Chinese Democracy. But I am not so sure Axl has it in him to do that. So don't get your hopes up.

I don't see why they need a good song stemming from the reunion. The tours are going spectacularly, new music won't make a difference either way. I am also not sure new music from this lineup would ever materialize even if they tried, nor that it would be good. Who knows? What I do know, though, is that there is killer music that is not released, like State of Grace and Quick Song. I would much rather have that in a finished form (and without Slash if they can't integrate his parts without making it all sound disjointed).

I find it difficult to rank Just Ken with the other songs, totally different genres, like apples and oranges. Sometimes I like to eat and apple, sometimes I like to eat an orange. That being said, Just Ken is great for what it is, but not something I would put on to listen to. I am going to put Killing Floor at the bottom, not because it is a bad song (it is a killer blues track originally) nor because Slash's rendition is bad, but just because it is a bit uninteresting to hear Slash rock up a blues classic. 1. Hardskool (although the version from the Village leaks is just as good if not better) 2. The General 3. Perhaps 4. Absurd

Obviously they don't agree that it is over creatively. They released two singles last year. Slash and Duff are still hoping to make entirely new music with the band. I am sure Axl hasn't closed the door to that possibility, either. They can't go out and say they are a spent creative force if they don't think so themselves. And they don't have to come out and say it will take time, because we know that already. This is GN'R, everything takes a long time. They don't need to come out and spell out what we already know. Why do you keep whining about this?

No, there is no such deal Artists aren't obligated to keep releasing art simply because you chose to be a fan. They are not in servitude to you because you happen to like what they have created previously. I understand you are frustrated about the state of the band but take it like a man and don't shift the blame to the band because you happened to get too emotionally invested. That's all on you. You made a bad decision to get emotionally invested. You were a fool to make that decision. And now you have to take it on the chin and be an adult about it. Not try to shift the blame to them for your bad decision. The problem is that some fans actually believe the band owes them new music because they happen to be fans.

That was one of the most exciting games I have seen. Makes it all worth it.

He owes you songs because you bought tickets to live shows or merch or whatever? Are you on crack?

From the interviews, I think it is fairly clear Duff and Slash wanted to create new music in GN'R. I think their attitude to the old CD era music was probably similar to Dj and Bumblefoot's, that they would prefer to make music from the bottoms up so they could influence the songs more and get writing credits. That is not necessarily a criticism of the songs quality, more that they wanted to to be part of it. A new album after they had rejoined the band comprised entirely of songs composed by other musicians in the CD era probably didn't sit that well with them, for natural reasons. But I think it became clear that Axl wasn't ready for new music yet or that he preferred to finish up songs from the CD era that he wanted to the see the public light of day. So I suppose it was a compromise by Duff and Slash, a way to move things forward and get to a situation where they might work of new music. So I don't think they necessarily "pressured" Axl, like you write, but more agreed to work on these songs while hoping it would take the band into its next phase where writing new music was a possibility. As for the statement that Axl can't care about these songs because they are badly mixed and produced. Well, apart from clear mistakes like clipping, that is highly subjective. There has been trends in mixing and production and different artists have different preferences. Additionally, Axl might not have the skills to take these songs that have been worked on for ages and get new guitar and bass tracks onto them and make it sounds organic and with room and air. His chops might not be there to make it sound organic and dynamic. Lastly, maybe he doesn't care so much about these things as some fans do. Maybe his appreciation of the songs lies elsewhere, like in chord shifts, orchestration and arrangement, lyrics, etc. I think there are enough indications that he cares about his songs to not conclude that he doesn't simply because you don't like the production or because of minor flaws (there are many minor flaws in other GN'R songs and albums). And there are many examples of popular artists that release music where the production isn't that great without anyone concluding they didn't care, look at the clipping in Californication, the poor levelling in And Justice For All... And in some cases it is even by design (look at The Stooges and many punk records).

Except that the releases don't really seem to be timed to propel ticket sales. Absurd was released a few dates into the 2021 touring, so that would work. But Hardskool was released at the tail-end of that tour with only a few more shows before the band would take a break for about 8 months before the next leg. Perhaps was released in the middle of the 2023 touring, instead of before the tour. And The General was released after the 2023 touring (although it was played at the very end of the tour). You could argue that the intention was to release them more strategically to boost ticket sales but in true GN'R dysfunctional fashion they fucked that up so the singles were released more erratically. But let's get real, releasing these singles have close to zero effect on ticket sales alone. The vast majority of people attending these shows won't go there to hear a new GN'R song It would work if the band coordinated the releases with doing press, to create more buzz about the upcoming shows, but of course that didn't happen and the singles alone got little media attention and barely didn't move the needle on ticket sales significantly. So what is the purpose behind these releases then? Fuck if I know, but here's my theory: Axl wants his songs to come out because they mean a lot to him and he feels he kind of owes it to the songs themselves; with Slash and Duff in the band they have to contribute to the songs (because Axl always wants the current lineup to be part of the music he releases); he doesn't want to release them as an album because an album is a statement and requires a lot of additional work; he works on geological time and this is as quick he is able to drip-feed music.

So your argument is that since Slash and Duff haven't cranked out music for other songs with vocals, those songs don't exist? Is that your argument? You are sticking to it? Well, firstly, we know that Slash and Duff have "cranked out music" to more unreleased songs. They just haven't been released yet. We also know from the Village leaks, which provided a snapshot of the state of the music back in 2000 that yes, more music with vocals existed which now potentially could have been worked on by Slash and Duff. And keep in mind that the recordings, including vocal recordings, didn't end with the Village sessions, a lot more work was done after that, including writing entirely new songs. We also have numerous other tidbits of evidence suggesting additional songs with vocals exist. So in short, your argument is severely flawed. But yeah, we don't know how many additional songs with vocals exist. The optimistic of us would hope for at least enough to fill another album, the pessimistic would in pelesque fashion fall down on "nothing exists that I haven't heard".

It is immensely fascinating how someone can state that an artist releasing music fans don't like is being "disrespectful" to the fans. Was GN'R being disrespectful to me when they released Bad Apples? When they released If The World? When they released November Rain? Of course not, they are not in any way obligated to release music I want to hear, only music they want to release. How has the relationship between band and fan become so distorted?

You didn't like the editing of the Perhaps video?

He might not agree with you that they have "questionable quality".

...because then they'd be free to do their own projects?

Yeah, I think we should take that as the baseline assumption and just be happily surprised it we are wrong

Whether you like the new CD era songs is of course entirely subjective. I am happy we are getting them, AND Duff's new music, AND Slash's blues album. As for whether it is "disrespectful" to Slash and the current band, nah Slash and Duff likely didn't rejoin GN'R to release more music, it was just for the money. They have other venues to be creative and release their own music. And if they don't want to be part of releasing new Guns N' Roses songs from the CD era they are of course allowed to not be part of it. That's their decision. They have decided they want to be part of it. So don't extrapolate your frustration onto them.

Yes, I'd love Les less if Arsenal fucks this up.

Think you're going to toss it away at the very end as usual? I believe in you, fuck City and Pool.

Oh, that was a nice surprise. How you been? Happy with Arsenal, these days? You needed a bloody Viking on your team.

Feel any different than what?

No one here is claiming Axl is god or that we are suckers for wanting him to share his art. You are just lashing out after being told that the whining is embarrassing.

I had no idea I tended to get involved whenever someone disagrees with @Rovim. That was a pattern I was not aware of. Pretty cool, though, I can live with that. And yes, Axl and Guns ARE free to do whatever they want. I wouldn't want the alternative where artists HAD to create and release music after some arbitrary schedule rather than when they felt ready. I am happy you agree with this. If you don't like people arguing with you then maybe a public discussion board is not the place for you? This is kind of designed for discussions, even arguments.

I don't agree that I constantly push my opinions. I share my opinions now and then. The majority doesn't whine and complain, I am no more superior than this majority.

But most people aren't complaining about things they don't like. Encountering things you don't like is part of life, it is part of the human condition. Most people take that on their chins. They have learnt since childhood that whining gets you nowhere. They have learnt to focus on the positives and not the negatives that can't be controlled or affected by complaining. It is purely a coping mechanism for misadjusted people who can't deal with their emotions more constructively.

No. Most people aren't. Besides, this discussion isn't about sharing one's opinion on new music. Of course we expect people to do that, whether it is positive or negative,, this discussion is about people who can't get over their disappointment with the band.