invisible_rose

I bet the girl who sells these to Fernando is pretty hot...

WTF is that? Looks like Wish knock offs.

Very well put. Chinese Democracy is criminally underrated almost entirely because people see it as "GNR without Slash". If it was its own standalone album, even just Axl Rose, I think it would be considered a modern classic. Maybe I'm bias, I dunno, but I listen to way more CD/CDII material now than the OG era.

I really did prefer the 'Hard School' with the longer intro, which was surely meant for an album version vs the single we got.

Totally agree. Glad we got the recording though. I thought it was a great version. Sonically jarring - bravo! Great way to describe what we have so far in terms of a running order.

Have you heard the acoustic version of KOHD? Granted, it would never have made CDII, but from what we have, it's a great cover of a cover!

Given we now have a fair chunk of demos, 'finished' and released tracks from what could/would/should have been Chinese Democracy II, how do you envisage the track list/running order? And do the CDII tracks have a parallel on CDI. Obviously there are a few holes. If there are any tracks I've missed, feel free to add them in! Here's a my first, very quick comparison. Let's hear your take (PS there are no wrong answers!) 1. Chinese Democracy = Oh My God 2. Shackler = Absurd 3. Better = Perhaps 4. Street of Dreams = Going Down 5. If the World = Knocking on Heavens Door (Acoustic) 6. There Was a Time = Monsters 7. Catcher = Atlas Shrugged 8. Scraped = State of Grace 9. Riad = 10. Sorry = The General 11. IRS = Hard Skool 12. Madagascar = 13. This I Love = 14. Prostitute =

I have to agree with @Blackstar - it isn't even a question. But I'd love to hear what Bucket did (assuming that lineup ever finished these songs).

I'd love to see how they compare, if nothing else. Slash's work on Monsters feels fairly natural IMO, but I'm sure Finck & Bucket had an ingenious, more aggressive take.

I gave in and listened a few more times once I got the MP3s. I'm absolutely in love with Monsters. I really, really hope there's a high quality lossless version coming soon! The vocals throughout are stunning, the backing vocals are genius and the rant type verse at 2:50 - Christ! It gives me goosebumps to hear Axl like that again. The groove is really cool too.

I can't imagine it being played by mistake. It's either some dude who went rogue or they received a promo CD (assuming radio stations still receive CDs!) that they played too soon. That's my guess. As for the quality, I've only heard The General and Monster 2-3 times from a YouTube link. After that I was done. I wanted to hear the 'final' versions before spoiling it for myself. If they're the same, so be it.

No, it doesn't (and let's be honest - we all know why), but IMO, it would have been criminal not to put these tracks out at all. I would have just done it in a different way.

The problem is, the 1st album from the reunion line up couldn't be rehashed CD tracks - it just couldn't. If there were, say a couple, maybe three songs from CD era and the rest were new compositions, then yeah, cool. But not 6+ tracks. Releasing them as singles, or an EP, is the only plausible way really. HOWEVER, they should have been done much earlier in to the reunion, and at a faster pace. Put three tracks out as singles, and then a six track EP (inc the three singles). Don't con people, tell everyone exactly what the tracks are, where they're from etc. That would have been my approach. Then roll in to new music (if Axl is capable of recording vocals/remotely interested in releasing anything).

Really interesting interview! Thank you for sharing

Ahh thank you for the clarification. Either way, I'd suggest Axl will still back Fernando.

See, that would be the reasonable reaction of a band who hadn't employed a manager that was seen as a son by the lead singer. I'd be utterly stunned if Fernando doesn't get 100% backing from Axl. The fact that a counter suit as gone in kinda tells us their stance.

Fixed.

You saved me typing out the exact same thing. I share those exact views.

Very true. And I think it's also true of the other side - so many people want this to be true because of their view, and distaste, of Fernando. Hopefully a fair resolution will be achieved for the sake of both parties.

Painting is learned skill, but that is art. Playing an instrument in a learned skill, but that is art. A photographer produces something that they have an eye to capture, using their developed skill set. This is entirely true of other media, such as paintings, music etc.

Absolutely correct. Very well put. Both cases, Kat's and the GNR counter case, will be polar opposites and will be extreme. The truth will be somewhere in the middle. Kat's opportunity to photograph one of the most successful bands in the world..arguably ever...isn't something to be passed up easily. It's the gig of a lifetime. I'd put up with a lot of shit too. But the moment you get binned and the realisation of all the crap you put up with hits you, and you're hugely out of pocket (both financially and in terms of copyright/credit), then yeah, I think I'd do exactly the same.

Yep, I do understand that, and appreciate the view some have around it - however, Kat is sighting the harassment as part of the reason she didn't get paid/credit etc etc. She isn't going all out again Fernando for sexual harassment. And as you quite rightly say, advances in text are going to be significantly less serious to the point it wouldn't even likely to get to court in a criminal case - unless there was an element of stalking or threat of violence etc. Either way, the justice in this sense, is that Kat (if allegations are true), gets full credit, reimbursement and compensation for loss of earnings. Which is exactly why this is a contractual, civil case. It would be holy inappropriate for this case to go to a criminal court from the little we have seen, IMO.

SHE LOST MONEY AND CREDIT FOR WORK FFS.

Well, no, of course - that's why it's going to court and a case has been raised. She's out of pocket, been refused credit for her own work and has had payments withheld. That isn't criminal. That's contractual. It isn't a cash grab. It's how business works when someone doesn't hold up their end of an agreement. If you're discriminated against work, and lose your job - you don't go to the police, do you? I can't believe this needs to be explained in this case.

Ahhh, yep! That's addresses that bit. Thank you!