D..

What can I say? 

Faxl is back again.

Still hits Taco Bell.

Even had to cut his hair.

With no sense of shame.

I have nothing negative to say about the band itself, they all play perfectly and probably are told what setlist to play. Only complaint could be Slash on Chinese solos, but at this point, it doesn't even matter, especially since Slash kills it on everything else.

My sole problem is Axl. I think it doesn't get to his mind that when he goes on stage, we expect him to take on the Axl's mantle, and become that legendary frontman again.

He looks & sounds like he doesn't give a single fuck anymore. No new song. No passion. Mediocre vocals. No work on his physical appearance (yes, it does matter, it's part of the show, he is the frontman & singer, not the goddamn backup pianist or something).

Axl is on autopilot mode, and I can't help but wonder what the fuck he's done in the last 10 months. I surely hope he has been working very, very hard on laying new vocals for the new album. But even that doesn't justify his current shape & vocals.

I know he's not getting any younger but he's not 70/75 either. He's still in his 50's, he can still pull it off. 

Doesn't he have a personal trainer and an expert nutritionist? He sure needs those two, like never before. 

I wouldn't mind if he looked like this while not on tour. BUT YOU ARE TOURING MAN! It should be exciting enough to hit the gym hard and sing better than ever AND including new songs and drop some songs you've been playing forever. But apparently for Axl, nah, it's just another day at "work", nothing exciting, nothing justifying to go all out.

Godammit. The price tickets are incredibly high, and Axl thinks it's okay to come like that and sing like shit? At this point, it's a lack of respect to the audience. But if the audience is stupid enough to attend the next upcoming shows and pay such deluded prices, hey, why not. 

I just wonder where the real Axl is, right now. The one who had a vision and passion. The one who would make huge come backs and prove everyone wrong. 

 

That reunion is maybe the worst thing that could happen to Axl. It made him lose his motivation. I have never seen him as dull as this. Now the big three fill whatever arena/stadium without any effort, and the mainstream audience seems satisfied enough. Because sure, they play all the hits, the length of the show is respectable and the instrumental part is impeccable (for the most part). So I guess that's enough for them.

I mean, it's great if he's happy with that, sure. Well, at least we have those leaks. That's the only thing that keeps Gn'R alive for me as of now. What Axl & members that are not Slash & Duff wrote 20 years ago. Uncanny.

Quick Song completely rips off parts of "Smells like teen spirit" by Nirvana. Love it.

1 hour ago, Blackstar said:

I don't agree about the Illusions. They may be uneven (like most double albums) but I wouldn't call anything on them garbage.

I think Trent Reznor's "ditch" quotes were when he had heard that Axl intended to remove Robin Finck's parts. He has also bashed the GnR crowds for the reception NIN had gotten when they opened for GnR in 1991.

He and Axl also shared a common love for Pet Shop Boys  

Excellent, thanks!

As for UYI, I'd toss without hesitation "You Ain't The First", "Pretty tied up", "So Fine", "Dust n' bones", "Bad Apples", "Bad Obsession", "Shotgun Blues", "Get in the ring", "Garden of Eden", "My World", and "14 years". I absolutely never listen to those songs. 

Some of those are worse than others of course (My World & So Fine being the absolute worse in my book) but I would call them mediocre at least, yeah...

Not even counting some I don't listen to much like "Don't Damn Me" (which is somewhat cool), "Right Next Door To Hell" and a few others which are "okay".

I don't have much love for the covers KOHD and Live & Let Die.

I love "Coma", "Estranged", "November Rain", "Civil War", "Locomotive", "Don't Cry", "You Could Be Mine" and "The Garden". Those are amazing songs in my book. Only 8 songs. So yeah, I'd have to agree with Reznor on that.

I know I have an unpopular opinion on that. I'll admit it, I dig the Chinese stuff more. Far more.

 CD, Better, The Blues, TWAT, Catcher, State of grace, Checkmate, Sorry, IRS, This I love, Madagascar, Atlas. More songs I dig than I do on UYI, which is somewhat crazy.

I swear I prefer Hard School/Checkmate over a tons of the UYI songs. It's mindblowing to me it's still not released officially yet.

 

1 minute ago, Blackstar said:

The quote I was referring to:

--------

ENGLEHART: You did a show with Guns N' Roses at Wembley Stadium in London several years back, at Axl Rose's instigation. Do you get any feedback from him these days?

REZNOR: I heard from him right before we started this tour. That was kind of when the downfall of Guns N' Roses was just reaching bottom. He was just kind of freaked out and was talking about maybe working on some other kind of project. I said, "Let me know. I'm into at least listening to ideas." I haven't had any other contact.

ENGLEHART: He's got an interesting mind. I think there's a lot more going on in there than people give him credit for.

REZNOR: With Axl? Yeah. I feel a certain degree of compassion, just because he was thrust into something that was larger than anything else and then a lot of weight was placed on him to carry the torch. If I had to pick something that I think was wrong with how they were treated it was that no one had the balls to say "No." As in, "No, it's not a good idea to put out two double albums of mediocre material." But if you said that you got fired. I think that's inherently the problem. I think the guy is talented at what he is doing.

[Juice Magazine, July 1995]

Ah that's fucking honest. Thanks for this man.

I have to agree with Trent. So much garbage on UYI. It could've been a single great album with the best cuts.

7 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

I think Axl wanted to explore the electronic sound in general, not only industrial in particular. And he did that after Slash left.

I don't remember him saying the bolded part. The quote that I remember is this one:

Axl: Trent Reznor from NIN is one [musician I'd like to work with on a project], and Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction is another guy I want to work with. I've talked to Trent about working with me on an industrial synth project, at least on one song, and I definitely want to work with Dave on something. I've always been curious what he would sound like working with Slash on something. [Hit Parader, June 1993 - but the interview was conducted in December 1992]

Trent Reznor said that Axl called him around early 1994 for a side project (not GnR) and Trent replied he would be open to do it, but he didn't hear from Axl again.

 

Interesting thanks for sharing this info.

I thought Trent didn't like Axl for some reason... I remember him dissing him at some point, can't remember where.

I do think it's Fernando on reddit. I wouldn't see the point of an impersonator. Fits the kind of things he said here when he came by on this forum last time. He is always acting very polite.

Anyway, glad he replied about his "involvement/lack of involvement". I understand his point of view: before this recording, he didn't have any hard evidence to take action.

He was aware that Rick bought the digital version of the locker content but couldn't prove he was the one responsible of things leaking. Especially since Levi bought the physical copies. Makes sense.

I don't mind that what I wrote on another forum is posted by someone on reddit. The information is out there, it's not mine. I'm just trying to help figuring this all out, especially for people who struggle with english and would like to learn the full story behind the leaks.

16 minutes ago, Fanboy said:

I always thought than Eminem was really similar to Axl, both had fucked up childhood, they had absolutely no filter, speaking what they had in mind in their music, media target (homophobia ect..), they both did a duo with Elton John to shut off haters, they also had some weird/tough years. Eminem once said that he was an "updated Axl Rose", so he probably always had somekind of respect for him, he never dissed Axl, and we know how Eminem loves to diss celebrities

Very interesting, thanks for sharing the music where he stated he's an "updated Axl Rose".

Eh, funny... I wasn't aware of this at all. So they're really of the same material. They must both know it at this point.

(as for the parody, it's all fun, no harm there, more like a tribute ; ) )

They should really do a cross-over. 

2 hours ago, life_247 said:

Which let’s be honest historically hasn’t exactly been his strong point.

He wasn't worse than most rappers. I despise rap so much : p I don't even understand how people consider rap as "music". Unless if we're talking Eminem who blasts away basically anyone in the business.

But Axl rapped fine in my book. I'll take Axl's rap over Dre or Snoop Dog any fucking day.

Axl & Eminem should do a crossover. They would fit each other perfectly. They have the same guts. They are made of the same magical stuff, whatever that is.

1 minute ago, svdv said:

To be clear: I don't think Axl doesn't care about the fans, or what the fans think about his work. (Not saying you said that, just wanted to emphasize that.) But there's a difference between caring about what they think or actually wanting their feedback as part of the creative process. There are certain things in the songwriting process that you should or shouldn't do because it'll just f*ck up a song. Not things a casual fan might know, but unknowingly those are the things that make those same fans love/hate a songs. And the same goes for paintings, books, movies, etc. Anything that an artist create. It's a thin line but not knowing the "rules" and just jerking off makes you an amateur*. Knowing the rules and deliberate breaking them makes you a pioneer ;-) To me, that's the difference between a professional and a amateur. That, and the fact that a professional has his own strong opinion on what he/she wants to do with his/her work. Yes, you can be influences by the opinions of others. But this should be a select group of people close to the artist. Not the whole freaking message board full of people who know jack shit about writing music (but everything about loving it)**.

* And yes, you are right, sometimes an "untrained unknown" form the internet turns out to be amazingly capable. I would consider a person like that a professional, not an amateur just because he/she doesn't get paid big bucks and/or isn't super famous. I consider myself a professional in my line of work and trust me, outside my family and closest friends nobody heard of me ;-)

** Possibly some of you are amazing song writers, but generally speaking I mean

Alright I get your opinion man, I hadn't totally gotten your point on your previous post, but you made it pretty clear ; ) Sure, if a whole messageboard is going to participate into the making of a song, it won't sound like anything in the end because everyone is going to want/suggest something different. And of course, artists create and make stuff they like/feel and they don't have to compromise to any fan demand.

But regarding the leaks, I feel some suggestions here could be useful, because at this point, one can wonder if most of this vault will ever see the light of day. I heard Atlas Shrugged had been rework by Slash & Duff, but what about the rest?

I bet Axl already knows what has to be reworked/tweaked & in what way, but he may not realize some of his "old" material has a lot of potential. It would be a damn shame if Hard School didn't get a proper official release. Same for State of Grace.

I especially think that if he sees a lot of people like this song or that song he may have judged unworthy/not that good, he may want to include it on the next album (on the hypothesis those songs won't make it on the next album). Could be a slight possibility. I have a vague memory of the CD line-up (with Finck) strongly insisting to Axl "This I Love" should be part of the album, and he listened to them. Originally, he didn't want that. Now of course, that was the band speaking, but I could picture Axl realizing some songs of the vault have more potential that he may have thought because of the messageboards.

I mean those songs are so old for him. He must be bored to death by most of them at this point and might find it more fresh to have whole new material written with Slash, Duff & Fortus & the rest of the band. I'm just speculating here, but it's a possibility.

Like, personally, I don't like Perhaps. Had I created that song 20 years ago, I would probably not release it now, unless I had nothing else. But I've seen a lot of positive reception around that particular song on gn'r forums, which is a surprise to me. So if I was Axl, I would probably hesitate about releasing it after all because of all the good reception of most of the fanbase here.

That's where I think the public reception might matter to Axl on this one ; )

3 minutes ago, svdv said:

I seriously doubt Axl, or any other musician/artist, really cares about personal input from fans. About what they think of the final result, maybe, yes. But as actually criticism, to possibly change the direction of the song? I don't believe that at all, and I'm honestly wondering if you guys are joking ghehe. Axl is (believe it or not ;-)) a professional. Written a lot of amazing tunes to prove that. Some already proven to stand the "test of time". He's surrounded by professionals in and outside of the band, who also wrote great tunes and had years of experience in the field. And us? We're all jackasses on an online forum. If you really think Axl cares about your opinion it's time to get your head out of your ass ;-)

I think he's major pissed, and rightfully so. Though I think @jamillos has a point saying Axl didn't write those songs to be kept in the drawer, I do think he rather have us not hear it than hear an unfinished version. Something he doesn't 100% stand by. Plus who knows what he wanted to do with those songs in the future. I'm not a musician, or any artist for that matter. But it's not that hard to imagine that having your work stolen from you and put out there, without your consent, and something that is not finished thus not meant to be heard sucked balls.

Sure, I get where you're coming from, especially the stolen material part, I agree.

However, I doubt Axl doesn't give a fuck about fans' reception. As for "professional", it doesn't really mean anything as of 2019. A lot of "amateurs" on the internet have better skills whether it's music, hosting a show/podcast, editing, shooting, creating short films & so on, than a lot of "professional". What does "professional" even mean at this point? Being paid and delivering an "official" product. That's about it.

Some so-called professionals have nothing to do in the music or movie industry, and I couldn't care less about their advices. A lot of them are high on cocaine or whatever drugs and get lazy and full of themselves pretty fast.

As for the public reception, every artist takes it seriously. It's actually more important than anything else, because those are the people that support you and pay for your work. When you see the public doesn't like your product, you begin to reconsider what you're doing. And Axl has a history of reading internet messageboards. Of course there a lot of morons who have no idea what they're talking about, but I also think a lot of us here have great tastes in music and give some good insights.

And hey, that guy called evader from the GN'R community, is actually better skilled in mixing than some "professionals" that mixed the final Chinese Democracy album. 

I also think part of why Axl reunited is because he knows so many people of the GN'R have wanted that forever. He cares.

Have listened to the "new songs" on repeat, my conclusions:

 

1. State Of Grace : best song of the bunch. Really didn't expect loving this one as much. I don't like the title, and on the first listen, I wasn't sure, especially since the mix is garbage. I almost didn't recognize Axl's voice in the beginning, he sings very differently, I appreciate the change of style. Reminds me of Soundgarden a lot.

It has really grown on me, and keeps growing listen after listen. Very, very powerful song. I love the lyrics (even though I still can't decipher the part where Axl gets angry), I love the tone/mood, love the melody, love the slow pace at the beginning, I love how it keeps getting meaner & meaner until the ending. I love the final "now, more than ever, I still remember your name" most especially. I feel it could still be improved a bit in the studio. Axl needs to go full rasp on this one.

This song has a gigantic potential. It needs to be longer too. Add a killer Slash solo in there, and it will be a masterpiece. Totally the kind of material Slash can improve, fits his style.

 

2. Hard School : I could list it at number one as well but I may have overplayed it. Very solid song, I could see it being a single. It may need a bit of rework here & there, but I really love it as it is, and I doubt Slash can top Buckethead's contribution. Fucking killer song, I can't believe it has sit in the vault for so long. Fucking crazy.

 

3. Atlas Shrugged : very good song, I like it a lot, especially the lyrics. I hope they will keep May's parts, they are magnificent. Love it as it is, but I have a feeling it can be improved.

 

4. Perhaps : perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't dig this one much. I find it very weak. Reminds me of some UYI stuff I don't dig as well. The "aaaye aaaye" parts from Axl don't fit the CD era, at least for me. I don't like the melody, the piano is boring... yeah it's just not for me. Weird song, but again, great lyrics.

 

 

More than you'll hear, what you've seen, and what we know you've downloaded.

On 14/09/2019 at 7:37 PM, AlterL said:

did anyone figure out the lyrics

Almost, but there's a section that's virtually impossible to figure out, even for me.

Lyrics (sorry, couldn't figure everything out):

 

What can I say?

Freeway's blind today

The choice that you made

Is not a road that I would take

 

To use and betray

Simple as power fray

And I'm far away

With tears that are on its way now

 

Oh, my love

Can it be, I'm falling from your grace with me

Now

Oh, more than ever

I'll still remember

 

The fame

It's those passing things

No more like a game

Problems of the human race

Those run through your veins

Caught down in a hidden place

With no sense of shame

Sickens me it can arouse you

 

Oh, my love

Can it be, I'm falling from your grace with me

Now, more than ever

I'll still remember

Your name

 

When did you think you would tell me?

I hope you think I could handle it now

I got

I got ?????

???????? 

????????????

Whatever, ever

 

????????

Oh, ????????

????????

You ????????

 

My love

Can it be

You've fallen from your grace with me

And now

More than ever

I

I am  ??????????   with leaving

 

Cause now

More than ever

I still remember

Your name

 

22 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

Honestly, outside of a few hardcore fans, who would really care about the leaks?

They’re 20 years old! 

Axl is the only person in the current line up involved in those songs. 

Those songs are probably not even intended to be released at this point. 

More people care than for the new album, at least on this forum, apparently. See how this topic is way hotter than the one about the new album.
Personally, I don't care a lot for the upcoming album. I will listen to it, but I'm more interested in the CD era stuff.

6 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

I'm not sure I even remotely understand that line of reasoning, but again, I don't have anything against you personally. 

That discord guy thought he could beat MSL on mindtricking everyone. Sadly for us, he's even dumber than him. Worst plan ever. Especially when he gives away his plan here 

49 minutes ago, sofine11 said:

I literally could not make out a single word there. Not one.

No but really, it's a nightmare  

Wtf is this?

I think it's something like "when do you think you're gonna tell me" "I want you think I could handle it". As for the rest I have no idea wtf he's singing.

Edit: could be fake vocals on there as Russ said. It's really fishy.

19 hours ago, the_estranged1 said:

I’m sure for some, it’s a dumb question but I’m not on here much. What is this “locker”

There is a locker beyond that which is known to man. It is a locker as vast as some canadian wrestler's arse and as timeless as his stupidy. It is the middle ground between official release and no new music, between science and superstition, and it lies between the Pitoman's keyboard and Axl's tacos. This is the locker of imagination. It is an area which we call the Hoarder Zone.

It's the 99 version. Sounds unfinished, some lyrics are missing. But cool to hear this at last. Could've made it in a WipeOut game from that era.

12 minutes ago, TheSeeker said:

What songs from the Chinese Democracy sessions would have been a hit in 2001

Name one

The title track got pity airplay in 2008 and quickly died off

SOD/Blues would have been a hit if marketed properly without a doubt. Chinese Democracy with Freese on drums could have been a hit too, as well as Better.

With the right marketing, it would have sold, no problem.

Thing is, Axl was depicted as an asshole in most mainstream medias.

As for "what would have been a hit in 2001", just look at 2001 until now. Lots of hits that are absolute garbage. Success doesn't equal quality. Never has been, never will be.

6 minutes ago, default_ said:

I think the best we can do at this point is forget about "holy grails". Atlas used to be so anticipated and one of the "big guns", the next November Rain (as a journalist described, November Rain meets 70s glam) and with the last leaks we can clearly see theres nothing ground breaking. No November Rain, no Estranged. 
Bach said The General is a heavy, almost doom song, we'll probably be disappointed by Axls take on a generic Doom Metal track. 

Oh, and if we follow the pattern, doom metal was also a trend among underground metal in the 90s. Axl is always late to the party. 

Did somebody really describe it as a November Rain kind of song? What a joke. Sounds a lot more than "Yesterdays" than anything if we absolutely have to compare if to a previous Gn'R song. But it's just its own thing.

Then again, those same journalists thought "The Last Jedi" was an amazing Star Wars movie when it's even worse than any of the prequels. Journalists are pointless at this point.

2 minutes ago, rocknroll41 said:

Bach talked about The General and Sorry. It was Axl himself who described Me & My Elvis/ Leave Me Alone/ Soul Monster as “GnR meets Black Sabbath.”

Alright ; )

I love "Sorry", I would say it has a Pink floyd vibe at times. Would any of you agree on that? Doubt it. 

It's all very subjective. But from what I've heard from The General, it sounds like it's the most promising track out of the lot. By far.

1 minute ago, DieselDaisy said:

What is the song which is supposed to be, according to Bach or some associate, a glam rock song with a monstrous riff, as I was under the impression that that was ''Atlas Shrugged'' yet this song does not fit that description?

It was either "The General" or "Soul Monster". Definitely not Atlas.

2 minutes ago, Jordan Rose said:

Couldn't name one Tool song! 

Yeah, dramatic. But in response to people saying me melodies others are saying it's not poppy and hooky e.g.Better. But that's not what I mean. It's not dynamic. I hate country stuff like Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison because he's singing about murder in a casual way. I Shot a man in Reno, then I had fish and chips. Deep emotion needs strong melody. 

Yeah I totally get what you mean. I'm all for dramatic stuff. I prefer seriousness over humor. Hence why I don't like country stuff much either, except when I'm driving on a boring long road without end.

But Atlas is something different. The lyrics have a lot of meaning. 

It's really Yesterdays Part II with a great May solo and better Axl lyrics with a very clever reference. Love it for what it is.

Does it live up to the hype? Hard to say. It does for me. I absolutely didn't expect that at all. I won't be as merciful with "The General" if I ever hear it though. I have much much more expectations for that one, especially the instrumental part.

12 minutes ago, Jordan Rose said:

I always make snap judgements. Prince's Rainbow Children sounded like lukewarm garbage when I first heard in at 18 and never listened to jazz. Then it became one of my favourite albums ever. I appreciate Atlas is a really different style. Lots of comparisons here to bands I don't really know much from. 

But no. I guess I just like big melodies and soaring vocals. The solo just sounds meh to me. Like a placeholder. But it may well be my ignorance. 

You like dramatic songs, I take it ; ) 

I think it will grow on you, given your tastes.

Don't worry, I happen to make snap judgements too (except on the last Tool album, gave it a few try, it's fucking garbage, for my taste anyway, wanker album of the year).

2 minutes ago, Jordan Rose said:

Wasn't it referenced in the the '99 Rolling Stone interview though? 

I'm seriously jealous of all the people loving it. 

Remember that Axl played ALL the leaked songs at Hammerstein' 06. Plus he's got Slash and Duff to encourage playing new stuff if they choose to. 

I hope Wanker and Mofo are really mad us plebs have got  this shit now. 

You don't like it?