THELINESMAN

PERHAPS

HARD SKOOL

THE GENERAL

ABSTURD 

7 minutes ago, IzzySixx said:

Let’s be honest, it’s pretty dreadful.

The more I think about it the more I think it’s something an amateur teenage garage band could come up with ☹️

GNR can certainly do much better.

I saw somebody on YouTube comment that if this song didn’t have the name ‘Guns N’ Roses’ attached to it nobody would think it was good or worthy of high praise. 
 

Owch. 

My review: 

An average Chinese Democracy style song with unnecessarily weak clean vocals in the chorus and a good solo at the end.

Too light on guitars in the earlier parts of the song, missing the blues hard rock sound and raspy Axl vocals which is why so many (the majority?) love Guns N’ Roses. 
 

With louder guitars in verses and a raspy chorus it could have had a ‘Civil War’ type lift. Wasted opportunity.

Overall, I’m disappointed with this one. All these new releases feel disjointed. Really want the guys to write and record a cohesive new set of songs with that old Guns swagger.

I like Chinese Democracy. But The General isn’t a favourite of that era for me. Prefer IRS!

I thought it was funny 

10 hours ago, evilfacelessturtle said:

Hard Skewl better than IRS? I don't want what you're smoking.

IRS is the most classic Guns sounding song on that album. It's wild that they haven't done it with Slash.

I agree with this 100%. The raspy aggression and punchy guitars on this could easily have fit with the UYI era.

31 minutes ago, WhazUp said:

I get what you mean, and I think part of it has to do with way back when, when Axl basically admitted to pivoting in style and not making a traditional Guns record partly because of Slash's absence musically - via his interview with Kurt Loder.   I think the combination of that, and having a ton of emotions to excise in the late 90s/early 00s, it gave way to a more serious vibe

Considering Axl has brought back Pretty Tied Up, Anything Goes, Reckless Life, etc. since Slash returned I kinda have a feeling if they ever actually did write new material, there could potentially be tunes that are just fun rockers for sure

I hope so. I miss the style.

If we ever do get a proper reunion album with fresh material, I hope it's full of more happy upbeat rockers with humour in again like PTU and GITR and angry upbeat stuff like RNDTH. Lots of these Chinese leftovers seem to be mid tempo. 

I like the croc/gator background. Gives evil Estranged vibes (instead of dolphins underwater, crocs)....and if it was supposed to be an evil version/extension of Estranged...

I think the General sounds much better live than in the studio leak we have heard. Axl really goes for the rasp in the chorus and it improves it so much. Suits the heavier sound. I hope the final version we get has raspy chorus like that. Well done last night Guns! How weird though that they didn’t play Monsters 🤔

No mention of the leaks at the show?

Just now, dave94 said:

It’s a “grower”, after a few more listens it gets better. I do hope though they tidy up the vocals as they aren’t clear enough in the mix and the distortion effect just doesn’t sound very good

Yep

57 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Thanks so much @AtlasShrugged @axljungle and @THELINESMAN. 

Appreciate it a lot.....102 pages would be a lot to trawl through! 

For what it's worth, I definitely hear Slash on Monsters. 

Oh, has there been any reaction at all from band/management, or the usual radio silence? 

Radio silence. There has been a show since but no mention of the leaks. We’ll see what happens at Hollywood show tonight!

1 minute ago, Rodela said:

But a full-band studio version of it won't save its poor lyrics, boring chords, and overall average structure. It's up there with GNR's most forgettable songs ever.

The chorus could be epic with chainsaw rasp. And some the verses could be improved with that too I think.

Just now, Rodela said:

Guys, THE GENERAL is really bad, isn't it?

It could be improved 

2 minutes ago, Wabby said:

oh i missed the speculation on who leaked it,Whats “The General” consensus who leaked it😂?

There isn’t one 🙈

3 minutes ago, THELINESMAN said:

Official release pushed to early December by the band who announced they weren’t happy with quality of the records but are now. Debates over whether the leaks are demos or the finished things with Slash & Duff, just bad sound quality. Debates over the extent of Slash’s playing on the song with some arguing he isn’t on the leaks at all. Debates over whether both ‘Monsters’ and ‘The General’ will be released as one song or not. Debates about whether ‘Monsters’ is Monstrocity or Soul Monster or another renamed song. Debates about whether Axl has some scratch vocals on these. People who hate the songs implying people who like the songs are insane - arguments between the two camps. People saying that people who hear Slash on the leaks are nuts and vice versa. Speculation but nothing confirmed about who leaked the tracks or why. Some think the band did it secretly. Others think they’re nuts. Some wishing the band would go back to a more bluesy Slash style, including me. 
 

Guns N’ Fucking Roses Forum 🌹

Oh I forgot, someone asked where Pele is shortly after they leaked which was pretty funny 

56 minutes ago, ThePreacher said:

Is it true that these are only demos? How do you know?

I think they're demos, can't be certain, but think. Here's why:

Sound/Mix Quality: Too poor/varied. But that could be why they delayed release...

Vocals: I think Axl runs out of lyrics in The General and there are a few scratch vocals in place "oohs" where there could be lyrics. The vocals are a bit weak in places too I think and many seem to date around the early 2000s. Seems strange to me that he would not have rerecorded parts of this with his 2010 epic rasp voice like he did the This I Love remix. BUT, as other people have said, he likes weird vocal takes...

Guitars: Not all of this sounds like Slash to me. Hard Skool and Perhaps are distinctively him. Due to the nature of the song I think it's quite difficult to tell. Some are convinced the wah must be Slash, but that and other tones can be imitated. 

Music in general (pardon the pun): The song seems very thin in places, almost like other layers are missing and due to go in.
 

It's GENERAL time ? 

“My only regret, is that I never took the time to rasp this bit, or mix the orchestra properly”

9 hours ago, bangit said:

I agree, Axl clearly likes to use effects and experiment/ take the vocal experience to a different level. What we perceive to be unusual bits are likely deliberate. I have revisited State of Grace for example, a song which I had assumed was very experimental with unfinished vocals etc. I suspect they are complete, as they are on The General.

 

If Axl played the General to me privately and I was producing or whatever I’d say to him “So when are you going to write lyrics for that last bit when you just say oh”. Wonder how many people got fired doing that 😂 He did something similar for Street of Dreams though, noises at first in “The Blues” but lyrics added for CD.

31 minutes ago, bmus1 said:

I think the chorus is scratch vocals that eventually became real vocals when they started sounding better than what Axl could record.

Yeah it starts to sound like Quick Song scratch vocals towards the end after “time to forget” when he starts going “oh ah ah oh oh ah ah ahhh ah ah ah ahh ahh ahhh ah ohhh”

1 minute ago, janrichmond said:

I always find it exciting when something new appears, however, I have accepted that most of the newer stuff is just not really my thing. I'll always love the band for everything they released before '94. 

If they ever release something that's actually new (and not CD leftovers) I hope to be surprised and love it. 

I seriously can't see a real new album ever being released.

Slash needs to write a new riff, Axl needs to write new lyrics and sing to the riff, repeat X 10, killer album