GnR Chris

So hearing it live, it definitely sounded to me like “My only regret is that I never took the time to forget.” (Not “forgive.”)

Just now, GoForJMark said:

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Live stream please 

5 minutes ago, Eric Cantona said:

That dude must have ascended into a whole new universe of ecstasy

I would have died during the coda. 

Let’s fuckin go! Monsters in the encore please. Can you imagine?

4 minutes ago, bangit said:

There are a couple of vocal isolation tracks and instrumentals available, I assume these are just AI manipulated tracks? Not actual leaks... 

yeah, not real stems. Someone ran the leaks through a program to try to isolate. 

2 hours ago, rumandraisin said:

Based on what? They're doing the same thing on stage only her vocals are far more prominent. So as a backing singer yes, maybe, if you like her voice. I'm not a fan of it personally. 

Pitman was vital to CD both writing/recording and production wise. 

“Vital.” 😂 

Just now, Skamos66 said:

I'd say this year's setlist is the best overall in the history of the band, chinese democracy deep cuts, illusions deep cuts, Perhaps/Hardskool, Anything Goes.

In 2019 if you asked people here what your dream setlist is, this tour isn't too far off.

Yeah, they mixed it up for sure. I hope we’re not in store for a deep hibernation now.

I don’t foresee anything out of the ordinary happening. It’s been a fun tour and some good set lists though. 

1 minute ago, 2020_Intensions said:

Your comment just made me realize, this is the longest stretch a GnR lineup has gone without any changes

That’s wild.

I can’t see why “State of Grace” would be saved for a new album over “Monsters,” which shares a similar structure but is superior IMO. I like “State of Grace” a lot. 

I like either “forget” or “forgive” in “The General.” I do admit it sounds like “forgive” to me. I prefer “forget” and it makes sense in that it rhymes too. 

As for “Monsters,” is it possible the line is “Dynamic Duo in your (??????) crashing.” Graveyard? Bedroom?

After “dynamic duo,” the words don’t sound like “keep you” to me.

10 minutes ago, evilfacelessturtle said:

As a musician myself, I hate this kind of attempt to silence criticism. You don't have to be a songwriter to criticize, much less be a better songwriter.

But I can use my knowledge to say that these songs are in fact built around pretty simple and common chord progressions. There's nothing complex about these structures at all. While I still like a lot of CD stuff, they have a habit of building songs out of simple chord changes that are elevated by Axl's vocal melodies and the layers added on top.

And while I like some of the lyrics, others are pretty awkward (which is a larger criticism I have of Axl's post-UYI lyrics). Lines that straight up have grammatical mistakes like "perhaps I was wrong when I don't believe you" are too common across the CD-era material. "My early warning was your satan laughing" is grammatically wrong. Stuff like "can anybody tell me why the pain just won't stop" is pretty unoriginal and cliche.

Some lyrics seem like rough ideas that ended up staying because Axl wasn't confident he could surpass the existing recorded performances.

Dear god, I hope not. SOG sounds like Axl fuckng around and trying to make the guys laugh in the studio. Wildly off-key and pitchy as fuck.

Actually, I was trolling, it means that Axl is is going to retire from music to live in Polynesia and marry a prostitute.

You know, I’m curious why he sings it “when I don’t believe you.” ‘Cause in the lines preceding it, he says, “when I didn’t see you.” So he could have easily sang, “when I didn’t believe you.” If he was trying to keep the six syllable structure, he could have just sang, “Well, I don’t believe to you.” But maybe that changes the meaning he was attempting to convey. Interestingly enough, their official shirt has the line “But I don’t believe you.” And I have never heard “but” instead of “when” or “well.”

Anyway, I like the satan line in “Monsters.” I interpret it like he saw a glimpse of the devil inside her. I actually like several lines from both leaked songs. Something like “I never cared how much I cared when I cared for you” is so good. But to your point, the line would have been clearer if he sang, “I never cared I cared too much when I cared for you.” 

Sometimes it really is all about the delivery elevating what might seem like a simple lyric though.  In The Rolling Stones new track “Depending on You,” the line “Now she’s giving my love to someone new.” Simple. So powerful. Agonizing.

But to use another GNR song as an example, “There was a Time.”

Axl wails: “I would do anything for you. There was a time I would do anything for you. I would do anything for you. There was a time.”

Simple line, right? But it’s brilliant. And THEN, even though he sings basically the same thing again after the beautiful solo, there’s a tone-shift due to the order in which he sings it.

Axl comes back and says “There was a time I would do anything for you …. I would do anything for you … I would do anything for you.”

He’s basically admitting he’d STILL do anything for this woman who broke his heart.

Just now, SoulMonster said:

What a roundabout way to say you don't like them. It's fine, we all have different tastes, you don't have to belittle others preferences. 

I just have to ask what is someone doing on a GNR message board in 2023 if they listen to “Monsters” and objectively say it’s garbage. I have seen some people say it’s an awful song.

I know music is subjective. And I can see why someone might not prefer “The General.” Of the two, it’s the more Chinese Democracyish tune. You don’t have to like what I like. But people who come here to yuck my yum … what more can you want from a Guns N’ Roses song but some vicious guitar licks, catchy chorus, insane bridge, outro solos over band singing. That’s “Monsters.” It’s not a radical departure from “Illusions.”

3 minutes ago, Sonic Reducer said:

Just to be 100% clear, you guys seriously like these tracks, right? It's not more of a "I'll take take what I got, I guess" reaction? You listened to the leaks and you genuinely enjoyed them. It's not a joke or a meme or something? Can you confirm?

I love them. 

31 minutes ago, kitstuai said:

Did I say Slash ruined the song? 

I prefer the instrumental from back then, I have a vocal removed version of that clip so I don't hear any people but the song. 

I was too aggressive with my response, and I apologize for that.

46 minutes ago, Wabby said:

Monsters would be such a great way to end an album, just seems like it would have been the perfect closing track for CD II

“Prostitute” was an epic closing track too though.

7 hours ago, kitstuai said:

If these are the final versions? Of course I will be

Releasing such poorly produced tracks with Axl on the megaphone for 'The General' would just be mocking the fans. The guitar parts on the cell phone recording are so much better. The full orchestra intro from 2006 as well. You barely hearing the pizzicatos in the leaks and the brass instruments disappeared. What a shame for Beltrami's work. So yeah, I will be embarrassed to get this "recording". And I won't be the only one 

Oh, my god. Here is the proof folks. I thought because we hadn’t heard prior versions of these songs with Finck or Bucket, people would STFU about how the originals were “much better” and how Slash “ruined” the songs. But we’re really gonna have comments from folks who will praise the cell phone leak over what we’ve now heard. The cell phone leak where you can barely make out fuck-all.

4 hours ago, cineater said:

Rolling Stone lists it in their 10 top venues:

Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
HOLLYWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 21:  Sam Hunt performs during the CBS Radio Presents 5th Annual "We Can Survive" Show at the Hollywood Bowl on October 21, 2017 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images)
TIMOTHY NORRIS/GETTY IMAGES
The country’s most famous band shell, the Hollywood Bowl has hosted concerts by everyone from Judy Garland and Louis Armstrong to Elton John and Black Sabbath. Since the 17,500-person capacity venue opened in 1922, artists have been making history there year after year: The Beatles played there in 1965 and 1965 and released the live album, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, using recordings they made there; the Doors do the same in 1968; Monty Python staged their last full revue there in 1982; Kanye West chose the venue as the perfect place to play his 808s & Heartbreak album in its entirety in 2015; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played what would be their final shows together there in 2017 before his death. “It was the Hollywood Bowl,” Ringo Starr once said of the Beatles’ gigs there. “[This was an] impressive place to me. I fell in love with Hollywood then, and I’m still in love with Hollywood.” —KORY GROW

 

American Songwriter lists it as number 2 in it's 6 legendary music venues

2. Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, California
Like the Ryman Auditorium, the Hollywood Bowl is in a league all its own. This outdoor amphitheater in the hills of California creates a tranquil experience like no other. With sound and acoustics that are near perfect, there’s a magic to the Hollywood Bowl that makes for an exceptional live music experience. The bleacher seating and cozy lawn chairs create a community atmosphere, the music being the bind that brings everyone together.

NME brings it in as #7 in their 14 legendary rock venues

The Hollywood Bowl is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the summer months, and was another favourite of The Beatles, who recorded ‘The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl’ there in 1964 and 1965. Morrissey also released a live album from the venue, which plays host to some spectacular 4th July celebrations too.

  California native here and nobody gets away with discounting the importance of the Hollywood Bowl.

Rolling Stone also ranked Slash like 105 in best guitarists of all time. Their opinion matters not. 

45 minutes ago, Coma16 said:

I dont think we'll see her in the lineup moving forward (hopefully we do, i really like her backing vocals and vibe). Word on the street another member is gone after this leg as well.

What do you know, friend?

I voted no.

Which isn’t saying much considering they’ve released almost nothing after Illusions.

The coda in “There was a Time” is top tier shit. Let’s talk about codas or the last couple minutes of songs. Chinese has several. 

The end of “Better.” The end of “Street of Dreams.” The end of the title track.

I’ve long said the end of “There was a Time” is some of Axl’s best studio vocals ever. I LOVE “Monsters.” That angry Christmas card of unadulterated venom is right up there with me next to “TWAT” and other heavyweights we’d all likely point to (“Rocket Queen” coda, for example).

11 minutes ago, THELINESMAN said:

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”

Not to me. It sounds purposeful. You can clearly hear he’s not harmonizing initially. Just distorted, but definitely singing words. Then it transforms/blends into the guitar. So badass. Quick Song was clearly just Axl harmonizing as a placeholder.

23 minutes ago, kiwiguns said:

You seem to think the band has control over this process. I put it to you that they don't and the process is being forced upon the band by the record label. We know for a fact, that the live era release was driven by the record label and individual band members stepped in to tidy up the mix as they weren't happy with what they had heard.. 

Perhaps interms of quality and video production has the signs of the band being fully involved in the process.

I would not be surprised if the video content recorded by the band on tour used in the Perhaps video is exclusively owned by Guns N Roses. 

UMG are on the other side of the fence as the aren't making money from the band touring... 

To me, the record label are trying to get in on the money wagon, and the band have pushed back, via controlling the product, taking there time collectively (Axl, Slash and Duff) to make sure its right. 

 

 

Wait, we’re still pretending that GNR are the only artists in the world who can’t release songs on time because of the record label?

12 minutes ago, betterman said:

You cant be serious! 

The general and Monsters are the two best GNR songs since CD and also better than at least half of CD.

He probably doesn’t like Chinese Democracy either. 

9 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

Yeah pretty much. 

A back to basics, simple approach would be great. 

Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

This thread is basically a loop at this point. So I’ll say again if GNR ever do go back to a “simpler” song, then I hope it’s an acoustic number like “You’re Crazy” or “Patience.” That would be dope.