Gaanzer

Always liked this mic a lot more than the current red/black combo.

11 minutes ago, Zeppelin said:

This. The whole point of releasing those two turds for singles was that it was a sign of things to come. To show that it was possible for them to release new music, but that it would just be in chunks so they could release some of it faster. It's an optimistic approach if you actually follow through with it.

I could understand it if they had actually re-recorded these shit songs instead. At least to give them a more organic feel. But pasting parts and compressing everything together means we should've gotten CD2 and CD3 by now, if we're going to go by these shitty standards.

Glad someone used the word organic. 

On 11/8/2022 at 11:10 AM, The Real McCoy said:

Interestingly, Danny Clarke (one of the co-writers) was Asphalt Ballet’s guitar player.

And I’ve always preferred this live version from Wild Side, even if the singer is literally doing his best Axl impression:

Even the wardrobe is on point. 🤓

On 6/27/2018 at 8:53 PM, Bansidhe said:

Different key but TIL always reminded me of this.
Same descending progression in the main part.

 

 

https://open.spotify.com/track/11ivNoXZAqT4qKeob3BAAA?si=pFNVcf9kT7SJqvhltT8vhw&utm_source=copy-link

Now check this wonderful piano version and there's more than a "vague resemblance" isn't there? Dang.

24 minutes ago, ShadowOfTheWave said:

Ezrin didn't have any authority/ability to block CD's release. He was hired by Axl, not the label. If Axl wanted CD out he could have gotten anyone to produce it and submitted it to the label. Ezrin's comments just provided yet another excuse for him to not release it.

He really should have let the album "go" early 2000s. The differences between demo and finished product so minimal to the general audience's ear. All the tinkering in the world ... it don't really matter. Quite a few of the final CD songs turned out worse compared the the versions ready for release 8 years earlier. It's like taking a shot with a bow: aim for to long, and you lose sight of the target entirely.

6 hours ago, GoodOlJohnnyK said:

I feel pretty much the opposite as everyone else on Hard Skool. The released version sounds much more “alive” than the Village Leaks version.

The Village version doesn’t build so much as it just sort of limps into the song. The intro doesn’t fit the song. There’s no uplift, no real energy. It’s a good verse melody and a good chorus surrounded by sludgy, lifeless guitar work.

Slash and Duff brought it to life, IMO. I’m a big fan of the released version.

The only thing I agree with the majority of the forum on is that Axl’s vocals sound a bit too “dropped in” on the official version. They’re clearly of another time and place - though perhaps that’s because I already know that they are. Still, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying it.

The Village Leaks version, to me, sounded like the potential of a good song. Did the “Velvet” version of the song achieve its full potential? Maybe, maybe not. But I think it’s better than the Village version and I enjoy it quite a bit.

Edited to add: the only things I really hate about the official version is the stupid school bell and the spelling of “Skool.”

So you are digging the aye-aaayes? 🤓

1 hour ago, Powerage5 said:

Music production is an interesting thing, because it is both objective and subjective. Like, a great example is nobody would argue Never Mind The Bollocks is actually a well produced album. It’s muddy, muffled, distorted, you name it. But it has a charm, it has an identity, and you can enjoy it for that. I think very, very few people would try to argue that Absurd, and especially Hard Skool are actually well produced. But that doesn’t mean you can’t like them. 

I was of two minds on starting a new thread. We just discussed it in our mod chat and we agree it’s probably right to put it into a separate thread - and I see @Blackstarbeat me to it  

Going forward let’s try to keep the Spotify discussion in the Spotify thread - it has totally overrun this one to the point that any other discussion is just buried. 

The Pistols' album is a great example of production serving the tone / message / concept. Bollocks is one helluva nicely produced record. 

4 hours ago, Sweersa said:

In addition to that, the drums from the Village mix are amazing. (I assume Josh's work) I like the intro too, and solos.

An ideal version of Hard Skool to me would be exactly the same mix as the Village version from 2000, with Duff (or Tommy's) bass guitar higher in the mix, and the second part of Slash's solo added, and the extended vocals the released version had, though I could do without the Eye On You snippets. I'm sure they could extend Josh or Brain's drums to fit the slightly re-worked song without rerecording those with Frank.

This. A good producer 'ear' would have sharpened up that track to be 10 times the banger it is in its current form. 

I get a 'General' vibe, but perhaps that's too much hope. Always loved what the cell phone clip hinted about. 

On 5/29/2022 at 2:50 PM, prez said:

"Better" probably would have done well on rock radio around 2001 or so but it wouldn't have been a major top 40 hit like those other songs you mentioned. Of course they would have had to push it hard the way any band does with a hit single and that involves promotion that Axl has not shown himself to be willing to do.

Better minus the intro and with a more accessible transition to the bridge would have done okay. More than okay? That's a question we'll never see the answer to. 

15 minutes ago, IndiannaRose said:

What a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed that. It was a fun performance by both Axl and Carrie.

Enjoy it, because it will become weirdly unavailable on YouTube before you know it. 😉

To be fair. I think we can all conclude now that the 100% legendary voice won't ever make a full comeback, not even for a song or 2.

2 hours ago, James Bond said:

Am I surprised? No.

Still funny as fuck that this is their version of an exclusive.

Also totally killed the live sound in the engineering room. 🤔

1 hour ago, DTJ80 said:

FWIW I agree regarding the intro….I always liked it but understand why folk might be put off. I do like the ‘final version’ but prefer the Village one as it has more power and bite IMO.

Agreed, the shorter "too hard school..." ending sounded  much more powerful compared to the full chorus reputation that made the release. 

11 hours ago, Pele said:

Yeah - he pretty much confirms the ones that had vocals where the ones that ended up on the record.

He also left because of Rose's inability to turn up to the studio to record vocals.

They decided to get someone more senior to push Rose to record more vocals.

He say Roy Thomas Barker was unable to push him to sing more 

So we may assume that the man sung very little over the past 2 decades, which would mean that a bunch of "leftovers" are most likely the last feat of Gn'R. 

3 hours ago, ZODIAC said:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYkJ2pYoDWK/?utm_medium=copy_link

Duff ist doing it again!😂 

He really should stopp singing, for gods sake!😂🙈

20+ years after Axl dreamt of Eddy Vedder songs, Duff is delivering. 😂

4 hours ago, RochelleRochelle said:

I read the the to this thread as "Axl didn't do anything with his DEMONS",  would've been a much more interesting interview 🤣

Soul monster agrees. 👹

1 hour ago, Twinaleblood said:

I would like to go back for a minute to the old list that leaked 10 years ago or whenever that was, as this can thread can certainly use a little more speculation 

It seems that all the songs released on CD are marked with the number 2, I assume this indicates a remix/second version (this would also imply there's a CD remix around that we haven't heard). The only interesting exception to this is Catcher, which doesn't have a number 2 and I wonder why. That more or less "confirms" what's been said for a long time, ie that Catcher was a last minute addition to CD and probably not considered for the final tracklist yet at the time this list was compiled (10 months before the actual CD release).

Much more interesting would be to know what those other letters mean, like V, M, H or even "ch" and "br". Did anyone come up with ideas about that over the years? 

Refesh my memory, but was this one of the MSL e-mails? Damn accurate if you ask me, compared to the locker loot that surfaced years later. Here's to hoping they'll release a 'freshie' of this list. 🌟😄

7 hours ago, Gnrcane said:

I can't even imagine what a radio friendly version of Absurd would be!

I guess 2 Live Crew did it back in the day with their raunchy lyrics so anything is possible.

I think Absurd is extreme filler, has terrible lyrics but I would be able to like it in a 'tongue in cheek' way if it weren't for two things: the out of rhythm vocal skips in the verses & the pasted screams ("Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" ) . Any producer in his right mind would have cleaned up that mess. I can't imagine a garage band pushing out their 1st demo putting up with that, let alone Gn'R. 

The band /Axl rehashing old demos isn't the problem. The lack of will to make the production sound organic - which absolutely can be done with the base material feat. SLUFF - baffles me tbh. 

Now bring us the fxxxng General. 😁

3 hours ago, IkaruFunk said:

Axl would invent time travel just so he could use some '99 vocals

Imagine Eye on You's  "aye, aye, aaye, aaaaye"  combined with "rock". 🤣

On 11/6/2021 at 1:58 AM, vloors said:

Really they had 20 years to improve on mixes. If anything the mixes are worse than the original leaks lol Axl and Carams fault again.

My preference would be they spend time with a proper producer to go through the songs and get it mixed professionally. Do not let Caram or Axl touch producing or mixing of the album 😃

I can only dream of a Steve Albini produced Gn'R album. That would be an interesting experiment. 😉

Found out he's also responsible for this early 90's album 😂:

On 10/15/2021 at 1:47 AM, Coma16 said:

I'm glad he moved away from his Rapid Fire voice.

He wouldn't have been the star he is, had he continued using that voice. Axl's animalistic, unconventional rawness is what attracted such a large  audience. 

27 minutes ago, EvanG said:

Not if he's happy with the vocals he recorded for those songs x amount of years ago. I mean, why re-record something that already sounds good and you're happy with? Whether it's a 20 year old recording or not shouldn't matter.

Because the recordings of the last efforts sound disjointed. Don't know if the vocal tracks are to blame for the lack of 'organic' sounding music or Caram's mixing or our preexisting knowledge of the 'leaks'. Two things I really didn't value were the scream in Absurd and the 'aye-ayes' in HS. That felt like a copy paste job, even though I like the song. 

13 hours ago, DefinitelyInThisLifetime said:

https://youtu.be/hf4srkSc0Ig

 

So, having listened more and more, I KNEW I’d heard a similar sound elsewhere. It was driving me insane. I played my punk playlist while driving yesterday and Was It Me by The Exploited came on. It’s definitely a sound-alike here. Scary how similar in places.

Damn, listened to a fxxkton of Exploited when I was younger, but nice catch. 😁🤔