Malcolm Malcolm

17 hours ago, AlexC said:

Yeah Rick Rubin immediately came to my mind but then I remembered what Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, Death Magnetic and 13 sounded like. Deafening riffage for an hour. So much so that you forget everything that you've just heard. I do think if he was involved solely for creative purposes and artistry then yes, I think he has the assertiveness to get the best performances out of them. Just don't let him anywhere near the mixing process.

Plus he produced the American Recording albums. The best work of Johnny Cash's career imo. Someone who has the genius to pair Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden and Depeche Mode with an icon like Cash is perfectly qualified to take on the mammoth task of producing a Guns N' Roses record in my book.

Rubin's input could be good in terms of sheer decision making. He's done that role without actually producing for NIN and Kanye West. However, Ezrin was supposed to do that for Chinese Democracy and Axl hated it. Rubin has a more diplomatic reputation and this role is blatantly needed.

The problem with DJ Ashba is he has no artistic credibility and is incredibly uncool. Ashba joining GNR signalled that Axl had effectively gone in the direction that led to Vegas

1 hour ago, bucketfoot said:

Yeah, a box set could work. It would be great if it was re-released as a double/triple album. Even a box set of the various versions of the album would be interesting, I'd certainly love to hear the Sean Beavan version of CD. I just think ideally Axl should move on from the CD era now Slash and Duff are back in the band and that's why I think a solo album would be the best route to get those songs out there.

Yeah, but a solo album would involve work and anxieties about commercial performance, which Axl is bad with. A box set means he can just throw everything in there and Chinese Democracy and 2000 Intentions/the Beavan album are in there as finished albums plus everything else. He doesn't have to worry about everything being perfect or how much it will sell.

Cool song - solo is a mess though

3 hours ago, bucketfoot said:

Agree, any material from the CD era should really be released as a solo album now that so much time has passed, with the band starting from scratch on a new record. How long would that take though given Axl's slow pace and perfectionism? I think ultimately if we do get a record it'll be a mixture of old and new stuff with Slash and Duff added to the old songs and Axl working on ideas they bring to the table.

I think the leftover Chinese Democracy material should be released as part of a multi-disc box set covering that era including the album. Axl should just clear the vault and start from scratch with Slash and Duff on any new material. He wouldn't have to worry about chart placements and sales with a box set either and it would be a neat way of packaging that era.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-tommy-stinson-moved-on-from-replacements-and-gnr-w458836

In this interview in Rolling Stone Tommy Stinson says:

Stinson says there's a wealth of recordings Guns N' Roses made during his tenure that have yet to be released. "There's some stuff with lyrics, some without," he says. "We did a lot of stuff that was supposed to be on Chinese Democracy – the record was meant to be more than one disc, but after spending so much time on it we just had to put an end to it. There's also stuff that was held over from [the original lineup] before they all disbanded, so there's some stuff that should someday see the light of day."

On 12/12/2016 at 11:09 PM, shotsfired cro said:

ok...so I had lentghy off the record chat with a person close to the band who recently spend lots of time on and off stage - there won't EVER be another album!

Not my words, just sharing what I had been told.

Axl can't sing long term and he is aware of that. On and off stage it is managers sending messages, just like good old times.

Everyone is aware how bad Frank, Fortus and Melissa are but they are not in to be good, aim is to be as loud as possible to mask Axl's voice.

Nobody in the band has interaction with anyone within the band at this point.

Take it for what its worth, it is the way it stood last week...

 

and yes...Everyone around the band is having a good time with how bad Frank is and how unfitting Fortus is...Aparently it occured to Axl too, but why hire Matt and Izzy and play precise and tuned down when that is not the aim + costs more.

'why hire Matt and Izzy and play precise and tuned down when that is not the aim + costs more'

This makes no sense. I call bullsh*t here.

18 minutes ago, Night Drive Lonelinessl said:

the lineup is hybrid. 3 of its hybrid members recorded and released the best guns record chinese democracy. compared to it slash and duff haven't recorded or released anything. the next release will be cd 2 with slash and duff on it maybe as add ons. and that's a big if

This is absolutely tremendous.

I find Axl's style very hit and miss but that raincoat is a fucking disgrace 

Does he always play with the towel over the snare?

22 hours ago, RONIN said:

Exactly. Illusions contains some of Axl's all-time best work from Dead Horse to Don't Damn Me. Those albums are a creative peak for not only him, but the entire band.

With the good ofcourse, comes the bad. Axl's insistence on adding layers upon layers of synth crap into the songs just changed their feel completely. It gave everything a more polished sheen, which was good in the sense that it made the albums seem like a more mature effort -- however, Axl went too far...there is so much overproduction that it makes the songs lose a lot of their edge and vitality. 

The drumming and just the sound of the album from a mixing pov is so crap compared to albums of that era like Nevermind, Ten, Black album, etc. Another instantly dated record from that era was "Dangerous" (Michael Jackson) -- great album, but the same problems: bloated tinny overproduced sound with unnecessary "effects". In retrospect, it highlights how rawer albums from indie rock bands in 1991 made UYI seem out of touch. UYI would have been fine with a minimalist touch, even with the multitude of epic songs. It's the way those songs are produced that completely fucked everything up in the eyes of the critics and fans.

I still love UYI though. UYI 2 tracks like Locomotive and Pretty Tied Up were so promising for the future of the band. It's only in retrospect from the Slash interviews that we know that those songs were just one-off's -- Slash didn't want these types of songs on the '96 follow-up album. I suppose neither did Izzy.

I don't get when a band with a giant budget uses synth strings. It just doesn't sound as good as the real thing.

1 hour ago, WAR41 said:

Nah man I didn't think you were criticizing him.  If I were in his position, nevermind the fact that I'm a hardcore GNR fan, how could you say no to that gig?  At the time when he was offered the job you're looking at a guaranteed paycheck, working with one of the most notorious figures in rock and you'll probably have some cool stories out of it all.  I would take that job in a second.  But yeah the guy was a functioning alcoholic during his time which is ironic for the obvious reasons you mentioned.  No matter what he did I think he knew deep down people would never accept him as the bassist of GNR.  Not saying its responsible for his drinking, but goddamn if I gave it my all for almost 2 decades and I heard some dipshit in the audience every show asking where Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven were I'd probably turn to the bottle too. 

You all seem very sure he's got a drink problem, which is a pretty serious accusation. Where's the concrete evidence asides from the fact The Replacements (who were amazing by the way) were a drinking band?

38 minutes ago, Slash787 said:

It does sounds great, Josh Freese did the drumming on this, are you Malcolm Young or Malcolm in the middle? 

I like Axl's voice on this. It was very clever of him to claim that the clean voice was his Mickey Mouse voice and the fans just weren't into it.

I saw Josh Freese play live with NIN and it was the best display of drumming I've ever seen. Brain sounds fantastic though on the proshot live footage we have of him with GNR.

People are too hard on Frank - he's a pretty good drummer, but unfortunately he has to deal with comparisons to Steven Adler and three seriously big name drummers.

Haha I'd claim to be Malcolm Young because the guy was so good but unfortunately it wouldn't be ok because he's so unwell.

On 25 September 2016 at 11:23 AM, Slash787 said:

Brain had to re record the same parts by Josh Freese 

"What surprised me is that they supposedly had Brain re-do my drums note for note." (Josh Freese, Podocast, 04/13) 

"Roy [Thomas Baker] was the producer at that time and he's like, 'Well, basically what you are gonna have to do is play exactly what Josh played. Exactly note for note." (Brain, EQTV, 10/08)

 

RTB was a big, big problem in the whole Chinese Democracy process. 

Sean Beavan and Bob Ezrin at least tried to help to achieve a decent 21st century rock album. I don't know what they were doing digging up a dinosaur like RTB. It didn't go well for the Smashing Pumpkins either.

On 25 September 2016 at 10:36 AM, Slash787 said:

The demo's are so much better

 

This sounds fantastic. Great drum sound in particular.

1 hour ago, auad said:

http://www.alternativenation.net/10-times-axl-rose-was-great-without-slash-and-duff-mckagan/

Thanks for that, I had no idea that cover of Sailing even existed.

18 minutes ago, PsychoKiss344 said:

In my personal opinion I only enjoy the Ju Ju Hounds album.

I love 117 degrees. Great album.

Good move, Axl. He's not a racist at all, at least now.

Houston all the way. Nightrain was incredible.

On 6 August 2016 at 6:18 AM, moreblack said:

It's a real shame the world is stuck with studio versions of the CD songs with other dudes doing guitar on them, because they were clearly made for Slash.

Absolutely - I like Bucket and Robin and Richard but Slash should've been on the songs Axl wrote.

By the way my brother, a casual fan, was at this show and said it was fantastic.

On 5 August 2016 at 9:50 PM, -W.A.R- said:

the label should have put the album out back in 99 but they told Axl it wasn't good

with him being very fragile emotionally at the time, that probably upset him and it turned into the clasterfuck it did. the label cost themselves more waiting on Axl to make a better record (and all he did was keep polishing the album they thought sucked) than just throwing it out there and let it be what it was gonna be.

it took the label way too long to realize this, but by that time they were 15 million in the hole, had wasted an obscene amount of time, and had one hell of a overproduced album that you would expect after being tinkered with for 10 years.

This.

7 hours ago, RONIN said:

Chinese Democracy should never have had b-listers like finck, Fortus, frank and bumblefoot -- shows you how far this band had fallen that Axl enlisted them. No way could these journeymen session players follow Slash, Izzy and Duff The King Of Beers McKagan.

The only "nu" people who were worthy enough to be on a guns n roses album were Josh Freese, Brain, and Colonel Sanders friend, Mr. Buckethead. When those guys walked, Axl's solo project was toast. Enter Bumblefoot who shreds tastelessly over the Catcher in the Rye outro. What a clusterfuck of an album Chinese Democracy was.

Unless Axl can piece together CD 2 with Freese, Brain and Bucket -- dump it and let the originals take over. 

Damn shame about Mr. Buckethead -- the guy was a genius. Any man who can compose the most sublime guitar melodies in a chicken coop that smells of dog shit while watching super hardcore porn is no longer a man - he is a legend. 

Slash is my hero but Buckethead is Godly.

I think you are right about the loss of Buckethead being a big problem - the fall from him to DJ Ashba is a big one; but Finck and Fortus were absolutely capable of being in Axl's band.

That would've been absolutely terrible.

11 hours ago, AlterL said:

Maybe, just maybe it doesn't make sense right now, I mean they're doing a tour right now out of Slash's come back, then comes AFD 30's anniversary that's two world tours right there, but after that happens, they will probably release another album just so they can tour it. I know I hate it to, but is not so uncommon, SoundGarden first reunited in 2010 and they only released an album in 2012, I haven't been following them but I think there's still no follow up for it right now. 

Maybe, just maybe it doesn't make sense right now, I mean they're doing a tour right now out of Slash's come back, then comes AFD 30's anniversary that's two world tours right there, but after that happens, they will probably release another album just so they can tour it. I know I hate it to, but is not so uncommon, SoundGarden first reunited in 2010 and they only released an album in 2012, I haven't been following them but I think there's still no follow up for it right now. 

They're working on the follow up right now.

On 21 July 2016 at 1:55 AM, ironmt said:

My God this Is a tragedy.

Pfft, it happens all the time - see Rihanna at Wembley Stadium the other month. Guns N' Roses are doing just great.

On 30 June 2016 at 3:03 AM, AslatIE said:

Fun little album 

5/7

Why out of 7? Confusing.