gunsnchalupas

In the sweltering summer of 2002, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery that would forever change my life. You see, I had an intense aversion to punctuality, and I believed that the world was conspiring against me. It was this unusual combination of quirks that led me to become an avid Guns N' Roses fan. It all began on a fateful day when I was late for a job interview. I had spent the night before trying to unravel a conspiracy theory involving alarm clocks and secret societies dedicated to enforcing punctuality. As a result, I had forgotten about the interview altogether and arrived a good 45 minutes late, disheveled and convinced that my tardiness was part of a grand scheme to undermine my career prospects. To my surprise, the interviewer was not an angry, disappointed soul, but rather a laid-back, jovial character named Frank. He sported long, wild hair, aviator shades, and a tattered Guns N' Roses t-shirt. In my frazzled state, I muttered something about the secret society of punctuality as an excuse for my tardiness. Frank burst into laughter, causing the office walls to reverberate with the sound of a hundred electric guitars. "Man, you sound like Axl Rose himself!" he exclaimed, still chuckling. And that's when it happened; Frank handed me a mixtape, plastered with the band's logo and an unmistakable aura of rock 'n' roll rebellion. It was like he'd passed me a ticket to a parallel universe. I returned home and inserted the mixtape into my dusty old cassette player, unaware of the magical transformation that was about to take place. As the opening riffs of "Sweet Child O' Mine" blasted through my speakers, I felt a surge of empowerment and newfound determination. Axl Rose's raspy voice and Slash's iconic guitar solos became my anthems of defiance against the world's obsession with punctuality. I abandoned my job search and dedicated my days to mastering the art of air guitar in the mirror. My wardrobe transformed overnight, and I started emulating the band's outrageous fashion choices - leather jackets, bandanas, and even a few strategically placed roses. I believed I was in a never-ending battle against the punctuality police, and my new identity as a Guns N' Roses fan was my shield against their nefarious schemes. My life took a wild turn. I painted my bedroom with skulls and roses, and my refrigerator was adorned with an Axl Rose magnet. I wrote letters to Axl himself, detailing my adventures in the world of punctuality resistance, convinced that he, too, was a member of the anti-clock secret society. Guns N' Roses songs became the soundtrack of my life. I would blast "Paradise City" as I defiantly ignored meetings, while "Welcome to the Jungle" provided the perfect background music for my late-night conspiracy theory brainstorming sessions. And then, amidst the chaos of my newfound obsession, I met her - a free-spirited woman named Lily. She had fiery red hair, a taste for adventure, and an infectious laugh that could rival even Axl Rose's screams. Lily was the kind of person who was always on time, organized, and had a schedule for everything. Our worlds couldn't have been more different, and that's what made her fascinating to me. As we got to know each other, our differences were evident. I was the erratic, spontaneous one, while Lily was the structured, reliable force in my life. We couldn't have been more opposite, yet there was an undeniable attraction between us. We'd often argue about my obsession with Guns N' Roses, with her shaking her head at the hours I spent air-guitaring in the living room, and me dismissing her "silly" alarm clocks as tools of the secret society. But in the midst of those arguments, there was also a deep connection, an unspoken understanding. Lily was patient with me, and I was madly in love with her. It was clear that our love story was a tale of contrasts, and the clash of worlds created an electrifying tension. Years passed, and our love only deepened. We'd go to a Guns N' Roses concert, and she'd be the one who ensured we arrived on time, while I was the one lost in the music, not caring about punctuality or anything else. We had the kind of love that was both tumultuous and beautiful, like the band's own turbulent history. But as time went on, my obsession with Guns N' Roses grew, and my punctuality issues didn't improve. It began to wear on our relationship. Arguments became more frequent, and I'd often find myself immersed in the world of Axl, Slash, and the gang, neglecting the woman who had given me so much. One evening, after another heated argument, Lily sat me down, tears in her eyes. She spoke with a sadness that cut through my heart like a well-played guitar solo. "I love you," she began, her voice trembling. "But it's become impossible to compete with your obsession with Guns N' Roses and your aversion to punctuality. It's tearing us apart, and I can't take it anymore. It's either the band or me." My heart sank, and I found myself at a crossroads. I had to make a choice. In that moment, I realized that my love for Guns N' Roses, while passionate and thrilling, had come at a cost. With a heavy heart, I made a decision, one that would ultimately shape the rest of my life. "I choose Guns N' Roses," I said, my voice cracking. It was a difficult choice, but it was a choice made in the heat of the moment, driven by years of obsession. Lily left, and I was left with my beloved Guns N' Roses, the band that had once saved me from a world obsessed with punctuality and order. But now, I was middle-aged and alone, surrounded by memorabilia, memories, and the distant echoes of Axl's screams. I may not have Lily by my side, but I still had my music, my conspiracy theories, and the rebellious spirit that had defined my life. And who knows, maybe one day an instrumental from an unreleased Guns N' Roses song will leak, providing a fitting soundtrack for my solitude. Until then, I'll keep rocking to the tunes of a band that once ignited my passion, even if it cost me the love of my life.

People are correct that in the wider sense, the general public doesn't care about an AFD 5 reunion. They don't know anybody outside of Axl and Slash. With that said, the general public would not be the marketing segment for the AFD 5 reunion. An AFD 5 reunion would work best as a residency or short term tour in smaller venues with much higher ticket prices. The target market would be hardcore fans or festivals who might pay more for the AFD Reunion if they perceive it to be a hotter act than the "regrouping". Additionally, the slight uptick in interest would help them with ticket sales when they go back to this current lineup.

Ask him if he thinks it is ironic that Axl isn't singing on the closest thing they wrote to a radio friendly single.

From a marketing POV it was always about Axl and Slash together. Izzy is in a better position now, because the current version of the band is clearly less appealing to fans and promoters than it was in 2016 when this started. Izzy on his own means nothing, but Izzy and Adler together as a package deal so that they can do the legitimate AFD 5 reunion would mean something for a short period of time. Nobody will care a year from when it starts, but they could either use it as a draw to command higher prices to headline a series of festivals, or they could do high priced arena shows aimed at wealthy people with bad taste. You also have to keep in mind that there is a trickle down effect from an AFD 5 reunion. A short reunion brings more interest to the band as a whole for a short period of time after the AFD 5 reunion is over.

Remix and remaster UYI as one 45-50 minute album with Adler on drums, less overdubs, and a more rock-oriented sound. Take the acoustic version of November Rain, but redo it with a full band and Slash on electric guitar. Maybe throw in Ain't Goin' Down since it's a "new" song to most people. Call the album Ain't Goin' Down and market it as the lost follow-up to Appetite, if the band didn't fall apart. Do a short "exclusive" tour where the original band reunites for the first and last time ever. They will play both Appetite and Ain't Goin' Down straight through, which with solos would be a 2+ hour show. Maybe a dozen shows max in major arenas with the Bruce Springsteen/Taylor Swift model of the band ripping the fans off instead of the scalpers. Release the UYI documentary at this same time. Then the current band can go back to their tour, and if the reunion brought any real interest to the GNR brand, that interest will increase sales to their standard tour.

So no one is putting Scraped on the album?

What about Let Duff Be Naked? Does that work? Or same problem?

It is a reference to Paul McCartney's reconstruction of Let It Be by The Beatles. I am sorry to have disappointed you.

Scenario: Guns N' Roses plan to release a 15th Anniversary re-issue of Chinese Democracy. The label does not feel the album is marketable as it was originally released. They want the songs re-done with Slash and Duff. Similar to what we have seen with Hard School, Absu(backwards R)d, and Perhaps. The only catch is that the album cannot exceed 45 minutes. Times are tough with vinyl pressing. They want the album out for the holiday season. Limiting the album to a single 45 minute LP would allow that to happen. The album cannot exceed 45 minutes. All the songs chosen must have appeared on the original Chinese Democracy album. You can have one "wild card" song. Meaning, a song that did not appear on the album. This song cannot involve Axl going into the studio to lay down vocals, because let's be real here. So if it is Slither, or a cover, it's gotta be Duff on vocals. We'll assume anything from the locker sessions has vocals by now (even if they probably don't). It can be anything from an unreleased Chinese era song, a cover, a Velvet Revolver song. How would you market the album? What would the front cover be? Would you keep the name Chinese Democracy, or would you name it something different in order to avoid confusion with Axl's misunderstood masterpiece? For reference, the original album with song lengths. 1 Chinese Democracy 4:43 2 Shackler's Revenge 3:36 3 Better 4:58 4 Street Of Dreams 4:46 5 If The World 4:54 6 There Was A Time 6:41 7 Catcher In The Rye 5:52 8 Scraped 3:30 9 Riad N' The Bedouins 4:10 10 Sorry 6:14 11 I.R.S. 4:28 12 Madagascar 5:37 13 This I Love 5:34 14 Prostitute 6:15

If Hard School didn't have a separate master for vinyl, it is unlikely that Perhaps or The General will. I don't have Hard School on vinyl, so I don't know if the master is different. A lot of modern vinyl releases are compressed. They are actually worse than the compressed digital releases, because it's the same compressed master with the volume lowered and maybe some minor alterations. In addition, there is the distortion or artifacts if the record is poorly pressed or not near-mint. Vinyl has certain restrictions with how loud certain frequencies can be, so they just take the compressed digital master and lower the volume all around. Which is ironic given the purpose of brickwalling is to make a recording louder. Most releases don't get separate vinyl masters, and most re-issues that aren't from some boutique label are just the digital master pressed onto vinyl with minimal necessary changes. An example of a record that got a full remix/master for vinyl was Stadium Arcadium, but that's a bit outside the norm. Vinyl, again ironically, isn't really about the music. Most people who buy vinyl don't listen to it. It's more of a collectible. So there isn't much value added by making sure it sounds good. In most cases for modern represses or releases that are just your run of the mill releases, there will probably be a digital or CD version that sounds better.

They will release a 'Best Of' 2 disc set. They will include the 6 songs they released this past year, along with 2 more new songs. The rest will be from the studio albums. Maybe they will have an EP for RSD that has the 6 (or by then 8) new songs all together in one package. If you're the label, you're not taking an album of Chinese Leftovers that people have already heard. Nobody wants those. A Greatest Hits type album with a few new songs will sell a lot better.

Here, I fixed the videos for you guys. Try these.

Best Buy paid for a million copies of the album. If ripping it out of Axl's hands was the difference between executing that deal or not, he was right to force the album out. If they wait another 6 months or a year, who knows if another chance comes for the label to make their money back like they had with Best Buy.

My point also isn't to rag on Axl or Slash for choosing loud masters. That's the unfortunate industry standard of almost all rock or pop music, so anybody mastering their music is almost certainly going in that direction unless they are told otherwise. While there has been some pushback against that kind of mastering from music enthusiasts, it's hardly a mainstream notion that albums mastered loud is bad. It's the default state of rock music, and only the most egregious examples like Death Magnetic seem to get any real mainstream pushback. Whether they simply don't notice, don't care, or prefer it - most mainstream rock acts have their albums mastered way too loud with some sort of clipping or distortion.

I never said 60 year old men are deaf. I said these are 60 year old whose ears have been exposed to loud noises on a fairly regular basis. You can find numerous references to the mastering process of CD by googling some variation of Bob Ludwig Chinese Democracy Mastering dynamics. The original source might be gone from the internet, but there are numerous discussion topics quoting it and discussing it. Whether Axl would have chosen the more dynamic version, even had Ludwig preferred a louder version of the master, we don't know. The point I am making is that we know a big reason why CD was so dynamic may have been that Bob Ludwig preferred that version of the master, and made that known to Axl and co.

Oh My God does have clipping. Also, I assume that the mastering may have been done out-of-house because it was for a soundtrack. I would have to either listen to the End Of Days soundtrack and/or rip a few songs. I don't know enough about how soundtracks are put together, but I assume that there is some basic mastering done to equalize the volume across multiple songs that are recorded separately. If CD was released in 1999-2001, it would almost certainly suffer from brickwalling. There are some exceptions, but almost every major rock and pop album was mastered that way. We got very lucky that CD was released as dynamically as it was. Which isn't to say the mix is bad, good, or whatever, but at least we can hear it properly. There can still be clipping on individual tracks that doesn't show up on the complete waveform. So if people can hear clipping on a specific song but the waveform seems dynamic, it is still possible that one of the instruments or tracks in the song is causing it. That's a bit different though than an entire song getting brickwalled where it is fairly obvious and exhausting to listen to.

The default for modern rock or pop albums is to master them hot. So it is difficult to pin point if Hard School and Absurd being mastered that way would be a deliberate choice on the band, or ignorance to how it sounded. These are 60 year old men who have exposed their ears to a lot of loud noise over the last few decades. If someone auditioned a specific master to them, they may not care or notice about clipping or the master being loud. In the case of CD, Bob Ludwig campaigned Axl to choose the more dynamic master, but also provided two louder options. So we know in that scenario, it was made note of.

Perhaps on top, HS on the bottom. The loudness war only really started around the mid 90s, so most of GNRs output was spared from it. Spaghetti' is the only GNR album to suffer from it. You can argue about it being a Punk album, and how it might have worked as an aesthetic choice. Ironically, albums that aren't boosted with loudness are easier to play louder than albums with immense clipping, so I would argue that it doesn't work as an aesthetic choice. If I recall, almost everything Slash has put out since 5 O'Clock has been mastered loud. I don't know if this is an active choice on the part of Slash, or indifference to where popular music was trending. It's difficult to say with Axl, because he barely released anything, so all we have to go by is CD where Axl made the bold choice to release the most dynamic version of the album that was presented to him despite it being counter to the trends at the time in popular rock music.

Using compression to make an album as loud as possible. Google, loudness war.

Mix and mastering are two different things. Chinese Democracy had dynamic mastering, but that doesn't mean the choices made in the mix were good or bad. Spaghetti Incident was mastered hot on CD, but people generally like the mix. It is still difficult to listen to due to the lack of dynamics. The original UYI albums were not mastered hot, but people generally are negative about the mix. They made the choice to go with a more dynamic master for Chinese Democracy. This was because of Bob Ludwig. He was a proponent of Axl going against the grain and using the most dynamic master possible. He made three versions for them, one mastered hot with no dynamics, one in the middle, and one with the most dynamics possible. They chose the most dynamic mix, despite the trend at the time being that albums should be mastered as hot as possible. Appetite was mastered without the use of any compression, which was not a common thing. Compression is usually required for recordings, but the intended purpose is to level out performances, not to boost loudness to the top possible level, which is how it is used now. These guys are all in their 70s and can't hear anymore. They also want the songs to be commercially successful hits (which won't happen regardless), and the commercial standard is to master music hot at the expense of anybody who wants to listen to it on anything other than cheap laptop speakers. It is idiotic, but it isn't going away.

Do the vinyl remasters have more dynamic mastering, or is it like a lot of modern digital to vinyl releases where it is pressed with the brickwalled master, just with minor adjustments or the volume adjusted?

Mine came in the mail today but those red and white cables from my Crosley don't seem to fit in my computer. I thought i could just jam them into the headphone jack but now my laptop is damaged. I will try to record myself singing it accapalla later on but I can't be too loud because people are sleeping. I also haven't figured out a way to replicate the beeps and bops with a human voice, once I have that down, I'll give you guys an idea of how it sounds.

I read that it is only being released as sheet music.

Wait, the second guitar player isn't the guy from AFD?

They should release full albums with all the different demos and mixes of each of these songs. Even if it is a digital only thing, they would ensure that the five figures worth of hardcores who actually listen to the new songs would boost the plays. Instead of one song getting up to 10k plays on Spotify, they would get a dozen songs that accumulate 100k+ plays. Obviously, people aren't going to listen to Perhaps (Robin Solo Down 1.5dB, Slash Kazoo w/ reverb) as many times as the final single, but I think it would still accumulate plays. There is also the fact that they are trying to market the CD era as under appreciated. When you hear all the different versions of each song, and really go into the names of who was involved with these songs, it gives them a chance to push that this was a highly ambitious project and the last epic rock album. It wasn't just Axl dicking around, he had the drummer from the Foo Fighters! Stuff like that. Listen to Foo Fighters Josh Freese and Nine Inch Nail's Robin Finck on the 1999 industrial version of Perhaps. It is a real shame that Axl is so insecure or untrusting, or whatever it might be - because every one of these songs released could be marketed very strongly with some sort of documentary element where Axl or the people who were around him at the time go into what the songs meant, what they tied into, the journey to finally getting each one finished and released. Then they would have Slash and Duff going over the intention of what they added or changed. There is really a lot they could do to market these songs better because nobody cares about actual new GN'R music as it is now, but people might get into the fantastic almost movie like backstory to the Chinese Era.