soon

Thank you Izzy Stradlin, for amazing songs and for your major contributions to creating this band we love!  Looking forward to your next recordings!  I mean, I even love avocados - you're the man!

Pretty Tied Up is not a dud!  It's fantastic!  Other than that, great article.  Thanks for posting.

7 minutes ago, Johnny Nightrain said:

This might be a years-long journey, but I have a far-fetched goal of collecting at least one version of every official GN'R vinyl release. I say one version, because a lot of the releases are the same in multiple countries. For example, I own the German "It's So Easy" 12-inch and it's the exact same thing as the U.K. version. I'm also into picking up promos, but I wouldn't consider the collection incomplete if I'm missing a few. I made my first big step toward the collection this weekend when I pulled the trigger and coughed up $70 for the original cover "Appetite" release, which is actually a good price.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, I can post pics of the records as I get them.

Also, I'd love to see what everyone else has.

Im jealous!  Happy for you too of course.  Id love to see you post as you grow your collection!  And am excited to see what everyone else has.  I only have a copy of Lies which is in really good condition.  My partner doesnt love the cover so much so its kinda at the back of the bin.  For me a big goal would be to simply get all the studio albums and Live Era, but would be neat to learn whats all out there

I hadn't noticed/ remembered Slash's arrival in first clip.  Well, well, well, looks who's late to the stage now 

I did remember the This I love Clip.  Slash facing Axl, who's in a throne, as he reveals his take and ability on 'new' solo for a song he'd rejected all those years ago.  It struck me as... being noteworthy.

Those sneakers!  Love it!  I thought they were the height of coolness when I was a kid.  The scene at the end of Estranged video where the shoe falls to bottom of ocean was the highest art id witnessed at that point in life.  Thanks for bring this up!

The last line Axl sings in the recorded version is "Alright, that sucked!" 

Maybe one need look no further?

And then theres the fact that Axl has expressed that he was resentful to have all these songs thrust at him to write lyric and melody to rather then a more interactive and organic process.  The lyrics might even be in reference to this to some degree.

Maybe theres lots of reasons it wasn't played on UYI tours beyond what the band was quoted on.  When the tour started and Izzy was around it might've been a lower priority because he doesnt really play much of a significant role in that song.  When Giilby joined he had to learn lots of songs in 3 weeks, DDM has a lot of chord changes so maybe they just thought they'd work it out later in tour.  The half time section - "I know you don't wanna hear me crying" section - requires Duff to play a very solid foundation.  His bass line is key there.  Maybe Duff wasn't able to be counted on due to his struggle with alcohol.  Not saying he couldn't do it by any means but maybe it was risk aversion.  

"Tuesday, what?!? You skipped Wednesday!"

I wish I had video of me around those ages hearing GNR for first time!  Would've been very similar to the positive and excited kids.

this is neat.  please send your final report to GNR?

I am a hobbyist, but when I was younger I was semi pro - still hobbyist for your uses here, but noteworthy i think.  

These are examples that have really stuck with me, as they were big events in my life.  They are about rehearsals and management collaboration.

1) Mental Health Struggles:  I was in a band that was gaining some local traction despite lacking a consistent rhythm section.  The players we wanted would only record and do 'larger' gigs - they were more established and had to follow the money.  So we had a rotating cast of less qualified players come and go.  Finally connected with an amazing drummer.  He even had some pedigree. Best drummer Ive ever had the pleasure of playing with.  I was songwriter and guitarist - a pete townsend type role in band.  Me and him became a nucleus, arranging a lot on our own.  I was no longer concerned about a bass player - this guy would attract a good one.  Plus:  he really liked my writing and it was a huge boost for me.  I was in some wedding bands and this and that.  I introduced him around and instantly he started getting session work.  Then late one night I got a call.  A friend called to inform me that they'd been locked out of the studio and only the drummer remained inside, barricaded.  Next time I saw drummer a few days later it was clear he was still in a state.  After this episode he informed me he suffers paranoid schizophrenia.  But during this conversation he had a notebook and had been following me and wanted to question me about why was I at library, way was I at grocery store?  His paranoia fixated squarely on me.  Now, Im not one who's fussed by mental health issues and am not quick to have any fear of it.  But after a few weeks of some the greatest moments of musicality and friendship interrupted randomly by crisis i felt unable to continue.  We didn't have a strong enough foundation in our relationship to endure the hardships. Our band had just been awarded a grant.  Album remains unfinished.  It took the wind out of my sails.  Reputation took a bit of a blow.  Couldn't go back to crapy drummers ever again.  Ive never tried to make a go of it for that level with a band ever again.  And I miss the guy a lot.  Since then he's settled into cover band work.  Collaboration is just not a good fit for him.  I 'd like to think that as I write, he's rocking Summer of 69 for some tipsy boomers who just enjoyed brunch.

2) Practice Bands:  They believe they want to make a go of it, but don't seem to know how to get out the door.  If they do get a gig they don't advertise it.  They don't even form a mailing list.  Even if say you'd worked in recording studios and as a booking agent your input would not necessarily be valued or acted on. This band spent oodles of their own money recording in a basement studio for years, recording 5 albums worth of material, got offered a residency at the main local music hall, invited no one to attend any of the shows and wasn't phased at the empty room.  I spent a few years during the tail end of recording sessions and what would be were the band focused on building a profile.  I guess I was kind of  Brain type figure - i had a larger perspective on the industry, put in a great effort and went along with the program and then eventually just couldn't take it anymore.  It might be a fear of success on their part?  But if so it was well concealed.  The other members were long time friends.  I think they just loved hanging out and the youthful dreams of making it were allowed to safely live on in that practice room but they all "knew" nothing would come of it and they didn't actually want it too.  If they didn't wanna practice 4 nights a week, Id still be there.  But when the band is presented as an opportunity for collaboration, this is all very frustrating.  i guess here I don't mean musical collaboration, but more so the collaboration of launching a band and creating a shared vision.  There was no collaboration on management type issues.  The group logic didn't even include space for the existence of those issues and concepts.  And yet the stated goals clearly required that.  We did play the drummers wedding once though:)

sheesh, thanks of this therapy session!

6 hours ago, Tadsy said:

It was on the alt set list a few times last year! That, in itself should tell you he's "tried it".

No.  It was monumental that Axl did a few sound checks at the very beginning of the regrouping.  He does not rehearse and has not done soundcheck since.  Nor has he his entire career with GNR.  Basically, with vip passes that allowed people to watch and record those few early full band sound checks we have a sense of what he sang on in soundcheck.  There is absolutely no evidence that he sang Slither at any of those rare events.  And with regards to it having been on a few alt set its last year, like I say:  Stevens guest spot in Argentina would've been on main set list, but Axl was surprised to see him backstage - meaning he hadn't glanced at set list.  

I really hope that something comes back.  Im confident it will.  

I just does.  

You're clearly into it and dedicated.  Maybe a sabbatical is something everyone could use and you'll be even better for it?

All the best and you should post some recordings whenever the inspiration returns!

On Lies, they put the bassist on guitar for at least Patience.  A three guitar spread could allow one guitar to focus on some 'baselines' within the chordings and since its not a focus but rather a layer, a bit of extra bass frequencies and space for them to breath wouldn't be as distracting or un natural as if it were the main guitar component.  Id go for some heavier gauge strings and a really woody sound. For drums, even though this doesn't help fill in the bass frequencies themselves, on a separate back up guitar track, a chiming and shimmering tone can be used to strum the way that a ride cymbal would be in the mix.  Hear it a lot in country and 70s rock: often theres an acoustic strumming higher voiced inversions playing the same pattern as a ride. Open strings, mild fret noise and even the odd accidental harmonic can be nice here. Lock that in with the 'baseline-chord-guitar' which should be emphasizing where the kick drum would be in its strumming.  Good for groove and the shimmery stuff can sometimes, by contrast, emphasize the bass sound its interacting with.  And then the main rhythm guitar sits on top of these and between them in mix.  Leads can still be on a fourth guitar/track.  Still can sound like a two guitar song.

Obviously these arrangement techniques don't work for nearly all type of songs or styles.  And may not appeal to all, but for what its worth thought I'd share my approach to that. 

Sometimes I loose the muse so far as writing or having breakthroughs in my development.  But if I see a guitar, I just have to pick it up and fire off a chord or pinch harmonic at least.  So I try and use that compulsion to my advantage. When I catch myself only doing that, I just try and get back to a rudiments practice routine.  Sometimes the muse just returns out of the ether and sometimes the practice journey will take me somewhere new - maybe via a different instructor (on youtube) or the decision to focus on players of a genre I hadn't yet delved in to.

Im not clear on if you are still keeping up your routine, but just don't feel inspired to play, like to just rip for fun and jam with other people?  But for me, if Im not always running to my guitar to express myself I just make sure the guitar is always on the couch, next to the desk and if I touch it, I have to play though some scales.  Then I finally get around to learning some modes that I slacked on in my youth and it inspires a new wave of musical output eventually.

Currently Im writing songs, but am not feeling it in the pure guitarist sense.  So I played the A scale a whole lot today.  Intended to practice basic precision metal picking techniques, but ended up with a blue-note heavy chord/melody arrangement of Amazing Grace somehow:)

Not sure if this really speaks to you situation though.  Hope you get a good group together who inspire you to play!

how about sub-bass?

3 hours ago, Gibbo said:

Yeah its a great tone mate amd only using one of them 5watt Slash amps. We were just doing a few song to help out this other band thats been around in my small town since the 70s and they were blown away with my tone  We havent really played together since 2010 and the bass playing is the lead players son who has only been playing guitar for a couple years 

Are you using the gain for any of that saturation or are you mostly just pushing the tubes with the master ac dc style?  Im guessing ac dc style, but thought I'd ask.

Voted for Jungle.  When CD came out I would've voted for CD.  If Izzy returns hope they go with Pretty Tied Up.  I would've loved to hear more material in that direction.  Seems they were feeling it to since they opened Rock in Rio 2 with it both nights.  I guess that train of thought was cut off when Izzy left.  The lyrics in verses would have even more relevance now too, even though I'm still into it and all.

I think the various philanthropic pursuits will be a greater focus again for some of them, maybe?  I'd be happy for Axl if he could connect with an org that supports children like he said he wanted to in his 92 Rolling Stone feature. Seems like he finally could?  Dolphins, elephants, seals, womans rights, music cares for the rest, except for Del whose charity work may include forming a militia to go after the minute men 

Thanks for posting!  Don't remember reading it before.  I'd love to present Axl with Adler's drum art as a rorschach test.  

This is really good!  Your tone! 

I would much prefer it over Slither.  Do It For The Kids would be a neat option too just because then we get some much needed Izzy vibe, since he wrote the riff.

26 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

 Idk I doubt Axl has even tried 

Thats what I was thinking.  I bet Axl doest even know if he could do it.  Or judging by Axls surprise that Steven Adler was in Argentina I wonder if he's even aware it was ever on a rehearsal set list

1 hour ago, Spaghetti Guy said:

3:27

 

Interesting how he refers to him as "a friend" in this clip.  A complicated world to inhabit where someone who creates war asks you to write a song denouncing war, which you do, for your friend the war monger. 

I remember a clip of Matt Sorum talking about how Axl wanted to fund a militia somewhere in South America.  I guess we know who's idea that must have been. 

Good question.  I don't know.  And in verse three is Axl the "Boy" - now she is singing to him?

(aside: Axl seems to believe that anyone he wants to give love to but who only seeks satisfaction from him is crazy.  hmm)

I like it on some tracks, definitely Brownstone.  Often live I cant hear Dizzy's percussion on other tracks - sometimes gives me chuckle, poor Dizzy.  

I've read/heard both Matt Sorum and Dizzy mention how Matt had a deal with Zilldian and when he saw Dizzy just sitting there during songs with no piano he dragged over some percussion instruments to Dizzy so he'd have something to do.  Dizzy said he learned from that day on how to play them.  So, in some cases Dizzy is only playing since Matt asked him to I guess?  

Teddy Zig Zag really knew how to rock the tambourine too!

Just did a quick search for quotes. Not the best example here and not expansive but heres at least a reference to this fact, and hopefully I can, or others can, find the specific quotes:

"With encouragement from GNR 2.0 drummer Matt Sorum, Reed also developed into an auxiliary percussionist..." 

Read More: Dizzy Reed 101: Everything You Need to Know About Guns N' Roses' Keyboardist | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/guns-n-roses-dizzy-reed/?trackback=tsmclip

Well done.  A song I cut my teeth on as well.  Your tapping is great - not that you asked but try using side of pick during the clean tapping line.  Kirk does and I noticed it helped me to articulate the tapping when its a clean tone.  Your tapping with distortion is epic!

I listened to this earlier and really enjoy it!  Thought I had commented already.  Get stuff! Arrangement, performance and production on Atlas is really impressive!