dogman

Maybe this explains GNR covering BHS for so long.  Chris prob asked for permission to cover their song.

Drumming sounds similar to the Chinese Democracy track.

DJ was actually good for the band.  Brought some much-needed charisma.  Besides Axl, the pre-dj band was a bunch of stiffs on stage.  He also brought back the era of playing the solos they way they were recorded on the record - no more of the improvised "play it how you want" crap that plagued the 01-06 era.  Also, of all the 01-14 guitarists, he's probably the closest in style and tone to Slash.  Oh and last thing, Axl's chemistry with DJ was BY FAR the best out of all the band members from 01-14.  I feel like Axl considered DJ an actual friend/band member as opposed to a hired-hand like the rest of them.

Was he corny and a bit of a poser? Yes.  But I think the points I mentioned above out weight the cheese.

8 minutes ago, soon said:

Like a Magic Wand?  j/k

Haha, if I need buying advice on those I'll just ask my gf.

Anyone here have any experience with massage guns?  I just started working out again about 2 months ago and am always sore as hell after (which means it's working!).  I'm trying to find something other than food and rest to help speed things up.  I've tried foam rollers, but they don't really do much for me.  Saw this site and am thinking about getting the Ekrin B37: https://massagegunfight.com/massage-gun-buyers-guide/

Gotta say, 0:48-1:13 is one of the coolest sections of any GNR song...even if the rest of the song does suck.  That drumming is killer.

Axl sounded great on that SCOM.  The solo was pretty good, too.

21 hours ago, rocknroll41 said:

This book skips over so much stuff. He literally crunched 1992-1997 into just a couple of chapters.

It was interesting to see him talk about The Shadow Company tho! That whole phase of GnR doesn’t get talked about too often.

What's the Shadow Company?

Really shows that Brain was GNR's best overall drummer.  He has both the groove and the technical prowess needed for the GNR sound.  Not saying Steven or Matt weren't right for their time, but just in general, Brain can play any era of GNR and it sounds good.  Wish he was still our drummer.

Late as usual...

Cool.  Will be fun to see.  My predictions:

Easy

Brownstone

Jungle

CD

DTJ

LALD

Shadow

Wichita

NR

KOHD

Patience

Paradise

On May 5, 2020 at 4:21 AM, jimmythegent said:

Great topic  - here's mine:

 

Axl - One in a million - no, not the lyrics, the singing especially the last verse and chorus - spine tingling stuff

Slash - so many of course as with all the original 5 but Estranged first solo tips it for me

Izzy - a toss up between Rocket Queen and One in a Million for me - he was the heart and soul and groove of that band and they were never the same no doubt. His UYI tracks kick ass too

Duff - It's so easy 

Steven - Mr. Brownstone

Matt - Locomotive

Dizzy - Dust n' bones

 

I don't really consider them gunners but I'll include the following also:

Robin - Better

Bucket -  Sorry

Tommy - Catcher in the rye 

 

Definitely agree on axl's singing in one in a million.  Hard to choose a top 5 for "cool axl vocals" but that track is certainly up there.

Was thinking about it the other day - if I had to pick my favorite moment or contribution from each member of GNR's entire lineup, what would that list look like?  So here you go:

AXL - the following from Don't Damn Me.  Love the lyrics, love the voice Axl uses, love the melody, love the vocal effects - this part of the song is just great.

I know you don't want to hear me crying
An I know you don't want to hear me deny
That your satisfaction lies in your illusions
But your delusions are yours an not mine
We take for granted that we know the whole story
We judge a book by it's cover and read what we want
Between selected lines

SLASH - solo in It's So Easy.  A short but BADASS solo that matches the energy and attitude of the whole song.  Love it.

IZZY - Patience

DUFF - intro to SCOM

STEVEN - Mr. Brownstone

MATT - Locomotive - might be some of my favorite drumming in the whole GNR catalog.  Love the story about Matt using a little jazz kit on this song, too.  

DIZZY - Estranged piano solo...I guess

GILBY - his live performances...I guess

TOMMY - his fills on the second half of TWAT

ROBIN - Better

JOSH - his drumming during the TWAT solo

BUCKETHEAD - TWAT solo

CHRIS - Madagascar synth

BRAIN - his drumming on Shackler's

FRANK - his badass fill at the end of the Bucket solo in IRS

BUMBLEFOOT - his outro in CITR

DJ - his live performances...I guess

FORTUS - his contribution to the riff in the Better chorus

MELISSA - her live performances...I guess. (Her backing vocals on Madagascar)

Feel free to share yours.

1 hour ago, soon said:

No ones following the rules! They cant have recorded it in studio was a rule! 

Best:

Wichita Line

Whole Lot of Rosie

Its Alright

 

Worst:

Black Hole Sun

Slither 

Dont Let It Bring You Down (And I love that song!)

 

I really like Wichita, too.  I especially like how they GNR-ified it once the drums kick in.

What are your top and bottom 3 covers from Axl and/or GNR?  The rules are they have to be covers that were never recorded in studio by the band (so no Spaghetti, LALD, etc.).

Top 3

1) Free Fallin'

2) Salt of the Earth

3) The Seeker

Worst 3

1) Black Hole Sun

2) We Will Rock You

3) Come Together

I like the think that back in Axl's prime he could sing any rock genre song and make it better than the original.  BHS is obviously him not in his prime, but the other two songs just don't do it for me for some reason.  On paper you think they would though.  Axl's version of Free Fallin' is peak Axl, though.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Just listened to For Those About to Rock from 9/2 and it reminded me that Axl is 100% aware of when he's "got it" and when he doesn't.  It's just evident in his body language, his eyes, the way he moves on stage, and of obviously in his voice. 

When he knows he's on point, he has that extra swagger.  To me, this is 100% indication that he's not oblivious to how he sounds when he's all mickey.  He knows.  I just don't think there's anything he can do about it when he is mickey.  It just is what it is.

Look at some of the shows from 2006 (Rock Am Ring), 2010 (YCBM, O2 in 2010), and some of the early 2016 stuff.  He knows when he has it and when he doesn't.  

I think among all the "new" songs that came out of the leaks, the real lost gem is Catcher in the Rye.

I mean, as fans, how long have we all waited for a high quality version of Catcher with Brian May?  Since the day the original leaked.  While I love Ron's solo during the last verse, the album version is a muddled mess.  The mix on this version is better and the layers are *somewhat* toned down, but best of all we get the May contributions.  Not to mention that little synth breakdown before the solo is WAY better on this version than on the album version.

The only thing better from the album version are the drums.  But they were mixed too low anyway...

On 2/3/2020 at 5:06 AM, Lies They Tell said:

The only video you really need to watch in order to understand Axl's current voice, is to watch some of the Nightrain videos of recent years. Those videos tell you everything you need to know.

He sounds raspy when he's singing in his lower voice. Then he sounds like Mickey when he's singing in his higher voice. Then he sounds raspy again when he starts SCREAMING in his higher voice.

So his lower voice is alright, but his higher voice sounds like Mickey unless he's screaming. It's as simple as that.

Brian Johnsons AC/DC songs had pretty much no higher pitch singing at all. They were either low pitch singing or high pitch screaming. That's why Axl sounded so good on those songs. That's why he'd still sound pretty good on those songs. Only the very highest screams might cause trouble.

The trouble that he has with his very highest voice is also noticeable in the Nightrain performances. Either he's avoiding the very highest notes, or he's lost that part of his voice.

 Pretty much what everyone needs to know.  Except, I'd argue it's more his middle register than is problematic.  So, he's good low and real high, but not his mid-range.  AC/DC was great because there is almost no mid-range.  It's all high.  

Think about the songs he sucks on:

Paradise

SCOM

YCBM

Parts of Nightrain

Second half of Estranged

Rocket Queen

The list goes on.  The thing is, almost all GNR songs shift from low to mid to high during the same song, sometimes even mid verse.  Take Estranged for example:

When I find out all the reasons
Maybe I'll find another way
Find another day
With all the changing seasons of my life
Maybe I'll get it right next time
An now that you've been broken down
Got your head out of the clouds
You're back down on the ground

The red indicates mid-range vocals, and these are the parts he's mickey on.  The blue then shifts to low, and he sounds good.  And there is a brief line that shifts to high where you get the classic rasp.  This is a perfect example of why Axl sounds great sometimes and like crap other times.  Fact is, he just doesn't have his mid-range anymore.  And it's a shame because so many GNR songs were written with that mid-range.

Really want to hear a finished version of Nothing.  Love Axl's vocal melody and the way he's singing in his natural voice.  The song sounds like the love child of Patience/D'yer Mak'er/Rod Stewart.  Some improvements would be the addition of guitars and real drums. 

5 hours ago, RussTCB said:

I agree as far as the verses go, but that chorus is fire. 

To me it's the other way around.  The verses are what make that song (the first especially.  I think the lyrics could be better on the second).  I like the way Axl sings on the chorus, but I don't like the melody or the lyrics.

One of my favorite Axl performances what 2010 at the Rose Bar.  Right at his 2010 peak.  Perfect rasp and perfect tone at this gig.  Just listen to the Mr. Brownstone from this show.  Not a single crack, great control, and his tone is spot on.  One of my biggest regrets was not seeing them in 2010.

I think Devious Bastard definitely could have been one of the songs with Slash in mind.  It's like a combination of UYI and Ain't Life Grand material.  

1 hour ago, Caedo said:

Shacklers, Better, TWAT, Perhaps 

Disagree that any of those are catchy choruses.  The closest to catchy would be Shacklers.  100% not TWAT and definitely not Better.  The verses and intro are really the only catchy part to Better.

What ChiDem song has a catchy chorus?  I love CD, but I can't really think of any song that actually has a catchy chorus.  To me, SOG is the only song from this era that has a chorus that could get stuck in my head.