D.Z.I.

1 hour ago, Silverburst80 said:

I have to giggle when people harp on about how legendary the guitar parts on Chinese Democracy are, the general consensus is there's nothing legendary about that fucking album period. People who like that shit should be happy Slash bothered to put any spin on those songs at all, i think it'd be a rather small number who would go home disappointed that they didn't play Sorry.

CD is a great album, and the guitar work in it is beautifully crafted.

This is beyond what the fanbase might say, whether or not it sounds like gnr, or if it is as popular as afd, or if anyone even knows who played what in which song. The solos are amazing, they compliment each song in their own way, from the bluesier ones to the super fast “atonal” blips, it’s all there for a reason, and the fact that Slash isn’t there doesn’t take any merit from the songs and solos.

3 hours ago, thunderram said:

 

Funny, cause one is a legendary guitar player and the other is mostly unknown to the masses despite having been around for a long time. And there's good reason for that.

Bucket may be some peoples cup of tea and has a loyal following of fans, but he's obviously not the majority's cup of tea judging by overall popularity and impact on the music scene. He's pretty much a niche guitarist.

I find the obvious dig on SLASH (using the phrase 'dumb down') as completely disrespectful and naive considering that Bucket can't do what SLASH does either. It goes both ways.

It’s not a popularity contest.

Slash was in one of the biggest rock bands in the world at their peak –and as we know, gnr wasn’t big because of him only, but because the chemistry between the 5 of them was incredible.–

If GNR had happened with Buckethead or Dave Navarro on guitar, either of them would have become one of the biggest names in rock/guitar history, and Slash would be just a “niche guitarist”.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any merit or the chops, but if it wasn’t for the exposure that GNR gave him (at that specific time), and the incredible chemistry and context that led them to create those amazing songs, the roles would be reversed, easily.

3 hours ago, gnfnrs1972 said:

Whatever you like doesn't equal quality either. Its only your opinion.

But he didn’t make that statement

4 hours ago, Silverburst80 said:

Well he's at a disadvantage because he certainly won't have 13 years to fuck around with guitar ideas like that lot had!

 

 

That’s what you think.

9 hours ago, Nice Boy said:

 

Put it this way, on the album version the bridge section we are talking about is 10 seconds long but buried under a shit guitar fast as fuck noodle that sounds like a synthesiser going mental, which leaves the riff indiscernible. So it was a good decision to bring it out as used in the new intro. Also the intro on the album version is weak, so the new intro adds some suspense.  

That’s just your opinion, and you’re entitled to it. But the riff is not really hidden under layers and layers of stuff that make it hard to “discover” it. Or maybe I’m just used to listening to layered music and I have developed the ability to distinguish those elements more easily.

It was a good call, though, it sounds good, it’s a nice dark build up to the song, but as other users mentioned, it would have been more powerful to jump straight into the first verse after that intro instead of using it as an intro before the intro.

Bland and corporate as fuck.

On 10/4/2018 at 11:18 PM, Nice Boy said:

Ok so Slash and Duff didn't write a new piece for the intro, but they did manage to identify the best riff of the whole track and rework it into the intro, so that it actually gets some prominence. That alone deserves credit, because before they did this I didn't even notice the riff in its original place, buried under all the 'layers'. So what this shows is that they are able to bring the best out from stuff that is already written.

Now imagine what they could do with all the shit Axl has unreleased.. chuck the best of that with a couple of VR / AFD style straight up Rawk n Roll and they could have a nice UYI style album with all the diversity of songwriting that makes GnR great.

"The best riff of the whole track" that's debatable. The riff is not that buried though. While I agree that CD is a heavily layered album, it doesn't take much effort to hear a lot of those elements. Sure, there are some that are hard to distinguish, but that's not the case of this riff, in fact it's very noticeable, it's the very core of that bridge section, it's not buried or hidden under a bunch of layers.

Slash and Duff are good, they can create great stuff, they have done so in the past. But let's give credit where it's due. They are not King Midas for using the bridge section as the intro.

On 10/3/2018 at 2:41 PM, Azifwekare said:

You know what would be bad ass? Brian May joining GN'R onstage for Catcher. Why hasn't this happened yet?

Maybe because he put the effort to record a beautiful part and then they decided to discard it. I don't think May holds a grudge 10 years later, but also I don't think he'd jump at the oportunity to play something that the band (Axl) deemed not a good fit for the song.

3 hours ago, UsedYourIllusion said:

If you dive through NIN, you might find a couple tracks are that similar, but i haven't found anything with the combination of industrial-esque with bluesy and ballady at the same time. 

??

NIN is a completely different beast.

It's hard to find something that sounds like CD because it is an amalgamation of different styles and so many musicians with different influences. You can find certain elements of CD in other bands or styles, maybe then you can hear how bands like NIN were an influence, but so far I haven't found anything that sounds like CD.

On 2018-08-15 at 11:30 AM, papashaun said:

To me "Load" is one of the musical changing moments I wish had never happened....As a 15 year old when "Load" was released....my friends and I were very confused when "Until it Sleeps," appeared on MTV. We saw these guys who were once great thrash/metal rockers playing a soft/slow tempo-alternative ballad or sorts, with a completely different image. It felt like all the rage that once fueled the band died at that moment, and you really were hearing a whole new band. I still don't know why that particular song was chosen to be the first single/new song released in about 5 years....I would have went with a harder rocker like King Nothing myself, but not my call.....

Anyway, I can never shake the feeling that Metallica officially did "sale out" with that release. The reason being....the band reached a huge height of success with "The Black Album" which brought a lot of fame and cash not previously received for the band. I do believe the objective of the Load release wasn't to "experiment" a  new sound, or evolve, but to jump at the opportunity to become "The Biggest Band in the World." I think that's why you had guys that were previously "Thrashers" suddenly cut their hair, adopt a more alternative image shown on MTV at that time, appear in "Cabana Suits" on the album artwork, and even include an album cover made from "Goat's Blood," then declare that "Metal is dead." I just felt like with no GnR, no Nirvana due to Kurt's death, a slump of sorts for Pearl Jam at that time in 1996, and fading Seattle Sound......there was no front runner to take over as the most sought after band, and Metallica made these changes to try and claim that throne....Not to mention how much James cleaned up his act on stage, compared to previous years.....That's the moment Metallica turned into a brand, instead of a band, and you couldn't make money at that time producing Metal, instead of Alternative Hard Rock.

In retrospect, Load and Reload are not all that bad, but I just wish it had been made under a different band name. I did own both when they came out, and I really did like "The Memory Remains" when it was released, but still missed the thrash material. Metallica would have been completely ok with sticking by the Metal Sound, as we saw a lot of bands that tried to experiment or go more alternative at that time, but were ok with returning to form at at later time, once the 90s ended. Just why did you have to do that at that time Metallica???

That's why I'll always stick by UYI's as being the superior albums. Top to bottom, the song structures and material withstands time much better for future generations, while I'll feel that Load and Reload were caught in the 90s landscape.

 

 

Great post!

I’ve never been abig Metallica fan, their music just doesn’t touch me in the way that other music has, but they have great songs.

Looking back at it, it does feel like at that point, after the black album, they started chasing a trend, so as much as I enjoy some of those songs, i feel a lack of authenticity from those albums. It doesn’t feel like the band moved naturally to that sound and style, but rather made a conscious decision to go there motivated by the music landscape of the times and the popularity of their previous album that was already a departure from their thrash origins, but a more genuine and authentic one.

In contrast, the UYI albums are as authentic as they come, they’re a picture of the crazy times the band was going through, all that dysfunctionality is right there, from the lack of cohesion to My World, to Axl’s madness, the heavy drug use, etc... it’s all there, it all got recorded on tape and released. It’s a clear picture of the band at a specific time.

31 minutes ago, Tom-Ass said:

Man I have to disagree with the perfect album thing. There are tons of albums out there that I consider perfect.. As far as Guns go I would consider LIES perfect as well. Obviously not the same caliber as Appetite (my favorite all time album) but I still love every song on there.  As for this lineup.. Slash is amazing but that doesn't necessarily mean he will release an amazing album.  Slash is one of my top two all time guitarists and I think Living The Dream is an absolute dud.. Axl was one of the greatest front men of all time but a large portion of Guns fans that thought that CD was complete garbage... Where is his head space as far as music goes these days?  Hopefully far away from that.. Not to mention his voice although in the studio it shouldn't be a problem. A solid rhythm section? It is a mixed bag on Fortus, some love him and some don't. I personally think he is talented but don't like his style. Then there is Frank who a  pretty significant percentage of Gn'R fans think sucks balls and he does... All that said I do think there will be at least a few tracks that will be great and I want to hear them. Axl and Slash are capable of that but just having them two together doesn't guarantee anything. Classic Guns were a sum of all parts... Most successful bands are.. 

It’s impossible to predict what might come out of this lineup.

I don’t think Slash is a good songwriter (instrumentally). He needs a context, a backbone to build on top of. He is amazing at embellishing other people’s basic songs or structures. I guess a big responsibility will fall on Fortus here... it’s a matter of whether he can come up with great chord progressions for Slash to do what he does best on top of them. I have never heard Richard’s material, so I have no clue what kid of foundation he could provide, but I’m sure having Duff around will help a lot.

As you mention, we have no clue where Axl’s musical head is right now, so... who knows?

1 hour ago, -W.A.R- said:

If there isn't then that means it isn't any creative juices between them and i'd rather get nothing if thats the case.

But chances are we'll get a lame attempt at recreating Appetite so they can justify another tour.

That’s my biggest fear re. new music. I’d rather get nothing than having them pull an ACDC.

57 minutes ago, thomlarke said:

How the hell can you rip off or plagiarize yourself? A person is free to use whatever they made before. What they did is a definition of a throwback.. This is because it consists of majority of the elements of what they did before, while inserting some new things in order to fit the Halloween occasion. I don't understand when you said that "they added to doesn’t even match the lines of the existing apple". From what I understand, You're also contradicting yourself a lot. You mentioned that you don't agree with the face that they are using an old product, and you disagreeing that you don't like that they changed it up? Or, are you referring to the fact it isn't done technically well? I don't see any problems with it - other than it is done in the same hand-drawn style as the previous shirt (which wasn't technically done well as well). Therefore, I think it was intentional, and hence, a throwback. My only gripe about the shirt is the fact that GnR is releasing Halloween products...

 

Anyway, I would love if I can find this shirt or if GnR re-releases in its original form! Why don't they make merch like this anymore? D:

 

 

Maybe i didn’t explain myself properly... my bad.

Look at the original apple, specifically look at the top part (in red, the part with the peel on), it has lines that go from the stem and go down. Now look at the pumpkin. You see the same lines, the only difference is the colour, orange instead of red, right? Pay attention to the brand new added pumpkin on either side. The lines that form the shape of the pumpkin don’t match the lines of the apple. They didn’t even bother fix that. Maybe the apple/pumpkin hybrid is part of the whole concept? FrankenPumpkin?

I don’t mind Halloween GNR art, or Christmas, or even Thanksgiving or Valentine’s for that matter, i think it’s a chance to be creative and come up with cool designs, I can –and do– appreciate the art/design beyond the commercial aspect of it. In this case, it’s extremely lazy, and a throwback if you will instead of a rip-off, but it’s not even well executed. So the art and design aspects are out the window and all we’re left with is a desperate attempt to cash-in on the flavour of the season.

And I’ve always loved that one tshirt you just posted. I always thought that the guns poking out of the skull’s eye sockets were hipodermic needles... now I see they are not. Or maybe I’m confusing it with another old GNR skull design with needles? I’m not sure.

And yeah, you can totally rip-off yourself! ACDC have been doing it for ages! Lol

5 hours ago, thomlarke said:

I actually think it's kind of cool that it is a bit of a throwback considering that the old merch was much more rad anyway.

I think a throwback would be re-releasing the bad apples t-shirt (which is pretty cool).

This pumpkin one is a rip-off of themselves, the only things they changed are the writing on the banner, added the pumpking pieces to the existing apple, and painted it orange. It’s so badly done and it sucks so much that the pumpkin they added to doesn’t even match the lines of the existing apple (specially noticeable at the top right where they painted the red apple peel orange).

Last time Fernando was here, all he wanted to talk about was his involvment in this kind of stuff, proud of his work, patting himself on the back...

I better shut up now or i’ll get in shit –again– for not choking on Fernando’s cock.

53 minutes ago, swishtz said:

Why come to a site about a band and bitch like a little bitch ?

You have managed to avoid it for 30 odd years

I don’t owe you any explanations. I will be excited when there is a reason for it.

You are boring, and probably bored (at least bored enough to give me unrequested attention).

1 minute ago, swishtz said:

So why are  you here with suddenly with your 7 new posts ?

What do you mean?

I’m here because I enjoy the music they have made. That doesn’t mean that I think that everything they’ve ever done has been in good taste.

Do i need a higher post count to state the obvious? I’ll make sure next time I don’t forget to ask for your permission before I post. I’m really sorry, I’ll make sure it never happens again.

3 minutes ago, Oldest Goat said:

I don't agree with censorship. I'm just saying I think it's in poor taste. 

Which is the nature of this band. Nothing new under the sun.

9 hours ago, Oldest Goat said:

True, but it depicts the rape-bot still in the act which is kind of gratuitous. 

Not sure what the rules of the contest are/were, but it just seems the author used the key elements from both album covers and reorganized them in the form of an old comic book. And the result is pretty cool. The censorship kinda sucks, though.

Not much else to “see” other than our own individual interpretations, and we know that leads us nowhere.

3 hours ago, Sydney Fan said:

For those wanting to wear a shirt for halloween 

https://gnrmerch.com/collections/halloween-2018/products/melting-skull-pumpkin-t-shirt

Reminds me too much of the Bad Apples one from the 90s. It was original and way cooler.

EDIT: Holy crap, it is EXACTLY THE SAME SKULL. They don’t even put a minimum effort in their artwork. Recycled merch... what a shame of a band. Is there anything these guys get right? I blame Fernando on this one, isn’t he the merch/marketing genius behind this band?

1 hour ago, ironmt said:

That Is your opinion. Many people thought the intro that Slash and Duff came up with improved the song. 

They didn’t come up with it, they copied it from whoever wrote that piece (Robin? Fortus? Bucket?).

I don’t mind if people like it, to each their own, but it’s not like Duff and Slash transformed the song. Saying this was a bad or sub-par song and that now thanks to Slash and Duff it’s much better doesn’t make any sense. It’s the same song, just made longer by repeating a section of it.

11 hours ago, Ralphelmo said:

He may have said either about the build-up or his unison bends over it, not about the actual chord progression. 

This topic made me revisit the original recording and there's nothing good in it except for Finck's solo. Production is a total garbage, the way Slash and Duff rearranged this song actually made it good. 

It's a strange situation to have a live recording sounding more powerful than the original track. But that's what happens when you have to fill 32 layers with your unrestrained ideas. Now when I'm thinking about it, it's unacceptable to make hard rock band's guitars fade out like that. All producers of Chinese Democracy failed on that matter.

Slash and Duff didn’t rearrange shit. The song has exactly the same structure, the only difference is the intro, which came from the very same song. And that intro itself is nothing special, really.

2 hours ago, username said:

Yeah, but now let's look at Fernando's history. What you describe is the exact bullshit he's spewed since day 1. It's never official and it's always an empty and vague promise that will lead to absolutely nothing. He'll soon tweet that he's in a three....no! FOUR hour meeting!  

I’m still waiting for that damn toy tour truck! He promised! But instead he left us hanging and we got GNAIR.

Not cool.