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Tracing The Influences


uzi your illusion

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We've had a few interviews where Axl has talked about who he was into musically, and a lot of people say that the reason the old band split was because of musical differences. I thought it might be cool to list the songs off the Chinese album and see if we could tell what kind of music influenced each track. Either from stuff we've been told or just what we can hear on our own. Some songs I wasn't able to pinpoint , so if anyone wants to fill in the blanks it would be cool to get another take.

Chinese Democracy - I read that Axl tried to get the drums to sound like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" , and I've heard this track described as grungy. So I guess this one is pretty much the classic guns sound mixed with a muddier Seattle type of production. I would say Soundgarden were the most straight forward rock and roll out of all those bands so I guess that I can hear their influence on this track. Plus you know Axl liked them cause he picked them to open a few shows on the UYI tours.

Shacklers Revenge - White Zombie has always shot to my mind when ever I hear this song, I guess NIN or any of the bands with that Industrial element could go here. Even though Axl has said he doesn't think this song should get lumped into that category I always got that vibe.

Better - This is one of those thats hard for me to trace, I'd love to get someone else's perspective

Street Of Dreams - This is maybe the most classic GNR track on the record. Sounds like it could of came off the Illusions. So what ever inspired Axl from the start with any of the classic 70's rock ballads from Aerosmith or Thin Lizzy I guess could apply here.

If The World - Faith No More is the first one I think of, especially some of their stuff from the last few records. Like the song "Stripsearch" , similar mellow type of vibe with an awesome vocal over it. My link

There Was A Time - Again like Street Of Dreams this one is just the classic Guns N' Roses epic and I don't know who else does music like this. I mean compare songs like this one or Estranged or Locomotive or Coma , who else on the planet writes songs like these? There all in a league of their own.

Catcher In The Rye - I would say The Beatles because of the Lennon references and the "nah nah nah na na na na" parts. Maybe a little bit of Queen is at play to and thats why he called in Brian May.

Scraped - Not sure if I'm totally off base here but I think of "Wish" by Nine Inch Nails when I hear this track.

Riad and The Bedouins - I've said it before but I totally get "Immigrant Song" by Led Zep for the vocal melodies in both.

Sorry - I think it's the guitar solo that does it but the song always make me think of Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" era. I guess it's the slow building pace.My link

I.R.S - Not sure on this one, kinda like "Better" where it's really hard to pin down. Love to hear what you guys think.

Madagascar - Again I go to Led Zep but this time I go with "Kashmir" , I guess it's the horn that gives off that kinda vibe. Along with being an epic.

This I Love - I'm sure it's influenced by some kind of musical or Broadway type of thing but I'm not well versed in that area so I wouldn't wager a guess.

Prostitute - This one I have a problem with just like "Better" and "I.R.S" . All three of those seem like they are the quintessential sound that Axl was going for. The classic Rock and Roll core beefed up with current studio effects and all the layers of sound turned up to 10. They are the ones I'm most interested in getting your thoughts on.

Edited by uzi your illusion
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I'd say Better sounds like latter day NIN.

IRS has always sounded like very angry Led Zepp to me.

Prostitute is like Unfiniahed Sympathy by Massive Attack meets Bitter sweet symphony by the Verve.

SOD is like an Elton song played by Faith No More.

Scraped sounds a bit like a Prodigy song.

TIL really sounds like Too much love can Kill You by Queen vocally.

Shacklers is like Korn meets Rob Zombie meets Project Gotham Racing.

ITW is Evidence by Faith no more meets Phil Collins and Shaft.

that's how they sound to me but I doubt that's how they thought about it. they probably just made some music.

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I'd say Better sounds like latter day NIN.

IRS has always sounded like very angry Led Zepp to me.

Prostitute is like Unfiniahed Sympathy by Massive Attack meets Bitter sweet symphony by the Verve.

SOD is like an Elton song played by Faith No More.

Scraped sounds a bit like a Prodigy song.

TIL really sounds like Too much love can Kill You by Queen vocally.

Shacklers is like Korn meets Rob Zombie meets Project Gotham Racing.

ITW is Evidence by Faith no more meets Phil Collins and Shaft.

that's how they sound to me but I doubt that's how they thought about it. they probably just made some music.

Really cool response man, thanks for taking the time. You and me both said ITW is heavy on the FNM influence I can see "Evidence" as much as "Stripsearch". Some of your points I read and was just like "holy fuck that was obvious" , you really hit the nail on the head with a lot of these. Mostly though I can see the ones for Shacklers sounding like Korn and Zombie, and I can totally hear the connection you made with Prostitute and Bitter Sweet Symphony. The opening to "I.R.S" I can see the Led Zep parts but I hear it more in "Riad and Maddy" . As for "Better" I still think it stands on its own, its really hard to pinpoint where the hell that masterpiece came from.

Edited by uzi your illusion
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I believe Prostitute would have some influence of Smashing Pumpkins and Moby clearly at the ending.

IRS kinda reminds me of Aerosmith's Dream On because of the chord progression. But that's it, no real influence, I guess.

Despite of many claims and the fame that CD has gotten (even before coming out) I can't see any clear NIN influence on it.

And even because Robin has never written stuff in NIN.

Agreed. There's really no industrial flavor aside from some keyboards textures there.

Having said that, I do think the Immigrant Song covered by Trent Reznor song with Karen O do sound a bit like Riad because of the intro, vocals and drums.

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I never heard that cover of "Immigrant Song" I'm gonna have to check that out. I've always liked how the album opens with the long intro that kind of hypes you up and then ends with the slower outro where you can decompress and take it what you just heard. Pretty much just appreciate the whole album top to bottom and love really getting into the songs and picking them apart as much as I can. Getting all the meat off the bone, till we get new material.

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I believe Prostitute would have some influence of Smashing Pumpkins and Moby clearly at the ending.

IRS kinda reminds me of Aerosmith's Dream On because of the chord progression. But that's it, no real influence, I guess.

Despite of many claims and the fame that CD has gotten (even before coming out) I can't see any clear NIN influence on it.

And even because Robin has never written stuff in NIN.

Agreed. There's really no industrial flavor aside from some keyboards textures there.

Robin Finck comes off more like a blues man

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I agree with you on Riad and Maddy. I think there's a Zepp, Stones and Queen thing running throughout.

I think Better is a bit like NIN songs like Hand that Feeds they work off a dance beat or something. Someone was saying that Better is very metalcore especially the breakdown. But really it's very SCOM. The chorus sounds like Head Like a Hole. It's not industrial like Ministry or Young gods but there's elements of NIN for sure. It's very GNR isn't it.

Chi dem is like Nirvana meets RATM. Or U2s Vertigo meets Zepps Custard Pie. There's also a Boston type vibe.

Sorry is very Poles Apart by Floyd. But it's not really unlike Don't Cry really.

Mike Wallace mixed it so me it really does have the glossy grittiness of Angel Dust.

Also In Utero seems to have had an influence. It's has the same jaded defiance.

Teenage against has paid off well now I'm bored and old

It don't really matter you're gonna find out for yourself

The beats whether hip hop or Radiohead I haven't yet really worked out. maybe MP3000 knows.

I'd say Better sounds like latter day NIN.

IRS has always sounded like very angry Led Zepp to me.

Prostitute is like Unfiniahed Sympathy by Massive Attack meets Bitter sweet symphony by the Verve.

SOD is like an Elton song played by Faith No More.

Scraped sounds a bit like a Prodigy song.

TIL really sounds like Too much love can Kill You by Queen vocally.

Shacklers is like Korn meets Rob Zombie meets Project Gotham Racing.

ITW is Evidence by Faith no more meets Phil Collins and Shaft.

that's how they sound to me but I doubt that's how they thought about it. they probably just made some music.

Really cool response man, thanks for taking the time. You and me both said ITW is heavy on the FNM influence I can see "Evidence" as much as "Stripsearch". Some of your points I read and was just like "holy fuck that was obvious" , you really hit the nail on the head with a lot of these. Mostly though I can see the ones for Shacklers sounding like Korn and Zombie, and I can totally hear the connection you made with Prostitute and Bitter Sweet Symphony. The opening to "I.R.S" I can see the Led Zep parts but I hear it more in "Riad and Maddy" . As for "Better" I still think it stands on its own, its really hard to pinpoint where the hell that masterpiece came from.

Edited by wasted
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It's official , "Wasted" is the king of this topic. If I could change the topic starter to you good sir , I gladly would. I can totally see what your saying now with the Nine Inch Nails and Better thing. Just needed the song examples I guess. As for songs like TWAT, Locomotive, Estranged, and Coma all the true epic songs in GNR's back catalog are there any other bands in the world you can think of that write songs even remotely similar to those in size or scope?

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To me TWAT is like You Can't Always Get What You Want, Locomotive is like Achilles Last Stand, Coma is like Stairway to Heaven meets Metallica. Estranged is Gimme Shelter meets Queen.

Only GNR have ever blended all of classic rock. And now with CD they did classic rock meets 90s alternative or whatever you want to call it.

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It's official , "Wasted" is the king of this topic. If I could change the topic starter to you good sir , I gladly would. I can totally see what your saying now with the Nine Inch Nails and Better thing. Just needed the song examples I guess. As for songs like TWAT, Locomotive, Estranged, and Coma all the true epic songs in GNR's back catalog are there any other bands in the world you can think of that write songs even remotely similar to those in size or scope?

TWAT for me always soundeda bit like Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but with far more deep theme and sound directions. Is something like a road trip soundtrack.

But really, I think the band was after his own sound. Theres no mainstream rock music out there with this level both in guitar work and overall deep meaning and layers.

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I'll post more later but "If The World" is like three 70s Blaxpoitation standbys layered on top of each other.

One of the layers is grinded out and Axl sings on top of it.

The intro to "Sorry" is also heavy influenced by that style in addition to the Floyd and tinge of Sabbath.

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Some of those tracks I listed earlier , the big epic ones there just in a class all of their own. I mean its not the hard rock sound that was on Appetite, it's something more then that. Is there a name for the genre of music that those fall into? It's not art rock I don't think but it's more then just classic radio rock. Wasted, what makes you wonder about Hatebreed? I've never really gotten into them , but I know there sound. I thought the Avenged Sevenfold reference was fairly spot on for the heavier parts of Chinese. Which is cool because they've never hidden what a HUGE influence the original GNR lineup was to them, so to think they might of pushed the music forward and in turn inspired Axl a bit. That would be pretty cool.

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the best descriptions of the tracks i remember from journalists/axl chats/ or my own ideas

Shacklers - Rob Zombie Dragula

The Blues- Fincks solo sounds like brian may to me along with the whole queen/elton john vibe. heard a critic, who liked the album, call it a mix between take that and judas priest :rofl-lol:

There Was a Time - Alive by pearl jam with a spaghetti western intro

Catcher - Beatles with some weird distorted vibe ghosting around lighter moments

Riad - Dessert fuzz intro, led zepplin immigrant song

IRS - Saturation Bombing guitars with a zepp vibe/kashmir

Maddy - Always reminded me of gangsters paradise...Moby, Youth

Sorry - Black Sabbath/Ozzy, bit of floyd, Dracula

This I Love - Finck channeling Gilmour/May with his own punk sound, phantom of the opera

Prostitute - The last rising note of the second bucket solo with Brains dramatic pulsing drums then giving way to a sort of peaceful lament with the orchestra to be followed with buckets cool tide guitar. This Part always reminds me of the elevator scenes at the end of willy wonka and vanilla sky. Fire and ice.

(edited for spelling)

Edited by Estranged 14
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Just the guy who was rumored to do some GNR tour DVD or videos had done Hatebreed videos. They are metalcore supposedly. I was think how Better would look as a Hatebreed type video.

I think UYI is basically Queen meets the Sex Pistols. I think Bill Price mixed nevermind the Bollocks. So you have Axls OTT style on the epics but then it has really hard edge to it.

GNR are a metal band playing classic rock. and it had never been done before. I don't know why. Why don't Metallica or Megadeth do that. I guess Megadeth did with No More Mr Nice Guy and it sounds like GNR. It's like when Faith No More covered Easy it was like a GNR song.

So on the epicsbits like Queen or Stones played by a metal band.

Some of those tracks I listed earlier , the big epic ones there just in a class all of their own. I mean its not the hard rock sound that was on Appetite, it's something more then that. Is there a name for the genre of music that those fall into? It's not art rock I don't think but it's more then just classic radio rock. Wasted, what makes you wonder about Hatebreed? I've never really gotten into them , but I know there sound. I thought the Avenged Sevenfold reference was fairly spot on for the heavier parts of Chinese. Which is cool because they've never hidden what a HUGE influence the original GNR lineup was to them, so to think they might of pushed the music forward and in turn inspired Axl a bit. That would be pretty cool.

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