Dj Ashba: "I’ve demoed up 10 to 12 songs right now "

[YOUCOULDBEMINE.]

Don't mind sweetness. He's always right.

Edited March 31, 2012 by UcudBmineCD

[Georgy Zhukov]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

He also has no control on the release of the album since he wanted to wait until they got the right artwork.

[sweetness]

Don't mind sweetness. He's always right.

Damn right I am. Seriously though, Axl wrote This I Love, if he really didn't want it to be on the album he would have made damn sure it wouldn't make it. I think he just said he didn't want to release it in that interview cause its such a faggy song

[Strange Broue]

Don't mind sweetness. He's always right.

Damn right I am. Seriously though, Axl wrote This I Love, if he really didn't want it to be on the album he would have made damn sure it wouldn't make it. I think he just said he didn't want to release it in that interview cause its such a faggy song

Really?

How 'bout RQ?

Not to mention TIL become a staple on the tour.

[sweetness]

Don't mind sweetness. He's always right.

Damn right I am. Seriously though, Axl wrote This I Love, if he really didn't want it to be on the album he would have made damn sure it wouldn't make it. I think he just said he didn't want to release it in that interview cause its such a faggy song

Really?

How 'bout RQ?

Not to mention TIL become a staple on the tour.

Rocket Queen kicks serious ass and doesn't sound like it was arranged by Andrew Lloyd Weber

[KoolMonkey]

DJ's delusional. He seems to be the biggest suckup I've ever seen. He's been talking rubbish about new tracks and recording and this and that for years, but it's never in the past tense, as in we've recorded this, or we've done that. No it's I hope to do this, and we're gearing up to do that. It's going to be soo cool man, OMGLOLWTFBBQ!

Now I'm more than happy to listen to some of his works or contributions to GNR, but only after all the ChiDem material has been released. Secondly there is no need for DJ to add his stamp on these songs. As most are thinking here even though we havn't heard them, they are not his songs. Heck he can't even do the TIL solo properly and had to even state he changed it to add his flair! That leaves things rather awkward to be releasing another album with very few of the current members having played/recorded on it, but that's what needs to happen. Release CD2/CD3 and 6 months later release a new album written and played by the current members of GnR. Then DJ can shine or diaf.

I'm sick of hearing from this guy, and as someone said he doesn't seem to know his place. He's appears to be sucking up to the teacher or wanting to be teachers pet or something. I have a feeling this won't end well for him in the long run and or will piss off the other band members. I can just imagine him constantly waiting for that perfect opportunity to spring on Axl another demo cd of his stuff. What this tells me is even if he's heard all the unreleased CD material, he's in this for himself and thus is pushing his shit rather than being a member of a team. It matters not if Bucket/Robin/Brain are not in GnR anymore. They are part of GnR history and the founding stones of ChiDem. And all the current guys play CD tracks at shows anyway.

GnR management, if you are reading this please to heavens' sake keep DJ teathered. Let the CD2/CD3 material come out as it was recorded. Then close the Chinese Democracy chapter. Create a new one with new material and we'll all be happy. But if you don't release the CD2/CD3 material and instead we get a record full of DJ junk, even the most hardcore dedicated fans who have stayed loyal and supportive for decades are going to bail. DJ is tolerated but is not loved or adored like Bucket and Robin are, and there's a good reason for that. They both contributed to GnR, whereas DJ seems to be using GnR for his personal gain, and or attempting to make it his band. That's only my personal opinion and no doubt other respected members here will agree to disagree. But I know I'm not alone in my thinking here.

[Shnicky]

DJ's delusional. He seems to be the biggest suckup I've ever seen. He's been talking rubbish about new tracks and recording and this and that for years, but it's never in the past tense, as in we've recorded this, or we've done that. No it's I hope to do this, and we're gearing up to do that. It's going to be soo cool man, OMGLOLWTFBBQ!

Now I'm more than happy to listen to some of his works or contributions to GNR, but only after all the ChiDem material has been released. Secondly there is no need for DJ to add his stamp on these songs. As most are thinking here even though we havn't heard them, they are not his songs. Heck he can't even do the TIL solo properly and had to even state he changed it to add his flair! That leaves things rather awkward to be releasing another album with very few of the current members having played/recorded on it, but that's what needs to happen. Release CD2/CD3 and 6 months later release a new album written and played by the current members of GnR. Then DJ can shine or diaf.

I'm sick of hearing from this guy, and as someone said he doesn't seem to know his place. He's appears to be sucking up to the teacher or wanting to be teachers pet or something. I have a feeling this won't end well for him in the long run and or will piss off the other band members. I can just imagine him constantly waiting for that perfect opportunity to spring on Axl another demo cd of his stuff. What this tells me is even if he's heard all the unreleased CD material, he's in this for himself and thus is pushing his shit rather than being a member of a team. It matters not if Bucket/Robin/Brain are not in GnR anymore. They are part of GnR history and the founding stones of ChiDem. And all the current guys play CD tracks at shows anyway.

GnR management, if you are reading this please to heavens' sake keep DJ teathered. Let the CD2/CD3 material come out as it was recorded. Then close the Chinese Democracy chapter. Create a new one with new material and we'll all be happy. But if you don't release the CD2/CD3 material and instead we get a record full of DJ junk, even the most hardcore dedicated fans who have stayed loyal and supportive for decades are going to bail. DJ is tolerated but is not loved or adored like Bucket and Robin are, and there's a good reason for that. They both contributed to GnR, whereas DJ seems to be using GnR for his personal gain, and or attempting to make it his band. That's only my personal opinion and no doubt other respected members here will agree to disagree. But I know I'm not alone in my thinking here.

Excellent and accurate post.

Most people are sick of DJ. His cheesy attitude as a salesman is getting to most people. I agree entirely where you say he is using GNR for his personal gain. This is annoying too. Nobody wants to hear about the new pair of stockings you have designed or your retarded collection of junk. Stop milking it. And news flash DJ, Axl (like all of us) don't give a shit about your generic bar band music.

I wish this band got a real guitarist who focussed on the music not his image, sales and fame.

We sorely need Robin back.

[Young_Gun]

‘This I Love’ is one of my favorite solos to play just because it’s…the one Robin wrote for the album, it works in the studio but I found it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t translating live so I had to kind of rewrite it a bit just to fit me so I could deliver it and sell the solo.

sacrilege

It's not even a hard guitar solo....

In regards to the interview, more of the same really. Give us an album title, release date or something tangible.

[Guest gunns5]

‘This I Love’ is one of my favorite solos to play just because it’s…the one Robin wrote for the album, it works in the studio but I found it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t translating live so I had to kind of rewrite it a bit just to fit me so I could deliver it and sell the solo.

sacrilege

It's not even a hard guitar solo....

In regards to the interview, more of the same really. Give us an album title, release date or something tangible.

his guitar tech could of helped with it too, so there's no excuse.

[Young_Gun]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

[rabia]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

[sweetness]

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I don't really want to get that much into this because it doesn't really matter and isn't relevant to the topic it all.

But you can easily say the same thing about any song on Chinese Democracy, just sayin. It's an entire album of songs like that.

[rabia]

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I don't really want to get that much into this because it doesn't really matter and isn't relevant to the topic it all.

But you can easily say the same thing about any song on Chinese Democracy, just sayin. It's an entire album of songs like that.

Yup but not all of them were mentioned all the way back in 1993 and in terms of the lyrics, its more exposed than many of the other songs. Its easier to express anger in rock songs than "giving up your ghost of pride", so to speak, because fans may find it cringe-worthy when you go the This I Love route.

[Young_Gun]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I personally don't see it that way at all. Axl is known to talk wind some of the time, just like the "Oh My God is only a demo" thing. Even if it were written back in 1993, it received significant work. Protools was not even around til many years after that. The harpist worked on the song just a few years prior to its release. Alot of effort was put into the making and production of that song for me to think Axl would not want it out there. He has 15 years to garner his feelings about the song, yet continued to work on it. I'm not going to believe a paid musician and paid producer had much of a say in its inclusion on the record, let alone insistence...

[rabia]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I personally don't see it that way at all. Axl is known to talk wind some of the time, just like the "Oh My God is only a demo" thing. Even if it were written back in 1993, it received significant work. Protools was not even around til many years after that. The harpist worked on the song just a few years prior to its release. Alot of effort was put into the making and production of that song for me to think Axl would not want it out there. He has 15 years to garner his feelings about the song, yet continued to work on it. I'm not going to believe a paid musician and paid producer had much of a say in its inclusion on the record, let alone insistence...

Spencer Proffer who worked initially as producer for AFD was the one who suggested that GN'R add a breakdown to Sweet Child o Mine and that's where the "Where do we go now" section comes from - Slash mentions this story in his book. We know that Roy Thomas Baker had enough influence to get a lot of stuff re-recorded for CD.

If other paid people can have such influence, it stands to reason that Finck and Caram Costanzo could have impacted such a decision as adding This I Love to the track list.

Axl's been living with many many songs for a long time and he has probably worked on them from time to time but I think he probably likes to keep his options open about what will eventually come out. Some are definites and some maybes and This I Love needed some pushing by the others before it made it.

[Georgy Zhukov]

They should stop doing TIL live until DJ plays it right.

[Young_Gun]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I personally don't see it that way at all. Axl is known to talk wind some of the time, just like the "Oh My God is only a demo" thing. Even if it were written back in 1993, it received significant work. Protools was not even around til many years after that. The harpist worked on the song just a few years prior to its release. Alot of effort was put into the making and production of that song for me to think Axl would not want it out there. He has 15 years to garner his feelings about the song, yet continued to work on it. I'm not going to believe a paid musician and paid producer had much of a say in its inclusion on the record, let alone insistence...

Spencer Proffer who worked initially as producer for AFD was the one who suggested that GN'R add a breakdown to Sweet Child o Mine and that's where the "Where do we go now" section comes from - Slash mentions this story in his book. We know that Roy Thomas Baker had enough influence to get a lot of stuff re-recorded for CD.

If other paid people can have such influence, it stands to reason that Finck and Caram Costanzo could have impacted such a decision as adding This I Love to the track list.

Axl's been living with many many songs for a long time and he has probably worked on them from time to time but I think he probably likes to keep his options open about what will eventually come out. Some are definites and some maybes and This I Love needed some pushing by the others before it made it.

Suggesting a breakdown in the middle of a song and insisting on a songs total inclusion are two totally and utterly different things. Also that was at the time when the band were 5 parts equal members. Totally different dynamic now.

[rabia]

Ashba has been saying this for a while, yet as of last year, they haven't been in the studio so maybe he's ideas aren't good enough to warrant studio time with the band,

When it comes to getting shit done in the studio, Axl is going to call the shots

This I Love. Axl did not want to do that song. AT ALL. Robin and Caram did. So they did it.

Yeah, eventually. It's not like they released the album including This I Love against his will, Axl has the final say.

Axl didn't want to do This I Love. They did it anyway. I don't really see that as him "calling the shots".

Hmmm Axl did not want to do This I Love but wrote it back in 1993 and hired a professional harpist and orchestra and got Robin to do a solo on it and also put it on the album? Not to mention plays it live? Doesn't sound like he did not want to do This I Love to me... It's another cop out, like how he said Oh My God was a demo that was never meant to be released even though he wrote an official press release for it detailing its history.

The fact that it was written back in 1993 and he first talked about it then could also explain why he didn't want to release it- he might have outgrown those feelings he expressed in the song or not want to be reminded of them or not be enthusiastic about how people would measure the real song against the expectations they had built of it over the years.

It had existed in one version or the other for many years before its release so there was a lot of time during which his feelings could change about the song.

I personally don't see it that way at all. Axl is known to talk wind some of the time, just like the "Oh My God is only a demo" thing. Even if it were written back in 1993, it received significant work. Protools was not even around til many years after that. The harpist worked on the song just a few years prior to its release. Alot of effort was put into the making and production of that song for me to think Axl would not want it out there. He has 15 years to garner his feelings about the song, yet continued to work on it. I'm not going to believe a paid musician and paid producer had much of a say in its inclusion on the record, let alone insistence...

Spencer Proffer who worked initially as producer for AFD was the one who suggested that GN'R add a breakdown to Sweet Child o Mine and that's where the "Where do we go now" section comes from - Slash mentions this story in his book. We know that Roy Thomas Baker had enough influence to get a lot of stuff re-recorded for CD.

If other paid people can have such influence, it stands to reason that Finck and Caram Costanzo could have impacted such a decision as adding This I Love to the track list.

Axl's been living with many many songs for a long time and he has probably worked on them from time to time but I think he probably likes to keep his options open about what will eventually come out. Some are definites and some maybes and This I Love needed some pushing by the others before it made it.

Suggesting a breakdown in the middle of a song and insisting on a songs total inclusion are two totally and utterly different things. Also that was at the time when the band were 5 parts equal members. Totally different dynamic now.

SCOM meant a lot to Axl according to what we know and he was willing to change it based on somebody's suggestion. GN'R were willing to incur heavy expenses to re-record things based on Roy Thomas Baker's direction. It just suggests that Axl isnt shut off from listening to others working with him. The members werent "equal" in their influence even back in the 80s.

How would we know with any definiteness what dynamic exists now? We could only say if we were standing there when the songs were picked for the CD list.

[Young_Gun]

Ummm we do not know the exact details on Roy Thomas Baker's inclusion or direction so we cannot fully comment on it. Again, working with others and taking their choice over you own are two totally different things. For all we know, it could have been at Axl's insistence that the parts were re-done to move away from the obsolete industrial feel that Sean Beaven gave to the songs. We do not know about that.

The band in the 80's were 5 parts equal members. It was not just Axl deciding what was on the songs. Sure Axl had more say over a song than say Adler, but Slash, Duff and Izzy could veto a decision or at least change things up. I don't believe for a second Ron or DJ could do that... Hell Ron has been harping on about recording new material with the band for 4 years now and it hasn't happened. Ron's, Brian's, Robin's etc solos were all comped by Axl and they had to relearn them later. Axl steers the ship.

Also, what do you think about Oh My God being a demo when Axl clearly gave it his blessing in his 1999 press release? He talks wind sometimes, we all know that.

The dynamic has obviously changed now. Instead of 5 guys jamming out in a van on the way back from a small gig and creating the basis for a song in 5 minutes, it's now 8 guys who are barely in the same room together outside of touringr and record their parts separately or at least without Axl. Axl then cuts, comps, mixes, combines those parts into what he thinks sounds good. Even in the UYI recording sessions, the members said Axl was rarely around. Certainly a far cry from the way they worked in the 80's.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Young_Gun

[Nosaj Thing]

I don't know what's the problem with This I Love, I really like the song.

[Estranged 14]

It would be wrong to assume just cause axl was initially reluctant to release this i love that he was insincere, perhaps just recording it was cathartic for him.

like the videos. they have been shot whether we get them or not seems to be inconsequential at this point, i read somewhere Prince does the same thing

[RocketQueen1985]

I don't know what's the problem with This I Love, I really like the song.

Me too. It's especially great live imo

[rabia]

Ummm we do not know the exact details on Roy Thomas Baker's inclusion or direction so we cannot fully comment on it. Again, working with others and taking their choice over you own are two totally different things. For all we know, it could have been at Axl's insistence that the parts were re-done to move away from the obsolete industrial feel that Sean Beaven gave to the songs. We do not know about that.

The band in the 80's were 5 parts equal members. It was not just Axl deciding what was on the songs. Sure Axl had more say over a song than say Adler, but Slash, Duff and Izzy could veto a decision or at least change things up. I don't believe for a second Ron or DJ could do that... Hell Ron has been harping on about recording new material with the band for 4 years now and it hasn't happened. Ron's, Brian's, Robin's etc solos were all comped by Axl and they had to relearn them later. Axl steers the ship.

Also, what do you think about Oh My God being a demo when Axl clearly gave it his blessing in his 1999 press release? He talks wind sometimes, we all know that.

The dynamic has obviously changed now. Instead of 5 guys jamming out in a van on the way back from a small gig and creating the basis for a song in 5 minutes, it's now 8 guys who are barely in the same room together outside of touringr and record their parts separately or at least without Axl. Axl then cuts, comps, mixes, combines those parts into what he thinks sounds good. Even in the UYI recording sessions, the members said Axl was rarely around. Certainly a far cry from the way they worked in the 80's.

We do know that Baker was instrumental in getting those parts re-recorded - unless we choose to consider Tommy a liar for saying this.

This I Love wasnt a case of "taking others choice over your own"- it was a case of being convinced by others that it was the way to go when yourself had misgivings. Seems like working with others to me.

How do we know that its just Axl who has 100% say in what ends up on the songs and is never for a moment open to anybody's advice/suggestions now? Nobody suggests that Ron or DJ etc could ride roughshod over Axl but that's very different from the idea that none of the guys in the band could ever have Axl's ear for even a single decision or influence a single action by him.

He gave Oh My God his blessing in 1999 but he kept working on it later so it suggests he wasnt fully satisfied with it- that might explain the use of the word demo. We also know that there was discussion about putting This I Love on What Dreams May Come in 1998 and yet there were additions to the song well after that so its a similar situation there.

Sure, the song-writing dynamic was different in the 80s but even there Axl was sitting separately when he wrote the lyrics to SCOM and that song was done despite Slash, Duff and Steven all expressing an initial lack of enthusiasm for it. What changes did Slash, Izzy and Duff made to song structures against Axl's will?

[Young_Gun]

Ummm we do not know the exact details on Roy Thomas Baker's inclusion or direction so we cannot fully comment on it. Again, working with others and taking their choice over you own are two totally different things. For all we know, it could have been at Axl's insistence that the parts were re-done to move away from the obsolete industrial feel that Sean Beaven gave to the songs. We do not know about that.

The band in the 80's were 5 parts equal members. It was not just Axl deciding what was on the songs. Sure Axl had more say over a song than say Adler, but Slash, Duff and Izzy could veto a decision or at least change things up. I don't believe for a second Ron or DJ could do that... Hell Ron has been harping on about recording new material with the band for 4 years now and it hasn't happened. Ron's, Brian's, Robin's etc solos were all comped by Axl and they had to relearn them later. Axl steers the ship.

Also, what do you think about Oh My God being a demo when Axl clearly gave it his blessing in his 1999 press release? He talks wind sometimes, we all know that.

The dynamic has obviously changed now. Instead of 5 guys jamming out in a van on the way back from a small gig and creating the basis for a song in 5 minutes, it's now 8 guys who are barely in the same room together outside of touringr and record their parts separately or at least without Axl. Axl then cuts, comps, mixes, combines those parts into what he thinks sounds good. Even in the UYI recording sessions, the members said Axl was rarely around. Certainly a far cry from the way they worked in the 80's.

We do know that Baker was instrumental in getting those parts re-recorded - unless we choose to consider Tommy a liar for saying this.

This I Love wasnt a case of "taking others choice over your own"- it was a case of being convinced by others that it was the way to go when yourself had misgivings. Seems like working with others to me.

How do we know that its just Axl who has 100% say in what ends up on the songs and is never for a moment open to anybody's advice/suggestions now? Nobody suggests that Ron or DJ etc could ride roughshod over Axl but that's very different from the idea that none of the guys in the band could ever have Axl's ear for even a single decision or influence a single action by him.

He gave Oh My God his blessing in 1999 but he kept working on it later so it suggests he wasnt fully satisfied with it- that might explain the use of the word demo. We also know that there was discussion about putting This I Love on What Dreams May Come in 1998 and yet there were additions to the song well after that so its a similar situation there.

Sure, the song-writing dynamic was different in the 80s but even there Axl was sitting separately when he wrote the lyrics to SCOM and that song was done despite Slash, Duff and Steven all expressing an initial lack of enthusiasm for it. What changes did Slash, Izzy and Duff made to song structures against Axl's will?

Lol.... Just.... Lol... He again makes NO mention in the press release alluding to in any way that it was a demo.

[Cosmo]

I don't know what's the problem with This I Love, I really like the song.

Me too. It's especially great live imo

I love the song... but I don't think it's that good live

Edited April 1, 2012 by It Don't Really Matter