Do you think Axl will get prolific at some point?

[Randy Lahey]

Do you think Axl will get prolific at some point? One day he will look at a calendar and realize that it is 2013 and he has only released one original album since 91. Kind of like what is going on with Terrence Malick.

[Guest NGOG]

Axl is clearly more about quality over quantity. To be releasing records every few years probably invokes a sense of achievement, but ultimately the statements he made in only three eras of song will probably say more than most careers could hope to.

[Coma16]

Axl is clearly more about quality over quantity. To be releasing records every few years probably invokes a sense of achievement, but ultimately the statements he made in only three eras of song will probably say more than most careers could hope to.

Not sure i agree. I think there are many more factors to why releases were postponed/cancelled than just being quality over quantity.

[Randy Lahey]

Quality isn't what comes to mind when I hear Chinese Democracy and Riad N' The Bedouins.

[Apollo]

Axl is clearly more about quality over quantity. To be releasing records every few years probably invokes a sense of achievement, but ultimately the statements he made in only three eras of song will probably say more than most careers could hope to.

I respectfully dissagree with that.

Not saying you are doing this, but there are a lot of Axl die-hard fans on here who have customized that argument simply to fit what Axl is doing. What you are saying is that it takes Axl a good solid decade to create an albums worth of songs. If that is the case then it's more of a statement about his song writing abilities.

Let's test out your theory.

What do you think was a more impressive era for GnR. In terms of QUALITY of music. 1987 through 1991. Or 2000 through 2013. The period where they put out four albums in five years, or one album in 13 years???????

Lots of bands put out quality albums more than once every 20 years. I think that praising Axl for putting quality over quantity is silly.

Also, three eras of music? Again, take the 87-through-91 and say that's as good as any rock band's five year period. What has GnR done from 1991 through 2013 that will go down in rock history as being historic in a good way?

[Coma16]

Quality isn't what comes to mind when I hear Chinese Democracy and Riad N' The Bedouins.

That song has grown on me ever since i heard some of the multitracks. I think it is an awesome song that suffers from its intro.

[Hollywood Gunner]

probably not... but it would be fucking nice

[Guest NGOG]

Quality isn't what comes to mind when I hear Chinese Democracy and Riad N' The Bedouins.

Few records have no songs that you would prefer not to remember.

Axl is in no rush to release records and I can see why. Appetite For Destruction, UYI and Chinese Democracy are three records you wouldn't have a problem attaching your name to.

[magisme]

No. I think he knows he's lost it. CD is the evidence. I hope I'm wrong.

[Apollo]

Quality isn't what comes to mind when I hear Chinese Democracy and Riad N' The Bedouins.

Few records have no songs that you would prefer not to remember.

Axl is in no rush to release records and I can see why. Appetite For Destruction, UYI and Chinese Democracy are three records you wouldn't have a problem attaching your name to.

So you feel that Axl doesn't have the songwriting skills/talent to write create more than one good song per year? You are saying his talent level is only good enough to write one quality album every 10-15 years? I guess I have more faith in the guy's talent than you do!!!

Also, you didn't answer my earlier question.

What do you think was a better and more significant time frame for Axl's career and for GnR's legacy. 1987-through-1991 or 2000-through 2013? Were you mad as a fan that Axl/GnR release so much music between 1987 and 1991? Do you think they were going for quantity over quality in those days?

[gunsfanoldie]

I don't need to argue about this, since Groghan is doing my work for me and doing an excellent job being the voice of reason (mainly for NGOG), but so much about this arguments are wrong. Chinese Democracy is a record I wouldn't mind having my name attached to?! Yeah, I would! The record was a total flop once released and became a joke after 2002 that only the true diehard fans took it seriously when it came out. Sure, its a mainstream album from a well known band, but the amount of flaws with its content and production is not something I would want to be attached too.

Its not a bad album, I think the people that think its a masterpiece are delusional or so much an Axl fanboy that they can't admit they don't like it. If there are people that genuinely think its a masterpiece, then good for you. Music is all about finding that niche that you enjoy. But it is not a qualitative work that more than a handful of fans really love and its honestly nothing but a blemish on the GNR legacy. It will ALWAYS be known as "that album that took forever" and not "that album that was good", and maybe Axl doesn't release that if he doesn't follow it up with something then no one will get past that thought. There is no other answer than "yeah, its disappointing what Axl has managed to come out with in 20 years."

[Apollo]

Gunsfanoldie - you hit the nail on the head.

While I personally loved CD (the album, not the song) and I still listen to it almost daily, it clearly was not a huge success for Axl's career. Like you said it will always be MOST known for being the most expensive album of all time and for taking 13-14 years to make.

Twenty years from now you could poll every person associated to music in the world (fans, producers, critics, other artists) and ask what was the most significant thing about CD: The amount of money and time it took to release OR Better (or any other song off the album). 95% of the responses aren't going to be music related.

While CD (album, not song) was a treat for a couple million Axl fans, it clearly has to be considered a bit of a failure for Axl's career. In baseball terms it's a single - not a home run.

[gunsfanoldie]

Very much so. I do like the album, I don't love it, but I like 9 out of the 15 songs I think. It really is a good album, and I just said to my friend the other day "its so weird. Its just an ok album, but I know every word, every lick, every single part of the album, even the songs I don't like". Because its all Axl has released, I truly have digested the entire thing and rarely are there albums were I know every bit of the songs I DON'T like.

There are so many problems with it though that it can't really be taken seriously. In addition to the it being expensive and taking forever and not doing well, it also sounds nothing like GNR, and say what you but that really hurts it. Yes, you can use the argument that bands progress so the fact that this sounds nothing like previous records means nothing, but its also so painfully obvious you can tell that Axl is the only one who had input in it. Its not a band effort (previous GNR or current GNR) and that is detrimental to the record more than I think Axl imagines. I wouldn't like it anymore if Axl released it as a solo album under his own name (as I already like most of it), but it would have looked and been accepted so much more by the public had it been that way. Because that is what it is, and relating it to Guns N Roses when it is so obviously "Axl's debut solo album" killed any acceptance of it at all.

And now since he didn't release it as a solo album, he has a hefty plate to clear off as he moves forward. One, he needs to release a new album. 2, it really does need to be an album thats GREAT to show this current band has talent. 3, it either needs to be GREAT enough that hardcore fans indisputably love it (in which case he has satisfied his fanbase), or it needs to be GREAT and mainstream so that it reinvigorates interest in GNR. And 4, he needs to release an album just so that the 20 year effort Chinese Democracy was is not the last thing people remember about GNR or that can realistically be written about them (because if that is the case, it won't be kind words).

The thing is, that is such a tall order (and pretty much the way it has to happen, at least two of those things) that I think Axl looks at it and says "its not worth it" or "I can't do it". Thats definitely a hard thing to deal with at 50, and I would understand that its become too impossible to do at this point (thats a monumental amount of stuff to deal with) but that IS the current hurdle Axl needs to get over to move this current band along and get GNR back to a place where it deserves to be.

Or, something that would eliminate all of that, is reunite the classic band. I do genuinely wish Axl the best of luck, because at this point he's so far in this hole that I don't know if its possible for him to come out and not look pretty embarrassing.

Edited August 6, 2013 by gunsfanoldie

[rockerman]

Axl is clearly more about quality over quantity. To be releasing records every few years probably invokes a sense of achievement, but ultimately the statements he made in only three eras of song will probably say more than most careers could hope to.

I respectfully dissagree with that.

Not saying you are doing this, but there are a lot of Axl die-hard fans on here who have customized that argument simply to fit what Axl is doing. What you are saying is that it takes Axl a good solid decade to create an albums worth of songs. If that is the case then it's more of a statement about his song writing abilities.

Let's test out your theory.

What do you think was a more impressive era for GnR. In terms of QUALITY of music. 1987 through 1991. Or 2000 through 2013. The period where they put out four albums in five years, or one album in 13 years???????

Lots of bands put out quality albums more than once every 20 years. I think that praising Axl for putting quality over quantity is silly.

Also, three eras of music? Again, take the 87-through-91 and say that's as good as any rock band's five year period. What has GnR done from 1991 through 2013 that will go down in rock history as being historic in a good way?

Speak the word brother so all may lift thier eyes up and see that Brother Axl fell down on the job both time wise and quality wise with CD. Lead those non believers to a greater understanding that sometimes a great song can be jotted down on a cocktail napkin, rehearsed that very same night and recorded the next day and can have absolute impact on the world. IT doesnt take a decade or more to write a QUALITY album,, it takes heart and soul and follow through. Talent helps too.

[Flayer]

Maybe he will. I certainly hopes so. As far as the quality vs quantity argument, I think that's bogus. He certainly writes songs in great quantity, its just that most of them aren't getting released.