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If Axl and the new guys could hunker down and write just one hit single, they would have all the leverage they would need to deal with the label


CoolRanchDressing

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Where does the idea originate that there was some huge difficult obstackle between GNR and label?One radiating from label's direction that is.

"No, we shall NOT release albums from you, band signed to us! Mwhahaha"

Is there some actual valid evidence suggesting this, or is this what people who also think Jews behind Youtube make Axl sound bad because they are evil believe?

Edited by LTD
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it's more that it isn't the 90s, and labels don't throw money on promo videos anymore. rock songs aren't what are hits. 90s bands are like touring bands. It's partly due to the fan base of those bands actually not wanting the new records to be as popular as the old stuff. But in GNR's case it might be worse cos GNR lost half it's fan base.

You can almost base the successfulness of a band on whether they can tour or not. Nostalgia culture is very strong.

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I don't think time has anything to do with it.

GN'R needs a more modern sound that fits in these days.

Rock music is much harder now than it was in the 90s and all the of the fans of rock music love the hard shit. These wimpy GN'R songs on CD isn't going to win anyone over.

Better was probably the only track on CD that could've made it. Chinese Democracy could've been something good but the lyrics were horrid, right when he gets to "chinese stew" it kind of ruined it.

Everyone knows who Axl is and all it takes is a killer single to have the light back on them. That's the obstacle and is that what they all want?

Edited by crashoride
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like most bands they'll never write a classic. Was there a classic after U2's One or Metallica's Enter Sandman, ACDC's Thunderstruck, NIN's Closer.

This is why maybe they won't bother to put out a record, it needs to be really awesome.

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I'm sure some will argue against this but the last truely successful album released by a "classic rock" artist was Black Ice - AC/DC. That didn't have a "hit single" yet the label got behind them because the album was the vintage sound of the band.

I don't think a hit single matters to the label when the band are classic rock like it does when they are current top 40. Its a different beast all together. If Axl was to put together an album that sounded like the GNR the mass consumer wants to hear - there would be no label issue (assuming there even is).

Its when an album gets handed in that is completely disjointed from what their core audience expects that there is a problem. So long as the next thing he hands in has a more classic GNR sound, I doubt anyone at UMG would have a problem backing it for release.

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It's not a surprise that huge band brand names survived by getting back to their core sound. Metallica even did that. You look at the current line up and they seem more likely to put out a hard rock album. Even Sabbath did that. Only Axl was trying to do a new sound, and without the original band.

Edited by wasted
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'When Todd Sullivan, then working as 'talent executive' for Geffen, couriered a sampling of CDs featuring various name producers over to Axl, with a note suggesting he might like to consider one of them to work with on his own album, Axl's response was to place the CDs in his drive and run over them in his silver Ferrari. Some time later, the same exec persuaded Axl to play him some of the snippets he had been working on. After which, he told him: “Look, Axl, this is some really great, promising stuff here. Why don't you consider just bearing down and completing some of these songs?” To which Axl replied: “Hmm, bear down and complete some of these songs?” The very next day Sullivan received a phone call from Geffen chairman Eddie Rosenblatt informing him he “was off the project.”'

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I think the evidence that the labels wasn't behind CD is pretty obvious, look at the release... you had to search, the advert campaign was lazy, a lousy tv advert that did very little in hype building. When I bought the cd there was no stands displaying it, it ws just another cd not the album in the works for 14years.

The label dropped the ball, most bands will agree that labels have no time for older bands, they just want to make money off the young guys (get one album out of them and drop em' attitude) A guns album is too expensive and they can't predict it so... they choose to not back it. I'm sure there's a label who would back them but I'm not universal is that label judging by the last fiasco. Obviously the band shares some blame... No iterviews, press etc.

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You guys act like there are no profitable rock acts. Obviously I don't think a fifty year old a l rose could ever write something as popular or relevant as Bruno Mars. But certainly we can agree he can at least top nickleback. Right?

Stop lowering the bar guys. I believe axl is every bit as capable of writing a song half as popular as slither.

Edited by CoolRanchDressing
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You guys act like there are no profitable rock acts. Obviously I don't think a fifty year old a l rose could ever write something as popular or relevant as Bruno Mars. But certainly we can agree he can at least top nickleback. Right?

Stop lowering the bar guys. I believe axl is every bit as capable of writing a song half as popular as slither.

It's not Axls writing ability that people question... there's very few who can deny how catchy "better" or "street of dreams" are. the problem lies in the fact that Axls not the new hot young thing like all those morons on The voice or X factor. Labels want to work with them... it's easier. Axl has marketability but... he needs to A) write an album that the majority can like, not just the fans that are open minded and willing to go with an artist when they change direction. 2) be willing to do some more press. 3) Get a bit of a look overhaul, I don't mean cutting his hair or anything - what I mean is he needs to get back in shape or at least as good as he looked in 2007/07 so the older women who were 17 when appetite came out can drool over him again... it would also help No. 4. 4) Get his physical fitness back up to scratch so he can still do his usual running around... while not being completely breathless and vocally shot.

There's no reason Guns can't have a pretty successful album... bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS, Whitesnake have all released albums recently and have all sold respectful amounts... not all in the millions but 500,000+ (which would have been a couple of million by 90s standards), obviously AC/DC sold in the millions but thats because A) their huge B) their older fan-base went out and bought the cd... and C)their record label knew how to promote them...

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Interscope act in the interests of commerce, that's their policy. That's why people like Jimmy Iovine were dispatched to get Axl to change the direction of Chinese Democracy.

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like most bands they'll never write a classic. Was there a classic after U2's One or Metallica's Enter Sandman, ACDC's Thunderstruck, NIN's Closer.

This is why maybe they won't bother to put out a record, it needs to be really awesome.

All those bands wrote top songs after that.

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So you don't think that Better could've been a commercial hit if Axl and the label got behind it? All that song needed was some kind of push from someone to become a hit..It just never happened..

Why do you think the label wasn't behind it? Just out of curiosity.

Labels WANT hits. The more hits they produce, the more money they make.

Could it be that the general public rock crowd just wasn't that into the single songs off of the album?

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