Cover Ratio

[Izzymacbeth]

Hey, whats the count on covers now from GN'R? The 2 on Live Like a Suicide, The 2 on UYI, The Spaghetti Incident (Buick Makane/BDS counting as 2), not forgetting Look At Your Game so thats 14, Sympathy For the Devil, Whole Lotta Rosie, Mother, Only Women Bleed, Always On the Run, The Seeker, Another Brick In the Wall pt 2, Baba O'Reilly, Imagine, Wild Horses, Dead Flowers, Heartbreak Hotel, Jumpin Jack Flash, I Feel Good, Black Hole Sun, the other new one, Beautiful mixed with X Japan song Richard and Robin jammed..... 

Thats 36 and I know I'm missing loads. Half the GH album was covers. 

I would  rather hear covers they recorded than all these new ones appearing (although I like BHS). I think I Feel Good is pish when Black Leather could be blasted. 

Still no Don't Damn Me, ever. Unreal. 

Whats your thoughts? 

[MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle]

I'd like to see them stop playing covers altogether, though I know that's not going to happen. 

They've always played covers, as we know, so it's not surprising or new.  What's surprising is the timing and the number of covers.  This is a reunion tour where they're trying to re-establish the 'brand' as it were, trying to reconnect with their old fanbase while building a new, wider audience, presumably to strengthen the legacy (so they can continue flogging all that useless, expensive merch to the next generation).  

So I can't for the life of me, figure out why they play any covers at the expense of their back catalogue, when they could be/should be selling that catalogue to the wider audience, who might like what they hear and then go out and buy those albums.  Or, just do it to familiarise a wider audience with the band: this is who we are, this is what we sound like when we're not sounding like SCOM and NR.  It's a wasted opportunity.

Also, I would LOVE for them to play Don't Damn Me and I reckon Axl could sing it well enough, too.  It's the perfect fit for his mid-lower ranger right now.

[AxlRoseCDII]

They're old and new music isn't a priority these days, I think they're just trying to have fun.

[Gibson87]

They've been playing covers for a long time. They started out playing covers and like 5 or 6 original songs. Plus, LALD/KOHD don't really count as covers anymore. Those are pretty much GN'R songs at this point. 

[RussTCB]

52 minutes ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

They're old and new music isn't a priority these days, I think they're just trying to have fun.

That's gotta be the only reason for all the covers especially the new ones that don't make sense, at least to me anyway.

[Sunset Gardner]

I don't mind the covers so long as they're not beaten to death like "the seeker."  

I think the covers are a good sign everyone is comfortable and talking and sharing ideas.  

there's no way they play "witchita lineman" if everyone isn't happy in each other's company.

my personal favorite cover is the studio version of HEARTBREAK HOTEL 

 

[Sunset Gardner]

I hope you're wrong but you could absolutely be right.  

as far as new material and I'm being very optimistic, maybe the covers are just step one... like you say just having fun, and maybe fun leads to new material?  

i know, i know... but a boy can dream can't he.

 

[IncitingChaos]

It's like Axl said after I Feel Good yesterday "We like doing this arrangement Bc it reminds us of the old days...when we had no idea what we were doing" 

its fun for them to work together and piece these things together, maybe new music is complicated right now so this fills that void for them. 

But regardless Axl and Slash have always been incredibly talented at covering music. Their ear for the small nuances of any given song gives the ability to make these quite special. They make it their own and still manage to be true to the original.

i, like many hope they take this talent to new music 

[StrangerInThisTown]

12 hours ago, Sunset Gardner said:

I don't mind the covers so long as they're not beaten to death like "the seeker."  

I think the covers are a good sign everyone is comfortable and talking and sharing ideas.  

there's no way they play "witchita lineman" if everyone isn't happy in each other's company.

my personal favorite cover is the studio version of HEARTBREAK HOTEL 

 

This seems to be a shorter version of the real demo version, or this is a whole different take? The real demo I know has Axl whispering "since my baby left me" at the start.

Edit: Okay just listened back to both and this one sounds way worse overall in recording quality, the instruments aren't as crisp, this is definitely a completely different take.

Edited September 3, 2017 by StrangerInThisTown

[Tom-Ass]

I don't mind them doing a lot of covers and some are great but I don't  like all of them. I would certainly welcome a couple 1986-1993 tracks over some...

The Seeker - I like it
I Feel Good - Awesome
The Glenn Campbell Song - pretty cool
KOHD - though this version isn't their best but I don't mind it
Live and Let Die - Been liking it this tour

Rosie - Axl doesn't sound good on it though that Marquee version is iconic
Layla - Bored of it
Wish You Were Here - Boring
Black Hole Sun - Never liked the song and their version is worse
 

I also love the little Sweet Melissa and Babe I'm Gonna Leave you intro jams too...

 

[estranged_85]

I like that GN'R has done covers at their shows thru the years. It's interesting to hear my favorite bands take on others music.

So many complain about the covers nowadays, but i try to see it like this: If the current band are capable of arrange a tribute/cover song like say, the James Brown song, Then they're maybe capable of doing original music eventually. I  mean it takes team work from the whole band to arrange a tribute and that's a good thing. The more they work together the better.