The "New Album" Thread . The maybe, possibly, at some point, soon, whenever, wtf Axl thread🤞

[Live Like a Suicide]

I can't believe this thread has over 500,000 views and yet we're still waiting for solid news of a new album.

I know people have differing opinions on what content should make the next album, but i think it's clear that CD-era songs will make a show in some capacity (given Hardschool's presence in soundchecks). In that case, what CD-era songs would you really like to hear? 

I'm really hoping for Soul Monster/Elvis and The General, especially after hearing the instrumentals (and that 2-min shit quality leak of the latter which still sounded awesome lol). I know they won't sound exactly the same as what we have previously heard, but i need to inject them into my veins.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Live Like a Suicide

[LlamaRenegade]

58 minutes ago, Live Like a Suicide said:

I can't believe this thread has over 500,000 views and yet we're still waiting for solid news of a new album.

I know people have differing opinions on what content should make the next album, but i think it's clear that CD-era songs will make a show in some capacity (given Hardschool's presence in soundchecks). In that case, what CD-era songs would you really like to hear? 

I'm really hoping for Soul Monster/Elvis and The General, especially after hearing the instrumentals (and that 2-min shit quality leak of the latter which still sounded awesome lol). I know they won't sound exactly the same as what we have previously heard, but i need to inject them into my veins.

The General/Soul Monster/Zodiac/Oklahoma/Quick Song/Atlas/Perhaps/Hardschool

Really curious to hear Slash on the last three songs. They have an old school vibe to them and I think he would fit on them really well.

Add a few unheard ChiDem era tracks and some new Slash/Duff compositions and you have a solid album.

Edited June 26, 2021 by ApacheChief42

[Gordon Comstock]

I hope Slash stays far away from stuff like The General or Zodiac... leave that shit untouched until Axl decides to release a CD era box set or TB releases it posthumously.

Slash playing on Atlas would be hilarious, though.

[DTJ80]

4 hours ago, Live Like a Suicide said:

I can't believe this thread has over 500,000 views and yet we're still waiting for solid news of a new album.

I know people have differing opinions on what content should make the next album, but i think it's clear that CD-era songs will make a show in some capacity (given Hardschool's presence in soundchecks). In that case, what CD-era songs would you really like to hear? 

I'm really hoping for Soul Monster/Elvis and The General, especially after hearing the instrumentals (and that 2-min shit quality leak of the latter which still sounded awesome lol). I know they won't sound exactly the same as what we have previously heard, but i need to inject them into my veins.

 

3 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

I hope Slash stays far away from stuff like The General or Zodiac... leave that shit untouched until Axl decides to release a CD era box set or TB releases it posthumously.

Slash playing on Atlas would be hilarious, though.

Zodiac. It’s all about Zodiac. Utterly awesome tune and a cracking sleazy riff too. Slash would be absolutely fine on it IMO.

Atlas/Perhaps and Hardschool will be the others to show up.

[Blackstar]

Yeah, I wouldn't expect - I've said it before - the new album (if there is one) to be CD2 with Slash. There'll be CD leftovers, of course, but not "trademark" NuGnR/BH/Finck songs like the General, Soulmonster, etc., both because probably Axl wouldn't want to "undo" them and because they don't fit the current lineup anyway.

[Sweersa]

6 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

...but not "trademark" NuGnR/BH/Finck songs like the General, Soulmonster, etc., both because probably Axl wouldn't want to "undo" them and because they don't fit the current lineup anyway.

If that is the case, I sure hope they save them in their CD era form for a future box set, but I doubt they would do that, because those A list songs (presumably, from what we know they are A list "big guns") will not be heard by the masses in a CD box set, but would on the next album.

It would be best, IMO to have those songs on the next album as they existed pre reunion.  Most casuals and even some fans will not know the difference between Finck/Bucket and Slash anyways.

[Rovim]

13 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Yeah, I wouldn't expect - I've said it before - the new album (if there is one) to be CD2 with Slash. There'll be CD leftovers, of course, but not "trademark" NuGnR/BH/Finck songs like the General, Soulmonster, etc., both because probably Axl wouldn't want to "undo" them and because they don't fit the current lineup anyway.

I hope a "shitload" of material is more than just the Village leaks and Axl has enough to work with and rerecord with Slash, tunes that are compatible with his style of playing cause I find it hard to believe that most of the next potential Guns album is going to be all new material. It's not how Axl approached it with Chinese but who knows.

 

[Blackstar]

35 minutes ago, Sweersa said:

If that is the case, I sure hope they save them in their CD era form for a future box set, but I doubt they would do that, because those A list songs (presumably, from what we know they are A list "big guns") will not be heard by the masses in a CD box set, but would on the next album.

It would be best, IMO to have those songs on the next album as they existed pre reunion.  Most casuals and even some fans will not know the difference between Finck/Bucket and Slash anyways.

I think it's completely unrealistic to expect a new album with Slash to also include songs featuring former members from the NuGnR lineups - and I personally wouldn't like that at all. Even if Axl initially had something like that in mind, like an "all eras inclusive" GnR album, it's not a possibility.

There are ways for Axl to release the CD era stuff as it was, like a digital only release or a release under a different name, but he won't do it.

26 minutes ago, Rovim said:

I hope a "shitload" of material is more than just the Village leaks and Axl has enough to work with and rerecord with Slash, tunes that are compatible with his style of playing cause I find it hard to believe that most of the next potential Guns album is going to be all new material. It's not how Axl approached it with Chinese but who knows.

They could complete some of the Slash material from 1994-96 - Axl has said that there was really great stuff in there, which was scrapped because Slash left and he couldn't find someone as good as him to work on it - plus other songs from that era not having to do with Slash, which seems to be the case with Hardschool and Oklahoma (an earlier version than the one in the Village leaks surely exists). Then songs from the nu era that Slash could work with, like, for example, Perhaps, Quick Song and even State of Grace without the "bleeps" (I really think Slash could do a great job with it). And then a couple of new Slash/Duff/Axl songs.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Blackstar

[Rovim]

20 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

They could complete some of the Slash material from 1994-96 - Axl has said that there was really great stuff in there, which was scrapped because Slash left and he couldn't find someone as good as him to work on it - plus other songs from that era not having to do with Slash, which seems to be the case with Hardschool and Oklahoma (an earlier version than the one in the Village leaks surely exists). Then songs from the nu era that Slash could work with, like, for example, Perhaps, Quick Song and even State of Grace without the "bleeps" (I really think Slash could do a great job with it). And then a couple of new Slash/Duff/Axl songs.

I wonder how much usable material exists from the 1994-1996 years. Tunes that Axl actually wants to use currently and how that would fit with material from the Chinese era. Didn't Axl once mentioned there was Slash work that sounded like a modern version of Aerosmith's Rocks? I think a good song is a good song, no matter how old it is and depends on its style can work for a band like Gn'R in this period of the band, I just don't know how relevant the shit he said about it in the past still is. A lot of time has passed since then.

a song here and there is one thing, but it would be interesting to find out what is the era of Gn'R which Axl will choose to focus on the most in the studio. I think Slash could have handled most of Chinese (maybe not tunes like Shackler's) and something like State Of Grace, Atlas, etc I can see working with his style as well. Maybe there are other songs that won't sound weird with Slash.

the other thing is what if Axl is emotionally attached to some Chinese era tunes that we've never got a chance to hear? maybe it's possible that even most of the album would consist of tunes Axl simply believes in and Slash agrees to be a part of? I also wonder what is the criteria and what kind of album Axl wants to complete.

[Blackstar]

29 minutes ago, Rovim said:

I wonder how much usable material exists from the 1994-1996 years. Tunes that Axl actually wants to use currently and how that would fit with material from the Chinese era. Didn't Axl once mentioned there was Slash work that sounded like a modern version of Aerosmith's Rocks? I think a good song is a good song, no matter how old it is and depends on its style can work for a band like Gn'R in this period of the band, I just don't know how relevant the shit he said about it in the past still is. A lot of time has passed since then.

a song here and there is one thing, but it would be interesting to find out what is the era of Gn'R which Axl will choose to focus on the most in the studio. I think Slash could have handled most of Chinese (maybe not tunes like Shackler's) and something like State Of Grace, Atlas, etc I can see working with his style as well. Maybe there are other songs that won't sound weird with Slash.

the other thing is what if Axl is emotionally attached to some Chinese era tunes that we've never got a chance to hear? maybe it's possible that even most of the album would consist of tunes Axl simply believes in and Slash agrees to be a part of? I also wonder what is the criteria and what kind of album Axl wants to complete.

Axl had made that comment about Slash's work/riffs from 1994-96 sounding like a modern version of Aerosmith's Rocks in 2002. In the 2008 forum chats he said (in response to the claims that he wanted to change the GnR sound) that the band was working on "Slash based blues rock," which Slash left "to both go solo and take over Guns" - the implication was that had Slash not done that, Axl would have worked with that material. Taking what Fortus said in late 2014 into account (about working on some songs originating from the Slash era), we can assume that Axl still liked at least some of it.

The biggest question and problem for me is whether Axl has recorded vocals (or even written lyrics) on anything else outside of what would be CD2 (for example, by 2001 he had come up with vocal melodies for Quick Song, but did he write lyrics afterwards? Or he never revisited that song?) If he hasn't, it would mean that a new album not consisting exclusively of reworked CD2 songs would take a very long time to be completed.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Blackstar

[Sweersa]

57 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

I think it's completely unrealistic to expect a new album with Slash to also include songs featuring former members from the NuGnR lineups - and I personally wouldn't like that at all. Even if Axl initially had something like that in mind, like an "all eras inclusive" GnR album, it's not a possibility.

A considerable amount of 2008's Chinese Democracy included material from members not present in the lineup at the time of release. 

Slash, being iconic in general, now in the band will no doubt have some big parts on the next album, but I do not think he will be on all tracks. He could have a Bumblefoot type roll that he did on the 2008 album. A solo here, a solo there, some various parts, etc.

Anything is a possibility, and we can only postulate, as this situation is unique for GN'R. 

My hope is for the Bucket and Robin heavy songs to be left alone, with Slash on the weaker ones, in hopes to improve them, and if we are lucky, maybe one or two completely new songs. 

But in reality, I expect CD2 songs, largely re-recorded by the current lineup and Axl doing some vocal touch-ups on 10-20 year old vocal takes.

[Blackstar]

20 minutes ago, Sweersa said:

A considerable amount of 2008's Chinese Democracy included material from members not present in the lineup at the time of release. 

Slash, being iconic in general, now in the band will no doubt have some big parts on the next album, but I do not think he will be on all tracks. He could have a Bumblefoot type roll that he did on the 2008 album. A solo here, a solo there, some various parts, etc.

Anything is a possibility, and we can only postulate, as this situation is unique for GN'R. 

My hope is for the Bucket and Robin heavy songs to be left alone, with Slash on the weaker ones, in hopes to improve them, and if we are lucky, maybe one or two completely new songs. 

But in reality, I expect CD2 songs, largely re-recorded by the current lineup and Axl doing some vocal touch-ups on 10-20 year old vocal takes.

I can't see Slash being on board with that and settling for a "Bumblefoot role" on a GnR album. I'm sure he still has pride and that would be the red line for him.

And probably Buckethead and Finck wouldn't like to get that treatment either, because it really wouldn't be fair for them to be included on a record that the public expects as the first Axl and Slash album since 1993 - which means that their work either won't be appreciated as much as it should or won't be even recognized if a portion of the casuals can't tell it apart from Slash's work.

 

[Sweersa]

12 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

I can't see Slash being on board with that and settling for a "Bumblefoot role" on a GnR album. I'm sure he still has pride and that would be the red line for him.

And probably Buckethead and Finck wouldn't like to get that treatment either, because it really wouldn't be fair for them to be included on a record that the public expects as the first Axl and Slash album since 1993 - which means that their work either won't be appreciated as much as it should or won't be even recognized if a portion of the casuals can't tell it apart from Slash's work.

 

Good points. It will be interesting how the album is marketed. (If it ever happens)

My fear, I suppose, is that Slash will not be able to match the quality of the contributions of Buckethead and Robin, especially on tracks featuring the former GN'R guitarists heavily. In such a case, we may not know what we were missing out on (if anything) unless CD era versions of songs on the eventual next album leak, which is more likely than not seeing how GN'R stuff seems to leak all the time. I'd guess a fair number of the songs from the Village leaks that were not on CD will be on the next album in some form, so we can use those for comparison. 

If the instrumentals of CD2 tracks are completely re-done by the current lineup, best case is Frank is made to sound great in the studio (He sounded pretty good on his parts on the 2008 album, IMO), Duff, I'm sure can handle the bass, Richard can play some great guitar for songs that suit that Bucket style of excellent playing, and I hope Slash can play parts as good, if not better than where Robin was playing.

Richard told me that any of his parts on new material will be his, so much like Bumblefoot's playing where Buckethead was, Richard will be playing unique tracks perhaps where previous members played.

[MaskingApathy]

2 hours ago, Blackstar said:

They could complete some of the Slash material from 1994-96

I would love to hear some of that.

[Sweersa]

1 hour ago, MaskingApathy said:

I would love to hear some of that.

Wasn't that stuff used on the Slash's Snakepit album?

[Blackstar]

1 hour ago, Sweersa said:

Good points. It will be interesting how the album is marketed. (If it ever happens)

My fear, I suppose, is that Slash will not be able to match the quality of the contributions of Buckethead and Robin, especially on tracks featuring the former GN'R guitarists heavily. In such a case, we may not know what we were missing out on (if anything) unless CD era versions of songs on the eventual next album leak, which is more likely than not seeing how GN'R stuff seems to leak all the time. I'd guess a fair number of the songs from the Village leaks that were not on CD will be on the next album in some form, so we can use those for comparison.

Well, you can always look at the bright side. Whatever Slash does with Atlas Shrugged (assuming it will be on the album) can't be worse than what Bumblefoot may have done with it, considering what he did with Catcher in the Rye and on CD in general

6 minutes ago, Sweersa said:

Wasn't that stuff used on the Slash's Snakepit album?

Apparently there were additional riffs and ideas Slash had come up with that Axl liked, judging from these and other quotes:

Slash: We've got tapes of what Axl considers great songs, which from my point of view is just me playing the guitar! I haven't heard any lyrics or any vocals, so I don't know what a song is until then. [Metal Hammer, November 1995]

Axl: I think that some of the riffs that were coming out of [Slash] were the meanest, most contemporary, bluesiest, rocking thing since Aerosmith's Rocks. The 2000 version of Aerosmith Rocks or the 1996 Aerosmith Rocks by the time we would have put it out. I don't know if I would have wanted to even do a world tour at the time but I wanted to put that record together and could we have done it? Yes. It's not something I would want to approach (without Slash) because at the time there was only one person that I knew who could do certain riffs that way. We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. [Press release, Aug. 12, 2002]

[rocknroll41]

9 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Well, you can always look at the bright side. Whatever Slash does with Atlas Shrugged (assuming it will be on the album) can't be worse than what Bumblefoot may have done with it, considering what he did with Catcher in the Rye and on CD in general

Apparently there were additional riffs and ideas Slash had come up with that Axl liked, judging from these and other quotes:

Slash: We've got tapes of what Axl considers great songs, which from my point of view is just me playing the guitar! I haven't heard any lyrics or any vocals, so I don't know what a song is until then. [Metal Hammer, November 1995]

Axl: I think that some of the riffs that were coming out of [Slash] were the meanest, most contemporary, bluesiest, rocking thing since Aerosmith's Rocks. The 2000 version of Aerosmith Rocks or the 1996 Aerosmith Rocks by the time we would have put it out. I don't know if I would have wanted to even do a world tour at the time but I wanted to put that record together and could we have done it? Yes. It's not something I would want to approach (without Slash) because at the time there was only one person that I knew who could do certain riffs that way. We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. [Press release, Aug. 12, 2002]

I never heard about this, actually. If that’s the case, I wonder if a would-be album would consist more of this supposed 1996 stuff, rather than cd2 stuff.

[Blackstar]

1 hour ago, rocknroll41 said:

I never heard about this, actually. If that’s the case, I wonder if a would-be album would consist more of this supposed 1996 stuff, rather than cd2 stuff.

Those  must have been written in 1994: After Slash went on to record Snakepit 1 and he and Axl had a fight over that, they came to an agreement that Slash would split his time between working on GN'R and Snakepit (at least according to what Slash said back then). But soon after they clashed again over Paul Huge, Slash halted the rehearsals and, with the exception of the Zakk Wylde sessions in January 1995, he practically didn't take part in any rehearsals until the fall of 1996.

Before he returned in 1996, he said they had about 80 songs, which I assume included the stuff Slash had written in 1994, as well as the Duff/Izzy demos in 1995, what Duff and Matt wrote in 1996 and whatever Axl had written with Paul Tobias, Dizzy etc.:

Slash: We have tons of songs. Between the three existing members, you know, like Duff and Axl and I, we've got probably about 80 songs, you know. We just haven't sat down and actually done it because there's been so much political crap going on and I know that kids don't want to know about it but it does go on in this business and sometimes you have to deal with it directly because you can't, there's no other way around it and so, you know, we finally, you know, took the bull by the horns and just said, "look, we don't want to around anymore, let's just do it." [MTV Headbangers Ball, August 1996]

Apparently the vast majority of that was not completed songs, but, at least as far as the Slash stuff went, just riffs and ideas. So the current band would have to build songs around them.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Blackstar

[Sosso]

It's interesting to see the wishful thinking from classic era GN'R fans and the unrealistic expections from NuGN'R Fans. 

Fact: Slash and Duff became involved in the writing and recording process. They will definitely have something to say about the new record. But Axl is Axl and we all know how he and Caram Constanzo work with the Material. Which means that they would have no issues with including guitar solos from Robin/Bucket or orchestral arrangements from Beltrami on a new album. That's their way of working and Slash/Duff have to deal with that 

[MaskingApathy]

2 hours ago, Sweersa said:

Wasn't that stuff used on the Slash's Snakepit album?

They jammed and wrote some more stuff after the Snakepit album.

1 hour ago, Blackstar said:

Well, you can always look at the bright side. Whatever Slash does with Atlas Shrugged (assuming it will be on the album) can't be worse than what Bumblefoot may have done with it, considering what he did with Catcher in the Rye and on CD in general

Apparently there were additional riffs and ideas Slash had come up with that Axl liked, judging from these and other quotes:

Slash: We've got tapes of what Axl considers great songs, which from my point of view is just me playing the guitar! I haven't heard any lyrics or any vocals, so I don't know what a song is until then. [Metal Hammer, November 1995]

Axl: I think that some of the riffs that were coming out of [Slash] were the meanest, most contemporary, bluesiest, rocking thing since Aerosmith's Rocks. The 2000 version of Aerosmith Rocks or the 1996 Aerosmith Rocks by the time we would have put it out. I don't know if I would have wanted to even do a world tour at the time but I wanted to put that record together and could we have done it? Yes. It's not something I would want to approach (without Slash) because at the time there was only one person that I knew who could do certain riffs that way. We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. [Press release, Aug. 12, 2002]

So now we just need the 2021/2022 version of Rocks haha. Axl acknowledges that the riffs and ideas were good so maybe he's interested in revisiting them since Slash is back.  

21 minutes ago, Sosso said:

That's their way of working and Slash/Duff have to deal with that 

No they don't have to deal with that, at this point Slash can say "no I'm not doing that" and go back to recording the SMKC album.

[metallex78]

12 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

I hope Slash stays far away from stuff like The General or Zodiac... leave that shit untouched until Axl decides to release a CD era box set or TB releases it posthumously.

Slash playing on Atlas would be hilarious, though.

Yeah, it’d be hilarious alright, because Slash would play some actual guitar parts that are more than just bar chords and open chords that are currently there on those songs.

[wasteofammo]

Haven’t been here in years….can’t believe its the same as it was in 2005 era. Excitement is gone and don’t know how they are going to sell tickets in this next tour. I for one am done paying top dollar or anything for this band. Been die hard for years, but honestly AXL/DC is the only hope for Axl and a decent show. 

[SoulMonster]

5 hours ago, Sweersa said:

Wasn't that stuff used on the Slash's Snakepit album?

The first music Slash worked on in early 1994 was rejected and ended up on the Snakepit album. Slash came back to GN'R after touring with Snakepit, especially for some sessions in 1996, and they then worked on new music. I have written about these sessions and what came out of them here: (29) 19. DECEMBER 1994-OCTOBER 1996: AXL AND SLASH FIGHTS, SLASH QUITS - Page 2 (a-4-d.com) 

With Slash leaving the band and Axl unable to find a similar-style replacement, it is likely that at least some of the songs they had worked on were put aside at the time and not worked on further. 

EDIT: Axl actually said that material [they worked on] got scrapped.

Edited June 27, 2021 by SoulMonster

[Sosso]

9 hours ago, MaskingApathy said:

So now we just need the 2021/2022 version of Rocks haha. Axl acknowledges that the riffs and ideas were good so maybe he's interested in revisiting them since Slash is back.  

Why would he use Slash's material but not his own? That doesn't even makes sense 

[Rovim]

34 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Why would he use Slash's material but not his own? That doesn't even makes sense 

maybe some of those old riffs are great and Slash is as much a part of Gn'R as Axl is? what's stopping Axl from using some of Slash's ideas and some of his own/Chinese era material?