ABSUЯD Single released at midnight

[SoulMonster]

2 minutes ago, Modano09 said:

Apparently Duff didn't like Slash's material for GNR either.

Yes, quotes from Matt and Gilby indicates that Duff wasn't too keen on that music either, but to Slash it was important to blame it exclusively on Axl.

[oneway23]

2 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Axl definitely wanted the band to evolve, but not to the extent that it was more important than Slash being in the band. 

Not dismissing the rest of what you've said; it was great, and the reasoning was sound, but I love this sentence.

[Modano09]

3 minutes ago, GNRfan2008 said:

 

I think if they had to do it all over again, they would have compromised in the manner you mentioned. Would have been a much more lucrative path for them from 1996 to 2016. 

It took them 20 years to figure it out but if Axl sings Slash songs and Slash works on Axl songs it seems like everyone gets along and things run smoothy.

[oneway23]

2 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Yes, quotes from Matt and Gilby indicates that Duff wasn't too keen on that music either, but to Slash it was important to blame it exclusively on Axl.

Wow.  This is a shocker to me.  Thanks to Modano for bringing that up.  Sure I've since forgotten reading that, at some point, but, that's fascinating to me.

Agree that it's perhaps not the strongest material, but, it's rare for me to consider Slash & Duff deviating in musical terms.  

They usually seem to be in lockstep, at least publically.

[Tom-Ass]

1 hour ago, RussTCB said:

I totally get that argument, but it's fine with me. 

I remember Van Halen fans being all up in arms about that approach for A Different Kind of Truth. 

That album is in my Top 3 VH albums and I couldn't care less how old or reworked the songs are that make up the album. 

I wouldn't care if they were old songs that Slash and Duff actually had a part of 25 years ago.  Or even Some of Axl's CD era ideas reworked.. But this wasn't either.. 

[Modano09]

Just now, oneway23 said:

Wow.  This is a shocker to me.  Thanks to Modano for bringing that up.  Sure I've since forgotten reading that, at some point, but, that's fascinating to me.

Agree that it's perhaps not the strongest material, but, it's rare for me to consider Slash & Duff deviating in musical terms.  

They usually seem to be in lockstep, at least publically.

It's from Duff's book. He said what made dealing with Axl more frustrating was that he actually agreed with him a lot of times musically. He thought Slash's stuff was too bluesy for GNR too and sided with Axl there.

[Beto 22]

People talk about musical differences, Axl wanting to go full techno and industrial and Slash true to the old sound... To me it's all bullshit... In the end was all about business decisions and Paul Huge.

I don't believe Axl would go full techno and industrial in 95,96. Why call Zakk Wylde if that was the intention? He wants to introduce some eletronic and then current elements in his songs? Yes, for sure... But a full left turn is a narrative Slash wanted to justify his departure and look cool to his fanbase . 

Like was said. Axl wanted some of the material for Snakepit back and Slash refused .

The main reason was Axl pushing Paul Huge into the band and "leaving" the partnership taking the name with him and making Slash and Duff hired guns

Duff departure it's a complete different animal but also relates to Paul Huge and the new status of Axl being the "boss"

[Tom-Ass]

1 hour ago, oneway23 said:

Russ, I'm glad someone brought this up, because I've been thinking about that a lot this morning.  Fantastic album; honestly should have gotten infinitely more attention than it did.  For any fan of hard rock, please do yourself a favor and check it out.  I can put that on at any time over the past nine years, and it still blows me away.

 

That said, for me, the direct comparison doesn't hold, and, I'll tell you why:  For all the talk about Diamond Dave's vocals, brothaman re-recorded everything contemporaneously; he didn't use the vocal takes from the 1978 Gene Simmons demos.  In many cases, he wrote all new lyrics.  In other words, he put the damn work in.

Same for the band.  All fresh recordings, new arrangements, in some cases, and, most importantly, a few brand-new tunes sprinkled in.

Forget Absurd.  Gettin' heated all over again to blast that album...smokes!

 

Some of the best playing of Ed & Alex's career

I still haven't properly checked out that album.. Not for any reason... I have liked the few songs I heard.. Even Tattoo which people seem to hate. I think it is great.

[Packersfan#4#12]

I might be the only one on this one but I was jamming out to Oh My God this morning on my way to work and I definitely wouldn't mind that song getting re worked with Duff and Slash on it and re release it with another new song also. I've always thought that was a kickass tune.

[Rapidfire]

They may disagree with each other in the past but a lot can change 25 years later. All of them are in a different stage of their careers compared to back then. Slash and Duff have released so many records between the time of leaving and rejoining GNR. Just because Slash was not keen on the direction Axl wanted GNR to go back then, doesn't mean he's not up to try them now.

[Nick85]

I’m still very happy this happened. 

[weaponsnflowers]

2 minutes ago, Packersfan#4#12 said:

I might be the only one on this one but I was jamming out to Oh My God this morning on my way to work and I definitely wouldn't mind that song getting re worked with Duff and Slash on it and re release it with another new song also. I've always thought that was a kickass tune.

I like OMG as it is, but wouldn't mind a slower take that Axl could actually sing without gasping for breathe, as he was already struggling with that song when he was 20 years younger! Those lyrics are some of his best work!

[weaponsnflowers]

4 minutes ago, sofine11 said:

I’m still very happy this happened. 

Got to admit, so am I. It may not be exactly "The General" but as the farmer says in Babe, "that'll do, pig, that'll do". 

[SoulMonster]

16 minutes ago, oneway23 said:

Wow.  This is a shocker to me.  Thanks to Modano for bringing that up.  Sure I've since forgotten reading that, at some point, but, that's fascinating to me.

Agree that it's perhaps not the strongest material, but, it's rare for me to consider Slash & Duff deviating in musical terms.  

They usually seem to be in lockstep, at least publically.

Duff was always more willing to do other kinds of music and much less dismissive of Axl's aspirations and efforts (like My World). I am not saying Slash wasn't into other music genres, too, but less so and even when he did collab on other kinds of projects, he still did that sort of within the borders of his blues-based music, for the most part. So Duff seems to have been willing to go with Axl's visions, the problem was more that Axl wasn't very good at explaining that vision nor making it happen. And with Duff having a family and being sober, and nothing happening with the band, and new guys coming in so that the dynamics had changed, he quit.

Slash never seem to have blamed Duff for agreeing with Axl over the quality of Slash's songs, at least not publicly. Possibly because if Axl had budged, so would Duff, but, I believe, also because it worked out for Slash to put the blame squarely on Axl and his crazy ideas about changing the sound of GN'R, something the media would have no problems accepting as gospel. It took many years before Axl tried correcting the narrative -- moronic of him -- but then it was too late: the media and fans alike agreed that Slash was more or less pushed out of GN'R because he wouldn't adapt to Axl's ideas which never came to fruition anyway!

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by SoulMonster

[Blackstar]

20 minutes ago, oneway23 said:

Wow.  This is a shocker to me.  Thanks to Modano for bringing that up.  Sure I've since forgotten reading that, at some point, but, that's fascinating to me.

Agree that it's perhaps not the strongest material, but, it's rare for me to consider Slash & Duff deviating in musical terms.  

They usually seem to be in lockstep, at least publically.

Interestingly, Matt also said that, although he played on the Snakepit album, he didn't like the final product much. I read that first in his leaked book and thought that it was just sour grapes because of him not being included in the reunion, but he has actually said that before, in 2002:

As the band fragmented, Matt collaborated with Slash's rejected GNR demos which became Slash's Snakepit, but distanced himself from the finished record. "It sounded a bit dated to me”, he says. Matt stepped aside and was replaced by another drummer for the live shows.

https://www.a-4-d.com/t5361-2002-04-dd-rhythm-magazine-raising-hell-matt#21380

[axl666]

Is there any data out there about well the song is doing, i.e. number of streams, social media buzz etc.? I'd say pure sales would be relatively small.

 

[Gunsdrummer63]

I’ve gotten to the point that the word absurd reminds me of the episode of the office where Michael opens up with “parkour!”  Not quite sure why but that’s where we are at

[gavgnr]

1 minute ago, axl666 said:

Is there any data out there about well the song is doing, i.e. number of streams, social media buzz etc.? I'd say pure sales would be relatively small.

 

Number 7 on iTunes regular Charts. No.1 on iTunes rock charts I’d say pretty damn good 😁

Edited August 7, 2021 by gavgnr

[RussTCB]

4 minutes ago, gavgnr said:

Number 7 on iTunes regular Charts. No.1 on iTunes rock charts I’d say pretty damn good 😁

That's really, REALLY good IMO 

If you would've asked me a week ago if I thought GN'R would sit on the charts next to artists like Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd, I would have had SO many questions for you lol 

I might have even called you absurd. 

[Peachgum]

It's not really so bad 

[Pskihq92]

Mine shows it is #12 then #1 on rock charts

[weaponsnflowers]

1 minute ago, Peachgum said:

It's not really so bad 

And you know, not every Guns song has to be everyone's cup of tea. 

[Tom2112]

On 8/6/2021 at 4:10 PM, guitarpatch said:

I don’t think people are going to stadium shows to hear new material if it were safe or not. They are there to hear old songs

Maybe GNR doesn’t care if it resonates with them. Maybe they don’t want to play it safe

There's no maybe, they definitely aren't going to safe path😄 If they released Hardskool I might have thought they were playing it safe.

But yeah stadium shows are not for new material but it does help get some media and people talking! And... of the song was popular it's a nice pop at the shows!

[bassplayer1993]

24 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Interestingly, Matt also said that, although he played on the Snakepit album, he didn't like the final product much. I read that first in his leaked book and thought that it was just sour grapes because of him not being included in the reunion, but he has actually said that before, in 2002:

As the band fragmented, Matt collaborated with Slash's rejected GNR demos which became Slash's Snakepit, but distanced himself from the finished record. "It sounded a bit dated to me”, he says. Matt stepped aside and was replaced by another drummer for the live shows.

https://www.a-4-d.com/t5361-2002-04-dd-rhythm-magazine-raising-hell-matt#21380

Also worth noting is that Matt produced a track on Poe's first album around that time (well, a bit later) and Axl is known to be a huge fan of that album, and the song Matt produced especially.

[Beto 22]

29 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Interestingly, Matt also said that, although he played on the Snakepit album, he didn't like the final product much. I read that first in his leaked book and thought that it was just sour grapes because of him not being included in the reunion, but he has actually said that before, in 2002:

As the band fragmented, Matt collaborated with Slash's rejected GNR demos which became Slash's Snakepit, but distanced himself from the finished record. "It sounded a bit dated to me”, he says. Matt stepped aside and was replaced by another drummer for the live shows.

https://www.a-4-d.com/t5361-2002-04-dd-rhythm-magazine-raising-hell-matt#21380

Yeah... But I also believe that Matt not liking the final product has to be more with Eric Dover and the way Slash picked Dover without telling him than really with the songs...