Ain' Life Grand vs It's 5 o'clock Somewhere

[Kranich]

Hi everyone,

Somehow I've always been avoiding Snakepit albums. However recently there was a contest in one of our polish radios in which you had to recognize Slash songs from small snippets so I listened to the records. 

Always heard a lot of praises about 5 o'clock but few about ALG. Its a tad strange to me as from these two I consider ALG to be much superior album.

Thats why I wanted to ask you a question, which one do you prefer and why?

 

[ToonGuns]

ALG is my favourite Slash album. Serial killer is worth the admission fee alone.

[Free Bird]

My impression was always that ALG is the favorite Slash record for most on this forum. Well, it's my second favorite right after I5OCS.

ALG is absolutely great but 5 o'clock is full of the rock n roll I love and I think the songs flow better and are more soulful. 

Again, most people here prefer Rod Jackson as a singer compared to Eric Dover but to me Dover sang more natural.

All in all it's close but clear imo...

Edited March 13, 2022 by Free Bird

[Rovim]

both are pretty hard to get through for me. The riffs and solos are there, killer shit, but it doesn't come together to form something that appeals to me. Both singers are not my cup of tea as well.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

Slash has better riffs on 5 O Clock but Dover is a horrible singer/songwriter and Rod Jackson is amazing, so ALG wins.

[Free Bird]

54 minutes ago, ShadowOfTheWave said:

Slash has better riffs on 5 O Clock but Dover is a horrible singer/songwriter and Rod Jackson is amazing, so ALG wins.

I think Dover did an amazing job on songs like Beggars and Back And Forth Again

[ShadowOfTheWave]

24 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

I think Dover did an amazing job on songs like Beggars and Back And Forth Again

Pretty sure Slash wrote most of the lyrics to Beggars, we certainly know who they're directed towards. And I just can't stand Dover's voice.

[AxlSlashthebest]

when you think that some riff of it's 5 O Clock somewhere wer supose to be for GNR and Axl didn't want them !!! ;(

[Free Bird]

16 minutes ago, AxlSlashthebest said:

when you think that some riff of it's 5 O Clock somewhere wer supose to be for GNR and Axl didn't want them !!! ;(

Basically all of'em.

[Rovim]

35 minutes ago, AxlSlashthebest said:

when you think that some riff of it's 5 O Clock somewhere wer supose to be for GNR and Axl didn't want them !!! ;(

according to Axl, Slash said no changes to the Snakepit material so if true, it's not accurate he didn't want the riffs, I think he felt some of it had potential.

[Free Bird]

24 minutes ago, Rovim said:

according to Axl, Slash said no changes to the Snakepit material so if true, it's not accurate he didn't want the riffs, I think he felt some of it had potential.

That makes no sense at all. He didn't even had lyrics for all the songs.

[Rovim]

4 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

That makes no sense at all. He didn't even had lyrics for all the songs.

pretty sure this is what Axl said though and it's possible Slash was talking about the instrumentals

[janrichmond]

2 hours ago, Rovim said:

according to Axl, Slash said no changes to the Snakepit material so if true, it's not accurate he didn't want the riffs, I think he felt some of it had potential.

Shut up and sing?

 

[Free Bird]

3 hours ago, Rovim said:

pretty sure this is what Axl said though and it's possible Slash was talking about the instrumentals

I remember him saying that. I think it was in the chats. I just didnt buy that because, to me, that didn't make sense. But probably you're right and they were talking about the instrumentals. Like no adding of synthesizers and creepy sound effects... or something like this.

But if that was the case, it still makes no sense. Axl refused to work on the songs, because Slash said no changes. But later Axl changed his mind and was willing to work on three of them. If Slash said no changes, which is very unlikely, why would he agree later to let Axl work on a few songs? Do you know what I mean? Axl's version is contradictory. The most likely scenario is that Axl didn't want these songs because he wanted to move on from this kind of rock... he even called it southern rock. So he rejected them. And later he probably liked some of it but it was too late, like Slash said, because he already recorded them.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Free Bird

[-W.A.R-]

17 hours ago, ShadowOfTheWave said:

Pretty sure Slash wrote most of the lyrics to Beggars, we certainly know who they're directed towards. And I just can't stand Dover's voice.

Slash: I'm falling all to pieces and can't get out of bed because you're promised to a wealthy man

Axl:

Edited March 14, 2022 by -W.A.R-

[Rovim]

12 hours ago, Free Bird said:

I remember him saying that. I think it was in the chats. I just didnt buy that because, to me, that didn't make sense. But probably you're right and they were talking about the instrumentals. Like no adding of synthesizers and creepy sound effects... or something like this.

But if that was the case, it still makes no sense. Axl refused to work on the songs, because Slash said no changes. But later Axl changed his mind and was willing to work on three of them. If Slash said no changes, which is very unlikely, why would he agree later to let Axl work on a few songs? Do you know what I mean? Axl's version is contradictory. The most likely scenario is that Axl didn't want these songs because he wanted to move on from this kind of rock... he even called it southern rock. So he rejected them. And later he probably liked some of it but it was too late, like Slash said, because he already recorded them.

as I understand it, Axl heard the Snakepit tapes which Slash considered to be the next Guns album (instrumentally) Axl didn't like it and rejected it initially, Duff didn't like it as well. I think Axl must have liked some of it later, maybe after listening to it again cause he told Slash 2 weeks later or whatever that he wanted to use some of it but it was too late cause Slash completed it.

it does have a southern rock feel to it, not sure how that would have worked in a Guns context.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Rovim

[Free Bird]

9 hours ago, Rovim said:

as I understand it, Axl heard the Snakepit tapes which Slash considered to be the next Guns album (instrumentally) Axl didn't like it and rejected it initially, Duff didn't like it as well. I think Axl must have liked some of it later, maybe after listening to it again cause he told Slash 2 weeks later or whatever that he wanted to use some of it but it was too late cause Slash completed it.

Yeah that's basically what I wrote before and how I understand it.

The question is, when should Slash have told Axl not to change anything? Only possibility is when he first showed the songs to Axl, right?

Then Axl rejected them and knew Slash didn’t want changes. But that doesn't fit the story that Axl changed his mind and was willing to work on some of them. Had Slash told Axl no changes, it wouldn't matter if Axl changed his opinion.

I hope it's understandable what I'm trying to say 

[Rovim]

35 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

Yeah that's basically what I wrote before and how I understand it.

The question is, when should Slash have told Axl not to change anything? Only possibility is when he first showed the songs to Axl, right?

Then Axl rejected them and knew Slash didn’t want changes. But that doesn't fit the story that Axl changed his mind and was willing to work on some of them. Had Slash told Axl no changes, it wouldn't matter if Axl changed his opinion.

I hope it's understandable what I'm trying to say 

yeah I understand, but just because Slash allegedly said it doesn't mean Axl changing his mind wouldn't matter. For example, according to Axl, Slash and Duff said absolutely not to working on November Rain and Estranged initially but Axl convinced them to do it anyway so maybe he thought he could convince Slash to rework it.

edit: not sure when Slash said no changes according to Axl

Edited March 14, 2022 by Rovim

[jemile]

ALG for full album. I5OCS for rewinding and listening to riffs over and over 🙂

Also think I prefer kind of the “opposite” of songs from each album. Shine and Back to The Moment as those slow soulful songs, and then Monkey Chow for starting workouts and Doin’ Fine for pissing off my cranky neighbor 😎

Controversial take: Serial killer is where I might go “let’s do The Truth instead” 🥸

 

 

[smoking guns]

17 hours ago, Rovim said:

as I understand it, Axl heard the Snakepit tapes which Slash considered to be the next Guns album (instrumentally) Axl didn't like it and rejected it initially, Duff didn't like it as well. I think Axl must have liked some of it later, maybe after listening to it again cause he told Slash 2 weeks later or whatever that he wanted to use some of it but it was too late cause Slash completed it.

it does have a southern rock feel to it, not sure how that would have worked in a Guns context.

Well GNR in many ways is Southern Rock Skynyrd Influenced. So it would have been fine. 

[Free Bird]

2 hours ago, smoking guns said:

Well GNR in many ways is Southern Rock Skynyrd Influenced. So it would have been fine. 

Yeah, Breakdown alone is more southern rock than the combined 5 o clock record.

[hudsonsaul]

It's 5 O clock for me is much better. Really enjoy that album and its the best, to my ears, slash solo album (not including VR in this) 

[Rovim]

6 hours ago, smoking guns said:

Well GNR in many ways is Southern Rock Skynyrd Influenced. So it would have been fine. 

there's an element of it, to a certain degree. Not to the extent of how prominent it is in Snakepit.

[Frankfurt93]

Both 

[Homefuck]

Never cared for 5 o'clock.  Some good riffs, sure, but in a whole it's pretty generic. I put it in the same category as a Gilby Clarke-record. Don't care for Dovers voice either.

I regard ALG as the best non-GNR-album featuring Slash. It oozes with the same type of tightness and looseness as an 70's Aerosmith-album. Maybe it's the Jack Douglas-magic?