Why does the officially Hard Skool sucks so much comparared to the demo?

[Shacklers Absolution]

The official is a bad Frankensteins monster mish mash, tryiyng to sound oldsköööl I guess. But the demo IS so much better.

[Dean]

It suffers due to the production, but other than that, I think it’s great for the most part. It’s essentially an all new recording with Axl’s original vocals from ‘99, if the mastering had been closer to Chinese or even Shadow of Your Love, it would’ve elevated it to a higher level IMO.

I still lean more towards the demo myself.

[AxlRoseCDII]

I have to disagree. I like a lot what Slash and Duff added- they made it a lot more coherent. The demo I think is good, but I’m not a fan of the long intro and incoherent solo section, which was clearly unfinished/unpolished. Duff adding a little bass lick at the start gives it an ISE feel and I think Slash added quite a bit to it. The production on the 2022 HS sucks, sure, but I think overall as a song it’s much better. And this is coming from a huge fan of CD eras.

[EvH]

Awful mix and compressed mastering. 

 

And the school bell at the beginning 

[ShadowOfTheWave]

Slash's instrumental is better but the echoey mix of Axl's vocals completely destroys the song. So the demo is better by default.

[Tourettes2400]

I hate the bell vs the original intro. There are things I like about both of them. Both are okay but I think I like the demo better. 

[CAFC Nick]

The arrangement of the official release is superior to the demo, but yeah the production is pretty horrible. Shame really because I really like the song!

[SoulMonster]

I much prefer the original because of the driving drums and the more emotive guitars compared to Slash's lead which I find a bit simplistic/childish. 

[Gordon Comstock]

The single is a good song that suffers from bad production. The Village demo is better though - no weird effects on the vocals, and the drums are in a whole other league. The shorter intro on the single is good but it's ruined by that stupid bell

And we really have no idea how much Slash and Duff changed it. I would guess the single is very close to what the 2008 version sounded like. We know Absurd is basically the same as the mid-2000s version.

[Atlas19]

I prefer the official release. Just my opinion

[©GnrPersia]

For the same reason almost all official CD songs suck compared to the leaked versions. 

Songs like TWAT, The Blues, Madagascar, Better, IRS are each to a degree more decent in demos compared to the official. In Catcher the amazing May solo is gone and many more.

As for post-reunion songs, I know there are some crazy pro-Slash fans in this forum who tend to ignore NewGNR era, but fellas, frankly it's saddening to know Robin+Bucket solos will be replaced by Slash's in every future tracks.

And don't get me wrong, I love Slash, but CD songs were not meant to be old school hard rock songs. And if you force these tracks into becoming that, you will get Hardskool.

A Giraffe and a Horse can't have healthy kids even if they try to.

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by ©GnrPersia

[axl666]

1 hour ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

I have to disagree. I like a lot what Slash and Duff added- they made it a lot more coherent. The demo I think is good, but I’m not a fan of the long intro and incoherent solo section, which was clearly unfinished/unpolished. Duff adding a little bass lick at the start gives it an ISE feel and I think Slash added quite a bit to it. The production on the 2022 HS sucks, sure, but I think overall as a song it’s much better. And this is coming from a huge fan of CD eras.

I'd agree with all this. The only criticism I'd have of the production is the drums could sound a little less synthy (not sure what the term is) and more like real drums. Overall though it sounds great to me. I've played it in the car, on my ipod and on the computer and each time it sounds great. The solo is good but probably the weakest part. I think it takes some momentum from the song.

I heard the demo once. The intro and the solo were both a bit directionless. The solo in particular struck me as being almost from a totally different song. It didn't even sound in the same key to me but I might be wrong about that.

Basically the officially released song kept what I liked and really improved what I didn't like about the demo. 

[SoulMonster]

Once? You are better than me, I would never be able to make a fair comparison of two songs if I hear one many times and the other only once. 

[axl666]

7 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Once? You are better than me, I would never be able to make a fair comparison of two songs if I hear one many times and the other only once. 

I'm pretty quick to judge:) Not sure if it is my best trait!

[Jakey Styley]

Sometimes I think to listen to Hard Skool, turn it on, hear the school bell, and close right out

skool bell*

Edited July 3, 2022 by Jakey Styley

[Mendez]

The village leak was more alternative rock bc of the inclusion of a slightly buried guitar melody that is present over almost all the song over the base riff. The official release is more classic rock bc mainly power chords.

 

The official drums are more classic rock, no dynamics/all dynamics mixed out of them. Village version had Josh Freese doing the "alternative rock thing" and a much better mix

 the official release also sees to slightly fade out Axls voice after each line, at least to my ears. Should have boosted the mids a tad on the EQ for his vocals. 

 

Also Slashs tone isnt gain-y enough, more of a heavier crunch, but not that classic 90s Slash gain

Edited July 3, 2022 by Mendez

[Dangom1]

Hard Skool is defo popular live, got a great reception live at the start and the end in London 1st night. It got a better reception than CD and Better

[Jw224]

I like it a lot. I think I've before that I prefer it to the Village version if I listen to them back to back. I'm surprised by that because I was sure it was gonna be ruined and am a big fan of the CD stuff lol. The mixing is really bad though. Sounds like the person mixing it was wearing a bucket over his head. Haven't heard something that bad/odd sounding in a while when it comes to mixing and mastering. 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Jw224

[ZoSoRose]

I prefer the final version. I don’t get the complaints about the mix, it sounds great to me. Every instrument is clear, vocals are good, guitar tones are great. Only thing that’s better on the demo for me is the drums

 

[RussTCB]

It sucks because adding a million layers to songs don't make them better. 

[Uncle Bob]

7 hours ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

I have to disagree. I like a lot what Slash and Duff added- they made it a lot more coherent. The demo I think is good, but I’m not a fan of the long intro and incoherent solo section, which was clearly unfinished/unpolished. Duff adding a little bass lick at the start gives it an ISE feel and I think Slash added quite a bit to it. The production on the 2022 HS sucks, sure, but I think overall as a song it’s much better. And this is coming from a huge fan of CD eras.

sure, the long intro sucks, I preffer the long AY AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  AY  which is way better. (JK)

[Top-Hatted One]

They’re both awful imo

[Underhardy]

Hard Skool (cringe every time I write that) is the cheesiest shit officially under the Guns name. Took all of the punch and soul from the CD era version, which is actually a killer track. You could list 10+ things far and away better on the original version. Christ. What a shit stain on the GNR catalogue. And let’s not act like Absurd is gonna stand the test of fuckin time… 

[downzy]

1 hour ago, Underhardy said:

Hard Skool (cringe every time I write that) is the cheesiest shit officially under the Guns name. Took all of the punch and soul from the CD era version, which is actually a killer track. You could list 10+ things far and away better on the original version. Christ. What a shit stain on the GNR catalogue. And let’s not act like Absurd is gonna stand the test of fuckin time… 

Completely disagree.

Listened to the demo a few times but it did absolutely nothing for me, save for the chorus.

Slash's playing elevates the song for me.  His feel on the riff and his solo are stellar and tether the song into what I feel is the quintessential GNR sound.  

I'm not one for drums.  I know people really pay attention to what drums are doing in certain songs, but for me, they're really only suppose to keep the beat.  Drums have never made or broke a song for me.  

[SoulMonster]

32 minutes ago, downzy said:

I'm not one for drums.  I know people really pay attention to what drums are doing in certain songs, but for me, they're really only suppose to keep the beat.  Drums have never made or broke a song for me.  

I am like this, too, but I obviously make an exception for Hard School. I usually don't really notice the drums but on the original version they propel the song forward while on the released version the drums sort of just are there without doing much to the song. Generally speaking, I noticed the drums on the Village leaks which is why I I did Josh Freese so much because it takes a special kind of drummer to make me interested.

Another thing I didn't mention when comparing these two versions of Hardskool is that there is something off with the released version when it comes to the lead guitar and the vocal tracks - it just doesn't sound like they were created to go together, somehow. Maybe that's the mixing thing that other people talk about. The lead feels tacked on and almost "interferes" with the vocals while on the original version it "harmonized more". That's the best I ca explain it.

Finally, I really like both version and I think Hardskool is a kick ass song, even if I prefer the original version.