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

[eggers]

If they had kept the original drums it would be about 3 times better.

[jamillos]

Easy math here for me. Slash is in one of the versions, isn't he? So I'm gonna prefer that one, ok? 

[2020_Intensions]

I listened to the official release only a handful of times and will never listen to it again. Didn't like it the first time I heard it. The leak is better in every respect. A shame. 

[bumcheecksmcghee]

Better drums.. better guitars... better musicians (for this song at that time, not necessarily in general) lol.. better version of song, simples

[Rovim]

Josh Freese, the chords of the bridge were different in the leak and there is a moment when the 2 lead guitars meet and its beautiful. Not nearly as much compression plus we went from cow bells to school bells.

I prefer the original, but also like the official one mostly cause I like what Slash and Duff added to it, especially Slash's slide solo. Kinda reminds me of his leads in So Fine which I've always liked. Slash's rhythm guitar in the verses is not as bland as in the demo though I like the rigid mood it sets for Axl's vocals in the leak. It matches his vibe on the verses.

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Rovim

[Lies They Tell]

I much prefer the finished version over the demo. The demo was disappointing in many ways, but the finished version fixes most of the shortcomings of the original version. The slow, unnecessary intro has been replaced with a badass intro by Duff. The slow middle part actually has some vocals in the final version so it doesn't sound as empty and pointless as in the demo version. The last buildup part isn't as over the top and corny as in the demo version. In general the final version just sounds more like Guns n' Roses. It's rawer and the main riff, that's missing from the demo version, gives the song more attitude.

[Jw224]

Drums are better on the demo but that's never really something that I pay much attention to if I'm honest. Not enough for me to say the demo is better anyway. 

[Aussiegun]

The new version sounds like a watered down pop version.

[Tio Didi]

The thing that differs the most to me is that in the demo the song kinda explodes when it gets to the chorus, while in the official release it just continues the hard rock guitar riff of the verses. 

[Powerage5]

There’s so much I love about the demo; Freese’s drums pushing the song, the buildup at the beginning, the little guitar lick before the solo, the overall sound of it - it’s exactly what I wanted a CD era rocker to sound like. On the contrary, there’s almost nothing I like about the single version; the ridiculous bell, the drums have no flair to them and are very much on the back beat, I don’t like that the guitar work is more chord based than riff based, the horrible “ay ay”s in the bridge, and the mix. This one is a no brainer to me, the demo is better in every single way. 

[Zeppelin]

5 minutes ago, Powerage5 said:

There’s so much I love about the demo; Freese’s drums pushing the song, the buildup at the beginning, the little guitar lick before the solo, the overall sound of it - it’s exactly what I wanted a CD era rocker to sound like. On the contrary, there’s almost nothing I like about the single version; the ridiculous bell, the drums have no flair to them and are very much on the back beat, I don’t like that the guitar work is more chord based than riff based, the horrible “ay ay”s in the bridge, and the mix. This one is a no brainer to me, the demo is better in every single way. 

Exactly the same thoughts I have about the song. Freese's drums alone pack so much energy into the song, that without them, the song falls flat to me. The other additions/production choices range from questionable to awful.

[Towelie]

Is it Frank on the finished version?

[Powerage5]

2 hours ago, Towelie said:

Is it Frank on the finished version?

Unclear. I’ve heard suggestions that it’s a drum machine and honestly it wouldn’t surprise me. The drums are so simplistic and lack any real dynamics. I love Frank generally speaking and I don’t think it sounds like him. 

[Cosmo]

Hardschool:

Pros:

• Better intro
• Better solo
• Better drum mix

Cons:

• Corny as hell bridge before the finishing chorus

 

Hard Skool:

Pros: 

• That post-chorus guitar lick really ads to the song
• Slash's verse guitar harmony is really good
• Better overall song finish

Cons:

• Corny bass riff at the beginning
• HORRIBLE school bell
• Wtf are those "ay ay ay"s during the solo?
• "Skool"? Really? 

 

 

[Swedish]

Overall I prefer the new version. I don't even mind the bell or the mid section but I really wish they would've kept the old drums, it gave the song more energy imo.

[EvH]

15 hours ago, Powerage5 said:

Unclear. I’ve heard suggestions that it’s a drum machine and honestly it wouldn’t surprise me. The drums are so simplistic and lack any real dynamics. I love Frank generally speaking and I don’t think it sounds like him. 

Definitely drum machines to me.

[Jw224]

It's not a drum machine lol. Just simple drumming. The way the drums are mixed and the way the track is mastered are the reasons it sounds the way it does. 

[EvH]

1 hour ago, Jw224 said:

It's not a drum machine lol. Just simple drumming. The way the drums are mixed and the way the track is mastered are the reasons it sounds the way it does. 

It's either an extremely quantized drum part (with horrendous mixing), or a drum machine.

Edited July 5, 2022 by EvH

[Modano09]

I think they're both good but what hurts the official release for me is being able to tell it's sort of cut and paste. 

[MaskingApathy]

On 7/3/2022 at 9:41 PM, jamillos said:

Easy math here for me. Slash is in one of the versions, isn't he? So I'm gonna prefer that one, ok? 

 

On 7/4/2022 at 2:12 AM, Lies They Tell said:

I much prefer the finished version over the demo. The demo was disappointing in many ways, but the finished version fixes most of the shortcomings of the original version. The slow, unnecessary intro has been replaced with a badass intro by Duff. The slow middle part actually has some vocals in the final version so it doesn't sound as empty and pointless as in the demo version. The last buildup part isn't as over the top and corny as in the demo version. In general the final version just sounds more like Guns n' Roses. It's rawer and the main riff, that's missing from the demo version, gives the song more attitude.

Same here, Slash's additions make it so much better for me.

[WhazUp]

I like the guitar work better (thank you Slash!) and think many of the ideas enhance the song - mostly my main two critiques are the mix, and the drums.  The drums for example in the "lend you a hand" part on the original demo we heard build and makes the chorus seem even bigger when it does hit

The mix is just a bit odd too, the way the frequencies mesh with each other it almost sounds like it is sourced from a 30 dollar Bluetooth speaker even on a decent pair of headphones.  Fairly compressed too

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by WhazUp

[Bitchisback]

On 7/3/2022 at 11:41 PM, downzy said:

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 totally agree with this. Plus the new intro is way better. The old one was really bad 

[Nintari]

You feel that way because it's someone else's song. Remaking it is like remaking any piece of art. Not a good idea. If you can't get the original people to finish it, it's better to leave it as it was and release something else if you don't like it.

[Sweersa]

The only thing I like about the new one is the second part of Slash's guitar solo. I also like how they extended Axl's vocals. The demo wins in every other way. I thought Robin's dreamy solo fit better, but the second part of Slash's solo would have fit in too, why couldn't they include both like they did on some CD songs with the multiple guitarists? 

[Mikey Whipwreck]

The best parts of the original are intro which would have made it a solid choice coming out of an instrumental to kick off the second half of a show. And the drums which gave the original a sense of urgency 

The new version feels like a VR B-side instrumental, and the school bell gives it a cheesy cock rock vibe you'd expect from one of the countless lame bands GnR overshadowed in the late 80s