The "New Album" Thread. Thanks to the long ass thread, I’m going home!

[gavgnr]

The years have affected Axl and Slash. No doubt.

My view. I just wish Axl had been able to succeed with his ambitions for the ‘new’ band in the early 2000’s. Instead, he encountered obstacle after obstacle (whose intention was more than likely a reunion - read $$$), which, over time, chipped away at his tenacity. End result, we get the pseudo reunion and no (or very little) new music which (in a parallel universe) could have been freakin amazing and the best GnR to date.

The music industry wins.

The (long-standing) fans lose out.

@Dexter Bring it back fella 

Blame Kaneda 

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by gavgnr

[El Guapo]

Slash's playing really changed quite a bit and I agree, he might be able to play faster now but everything else was so much better back then.

Sometimes I think it's the drinking that made the difference. It's the biggest difference between then and now.

[Karice]

Okay, so noodling is him playing aimless notes so that it becomes wild and it looks like he doesn't know WHERE the notes are going anymore. I can see how that could quickly become a huge problem for Fans.... 🤔 But I think Fans would hate it even more if he was just coasting, playing the exact same guitar notes over and over with no real passion. I know I personally would rather him play aimless notes than him playing the exact same guitar notes over and over with no real passion. 😳

[jacdaniel]

It's important as well to understand that the band made a conscious decision to speed up the tempo of these songs live to bring more energy and while they've slowed down a bit since 2016, the tempos are still faster than the UYI days. 

Look at the studio version length of songs and the length of those same songs live... 

 

You have to speed up your playing if you want to play faster tempos. 

[chester]

There is definitely a ‘problem’ with Slash’s playing as the reunion has gone on. It’s been noted by so many different people, it’s real. Is it a total detriment to the shows or ruin the overall enjoyment? No, not for me… But I do note it and it makes me not as excited about some songs when I’m at a show. It’s a bit of a nit pick, much like people bitching about Buckethead or Robins versions of Slash solos. Funny, people bitched about various player not playing Slash’s solos exactly and now Slash is playing some song in an unrecognizable way…. But I’m still going to the shows and enjoying them. Slash’s playing has changed as has Axl’s voice. 

[Rovim]

1 minute ago, jacdaniel said:

It's important as well to understand that the band made a conscious decision to speed up the tempo of these songs live to bring more energy and while they've slowed down a bit since 2016, the tempos are still faster than the UYI days. 

Look at the studio version length of songs and the length of those same songs live... 

 

You have to speed up your playing if you want to play faster tempos. 

but it's not just in Gn'R, the noodling. Slash does it in the Conspirators as well. A live 17 minute Wicked Stone outro solo with no feel for example is what proved to me that to my ears there is a big difference between Slash's playing in the past compared to nowdays.

I think he's still great, but that it's not even close to what it once was.

[gavgnr]

Ability over song accuracy. Must be an age thing 

[El Guapo]

His playing became quite arrogant, especially in the context of a Rock 'n' Roll band. 

[Kranich]

 

Just hear the solo starting 3:40. There are many incidents like this scattered throughout the set. I also remember him giving the same treatment to NR and SCOM last year in Warsaw.

 

[jacdaniel]

8 minutes ago, Kranich said:

 

Just hear the solo starting 3:40. There are many incidents like this scattered throughout the set. I also remember him giving the same treatment to NR and SCOM last year in Warsaw.

 

There's literally nothing wrong with that unless you want the studio version note for note each night. 

[jacdaniel]

I think these days in general there is a level of scrutiny with endless streams available and it's not always a positive thing. 

If we had these streams back in the 90s we'd be complaining that Axl is late, ranting too much, tempos too slow, drum solo sucks, too many guitar solos, no need for reggae in KOHD etc etc 

 

[wendirosez]

5 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

I think these days in general there is a level of scrutiny with endless streams available and it's not always a positive thing. 

If we had these streams back in the 90s 

 

well i' just burst out laughing then.

[Alejandro GNR]

19 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

I think these days in general there is a level of scrutiny with endless streams available and it's not always a positive thing. 

If we had these streams back in the 90s we'd be complaining that Axl is late, ranting too much, tempos too slow, drum solo sucks, too many guitar solos, no need for reggae in KOHD etc etc 

 

Compare Slashs performance during the whole Paris 92 or Tokyo 92 to any show of the reunion 

Night and day

He even flops during Yesterdays solo nowadays.

Its unbelievable 

[DeNfr]

 

I see nothing wrong in Slash's playing. I think he plays great and he's the driving force of the band these days. at least he was in the first years of the reunion, his guitar can go where Axl's voice can't anymore... he's way more interesting now than in the 90's, were he was quite a bit self indulgent (like the rest of the band, sure) with long noodling who were going nowhere, it was sometimes laughable. I completly understand he doesn't want to play like he played 20 years ago and we should all encourage that. if you don't, don't ever complain about how the band is a nostalgia act.

[wendirosez]

Slash forever kicks arse. We  are lucky to see all of this tbf. MJ is gone. Prince is gone. George Michael is gone.  Chris Cornell,

David Bowie , ..who else ...  We are the lucky fan base here.

Edited June 16, 2023 by wendirosez
adding names :/

[Alejandro GNR]

27 minutes ago, wendirosez said:

Slash forever kicks arse. We  are lucky to see all of this tbf. MJ is gone. Prince is gone. George Michael is gone.  who else ...  We are the lucky fan base here.

You are right, we still have this guys and they are performing together which is what many of us dreamnt for a LONG time. 

I've always believed Axl was the most legendary member of GnR and the one who will be remembered for the rest of mankind in the music world,and I still believe that...however Slash will also live forever in the music world. He is an icon not only for his music but also for his look.

Love this guys and Izzy, Duff, Steven and Matt.

The rest of them...I just dont care about them. I love some of Bucket songs though, he is a guitar beast.

[The Matinator]

It’s gonna be exhausting if/when perhaps drops because everybody in here is gonna be whining over how bad Slash played the solo even though the original solo from the demo is incredibly mid. Idk how anybody even thought that was Brian May I heard it the first time & knew it was Fink lol.

[Duwz]

Well, I do know that a musician’s play style evolves with the time, and I also know that you can’t please everyone. I also remember a lot of people thrash talking Slash in the 90s and 2000s by his playing, just as it’s happening now. I used to hear things like he was overrated, only played a single or two scales for every song he ever wrote. So, this will never end, it seems.

[MaskingApathy]

4 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

Insanity on here

Slash sounds great to me. I play guitar and still enjoy his playing a lot. He sometimes is underwhelming on some CD songs like Sorry and Catcher, but those are reunion footnotes

I don’t think the 2009-2014 lineup comes remotely close to having Slash back. We had freaking Ashba, then. Far and away the worst member of the band, ever. I saw that lineup 3 times and loved those shows, but Slash enhances the band immensely and belongs in the band

A lot of the fast playing is exciting live, imo

 

56 minutes ago, DeNfr said:

 

I see nothing wrong in Slash's playing. I think he plays great and he's the driving force of the band these days. at least he was in the first years of the reunion, his guitar can go where Axl's voice can't anymore... he's way more interesting now than in the 90's, were he was quite a bit self indulgent (like the rest of the band, sure) with long noodling who were going nowhere, it was sometimes laughable. I completly understand he doesn't want to play like he played 20 years ago and we should all encourage that. if you don't, don't ever complain about how the band is a nostalgia act.

100% agree

Personally I think he's just bored with playing the same songs over and over and at this point in his life it's just easier to improv most of the solos (and probably more interesting for him too). He still keeps the main points and transitions of the solos, but the parts in between are freestyle.

[allwaystired]

2 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

 

100% agree

Personally I think he's just bored with playing the same songs over and over and at this point in his life it's just easier to improv most of the solos (and probably more interesting for him too). He still keeps the main points and transitions of the solos, but the parts in between are freestyle.

Hasn't he said exactly that in the past- that he never plays solos the same to keep himself interested? 

Makes sense to me. If I wanted to hear everything identical to the albums, I'd play the albums! 

[JimiRose]

Slash's playing is definitely faster and lost some melody, but live it isn't really noticeable and he brings a great energy to the show. My main issue with him (aside from the CD solos) is in the extended solos in RQ and KOHD. They're not interesting enough to justify the extra minutes spent on them, and even though the whole drawn out KOHD is dull, RQ could still be a killer live song if they got rid of the 7 minute solo in the middle. 

[SoulMonster]

7 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

 

100% agree

Personally I think he's just bored with playing the same songs over and over and at this point in his life it's just easier to improv most of the solos (and probably more interesting for him too). He still keeps the main points and transitions of the solos, but the parts in between are freestyle.

That's probably the case for Axl, too, he is singing worse simply because he is bored 

Just kidding, of course. I think they are both beyond their prime, which is natural for musicians in their 60s. I don't think we need more complicated explanations. 

Edited June 16, 2023 by SoulMonster

[We love Axl Rose]

From last year show in Holland.

Some funny comment on YouTube: 1:45 to 1:55, me when I used to play Guitar Hero with game pad on Hard difficulty 10 years ago

Slash solo:

[Rovim]

8 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Hasn't he said exactly that in the past- that he never plays solos the same to keep himself interested? 

Makes sense to me. If I wanted to hear everything identical to the albums, I'd play the albums! 

it's not like the only 2 options is to play it identical to the studio versions or just noodle with no direction or melody. Slash always liked to improvise and his playing was never identical to the studio versions, but imo his improvisation was far more interesting and with a lot more feel compared to how he sometimes plays now.

[MaskingApathy]

He can still do the melodic stuff in the studio, like the HS solo is pretty much classic Slash. But then he improvs it live.