Tommy Stinson on Chinese, GNR and Axl

[gunsnchalupas]

Appetite and Spaghetti are their two best albums. 

Chinese Democracy isn't a good album. It sounds like a greatest hits compilation for a band that never existed. There is no real coherency to it. It's only good as an unintentional concept album about how hard it is to make an album. This doesn't mean the songs aren't good, just that it sounds more like a Spotify playlist than an album. 

UYI also are not good albums. There are two fantastic 40 minute albums that might have made sense together thematically and musically. Instead, it's 150 minutes of each band member fighting to get their shit in, and the band stretching the albums out with b-side tier tracks to pull off the double double-album scheme. 

This is coming from a mentality where a good album has to be the sum of its parts. Appetite thematically and musically all makes sense together. It's a shit rock bible. 

[janrichmond]

 

22 hours ago, ©GnrPersia said:

There you go ^ here's a die hard CD fan preferring The Blues. 

Ban! 

[rocknroll41]

44 minutes ago, gunsnchalupas said:

Appetite and Spaghetti are their two best albums. 

Chinese Democracy isn't a good album. It sounds like a greatest hits compilation for a band that never existed. There is no real coherency to it. It's only good as an unintentional concept album about how hard it is to make an album. This doesn't mean the songs aren't good, just that it sounds more like a Spotify playlist than an album. 

UYI also are not good albums. There are two fantastic 40 minute albums that might have made sense together thematically and musically. Instead, it's 150 minutes of each band member fighting to get their shit in, and the band stretching the albums out with b-side tier tracks to pull off the double double-album scheme. 

This is coming from a mentality where a good album has to be the sum of its parts. Appetite thematically and musically all makes sense together. It's a shit rock bible. 

Nice to see some love for TSI, for a change!

[Blackstar]

49 minutes ago, gunsnchalupas said:

Appetite and Spaghetti are their two best albums. 

Chinese Democracy isn't a good album. It sounds like a greatest hits compilation for a band that never existed. There is no real coherency to it. It's only good as an unintentional concept album about how hard it is to make an album. This doesn't mean the songs aren't good, just that it sounds more like a Spotify playlist than an album. 

UYI also are not good albums. There are two fantastic 40 minute albums that might have made sense together thematically and musically. Instead, it's 150 minutes of each band member fighting to get their shit in, and the band stretching the albums out with b-side tier tracks to pull off the double double-album scheme. 

This is coming from a mentality where a good album has to be the sum of its parts. Appetite thematically and musically all makes sense together. It's a shit rock bible. 

Illusions were not supposed to be cohesive. The were supposed to be exactly what they were. The only statement behind those albums was something like: "Let's throw everything in there, from childish stuff written long before AFD to complex piano driven songs and whatever else was written by each member after AFD. And we can afford to do that White Album type* thing because we're GN'R".

* I mean just the concept, not implying by any means that UYI was at the same level of quality as the White Album.

[guitarpatch]

3 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Illusions were not supposed to be cohesive. The were supposed to be exactly what they were. The only statement behind those albums was something like: "Let's throw everything in there, from childish stuff written long before AFD to complex piano driven songs and whatever else was written by each member after AFD. And we can afford to do that White Album type* thing because we're GN'R".

* I mean just the concept, not implying by any means that UYI was at the same level of quality as the White Album.

UYI was more of we should empty the vault and get everything out before the band implodes and/or someone dies. There wasn’t much thought of holding songs back and developing anything for a follow up 

[Blackstar]

1 minute ago, guitarpatch said:

UYI was more of we should empty the vault and get everything out before the band implodes and/or someone dies. There wasn’t much thought of holding songs back and developing anything for a follow up 

Yes, that too, but it was also the idea that they could do what they wanted, that they could "afford" to do that double-double thing and break all records. Because there was always the option to release some of the songs as b-sides.

[Cosmo]

I don't care if I've heard Tommy a million times and know he's from Minnesota, he always gonna look like he was supposed to talk with a heavy British accent to me 

[gunsnchalupas]

4 hours ago, guitarpatch said:

UYI was more of we should empty the vault and get everything out before the band implodes and/or someone dies. There wasn’t much thought of holding songs back and developing anything for a follow up 

It was Axl's idea to deliver two double albums because it would be lucrative for the band at the position they were in. Whether intentional or not, the result was that the UYI weren't very cohesive. They were basically three very different solo albums jammed together. 

[Gunner Gilby]

23 hours ago, JAxlMorrison said:

We just park our cars in different garages. I’m all about the lyrics. People confuse me as like a metal head or an 80s metal guy etc cause I like GNR, then I listen to Carole king or 2Pac or David Allen Coe, and they go, wait a minute…

I'm with you. It's healthy to listen to multiple genres of music. As long as it's got a catchy riff, melody or beat and/or lyrics that speak to you it's all good.

I was killing time in a clothing shop. I had to take off my GN'R hoody to try a jacket on. I was wearing a Split Enz t shirt. A staff member gave me a puzzled look. He couldn't understand someone liking two bands so different. What's hard to understand? Good music is good music.

[Gunner Gilby]

9 hours ago, rocknroll41 said:

Nice to see some love for TSI, for a change!

Agreed. I mean sure it's a covers album. But all the instruments and vocals are crystal clear. It sounds like six guys playing live in the studio. I know that's not how it was done. But that's how good it sounds.

[Gunner Gilby]

On 8/7/2023 at 5:19 AM, GoodOlJohnnyK said:

I’d be interested in seeing the results of that poll.

Personally, I’d vote that the lyrics matter a lot. I think what set Guns N’ Roses apart from their contemporaries was that Axl actually had something to say. The Illusions aren’t just a rock album - they’re a work of art, and a lot of that is because Axl was at his absolute lyrical peak. It wasn’t just how he was saying it, it’s what he was saying.

Which is not to say that it all has to be Shakespeare. Nightrain isn’t anything poetic, but certain lines mixed with their delivery are right for the song. “Wake up late, honey put on your clothes and take your credit card to the liquor store” isn’t poetic…but it’s a fucking great line. And it works for the song. The inverse of that are songs like Out Ta Get Me, which I skip every time I listen to Appetite because I find the lyrics to be so cliché and bad. I know Anything Goes is popular here because the riff is awesome and it’s a rarity, but to me it’s just a standard 80s hard rock song about sex that Aerosmith could have pulled off better with a wink and a smile.

So lyrics, to me, matter a lot. And the Illusions were just absolutely masterful. Locomotive would be repetitive and almost boring, if it wasn’t for Axl’s fantastic wordplay. The entirety of Coma is perfect.

Chinese Democracy is an interesting case because it’s a different side of Axl’s writing, one that works with varied results. His lyrics are a lot more abstract on that album than anything he’d written before. The wit is gone - a song like “Sorry” probably could have been a bit better lyrically if it was written right after the Illusions, because it would have been sharper and more venomous, as opposed to it being so direct. Riad and the Bedouins is a bit too abstract to really understand the message. If the World is pretty vague to the point of having no emotional connection.

On the other hand, songs like Madagascar really shine with a more abstract approach. The metaphor of a man lost in the wilderness and trying to find his way to shore is great. Same goes for TWAT - it does an excellent job of setting the mood. The imagery is evocative without being incredibly specific - it seems to be about a breakup, but who knows what’s actually going on there. Yet it works. 

Of course, this is all just my personal opinion. But for me, lyrics absolutely matter.

There's definitely some wit to be found on the Chinese Democracy album. Take the title track. "It would take a lot more time than you have got for masturbation, even with an iron fist 🤣". 

[metalavenger99]

9 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Illusions were not supposed to be cohesive. The were supposed to be exactly what they were. The only statement behind those albums was something like: "Let's throw everything in there, from childish stuff written long before AFD to complex piano driven songs and whatever else was written by each member after AFD. And we can afford to do that White Album type* thing because we're GN'R".

* I mean just the concept, not implying by any means that UYI was at the same level of quality as the White Album.

Huh, I never thought about UYI being the same concept as the White Album, that's actually a good comparison imo.. You even have My World and Revolution 9 as a fuck you at the end 

[Rovim]

On 8/7/2023 at 2:31 AM, DownUnderScott said:

He doesn’t say it is his favourite album, which is what you have just said. He said it will historically be seen as their best album. C’mon man, that’s just dumb. 

it's implied. How can he say that about Chinese being viewed as the best album in the long run without it being his favorite? my point is that even if you don't agree and think it's unlikely, Tommy has a right to be honest and share his opinion, even if it's an unpopular one.

I don't think he meant to disrespect Gn'R's earlier work without him, but he was never a fan of old Guns anyway so it makes sense imo.

52 minutes ago, metalavenger99 said:

Huh, I never thought about UYI being the same concept as the White Album, that's actually a good comparison imo.. You even have My World and Revolution 9 as a fuck you at the end 

Slash said the same thing about The White album and UYI, also was quick to make it clear that he wasn't comparing the quality, just the sprawling nature of it, I suppose.

iirc it was in the Gn'R Behind The Music episode from way back.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Rovim

[Cosmo]

11 hours ago, gunsnchalupas said:

Appetite and Spaghetti are their two best albums. 

Chinese Democracy isn't a good album. It sounds like a greatest hits compilation for a band that never existed. There is no real coherency to it. It's only good as an unintentional concept album about how hard it is to make an album. This doesn't mean the songs aren't good, just that it sounds more like a Spotify playlist than an album. 

UYI also are not good albums. There are two fantastic 40 minute albums that might have made sense together thematically and musically. Instead, it's 150 minutes of each band member fighting to get their shit in, and the band stretching the albums out with b-side tier tracks to pull off the double double-album scheme. 

This is coming from a mentality where a good album has to be the sum of its parts. Appetite thematically and musically all makes sense together. It's a shit rock bible. 

I agree albums are usually a lot better to listen to when they’re cohesive but I pretty much disagree with all the rest 😂

TSI, to me, is pretty bland. I haven’t felt the urge to listen to a single track off that album for ages. Maybe a decade.

I agree AFD is an excellent album but its appeal wears out after listening to it a million times and the production feels kinda dated to me now.

Although UYI doesn’t have a concise sound and overall theme to make the album listening experience more immersive and satisfying, it’s got so much going on, you feel like there’s  always something “new” in these you hadn’t given enough attention to. It takes so many listens for the listener to properly have an opinion on each track, it’s like there’s always something new.

As for CD, I love most of the tracks there, and they are my favourite GnR songs, basically. They’re by far the tracks I go back to the most but I gotta agree the production is strange as fuck and it does feel like 3 albums smooshed together, and not in the UYI way, where you know that was the goal of the album.

I’m a guy thay loves to hit play and listen to albums in their entirety, instead of individual songs and yes, I’ve always wondered how much of a solid record UYI would have been, had they chosen the best tracks and made a single disc. However, when a band has such few releases like GnR, I get thankful they just released everything they had after AFD cause  we all how it’s like when they say they have a million songs “in the vault” and never release them.

[Seb91]

Cool interview from Tommy. I agree with him re lyrics. I'm also reminded that Robert Plant's lyric writing got deeper as he got older and he's another singer who evolved as time went on. 

Chinese is my favourite GN'R record but that might just be childhood nostalgia talking. Getting into the band via the old stuff, being put off when I found out that Axl was the last man standing but being won over when I heard some live recordings and fell in love with the new material. Then the leaks etc. It also coincided with me really getting into more proggy stuff and shred-style guitar so guys like Bucket and Bumble were right up my street. Also, thanks to GN'R I got into The Replacements - fun times! It's also the only GN'R record I was around for so it was fun to have that excitement. Alas, I fear it might have been the only GN'R album release I'll have been around for as one doesn't look like it's on the horizon any time soon!

I think though that it will never really be viewed that favourably by most music fans and at best it'll be come to be seen as a fun curio. The main issue I feel is that no NuGuns lineup was ever properly cemented due to the lack of new music. Whilst there was new stuff played and Chinese did eventually come out, the NuGuns guys' main job was covering other players' parts on the old stuff. If there had been a decent amount of new material over time they could have worked in more new stuff and gradually dropped some of the older stuff (sure, they'd have to play SCOM, NR and PC every night forever but it wouldn't have had to be mainly new stuff - even a 50/50 split could have been nice). 

I feel that was always the issue re getting NuGuns established, even though there were moves in the right direction (the tour shirt with all the band members springs to mind). I mean, when you look at bands like Deep Purple and Yes who have had numerous lineup changes, they've continued to put albums out. I doubt Don Airey and Steve Morse would have felt as much like Deep Purple members to me if they hadn't played on much new material. Equally I was on the fence about seeing the current version of Yes but the new album won me over and I booked tickets to see them. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by BassistSeb

[Rovim]

37 minutes ago, BassistSeb said:

Cool interview from Tommy. I agree with him re lyrics. I'm also reminded that Robert Plant's lyric writing got deeper as he got older and he's another singer who evolved as time went on. 

Chinese is my favourite GN'R record but that might just be childhood nostalgia talking. Getting into the band via the old stuff, being put off when I found out that Axl was the last man standing but being won over when I heard some live recordings and fell in love with the new material. Then the leaks etc. It also coincided with me really getting into more proggy stuff and shred-style guitar so guys like Bucket and Bumble were right up my street. Also, thanks to GN'R I got into The Replacements - fun times! It's also the only GN'R record I was around for so it was fun to have that excitement. Alas, I fear it might have been the only GN'R album release I'll have been around for as one doesn't look like it's on the horizon any time soon!

I think though that it will never really be viewed that favourably by most music fans and at best it'll be come to be seen as a fun curio. The main issue I feel is that no NuGuns lineup was ever properly cemented due to the lack of new music. Whilst there was new stuff played and Chinese did eventually come out, the NuGuns guys' main job was covering other players' parts on the old stuff. If there had been a decent amount of new material over time they could have worked in more new stuff and gradually dropped some of the older stuff (sure, they'd have to play SCOM, NR and PC every night forever but it wouldn't have had to be mainly new stuff - even a 50/50 split could have been nice). 

I feel that was always the issue re getting NuGuns established, even though there were moves in the right direction (the tour shirt with all the band members springs to mind). I mean, when you look at bands like Deep Purple and Yes who have had numerous lineup changes, they've continued to put albums out. I doubt Don Airey and Steve Morse would have felt as much like Deep Purple members to me if they hadn't played on much new material. Equally I was on the fence about seeing the current version of Yes but the new album won me over and I booked tickets to see them. 

shit could go wrong whenever any iconic looking and sounding band makes drastic changes. For many people, Slash leaving Gn'R was unacceptable and as you say, there was never really gaining momentum in new Gn'R. Too many lineup changes and not enough new records released and also, the public seemed to have blamed Axl for ruining and taking away from them something they loved, the classic lineup which I'm sure didn't help matters. (not matter if you agree wite that sentiment or not)

it also depends on the band who makes the changes so while,Van Halen managed to find success after replacing their lead singer, I don't think Aerosmith could have a successful lineup without Tyler and Joe Perry for example.

I also think that most Gn'R fans didn't want Axl to go solo, they wanted Gn'R to continue with Axl and Slash in the lineup. It's tough to sell something people don't really want, especially when you don't really provide enough new product under the same name of a beloved band. Axl didn't give a chance for a lot of fans to get over the fact Slash was gone, if that was even possible.

I think Ozzy's solo success after Black Sabbath was kinda the exception to the rule and he was never as concerned with some artistic aspects of the music that Axl seemed to really care about imo, so for Ozzy it was a given that delivering an album/tour/album/tour cycles on a regular basis and that was crucial for the longevity of his career with all those lineup changes.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Rovim

[Amir]

30 minutes ago, BassistSeb said:

I think though that it will never really be viewed that favourably by most music fans and at best it'll be come to be seen as a fun curio. The main issue I feel is that no NuGuns lineup was ever properly cemented due to the lack of new music. Whilst there was new stuff played and Chinese did eventually come out, the NuGuns guys' main job was covering other players' parts on the old stuff. If there had been a decent amount of new material over time they could have worked in more new stuff and gradually dropped some of the older stuff (sure, they'd have to play SCOM, NR and PC every night forever but it wouldn't have had to be mainly new stuff - even a 50/50 split could have been nice). 

Been going through past setlists recently and they really were playing a lot of ChiDem stuff on the '09-'10 tour and even '11-'12. The setlist was mostly ChiDem in the Asia/Canada parts of '09-'10, and even by the time they hit Europe they were playing at least 7 ChiDem songs a night (with about an equal number of Appetite songs, and just a couple of UYI tracks). By '11-'12 it was about 5-6 ChiDem songs, but that's still a decent number.

What did surprise is just how Appetite-heavy the '01-'02 setlists were, I can see why Buckethead got frustrated and left: 10 AFD tracks a night vs. 3-4 ChiDem tracks. I guess it makes sense in the way that these are songs that weren't even officially released at the time, but it still must have felt bad for the guys in nuGuns Mk I.

But yeah, I agree, I feel like WTTJ, SCOM, NR, PC and even KOHD are really the five they have to play every night, and if more new music had released, they could then fill the setlist with 10-12 new songs and ~3 AFD/UYI deep cuts on rotation.

[El Guapo]

It's such a weird and tragic story, the whole Nu GnR thing. 

Back in the day, I really hated Robin taking Slash's spot. Now, the idea of having a version of GnR with Robin AND Buckethead instead of how the whole Reunion thing turned out, seems super exciting. 

[Seb91]

41 minutes ago, Rovim said:

shit could go wrong whenever any iconic looking and sounding band makes drastic changes. For many people, Slash leaving Gn'R was unacceptable and as you say, there was never really gaining momentum in new Gn'R. Too many lineup changes and not enough new records released and also, the public seemed to have blamed Axl for ruining and taking away from them something they loved, the classic lineup which I'm sure didn't help matters. (not matter if you agree wite that sentiment or not)

it also depends on the band who makes the changes so while,Van Halen managed to find success after replacing their lead singer, I don't think Aerosmith could have a successful lineup without Tyler and Joe Perry for example.

I also think that most Gn'R fans didn't want Axl to go solo, they wanted Gn'R to continue with Axl and Slash in the lineup. It's tough to sell something people don't really want, especially when you don't really provide enough new product under the same name of a beloved band. Axl didn't give a chance for a lot of fans to get over the fact Slash was gone, if that was even possible.

I think Ozzy's solo success after Black Sabbath was kinda the exception to the rule and he was never as concerned with some artistic aspects of the music that Axl seemed to really care about imo, so for Ozzy it was a given that delivering an album/tour/album/tour cycles on a regular basis and that was crucial for the longevity of his career with all those lineup changes.

 

I think the thing with Ozzy is that he really hit the ground running solo wise. His band were phenomenal and Randy Rhoads was off the charts guitar playing wise. Crucially though, he put two albums out in relatively quick succession which are considered two of the all time great rock/metal records. I think that cemented things really as he wasn't stuck playing the Sabbath back catalogue. I think, as with Axl, the guy's had a great ear for talent over the years - Zakk Wylde and Rob Trujillo spring to mind as two phenomenal players after that initial success. The difference is that Ozzy's always put records out and started his solo career with two top tier records. I mean, in a sense it was the same with Axl and NuGuns re the ear for talent as he had phenomenal players with a great pedigree - Robin from NIN and Tommy from the Replacements. Plus, Bucket was Axl's Randy Rhoads in a sense - an unknown guitar player who's playing was off the charts. I mean, Bucket is IMO the best guitar player around at the moment period. However, Axl didn't really showcase that talent he had in the band. Axl's voice and Bucket's solo output shows how incredible further collaborations would have been. 

 

36 minutes ago, Amir said:

Been going through past setlists recently and they really were playing a lot of ChiDem stuff on the '09-'10 tour and even '11-'12. The setlist was mostly ChiDem in the Asia/Canada parts of '09-'10, and even by the time they hit Europe they were playing at least 7 ChiDem songs a night (with about an equal number of Appetite songs, and just a couple of UYI tracks). By '11-'12 it was about 5-6 ChiDem songs, but that's still a decent number.

What did surprise is just how Appetite-heavy the '01-'02 setlists were, I can see why Buckethead got frustrated and left: 10 AFD tracks a night vs. 3-4 ChiDem tracks. I guess it makes sense in the way that these are songs that weren't even officially released at the time, but it still must have felt bad for the guys in nuGuns Mk I.

But yeah, I agree, I feel like WTTJ, SCOM, NR, PC and even KOHD are really the five they have to play every night, and if more new music had released, they could then fill the setlist with 10-12 new songs and ~3 AFD/UYI deep cuts on rotation.

 

Yeah, I mean linked to my reply above it was weird that the initial wasn't more of a showcase for the new members really. I mean, in a sense it obviously was but more new songs in the 2001-02 era would have worked wonders I feel. Axl effectively needed a Blizzard of Ozz to tour behind. I agree that there was a decent number played live in 2010 and that was the highlight of that tour for me - hearing some of the Chinese stuff live now it was finally out. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by BassistSeb

[Rovim]

4 minutes ago, BassistSeb said:

 

I think the thing with Ozzy is that he really hit the ground running solo wise. His band were phenomenal and Randy Rhoads was off the charts guitar playing wise. Crucially though, he put two albums out in relatively quick succession which are considered two of the all time great rock/metal records. I think that cemented things really as he wasn't stuck playing the Sabbath back catalogue. I think, as with Axl, the guy's had a great ear for talent over the years - Zakk Wylde and Rob Trujillo spring to mind as two phenomenal players after that initial success. The difference is that Ozzy's always put records out and started his solo career with two top tier records. I mean, in a sense it was the same with Axl and NuGuns he had phenomenal players with a great pedigree - Robin from NIN and Tommy from the Replacements. Plus, Bucket was Axl's Randy Rhoads in a sense - an unknown guitar player who's playing was off the charts. I mean, Bucket is IMO the best guitar player around at the moment period. However, Axl didn't really showcase that talent he had in the band. 

Ozzy did admit that he chose Randy cause he "looked the part". Not that I think it was the only reason, but it demonstrates that image is important for a lot of music fans. A lot of people didn't get Bucket and didn't like or want his style of playing to be a part of Gn'R, a very different guitar player to Slash in many ways. (similar in others)

also, Axl had a lot of time with a lot of talented players but was there a hit song? was that even Axl's goal or even main goal? it seems it was for Ozzy and he not only had a great album with an easy to digest image ready to go fairly quickly as you said, he also had shit like Crazy Train so completely different to Axl's Gn'R, which didn't have enough to offer to the fans for most of its existance except nostalgia and a taste of what it could have been if Axl wasn't stuck and had the ability to truly move on from something that probably wasn't worth his or our time, even though I think Chinese is great.

[Voodoochild]

42 minutes ago, BassistSeb said:

1 hour ago, Amir said:

What did surprise is just how Appetite-heavy the '01-'02 setlists were, I can see why Buckethead got frustrated and left: 10 AFD tracks a night vs. 3-4 ChiDem tracks. I guess it makes sense in the way that these are songs that weren't even officially released at the time, but it still must have felt bad for the guys in nuGuns Mk I.

Yeah, I mean linked to my reply above it was weird that the initial wasn't more of a showcase for the new members really. I mean, in a sense it obviously was but more new songs in the 2001-02 era would have worked wonders I feel. Axl effectively needed a Blizzard of Ozz to tour behind. I agree that there was a decent number played live in 2010 and that was the highlight of that tour for me - hearing some of the Chinese stuff live now it was finally out. 

Judging by the Village sessions, the 2001 setlists made sense. They played 5 CD-era songs, plus Oh My God. 

The 2002 sets were different. Asia and Europe had Riad being played 4 times, but Silkworms wasn't on either regions. OMG was already ditched too, and there was some gigs (Leeds at least) that had only 2 CD-era songs. The 2002 NA tour only got Riad once, in Detroit. All the other gigs were with the same setlist, with Chinese, Madagascar and The Blues/SOD.

But they were working in so many new stuff in studio, especially with a lot of cool additions by Bucket. Though he def only laid down his Chinese lead guitar somewhere between the NA Tour (when he added the second solo in the song) and 2003 (when he added his lead in the verses/chorus). The Blues outro solo was first recorded by Richard (I'm guessing with the NA tour promo snippet in mind), but later replaced by Bucket's very similar solo.

But just imagine if Better, TWAt and even IRS were already ready to be played back then. I think those songs would be a huge showcase of both Bucket and Robin's talent in songwriting and fresh guitar sounds back then.

[Rovim]

7 minutes ago, Voodoochild said:

Judging by the Village sessions, the 2001 setlists made sense. They played 5 CD-era songs, plus Oh My God. 

The 2002 sets were different. Asia and Europe had Riad being played 4 times, but Silkworms wasn't on either regions. OMG was already ditched too, and there was some gigs (Leeds at least) that had only 2 CD-era songs. The 2002 NA tour only got Riad once, in Detroit. All the other gigs were with the same setlist, with Chinese, Madagascar and The Blues/SOD.

But they were working in so many new stuff in studio, especially with a lot of cool additions by Bucket. Though he def only laid down his Chinese lead guitar somewhere between the NA Tour (when he added the second solo in the song) and 2003 (when he added his lead in the verses/chorus). The Blues outro solo was first recorded by Richard (I'm guessing with the NA tour promo snippet in mind), but later replaced by Bucket's very similar solo.

But just imagine if Better, TWAt and even IRS were already ready to be played back then. I think those songs would be a huge showcase of both Bucket and Robin's talent in songwriting and fresh guitar sounds back then.

is it confirmed that The Blues outro solo was first recorded by Richard? are you basing that on Richard playing it live, or something else?

Edited August 8, 2023 by Rovim

[Voodoochild]

3 minutes ago, Rovim said:

is it confirmed that The Blues outro solo was first recorded by Richard? are you basing that on Richard playing it live, or something else?

Not confirmed at all, it's just my opinion based on what I heard in that snippet and comparing the tone and style of that lead guitar. IIRC, that solo appeared first in the NA tour promo. Then Richard played it on all of the NA shows, starting in Tacoma.

[Rovim]

Just now, Voodoochild said:

Not confirmed at all, it's just my opinion based on what I heard in that snippet and comparing the tone and style of that lead guitar. IIRC, that solo appeared first in the NA tour promo. Then Richard played it on all of the NA shows, starting in Tacoma.

I asked just cause I remember that when Richard talked about the part he came up with for Better (chorus riff) he said it was the only thing he brought to the table cause he joined Gn'R too late to have contributed more.

[Voodoochild]

29 minutes ago, Rovim said:

I asked just cause I remember that when Richard talked about the part he came up with for Better (chorus riff) he said it was the only thing he brought to the table cause he joined Gn'R too late to have contributed more.

Guess he was talking in terms of songwriting and song structures.