"The General" is officially delayed... but "The General" AND "Monsters" is (unofficially) out of the bag

[Blackstar]

5 minutes ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

There’s multiple sources saying no digital release now, this is the second if I recall correctly? Where there’s smoke there’s fire. I’ve lost hope for a digital release at this point. Which is really fucking tragic and sad if so.

It's only two sources (the Italian website and UMG Italy store) that are actually one and the same source, since the website got the info from UMG Italy.

[HollyWoodRose84]

On 9/16/2023 at 2:25 AM, rumandraisin said:

They're among us!

Of course they are. 

[AxlRoseCDII]

4 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

It's only two sources (the Italian website and UMG Italy store) that are actually one and the same source, since the website got the info from UMG Italy.

Good to know.

Fingers are crossed. I really would like to be able to include it in my playlists and listen to it like a normal song instead of a file sitting on my computer.

Fernando did say “perhaps” when someone asked if The General would get a digital release, which is our biggest hope that it is on the way. 

[Cosmo]

4 minutes ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

Good to know.

Fingers are crossed. I really would like to be able to include it in my playlists and listen to it like a normal song instead of a file sitting on my computer.

Fernando did say “perhaps” when someone asked if The General would get a digital release, which is our biggest hope that it is on the way. 

idk how it works on Android but if you sync the file to your iTunes/Apple Music app, Spotify will be able to include it on your playlists. But they'll need to be offline playlists, you'll need make all the songs available offline in your mobile phone.

[HollyWoodRose84]

Just adding my two cents here. There’s going to be a digital release of The General, especially if the band has rehearsed this song in some capacity to play live. We’re not talking about The Seeker or Wichita or (insert any other cover that will never be properly recorded and officially released by Guns). 

[BucketEgg]

Is Universal Music Italy going to get the 🌽corn🌽?

[Blackstar]

Maybe some people should change their usernames to "Doom and Gloom" or "Drama Queen".

Even in the worst case (albeit unlikely) scenario of no digital release, we'll still be able to hear the song.

[Sweersa]

1 hour ago, Nick85 said:

Why the fuck would they advertise a wildly negative detail?

Because they want people to feel compelled to own the only medium the song is offered on.

[hollywood_democracy]

I don't understand the alarmism... There's no way it'll be a vinyl-only release. I'm sure it'll be released digitally before the vinyl comes out. The vinyl is for collectors, but they also want to reach other fans. It would be a very stupid move for it to be vinyl-only and reach a few thousand die-hard fans as opposed to millions via online views/listens/downloads like they ddi with Perhaps. 

[Live Like a Suicide]

If The General were truly exclusive to physical media, then it would have been stated clearly on the product description of the 7" vinyl across every Universal website + GNR's website and other media retailers. This was the case for the live tracks on the Hard Skool vinyl. That the Italian site is the only one to include the claim of The General's exclusivity means it is out of step with everywhere else. 

[Sweersa]

33 minutes ago, F*ck Fear said:

That will be the nail in the coffin for me & this band.

I signed out of the forum and was gone for 6 months before the release of Perhaps brought me back. If they fuck this up, I will 100% be completely done.

I bet you will be back in 2025 when the first release since Perhaps/The General is expected. (Atlas and reworked Oh My God) 😆

[Voodoochild]

If my prediction is correct (based on Myass Institute Technology data), the song should be available digitally next week, dedicated to my birthday.

28 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

idk how it works on Android but if you sync the file to your iTunes/Apple Music app, Spotify will be able to include it on your playlists. But they'll need to be offline playlists, you'll need make all the songs available offline in your mobile phone.

It also works on Spotify on Android, I used to have some files like this. But on Apple Music this is new to me, thanks for that. 

 

[Trin9498]

Honestly can’t think of any rational reason why they would do this…..

[dontdamnmeuyi2015]

Hope this means a new album is on the way sometime next year.

[Sweersa]

Are the rumors true that the studio release of The General is going to have crowd noises inserted from the 2010 Vienna party?

[mystery]

1 hour ago, F*ck Fear said:

That will be the nail in the coffin for me & this band.

I signed out of the forum and was gone for 6 months before the release of Perhaps brought me back. If they fuck this up, I will 100% be completely done.

I feel you in that this band can never do things in a straightforward and easy manner. There always has to be some bullshit and a cloud of uncertainty to the things they do. 

[Trin9498]

If they released Absurb to streaming, they have to release the General. Again, what would the logic be to not do it? It’s getting released on vinyl. Someone will upload it somewhere. 

[Sweersa]

I want to listen to Perhaps and The General on audio cassette in my 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 and on compact disc in my Ford Explorer and Ranger. Make it happen, @Fernando!  

[Powerage5]

30 minutes ago, mystery said:

I feel you in that this band can never do things in a straightforward and easy manner. There always has to be some bullshit and a cloud of uncertainty to the things they do. 

I don’t get how this is a “cloud of uncertainty”. It’s not commonplace for B-sides and bonus tracks to be released in streaming. Loads of other artists have vinyl-exclusive tracks, and you never see them explicitly saying ahead of release “you won’t be able to stream this, so you better buy the physical release!”. Some artists like to have vinyl-exclusive tracks, and I think that’s a great thing to keep the tradition of physical media alive. 
 

In a way it’s really grinding my gears because I don’t see other fandoms have this level of outrage when a single track isn’t released on streaming. Yes, I get that GN’R fans are particularly starved for new music. But I saw plenty of similar complaints (albeit to a far lesser degree) about the Japan exclusive bonus tracks on the UYI reissues, and the hidden cassette in the Locked N Loaded AFD set. There’s a tradition of artists giving Japan in particular bonus tracks, and having hidden goodies in big, expensive box sets. There’s no reason to abandon some of these practices just because 99.9% of new releases get put on streaming services. I don’t agree with TB on almost anything, but situations like this really give credit to Beta’s infamous “complaints, complaints, complaints” comment - GN’R fans have such a dramatic way of twisting every single positive into a negative. 

[DeNfr]

[evader]

15 minutes ago, Powerage5 said:

I don’t get how this is a “cloud of uncertainty”.

Everything you said makes sense. But is this frustrated fan reaction simply due to The General being the most legendary, most anticipated, unheard, unreleased track in GNR history? At 20 years in hiding, it more than doubles the legend and hype that surrounded This I Love.

I actually kinda like the idea of doing gimmicky releases like this, but......um......for THIS song?

This is not a complaint. It's more of a statement of bewilderment.

Edited September 18, 2023 by evader

[axljungle]

2 hours ago, F*ck Fear said:

That will be the nail in the coffin for me & this band.

I signed out of the forum and was gone for 6 months before the release of Perhaps brought me back. If they fuck this up, I will 100% be completely done.

No you don’t.

This fórum have 1300 pages of “New Album Thread…” and here we are

[Powerage5]

7 minutes ago, evader said:

Everything you said makes sense. But is this frustrated fan reaction simply due to The General being the most legendary, most anticipated, unheard, unreleased track in GNR history? At 20 years in hiding, it more than doubles the legend and hype that surrounded This I Love.

I actually kinda like the idea of doing gimmicky releases like this, but......um......for THIS song?

This is not a complaint. It's more of a statement of bewilderment.

I think the mythical status of the song is certainly part of it, or at least why so many people seem so vehement about it in this instance. But that’s also why I mention that I’ve seen plenty of similar comments about UYI and LNL AFD. It may be more drastic in this instance, but it’s not an isolated incident. 
 

I also think the nature of the song, from what little bit we know and have heard, may be why it’s not getting a widespread release. We know according to Bach it’s the heaviest GN’R song to date. We’ve heard enough from the cellphone clip to support this statement I think. The song is alleged to be about child abuse. Combine all of this, and it’s clear the song is not going to be mainstream in any way. It could very well be a calculated move to release it as an exclusive track that’s available to the diehards who know the song’s reputation and are excited to hear if, while not making a big fanfare about it to a mainstream audience who the song may not sit well with. 
 

There is another option I haven’t seen mentioned yet. Suppose the 7” comes with a download card - these UMG press releases wouldn’t technically be false as the only (legal) way to get the song would be to purchase the 7”, but would still give the option to have a digital copy. I wonder if people would still feel so upset if that scenario were to play out. 

[jaknudsen]

1 hour ago, Trin9498 said:

Absurb

Adsurb. Backwards letters.

[evader]

10 minutes ago, Powerage5 said:

I think the mythical status of the song is certainly part of it, or at least why so many people seem so vehement about it in this instance. But that’s also why I mention that I’ve seen plenty of similar comments about UYI and LNL AFD. It may be more drastic in this instance, but it’s not an isolated incident. 
 

I also think the nature of the song, from what little bit we know and have heard, may be why it’s not getting a widespread release. We know according to Bach it’s the heaviest GN’R song to date. We’ve heard enough from the cellphone clip to support this statement I think. The song is alleged to be about child abuse. Combine all of this, and it’s clear the song is not going to be mainstream in any way. It could very well be a calculated move to release it as an exclusive track that’s available to the diehards who know the song’s reputation and are excited to hear if, while not making a big fanfare about it to a mainstream audience who the song may not sit well with. 
 

There is another option I haven’t seen mentioned yet. Suppose the 7” comes with a download card - these UMG press releases wouldn’t technically be false as the only (legal) way to get the song would be to purchase the 7”, but would still give the option to have a digital copy. I wonder if people would still feel so upset if that scenario were to play out. 

Great points, all. If the 7" comes with a download card for digital release, I imagine that would be a nice band-aid for those who've been injured by the news of this vinyl-only release. Well, at least kinda.

Still, to beat a dead horse, most don't have access to record players, and some of us old-schoolers don't even do the digital purchasing thing. Hopefully, a broader range of buying options will follow at some point so that GNR can maximize both exposure and profit. Maybe that "broader range" will be a full album, like what was once common in the days of yore.