Perhaps Solo: Why?

[WhazUp]

I feel a lot better about it hearing the final mix in lossess, it blends way more than the bar phone recordings made me initially think.  I think it sounds fine now personally

[diablo9333]

4 hours ago, chester said:

Yeah, I’m not slagging on Slash at all, it’s apparent and he’s said as much, he doesn’t hold Robins playing in high regard (unlike Buckethead). I disagree with him but it is what it is… Like I said I don’t think there is really any animosity or hard feelings. 

Do you remember where you saw that? I don't remember hearing Slash say anything about Robin Finck. The only time I remember Slash talking about the Chinese Democracy lineup, was to say that Axl finally made the album he wanted to make. 

[DeNfr]

5 minutes ago, diablo9333 said:

Do you remember where you saw that? I don't remember hearing Slash say anything about Robin Finck. The only time I remember Slash talking about the Chinese Democracy lineup, was to say that Axl finally made the album he wanted to make. 

 

he said Buckethead doesn't play with feeling, too. 

[Blackstar]

4 minutes ago, diablo9333 said:

Do you remember where you saw that? I don't remember hearing Slash say anything about Robin Finck. The only time I remember Slash talking about the Chinese Democracy lineup, was to say that Axl finally made the album he wanted to make. 

This is the quote they're referring to:

Slash: “The other side of it was figuring out what my version of The Chinese Democracy stuff would be like, because that was a whole different Guns N’ Roses animal in terms of the musicians involved. A lot of it I thought was really cool, like Buckethead did some cool shit so I would stick to that but do it in my own way so it didn’t feel too foreign or like I was squeezing a round peg into a square hole. That was interesting and fun… more fun than it was intimidating.”

On the song Better, instead of trying to play like Robin Finck trying to play like you - as per the recorded version - you chose to do your own thing…

Slash: “Some of the stuff I won’t do note-for-note because it doesn’t have a serious melodic significance to the song. It sounded like they were making it up...”

https://www.musicradar.com/news/slash-technique-can-become-the-main-aspiration-but-for-me-its-more-about-expressing-some-sort-of-emotional-content

I'm not even sure if Slash is talking about Better specifically (even though he was specifically asked about it). He could be talking in general about some of the songs, but not Robin Finck's work in particular.

2 minutes ago, DeNfr said:

he said Buckethead doesn't play with feeling, too. 

That was an old quote from 2007.

[chester]

33 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

This is the quote they're referring to:

Slash: “The other side of it was figuring out what my version of The Chinese Democracy stuff would be like, because that was a whole different Guns N’ Roses animal in terms of the musicians involved. A lot of it I thought was really cool, like Buckethead did some cool shit so I would stick to that but do it in my own way so it didn’t feel too foreign or like I was squeezing a round peg into a square hole. That was interesting and fun… more fun than it was intimidating.”

On the song Better, instead of trying to play like Robin Finck trying to play like you - as per the recorded version - you chose to do your own thing…

Slash: “Some of the stuff I won’t do note-for-note because it doesn’t have a serious melodic significance to the song. It sounded like they were making it up...”

https://www.musicradar.com/news/slash-technique-can-become-the-main-aspiration-but-for-me-its-more-about-expressing-some-sort-of-emotional-content

I'm not even sure if Slash is talking about Better specifically (even though he was specifically asked about it). He could be talking in general about some of the songs, but not Robin Finck's work in particular.

That was an old quote from 2007.

Yeah, Slash is being very diplomatic in regards to his comments about CD and the alumni, especially in regards to how he interprets the material… I believe he’s handled it with tact and grace but it is what it is… I think Axl is/was just grateful that Slash was interested in playing the CD songs and took it upon himself to work on the songs. 
 

Clearly Slash can think the parts don’t have ‘melodic significance’ and at the same time not have some personal animus against Robin or whoever…  

 

* And I should add I think the person specifically asking the question about Better and Robin was setting Slash up and he didn’t take the bait… The question was phrased pretty negatively. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by chester

[diablo9333]

1 hour ago, Blackstar said:

This is the quote they're referring to:

Slash: “The other side of it was figuring out what my version of The Chinese Democracy stuff would be like, because that was a whole different Guns N’ Roses animal in terms of the musicians involved. A lot of it I thought was really cool, like Buckethead did some cool shit so I would stick to that but do it in my own way so it didn’t feel too foreign or like I was squeezing a round peg into a square hole. That was interesting and fun… more fun than it was intimidating.”

On the song Better, instead of trying to play like Robin Finck trying to play like you - as per the recorded version - you chose to do your own thing…

Slash: “Some of the stuff I won’t do note-for-note because it doesn’t have a serious melodic significance to the song. It sounded like they were making it up...”

https://www.musicradar.com/news/slash-technique-can-become-the-main-aspiration-but-for-me-its-more-about-expressing-some-sort-of-emotional-content

I'm not even sure if Slash is talking about Better specifically (even though he was specifically asked about it). He could be talking in general about some of the songs, but not Robin Finck's work in particular.

That was an old quote from 2007.

Thank you!!! 

[Rovim]

9 hours ago, Blackstar said:

This is the quote they're referring to:

Slash: “The other side of it was figuring out what my version of The Chinese Democracy stuff would be like, because that was a whole different Guns N’ Roses animal in terms of the musicians involved. A lot of it I thought was really cool, like Buckethead did some cool shit so I would stick to that but do it in my own way so it didn’t feel too foreign or like I was squeezing a round peg into a square hole. That was interesting and fun… more fun than it was intimidating.”

On the song Better, instead of trying to play like Robin Finck trying to play like you - as per the recorded version - you chose to do your own thing…

Slash: “Some of the stuff I won’t do note-for-note because it doesn’t have a serious melodic significance to the song. It sounded like they were making it up...”

https://www.musicradar.com/news/slash-technique-can-become-the-main-aspiration-but-for-me-its-more-about-expressing-some-sort-of-emotional-content

I'm not even sure if Slash is talking about Better specifically (even though he was specifically asked about it). He could be talking in general about some of the songs, but not Robin Finck's work in particular.

That was an old quote from 2007.

I agree that, like you said, Slash could have talked in general about some of the songs, but on the other hand, he did come up with a new solo for Better which to me sounds more fluid and not as choppy as what Robin came up with, which I prefer btw. 

the interviewer asked it kinda like a dick, basically saying that Robin was trying to copy Slash, I imagine because the second half of the solo where Robin does licks that uses similar hammer ons and pull offs to how Slash does it, but it's as a whole, it's very much in the Robin style imo.

my guess is Slash liked some stuff Robin recorded on Chinese and some not so much. They both are influenced by Jimmy Page so I don't believe Robin ever tried to sound like Slash when it came to original material.

[DeNfr]

9 hours ago, Blackstar said:

That was an old quote from 2007.

yup, he wasn't under contract then

[JimiRose]

11 hours ago, chester said:

Calm down Sally. If you would slow down and read what I wrote, I said I don’t believe there was any ill will at all on Slash’s part, he just clearly doesn’t think much of Robins work on CD… He clearly stated it in regards to how he plays the CD material. I don’t think he thinks less of him as a person or a player… Sometimes you hear something, watch something, read something and it just isn’t to your taste. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Yes that can be true, but he only stated it for one solo in better. You can't extrapolate that to his entire discography. I love slash, but think some of his solo work on recent SMKC albums has sucked. If I said i think slash sucks on this song i wouldn't want people interpreting that as i think sucks on every single song

[Gibbo]

 

[THELINESMAN]

22 minutes ago, Gibbo said:

 

Wish this was in the actual song 😩 I expected an epic face melter like this from Slash 

[alfa75]

The more I listen to the Slash solo, the more I like it and how it fits the song. Far from being virtuoso, it highlights what has always been good about Slash’s work with Guns, he plays what the song needs and not more.

[Cosmo]

2 hours ago, Gibbo said:

 

This would have been the best solo (That I can think of right now) Slash'd have recorded since idk... Anastasia?

[jacdaniel]

3 hours ago, Gibbo said:

 

Some nice playing there but I have no idea why he has Perhaps playing in the background because what he's playing doesn't fit at all. 

 

And if Slash had recorded that there would be a 50 page meltdown thread on why did Slash take a simple song and noodle all over it 

Edited August 20, 2023 by jacdaniel

[jacdaniel]

37 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

This would have been the best solo (That I can think of right now) Slash'd have recorded since idk... Anastasia?

Not at all. Slash can easily play through scales like that blindfolded. 

[THELINESMAN]

An outro Slash solo like on that YouTube video would have given the song better momentum towards the end rather than just repeated chorus, everyone would have loved it. What was Slash thinking 😂

[Cosmo]

58 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

Not at all. Slash can easily play through scales like that blindfolded. 

I’m not saying he can’t. I’m saying he apparently doesn’t 🤷‍♂️

[jacdaniel]

1 hour ago, Cosmo said:

I’m not saying he can’t. I’m saying he apparently doesn’t 🤷‍♂️

He does though if you follow his career. All of his solo albums have plenty of really good riffs and solo's. Even the last 2 albums that had weaker songs overall. 

At his live shows he plays long solos going through the scales. Some people call it noodling and say he should play less. 

Then he plays a simple solo on a simple song like Perhaps and people say he should noodle all over it. 

 

There's just a lot of negativity towards Slash these days with the vast majority completely unjustified. 

He's one of the main reasons a song like Perhaps has over 1M views

[GnR Chris]

Guess what. I like that they kept the bend, and I prefer Slash’s solo. It sounds like you can hear some licks of the original solo during Slash’s.

The only part I find odd is Fortus doesn’t play that part live. Hopefully they’ll add it.

[GNFNRUK]

The bend being left in definitely sounds like an amateur mixing job, wether it was intentional or not. I find it rather jarring tbh and wish the solo just started the way it does when Slash plays it live.

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by GNFNRUK

[TrixAreForKids]

22 hours ago, GnR Chris said:

Guess what. I like that they kept the bend, and I prefer Slash’s solo. It sounds like you can hear some licks of the original solo during Slash’s.

The only part I find odd is Fortus doesn’t play that part live. Hopefully they’ll add it.

Yeah, u can hear some of the demo solo in the mix. 

[GnR Chris]

12 hours ago, GNFNRUK said:

The bend being left in definitely sounds like an amateur mixing job, wether it was intentional or not. I find it rather jarring tbh and wish the solo just started the way it does when Slash plays it live.

 

Idk. I think it’s cool how the bend plays over the last bit of Axl singing “you’re all alone,” then fades to Slash’s solo. I don’t get the love for the original solo though. It’s not awful. But that initial bend was the best part. Slash’s solo adds classic GNR groove to “Perhaps.”

[invisible_rose]

Let's be fair, this is what you get when songs are made by copy and pasting layers on layers on layers on layers (you get the idea), and what appears to be sloppy mixing or indecision. 

I think what Slash said about "sounded like they were making it up" kinda sums up Chinese as a whole due to the revolving door of musicians and years of tinkering. Many of the songs don't feel like songs now. They feel like parts of songs pinned together. That works on some - not so much on others. And that's pretty much why Slash has struggled to do anything of real significance on Absurd, Hard Skool or Perhaps. Slash has wedged in solos and licks the best he can without having to rewrite half the song. Slash & Duff probably did a handful of takes, sent them off and let Axl and whoever else procrastinate for months and then rush to put something out.

That all might sound negative, but it's just my summary what I feel has happened. I'm glad we have the songs. I like them - especially Hard Skool. Perhaps is very cool too. But I would have loved to hear the originals, as they were intended, and have this incarnation of GNR doing their own thing. 

[GnR Chris]

I said this in the big “Perhaps” thread, but Finck’s solo wouldn’t fit on the studio version. Slash’s matches the vibe of the studio song based on the new riffing in the verses and amped up bass. The song has become groovier overall, which is something the classic GNR was always known for.  Conversely, the guitar in verses of the locker leak is more screechy and lends itself well to the guitar bends solo. 

The studio version sounds cleaner, less messy, and distinctly GNR. I know we’re comparing a final mix with new players to a demo leak, but I love what the guys did with “Perhaps.”

[Tom2112]

On 8/20/2023 at 12:44 PM, alfa75 said:

The more I listen to the Slash solo, the more I like it and how it fits the song. Far from being virtuoso, it highlights what has always been good about Slash’s work with Guns, he plays what the song needs and not more.

For me, it's totally inoffensive and forgettable. It's almost like he was trying purposefully not to play a typical Slash style solo. 

It starts flat, plods along and limps to the finish line. Very underwhelming.

It didn't need to be a technical tour de force, but there was definitely space for a nice memorable melodic solo with some fast and slow bits. 

I don't hate it, but it's also a really low tier Slash solo IMO. The double guitar sound is kinda cool though.

As for that intro lick from Robin? Bizarre choice. Wish they had left a few more of his parts during the pre chorus while they were at it😄