Perhaps Solo: Why?

[Tom2112]

7 hours ago, invisible_rose said:

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. 

There's nothing really on Chinese that sounds like a first take, spur of the moment solos... It's all so orchestrated and edited together. Very much thought out solos,even the crazy ones in Rhiad/Scraped etc.

I think if he was asked again, he'd have a different answer and might disagree with what he said back then. I don't take that quote all that seriously these days

[GNFNRUK]

10 hours ago, GnR Chris said:

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.”

I don’t know much about mixing but do you think that’s maybe why the bend is there? Because it was somehow evident on Axl’s vocal track where he’s singing “you’re all alone”? I’m guessing they’d have still been able to remove it somehow with modern technology though?

[StrangerInThisTown]

I think people are making a way too big deal out of this, how did 1 bend for 2 seconds of a song result in a thread 4 pages long. Listening to it on headphones now it's barely even something you notice as "wrong" - we are just all fucking ZONING IN on that after all the listening to the leak where it was mixed in higher, and know that it was originally a whole solo, was originally Robin etc. 

I heard no one on any comments anywhere other than on this forum even mention this, it just goes to show that our opinion as people who are registered on a forum like this is not like all the others who listen to this, sometimes we need to take a step back and realize this before complaining for 4 pages about a 2 second bend. I don't think there was any real thought other than someone thought it sounded cool, and they left it in, that's it. There's no way "mistakes" make it into songs as laboured to death as the ones from the CD era.

Edited August 22, 2023 by StrangerInThisTown

[invisible_rose]

8 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

There's nothing really on Chinese that sounds like a first take, spur of the moment solos... It's all so orchestrated and edited together. Very much thought out solos,even the crazy ones in Rhiad/Scraped etc.

I think if he was asked again, he'd have a different answer and might disagree with what he said back then. I don't take that quote all that seriously these days

I didn't mean anything on Chinese was a first take - Chinese was procrastinated over and redone to infinitum, but that's exactly why it doesn't sound like an album of songs that flow. It was done, redone and done again. Which is why the songs, IMO, deviated probably from what they once were. I mean just look at the drumming and solos we have lost along the way (Brian May on Catcher to mention just one). I've thought this since hearing it, so Slash saying it, really just means I agreed with his view (at the time). Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese for what it is. There Was a Time is Top 3 GNR for me. 

Hope that clarifies what I meant?

[RichardNixon]

People hearing "Perhaps" for the first time won't know or care. Only a handful of hardcore GN'R fans would bring it up.

[Tom2112]

10 hours ago, invisible_rose said:

I didn't mean anything on Chinese was a first take - Chinese was procrastinated over and redone to infinitum, but that's exactly why it doesn't sound like an album of songs that flow. It was done, redone and done again. Which is why the songs, IMO, deviated probably from what they once were. I mean just look at the drumming and solos we have lost along the way (Brian May on Catcher to mention just one). I've thought this since hearing it, so Slash saying it, really just means I agreed with his view (at the time). Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese for what it is. There Was a Time is Top 3 GNR for me. 

Hope that clarifies what I meant?

I think I get where you're coming from. I think most would agree there's a couple of songs on Chinese where the song got a little lost.

[pentatonicamenor]

I think it's a sign of respect for Robin, just that.

[ManetsBR]

Was the possibility of this song having featured Brian May been completely rulled out? I've been out of the loop for a while.

And I think the OP is bold to assume the band still has the masters - in order to remove the original solo.

[El Guapo]

In the final version with headphones or on the radio it sounds good to me, really good, actually (the bend morphing into Slash's solo).

The solo itself is just a little interlude, sounds totally like Slash and fits the song alright, imo.

I'm surprisingly happy with this release...they fixed that mess of a chorus from the demo, improved the whole thing in every way, put out a nice video on day one...s'all good, man.

[ManetsBR]

Just found Voodoochild's detective work with the folks over the Queen forum and I guess we can really rule out Brian May being on this song.

https://www.queenconcerts.com/queenzone/1567328.html

[Free Bird]

25 minutes ago, pentatonicamenor said:

I think it's a sign of respect for Robin, just that.

Of course it is. Just like with BH and Hard Skool. Either that or it's an artistic choice. But since the contributions are so small and without any impact to the actual songs I tend to believe it's a nice gesture of Axl.

[Blackstar]

[THELINESMAN]

12 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

What original post was this comment made on please?

[Blackstar]

Just now, THELINESMAN said:

What original post was this comment made on please?

Just the Perhaps promo on Slash's IG

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwGM0mOOvWw/

[THELINESMAN]

1 minute ago, Blackstar said:

Just the Perhaps promo on Slash's IG

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwGM0mOOvWw/

Thank you

[D4NNY]

25 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Love how involved 4tus gets on social media, just getting in those comments and putting the facts out there 👏🏼

[bmus1]

My brain sings "Perhaps solo why" to the tune of "Perhaps I was wrong" every damn time I scroll by this topic

[Mikey Whipwreck]

18 hours ago, GNFNRUK said:

I don’t know much about mixing but do you think that’s maybe why the bend is there? Because it was somehow evident on Axl’s vocal track where he’s singing “you’re all alone”? I’m guessing they’d have still been able to remove it somehow with modern technology though?

Based on what we know about how CD was recorded, all of the instrumental tracks could easily be isolated and removed via Pro Tools. Robin's leads and licks are gone from the rest of the song, so that portion being left in there is certainly intentional. As others have said, probably a gesture of respect to Robin for his work on the song 

[invisible_rose]

Axl, and the band, probably just liked how it sounded. I guess there would have been mixes with and without and they went with that mix that had it in. I really can't see there being much more to it than that.

[Tom2112]

2 hours ago, Blackstar said:

It's a great question, it sounds like a cut, but maybe it's exactly as Richard says and they just recorded it that way.

[moreblack]

The dropped beat sounded weird on the single, but they do it live too so I can buy that it's intentional.

[AxlRoseCDII]

Fortus has talked more about the song and its production than any of the Big 3 just with this one post. Incredible.

[Billy Cundy]

Probably just didn’t mute the track and someone said ‘oh that’s cool, leave it in’. 

[Outofgascar]

The solo sounded really good on the live recordings on YouTube. It was louder and I could hear it better without that Robin distraction. It also helped to be able to see Slash play it and follow along. Good stuff.

[DingBat]

21 hours ago, RichardNixon said:

People hearing "Perhaps" for the first time won't know or care. Only a handful of hardcore GN'R fans would bring it up.

Exactly, I haven't seen one comment from anyone on Youtube mentioning it. Even the guys shitting on the song.