THE GENERAL - MONSTERS - Official Discussion Thread. NO LINKS OR ASKING FOR LINKS

[DingBat]

44 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

It's not the dumbest thing ever. I think it's as dumb as thinking both tracks leaked by a third party on the very day the single was supposed to be released coincidentally, being that one was supposed to be on that single and the other wasn't, supposedly. 

You think Guns N Roses leaked their own tracks in poor quality?

Disregarding their deal with Universal Music Group, who has the exclusive license to release these tracks?

Your theory is absolute nonsense. Take a break from the internet. 

Edited October 28, 2023 by DingBat

[Grayfox]

The key is the songs need to be overlapped on top of eachother for full effect

[Cosmo]

Just now, DingBat said:

You think Guns N Roses leaked their own tracks in poor quality?

Disregarding their deal with Universal Music Group, who has the exclusive license to release these tracks?

You theory is absolute nonsense. Take a break from the internet. 

I think there's a small but real chance. If it is true, well, it worked perfectly for them. And it wouldn't be the first time a band did this.

[TrixAreForKids]

The General would sound so much better if the vocals on the chorus weren’t distorted. I also hear a lot of those locker leaks in these songs. I hear quick song ooh ooh in Monsters a bit, or a style of it in the background and yes I can see how Soul Monster became this…kinda cool to see how different working songs can be mixed or used to make a finish product. 

[CoBrA2168]

Do we know yet if these are what we’ll be getting in December or an early demo?

[AxlRoseCDII]

7 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

I think there's a small but real chance. If it is true, well, it worked perfectly for them. And it wouldn't be the first time a band did this.

I don’t think it was the band but it could’ve been someone close to the band who thought the delay was bullshit and disrespectful to the fans

[Cosmo]

Just now, CoBrA2168 said:

Do we know yet if these are what we’ll be getting in December or an early demo?

Not an early demo cause it's Slash playing on them but we don't know if this is what we'll be getting. Most probably a better quality mix version.

[Free Bird]

2 hours ago, BreakDown2014 said:

The General's outro gets better everytime I listen to it. The way Axl's high notes blend with Slash's playing is one of the greatest and heaviest GN'R moments

To me as well a highlight of those releases.

 

[Arnuld]

14 minutes ago, D.. said:

I'm 100% positive it's Slash playing all over the two parts. It's not Bucket or Finck. I wish it was either because that would mean we would get another version and that those two tracks are the originals. But they are not. They are reworked versions with Slash & Duff.

On the Vienna phone recording, the guitar is very very different. I think Evader can confirm this, he clearly knows that phone recording better than any of us here.

I still wish we get the original versions at some point.

I tried to fuse the two tracks together, it doesn't really work, but I can see them putting a pause in the vinyl release. Those two tracks are clearly meant to work together.  Marco Beltrami's score is used on both tracks, and the lyrics are linked. I guess both songs are "The General". Part I & Part II.

Monsters does sound like what I expected of a title like "Soul Monster" but I have no idea. I don't recall Soul Monster being linked to The General, I recall Soul Monster being its own thing. Monsters definitely is the Part II of The General. Maybe it's Soul Monster too, who knows!

I'm pretty positive those two tracks will be the versions we get on a vinyl, but with a better mix.

I guess whoever leaked those songs yesterday saw a lot of hardcore fans complaining and it was a gift to make people stop complaining. Just a guess. I don't think it's a hoarder given it's Slash playing and not an antique demo. So I thank them VERY much.

Those two tracks, "The General and Monsters" are a work of Art.

Call me crazy, it's already in my top 3 from Gn'R. Could make it to 1 (1. Coma, 2. TWAT), time will tell.

Thanks so much to Axl for never letting go and giving so much of himself in those two tracks. I need to see them again live and need to thank Axl again in person.

 

 

 

Beltrami worked on The General, Soul Monster, Seven, and Thyme. It makes sense that Monsters and The General share the orchestration. I never thought they would be paired together but it makes some sense because they were both Beltrami tracks. I can’t escape the thought that Monsters is Soul Monster simply because of that bridge. I cannot imagine Axl doing a meaner bridge than that on another song. It’s exactly how it was described in 2008. 

[Master Of Reality]

5 minutes ago, TrixAreForKids said:

The General would sound so much better if the vocals on the chorus weren’t distorted. I also hear a lot of those locker leaks in these songs. I hear quick song ooh ooh in Monsters a bit, or a style of it in the background and yes I can see how Soul Monster became this…kinda cool to see how different working songs can be mixed or used to make a finish product. 

Yeah let's hope the chorus is not so distorted in the final version. Quick Song and Me & My Elvis have nothing to do with this. Completely different tracks. 

[CoBrA2168]

3 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

Not an early demo cause it's Slash playing on them but we don't know if this is what we'll be getting. Most probably a better quality mix version.

Follow up…is the best source to listen to on YouTube?

[Free Bird]

2 hours ago, kitstuai said:

You can hear the dynamic going up and down especially in the bridge of Monsters. There's no way this is a 2022 recording. I mean even the CD demos recording from early 2000 sounds so much better

You're posting so many "facts" about these stuff and try to convince people with your knowledge, but you aren't even able to tell that's Slash which is obvious. Maybe just relax and wait for the official releases instead of spreading false information. 

[Cosmo]

5 minutes ago, CoBrA2168 said:

Follow up…is the best source to listen to on YouTube?

Idk... I haven't listened to it on Youtube.

[Sausagebrain]

28 minutes ago, The Matinator said:

I didn't think of that but Monsters definitely has the feel of Technical Ecstasy. Axls vocals on the verses also remind me of Ozzy. I thought that in my first couple listens before i made the connection that it could be Soul Monster.

Agreed.

 

After all, Technical Ecstasy is Axl's favourite Sabbath album.

[Free Bird]

2 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

I think they’re rough mixes. Monsters is Slash but The General trips me up 

The outto if the General is undoubtedly 100% Slash. That's as safe as it gets. Monsters on the other hand might have Richard at the end, which I'm still not convinced about it.

[Illusion1987]

6 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

Idk... I haven't listened to it on Youtube.

It's been removed from YT

[88gunners]

The general is trash! Give me Monsters

[metalavenger99]

One thing before i post my main question about the name "Monsters" hoping that someone can clarify that.

Man... This lives up to the hype for me, i never cared too much about this epic dark orchestral piece everybody was talking about because i was obsessed with hearing the village songs w/vocals, but The General, man, this shit is as epic as it was described. If it ends up being properly connected with Monsters and they have a nice transition then it is indeed the sequel for Coma or Estranged, it hits different, but it's just as epic given the background. 

So i understand why they wanted to make it a vinyl exclusive, this was absolutely fan service. They at least had the intention of putting out this song just for us. It's way too personal and huge to be uploaded to Youtube, only to have it trashed by a couple thousand assholes complaining that it doesn't sound like Paradise City and that they clearly need Izzy Stradlin back... NOPE, FUCK THE CASUALS. They don't even know how much us real ones have waited for this one, (i say that and i'm not even 30, there's probably people here that waited since i was a kid lol). 

That said, now i feel bad that yet another one of Axl's CD era masterpieces has just leaked in bad quality, again. The tradition never ends huh? i just watched the Clasico game between Barcelona and Real Madrid, The Stones were there, Barcelona has a deal w/ Spotify and they were promoting the last Stones album on their jerseys and all over the screens. It was cool, and that's just a normal marketing move, for a regular release, by a legendary band, and that reminded me about the fucking circus we are all used to in here. It's maddening how they struggle to almost no end to put out just one fucking song at a time. Why can't GNR be just a regular legend act like the other ones. I feel bad for Axl, but he totally deserves this for putting a band of this caliber in such incompetent hands, and allowing shit like this to happen all the time. This time we actually deserved to hear it because people paid money for it. 

Anyways congrats to the big man on another epic, he did it once again. 

Edited October 28, 2023 by metalavenger99

[StrangerInThisTown]

I think I changed my perspective a bit on whether they're one song. It could be the case, but it could also be that what the leaker uploaded as Monsters really is (or what used to be) Soul Monster and it was supposed to be a hidden extra track as a surprise on the vinyl. Maybe they were registered together as "The General and Monsters" because Soul Monster was never supposed to be released by itself and split apart from The General as an "official" song, or ever receive a digital release, so Monsters might never was supposed to exist as a "singular" song by itself.

Just a theory but I'm not so sure it really is supposed to be one song afterall. I suppose we can kind of tell when the vinyl released by whether there is a longer break between the 2 songs, or if they transition seamlessly into another.

Edited October 28, 2023 by StrangerInThisTown

[D4NNY]

51 minutes ago, Jakey Styley said:

Gotta say I’m surprised to see people ragging on the General “daddy don’t” lyrics - we’ve known this song was about abuse for a while, and the lyrics SHOULD make you uncomfortable. Most musicians would never even write on such a dark and vulnerable subject.

 

I do think the chorus lyrics are weak in that it’s not clear what he’s trying to say, the whole “and the, and the, and” thing sucks

I’ve noticed a few unhappy comments about the “daddy don’t” lyric, if they don’t like that deep subject I hope they never find Papa by Prince… actually I do. Here you go 😂

Sorry, back on topic now, The General is still slowly growing on me but I have listened to Monsters about 15-20 times today and I’m absolutely hooked! 

[D..]

21 minutes ago, Arnuld said:

Beltrami worked on The General, Soul Monster, Seven, and Thyme. It makes sense that Monsters and The General share the orchestration. I never thought they would be paired together but it makes some sense because they were both Beltrami tracks. I can’t escape the thought that Monsters is Soul Monster simply because of that bridge. I cannot imagine Axl doing a meaner bridge than that on another song. It’s exactly how it was described in 2008. 

True, Beltrami did work on Soul Monster! Maybe they were linked all along.
 

I'm still on the fence, would love for Axl to talk about those songs someday. A retrospective of the CD era, what he went through.

But just my feelings on Monsters: as much as I feel it's connected to The General, and part of The General, Monsters is, again, a song about Stephanie Seymour. Maybe it's not, but my gut feeling is:  it is. First part (The General) is about child abuse, the second part (Monsters) is about Stephanie Seymour's abuse. It marked him like hell. He never loved truly again. Just my interpretation, may be full BS.

[Cosmo]

4 minutes ago, Unagi said:

The lyrics to The General have to be one of the most cringeworthy,  awkward things I've ever had the displeasure to listen to. 

Imagine blaring that in your car. 

"Daddy don't
I swear I won't
I'll be good from now on
And I'm awful, sorry"

What the actual fuck. 

Not all lyrics are supposed to be singalong and/or karaoke material.

[Arnuld]

3 minutes ago, D.. said:

True, Beltrami did work on Soul Monster! Maybe they were linked all along.
 

I'm still on the fence, would love for Axl to talk about those songs someday. A retrospective of the CD era, what he went through.

But just my feelings on Monsters: as much as I feel it's connected to The General, and part of The General, Monsters is, again, a song about Stephanie Seymour. Maybe it's not, but my gut feeling is:  it is. First part (The General) is about child abuse, the second part (Monsters) is about Stephanie Seymour's abuse. It marked him like hell. He never loved truly again. Just my interpretation, may be full BS.

To describe anyone as a soul monster……man…..that’s some deep hurt…..

Another fire side chat would be amazing. So many unanswered questions 

Edited October 28, 2023 by Arnuld

[Axls_Moustache_Rules]

5 minutes ago, Unagi said:

 

 

5 minutes ago, Unagi said:

The lyrics to The General have to be one of the most cringeworthy,  awkward things I've ever had the displeasure to listen to. 

Imagine blaring that in your car. 

"Daddy don't
I swear I won't
I'll be good from now on
And I'm awful, sorry"

What the actual fuck. 

>it's a song about child abuse

WTF did you expect?

So many mullet heads demanding Nightrain version 2. 

Edited October 28, 2023 by Axls_Moustache_Rules

[Its Tino]

Before I read all 47 pages…

 

How fucking unreal is it that The General, which the lyrics are of a serious subject matter… IS NAMED AFTER A CHINESE-AMERICAN CHICKEN DISH?!?!?!?!