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

[jamillos]

1 hour ago, Voodoochild said:

I agree. You're overthinking. 

I wouldn't be so sure about this. Now "ugly" is obviously subjective, but certain arrangements or tone or whatever, yeah, these things can play a role, can't they. It's a definite maybe. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by jamillos

[Zeppelin]

1 hour ago, Cstephenson88 said:

I am probably overthinking this one but, what if the mix of the General is ugly and rough intentionally in order to reflect the ugly nature of the subject matter? 

Nah. I really doubt that after all these years of tinkering with these songs and being called a perfectionist, Axl just decided to purposefully make it sound like asscheeks.

[Voodoochild]

27 minutes ago, jamillos said:

I wouldn't be so sure about this. Now "ugly" is obviously subjective, but certain arrangements or tone or whatever, yeah, these things can play a role, can't they. It's a definite maybe. 

With the arrangement and production? Yes, totally. With the mix? Very much doubt it. 

[GNRRHCP98]

Well folks, finally got my “Perhaps” vinyl today… luckily, no pixelation issues with the artwork, and both songs sound infinitely better on vinyl… including the now notorious “General.” 

Still wondering what the original batch sounded like for them to can it, especially if “Monsters” was in there… 

[Stay.Of.Execution]

Is it possible some people got the vinyls from the first pressing the band wasn't satisfied with?

[Free Bird]

I haven't listened to mine copy yet but it's one with pixel issues on the cover.

[GNRRHCP98]

55 minutes ago, Stay.Of.Execution said:

Is it possible some people got the vinyls from the first pressing the band wasn't satisfied with?

Wouldn’t it be something if THAT was the reason for the delay all along, and some of those copies did indeed slip through the cracks?

Then WTH is the deal with “Monsters?” 

39 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

I haven't listened to mine copy yet but it's one with pixel issues on the cover.

That sucks to hear… you would think with almost a month n’ a half delay, they would’ve wholly fixed whatever issues there were from the get-go…

[StrangerInThisTown]

8 minutes ago, GNRRHCP98 said:

Wouldn’t it be something if THAT was the reason for the delay all along, and some of those copies did indeed slip through the cracks?

Then WTH is the deal with “Monsters?” 

 

Maybe it didn't leak from the vinyl, but from one of the studios where Axl and Slash listened to new mixes this summer somewhere in Europe. The General seems to be an older mix and has been done for a while since it was done by Caram, so perhaps they listened to both Perhaps and Monsters. I mean it is kind of a big deal to have Axl and Slash come in to do that, not impossible one of the studio engineers decided to be sneaky and record it that day. 

Other than that, there is no explanation how anyone would get their hands on a NITL lineup leak.

[Free Bird]

11 minutes ago, GNRRHCP98 said:

Wouldn’t it be something if THAT was the reason for the delay all along, and some of those copies did indeed slip through the cracks?

Then WTH is the deal with “Monsters?” 

That sucks to hear… you would think with almost a month n’ a half delay, they would’ve wholly fixed whatever issues there were from the get-go…

I don't really mind tbh. Maybe it will be some kind of rarity in the future... and maybe not 

[GNRRHCP98]

9 minutes ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

Maybe it didn't leak from the vinyl, but from one of the studios where Axl and Slash listened to new mixes this summer somewhere in Europe. The General seems to be an older mix and has been done for a while since it was done by Caram, so perhaps they listened to both Perhaps and Monsters. I mean it is kind of a big deal to have Axl and Slash come in to do that, not impossible one of the studio engineers decided to be sneaky and record it that day. 

Other than that, there is no explanation how anyone would get their hands on a NITL lineup leak.

It’s funny cause it’s obvious TB knows we’ve heard “Monsters,” some still have it, and then we all saw the songwriting credits for “The General AND Monsters,” and yet we’re probably gonna have to wait a year (or even more) for an official release…

Of course, there’s the possibility they can the release altogether, but with the NITL lineup evidently on the track, I doubt they will go that route.

Edited December 15, 2023 by GNRRHCP98

[Dacroix]

This afternoon I went for a run and decided to listen to the full Chinese Democracy album. The sound of that album is infinitely better than Absurd/Hard Skool/Perhaps/The General, being more than 10 years old.

 

They take us for stupid. They believe that with Slash and Duff adding three or four small guitar and bass parts from their bourgeois mansions and Fernando mixing them with Audacity is enough. Shameful. Is this what we wanted "the reunion" for? 

[WhazUp]

7 hours ago, Cstephenson88 said:

I am probably overthinking this one but, what if the mix of the General is ugly and rough intentionally in order to reflect the ugly nature of the subject matter? 

I get what you are saying, but I don't think really overly compressed and pushed-to-the-red clipping is a part of that - though I think the distorted vocal effects are obviously a part of that intention

The compression and clipping are nothing more of producers buying into the whole loudness wars thing and sacrificing audio clarity for the sake of wanting things to "seem" louder

[The Real McCoy]

3 hours ago, GNRRHCP98 said:

It’s funny cause it’s obvious TB knows we’ve heard “Monsters,” some still have it, and then we all saw the songwriting credits for “The General AND Monsters,” and yet we’re probably gonna have to wait a year (or even more) for an official release…

Of course, there’s the possibility they can the release altogether, but with the NITL lineup evidently on the track, I doubt they will go that route.

And I’m sure that they hate us even more than they already did for having heard it. 

The leaks were due to their sheer fucking incompetence in the first place.

[StrangerInThisTown]

1 hour ago, Dacroix said:

This afternoon I went for a run and decided to listen to the full Chinese Democracy album. The sound of that album is infinitely better than Absurd/Hard Skool/Perhaps/The General, being more than 10 years old.

 

They take us for stupid. They believe that with Slash and Duff adding three or four small guitar and bass parts from their bourgeois mansions and Fernando mixing them with Audacity is enough. Shameful. Is this what we wanted "the reunion" for? 

They've already made more money playing 2 shows than you have working your entire life. THAT is what the reunion is for. These songs are just being released for the hell of it, they don't care how well they perform or are received. There is no money being made from new music ever since streaming, it's all from touring.

Edited December 15, 2023 by StrangerInThisTown

[sploit]

 

19 hours ago, GNRRHCP98 said:

Well folks, finally got my “Perhaps” vinyl today… luckily, no pixelation issues with the artwork, and both songs sound infinitely better on vinyl… including the now notorious “General.” 

Still wondering what the original batch sounded like for them to can it, especially if “Monsters” was in there… 

Wait, so there's variations in cover quality?

Can you share a picture of the covers on your copy?

Edited December 16, 2023 by sploit

[alfa75]

Go back and read the first few pages of this thread. It seems in the beginning, reception to both songs were overwhelmingly good. Now TG seems more disliked than liked. What happened?

[Panda2]

I just wish they would join together (The General and Monsters) in a single 15-minute song, that they eliminate the final part of The General, which is terrible, with the intro orchestra included in the first minute. and I wouldn't want to say this but it would definitely be a masterpiece superior to Coma, Estranged,
and those who criticize the work of my idol Axl Rose would keep their mouths shut,

 

 

[Panda2]

1 hour ago, The Real McCoy said:

Y estoy seguro de que nos odian aún más de lo que ya lo hacían por haberlo oído. 

Las filtraciones se debieron en primer lugar a su pura y jodida incompetencia.

 

1 hour ago, The Real McCoy said:

And I’m sure that they hate us even more than they already did for having heard it. 

The leaks were due to their sheer fucking incompetence in the first place.

Nobody hates You Fernando Lebeis is a nice boy 

 

[Duwz]

2 hours ago, Panda2 said:

 

Nobody hates You Fernando Lebeis is a nice boy 

 

so funny to watch this because it's in my random ass brazilian city, in fact, next block to my highschool lel

Edited December 16, 2023 by Duwz

[Duwz]

26 minutes ago, Duwz said:

so funny to watch this because it's in my random ass brazilian city, in fact, next block to my highschool lel

thinking about it, i missed the opportunity to do something really funny... 

[Cosmo]

3 hours ago, alfa75 said:

Go back and read the first few pages of this thread. It seems in the beginning, reception to both songs were overwhelmingly good. Now TG seems more disliked than liked. What happened?

Herd behaviour. 

[oneway23]

6 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

Herd behaviour. 

Hardly.  I feel like it was better received when it was still assumed to be a piece of a larger whole with Monsters as a single, epic song.  

It doesn't stand on its own nearly as well, imo.

There was also still a bit of hope when The General was merely a leak and we didn't know how the official release would turn out.  Compound that with production issues, and the reality sinking in that this was The General, the built up myth now deflated, and it's not difficult to see how perceptions could have shifted

[Cosmo]

Just now, oneway23 said:

Hardly.  I feel like it was better received when it was still assumed to be a piece of a larger whole with Monsters as a single, epic song.  

It doesn't stand on its own nearly as well, imo.

There was also still a bit of hope when The General was merely a leak and we didn't know how the official release would turn out.  Compound that with production issues, and the reality sinking in that this was The General, the built up myth now deflated, and it's not difficult to see how perceptions could have shifted

The whole “General and Monsters is a single song” thing was one of the most outrageous and ridiculous “theories” I’ve ever seen on these forums. People kept saying that even after they heard the tracks. 

As for The General leak, it was pretty clear it was a version with Slash’s playing. I don’t know how anyone would expect something too different than that. Yes, the production sucks but it sucks at the same level as the previously released singles.

[oneway23]

7 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

The whole “General and Monsters is a single song” thing was one of the most outrageous and ridiculous “theories” I’ve ever seen on these forums. People kept saying that even after they heard the tracks. 

As for The General leak, it was pretty clear it was a version with Slash’s playing. I don’t know how anyone would expect something too different than that. Yes, the production sucks but it sucks at the same level as the previously released singles.

Just because you thought it was ridiculous doesn't mean it wasn't a factor in how it may have changed opinions. 

As for the leak, I don't believe I said it wasn't Slash playing.  That wasn't my argument at all.  My point was that we had no clue how different the leak would be to the final version, because we hadn't heard it yet.  I do believe there were some who felt that there was a possibility it could have been at least somewhat altered in its final form.

I think some disappointment set in once folks realized this was really it.

Edited December 16, 2023 by oneway23

[Illusion1987]

Until I hear otherwise, I have no reason to believe these 4 songs...and most likely others, are nothing more than songs that weren't good enough to make CD or were sketch ideas that the band said F'it...just throw Slash and Duff on it and release it.

 

Even the mid tier epics on UYI, like a locomotive or Breakdown have more soul than these songs....they are musical journeys.

The General is just a repetitive idea...nothing more.

The ironic thing is that thru could have fused it wirh monsters with the same orchestra and THAT would have been an epic musical journey.

Axl has had MORE THAN 20 years to tinker wirh these songs and all he has left in him is repetitive lazy lyrics and bad mixing.

I hope I'm wrong and they release something great that GNR is capable of but....the passion might not be there anymore.