Slash and Axl friends again?

jimmythegent

It's actually incredible how little has surfaced 'vault' wise for a band of GN'R's stature and status. One unapproved, legally challenged GH package that was a worldwide smash and a sketchy live album - the majority of which was from the Tokyo VHS. Amazing that more care hasn't been shown to the legacy but I guess the legal bullshit and mess that was CD contributed to that. No band deserves the retrospective legacy makeover more IMO. The original lineup is legendary already but the potential for a trip down memory lane for hardcores, casuals and new generations is massive. I've always thought it's Axl who's the wildcard/sketchy factor in the equation - he was on the decline vocally by the UYI era one could argue - let alone CD era. He's hit and miss and hasn't been a truly great vocalist since Lies. Perhaps there is something in that?

metallex78

That Greatest Hits did well, but it was criminal that it didn't have It's So Easy or Mr Brownstone on there, and they made room for Since I Don't Have You and Sympathy on it instead...

James

jimmythegent wrote:

It's actually incredible how little has surfaced 'vault' wise for a band of GN'R's stature and status. One unapproved, legally challenged GH package that was a worldwide smash and a sketchy live album - the majority of which was from the Tokyo VHS. Amazing that more care hasn't been shown to the legacy but I guess the legal bullshit and mess that was CD contributed to that. No band deserves the retrospective legacy makeover more IMO.

I agree 100%. I cant stand Live Era. Dust N Bones the best thing on it IMO. They were so lazy with it. Using Tokyo for most of it was absurd. They should have just released Tokyo as a double live album. Back then fans were buying bootleg cds of it for $50-$75.

That Greatest Hits did well, but it was criminal that it didn't have It's So Easy or Mr Brownstone on there, and they made room for Since I Don't Have You and Sympathy on it instead...

I'd love to know who compiled that track list and the person who looked at it, said "nice job", and put the stamp of approval on it.

Someone who isn't even a fan of GNR could choose a better track list than that. No joke.

elevendayempire

James Lofton wrote:

I'd love to know who compiled that track list and the person who looked at it, said "nice job", and put the stamp of approval on it.
Someone who isn't even a fan of GNR could choose a better track list than that. No joke.

It's not that bad. If you're compiling a Greatest Hits CD, you've got a couple of complicating factors. Firstly, and most importantly, you don't want to overload it with tracks from one album – otherwise the question people will ask is, "Well, why don't I just buy Appetite for Destruction, if 90% of the tracks are from it?" Then you've got to put something on there to entice fans of the band – ideally a new track. If you can round up the band members to record something new, that's ideal; otherwise you'll need to dig up an old B-side or unused track from the archive.

With that in mind – and bearing in mind that Axl was dead set against the idea from the start, not wanting to draw attention to the old band on the eve of his comeback with a new line-up – you're a bit limited in your options. Your "new track" is going to have to be something you have easy access to, and something that could reasonably sit on a Greatest Hits collection (so, not Shadow of Your Love...). If you can tout it as an EXCLUSIVE NEVER-BEFORE HEARD TRACK, so much the better. So you end up with Sympathy for the Devil, which you can at least bill as "never previously included on an official GN'R release." Which is like saying your film is "from the studio that brought you..."

So, Sympathy for the Devil is your "new" track. And you want a spread of material from AFD, UYI and Lies – and, really, you ought to stick something from TSI on there too so that you can bill it as a representative spread of the band's history.

With that in mind, there are certain non-negotiable tracks that have to be on there: SCOM, WTTJ and PC are the three everyone knows from AFD. Patience is the only one worth including from Lies, and YCBM, November Rain and Civil War have to be on there from the Illusions. Live and Let Die and KOHD are famous staples of the live set, so they're likely to make the cut, and Don't Cry and Yesterdays were singles. That leaves you with the TSI tracks; you really need something on there from TSI, so you can call it a representative overview of the band's history – Ain't It Fun is probably the best track on there, and Since I Don't Have You was (bizarrely) the single. It does leave you with the odd situation of a 14-track Greatest Hits album that's got five covers on it, but... well, the band should've made more fucking original albums before imploding, shouldn't it?

A lot of fans whinge that Estranged didn't make the cut, or It's So Easy or Nightrain – but put those tracks on there and you'll probably nudge up against the recommended 78 minute limit on an audio CD, or skew the balance too heavily towards AFD. And Axl's plan for a two-CD set was a bit daft, really – two CDs for a band that only put out three original albums, an EP and a covers disc?

I think it's probably the best they could've managed in the circumstances.

James

You make a lot of great points but I disagree about the 2 cd set. Their discog is most certainly strong enough for two discs. Funny you should say that because in my other tab I have been writing what I think a 2 disc set would contain. Will post that in a few minutes.

Smoking Guns

Crank up Wicked Stone block out Myles and Imagine Axl on vocals. Now that would be a great GNR track. The instrumental is VERY GNR.

So of all the VR/Slash songs, the two I think Axl would dominate are Anastasia and Wicked Stone. You Got No Right for a Ballad.

For CD Stuff, Slash on Sorry, Better, TIL, Twat could all work. If Axl was okay with him doing his take in the guitars....

Then play the classics.

elevendayempire

Of all the Chinese Democracy songs, the one that'd most likely make the cut in a reunion band would be This I Love. It's popular with audiences, it dates back to the UYI era, it's a classically-styled ballad, so it's in Slash's wheelhouse, and all it would require is a different solo. And Axl's proved that he isn't too precious about the TIL solo, since Ashba reworked it.

Smoking Guns

TURN ON PALLADIA! GNR from Vegas, coincidence I think not!!! It's happening!!

Smoking Guns

I mean 02 arena in London! Sorry. Axl sounds good enough. Rocket Queen on now.

Smoking Guns

From what I can tell, Axl still has the voice IF he wants it bad enough. By the way Bumble Tone on Estranged is pretty effing sweet.

Re: Slash and Axl friends again?

Re: Slash and Axl friends again?

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Re: Slash and Axl friends again?

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