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Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
There's certain aspects of the demos that are far superior, and others that were improved, such as the final version of TWAT is an amazing masterpiece. Easily the best song on the album. The demo versions of Better & IRS are better.
I still would love to hear the full 2000 Intentions version of the album.
The problem with hearing demos is that you get attached to an incompleted version of the song. If you fall in love with that version anything else will feel off. Listening to the new version of CITR was jarring to me at first, but now I think the finished product is a much better song.
I might agree on Better though. That song still doesn't feel quite as organic as it did on that first demo. Perhaps because a rocker benefits more from a strip down approach than a mellow song like CITR.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
I also thought The Blues was fake the first time I heard it in 2001. Axl's voice was so clean (and Mickey) that I didn't even recognize it. At first I thought it was someone imitating him, lol. Later I discovered from the Rio III show, as well as subsequent 2002 soundboards and 2002 VMA's when I physically saw Axl sing for the first time since the heyday that his voice was gone (obviously he later re-discovered it).
I listened to the Catcher demo yesterday for the first time in ages and I practically cried. I still will NEVER wrap my mind around what the living hell Axl was thinking by altering the original version. What was logical in trading out Brian "Goddamn Rock N' Roll Hall of Famer" May, for Ron? I don't get it. I never will. It's not the say that the studio version is dreadful, but yeah... it's a trainwreck of garbage compared to the demo.
Listening to it, I feel the same thing you do Furbush, the original was such a beautful, haunting, tragedy of a song. Axl's vocal, the flow, how Brian's solo (despite being in pieces) beautifully merged and gave the song almost a scream and cry through guitar. It was a masterpiece. One of the best GN'R songs ever recorded, and arguably one of the best Brian songs ever recorded, counting his Queen catalog.
I will never get it. Hopefully the Chinese sessions will be released one day, and the original Catcher in HQ-studio form will end of Disc 3 of "Bucket chunks" or something like that for us to finally get the true version.
I can only guess that Axl wanted to give Ron a time to shine on the album since he was a member at that time. Obviously looking back on it, maybe things would have been handled differently. But I can understand the logic. With Bucket and Robin already out of the band, it made sense to want to feature a guitarist who was actually in the band at the time. And I'm guessing Axl wasn't opposed to Ron's work like others were. I thought it was fine. Didn't kill the song for me by any means. Truth be told though, I haven't listened to the Brian May demo since before the album came out.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
Citr - a shit tune then, still a shit tune now. One of the many CD songs not worthy of GnR. Masterpiece my bum.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
The old Catcher demo just needed to not sound like it was underwater. It was simple, haunting and beyond amazing.
I got chills just from the initial leak of the 9 second clip.
Catcher in the Rye again...wont let you get away from him
The full song leak was unreal. I finally understood what he meant by the term "big gun" and no longer felt the need to mock it. The song feels as if its from a different time.
Like most people, I went into anaphylactic shock after hearing the abortion that made the album. Once again, something got lost in translation from point A to point Z.
If any of those 2006 leaks deserved to somehow go viral and grab the world's attention, it was that. Even if it had a chance, the quality(or lack thereof) of the track itself would have killed it. The album version to me isn't even listenable. Noise pollution. You need look no further than this song when mentioning CD's production/mixing issues.
I can only guess that Axl wanted to give Ron a time to shine on the album since he was a member at that time.
Yeah that worked wonders. Same with Frank. Imagine if the album hadn't come out in 2008 but in the Ashba era with another layer of noise even higher in the mix than Ron/Frank.
Once he had someone like Azoff in position to get it released he should've went back and stripped it to its 2001 level, which Axl considered finished at the time. Ron/Frank additions were not crucial to the tracks and weren't deal breakers. I've said this since the album came out....it boggles the mind that anyone involved(from Axl to the label) could listen to that final mix and say "Yep. Its done. Wrap it in cellophane".
All parties involved just wanted rid of the damn thing. Nothing more, nothing less. No one, not even an intern could even bother double checking the damn liner notes for crying out loud so I doubt the music itself was much of a priority either.
Like Axlin I hope we get some sort of a box set in the future so we can hear how the album was really supposed to sound before the label sent it down the express elevator to hell.
The first time I heard "The Blues" was a download from Napster
Ahh...the good old napster/limewire days. Back when you could download Every Rose Has Its Thorn from GNR. 
If this hybrid lineup is going to use a couple CD era songs for singles, GH, or whatever I hope the songs have layers removed instead of just adding Slash and Duff on top of everything already on there.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
Yeah that worked wonders. Same with Frank. Imagine if the album hadn't come out in 2008 but in the Ashba era with another layer of noise even higher in the mix than Ron/Frank.
Once he had someone like Azoff in position to get it released he should've went back and stripped it to its 2001 level, which Axl considered finished at the time. Ron/Frank additions were not crucial to the tracks and weren't deal breakers. I've said this since the album came out....it boggles the mind that anyone involved(from Axl to the label) could listen to that final mix and say "Yep. Its done. Wrap it in cellophane".
All parties involved just wanted rid of the damn thing. Nothing more, nothing less. No one, not even an intern could even bother double checking the damn liner notes for crying out loud so I doubt the music itself was much of a priority either.
Like Axlin I hope we get some sort of a box set in the future so we can hear how the album was really supposed to sound before the label sent it down the express elevator to hell.
See and that's another issue with remix/re-arrangment #4,356,287 of Chinese by the time it got released in 2008. I actually thought the Frank additions were necessary and helped certain songs like Chinese that needed a bit more punch and rhythm (ala Steven, and less Matt/Brain). But the Ron stuff was just unnecessary and other than Ron's added rhythm parts, I didn't see any place he added value on Chinese for anything other than Axl trying to make the 2008 album more like what would became the 2009-14 band. Had it been delayed one more year, it wouldn't have shocked me at all if DJ would've replaced all of Robin's parts.
I agree though that Frank's additions was not a deal breaker. I'd love to hear what the Josh Freese-version is like. Something tells me it's closer to Frank's version, and less Brain, which would add even more of a headache as to why Josh was ever ran off or let go for a Brain. And that's not to slight Brain, but I just think Brain is a technical/progressive drummer, and Frank is more the feel guy like GN'R needs.
Ahh...the good old napster/limewire days. Back when you could download Every Rose Has Its Thorn from GNR.
I lol'ed at this. You're one of dem old timers ain't 'cha? Hahaha, anybody who was there totally remembers Every Rose being a GN'R song.
If this hybrid lineup is going to use a couple CD era songs for singles, GH, or whatever I hope the songs have layers removed instead of just adding Slash and Duff on top of everything already on there.
I personally feel if ANYTHING is used from the vault for Slash & Duff, they should just be 'Axl' songs. Stuff like the next Street of Dreams, TWAT, Catcher, Maddy & This I Love. Stuff that all sounded like lost cuts from UYI and pretty much traditional Axl ballads, I think Slash & Duff would own in an old skool GN'R-way. But ANYTHING Robin or Bucket recorded should be left alone and dropped in a box set later. Slash on This I Love or TWAT or SOD would rule. Hearing Slash's version of Better or Scraped or Shackler's? No thanks, just leave it alone.
Slash, unlike Axl, actually knows how to write a completely new song, quick, and not rely on 20-year old studio outtakes that Axl still can't make an album out of.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
Slash, unlike Axl, actually knows how to write a completely new song, quick, and not rely on 20-year old studio outtakes that Axl still can't make an album out of.
Well, if he didn't rush it so much then maybe he would have made a song on par with his GN'R days these last 20 years. 
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
True, and i'm certainly no Slashite, but even though Slash doesn't make great complete songs, you've gotta hand it to the top-hatted one... he can knock out a good fucking solo like easy.
The rest of the song fucking blows, but Slash soloing/shredding is always entertaining. Always. Same with Bucket.
Re: Looks like rehearsals have started!
Slash is extremely talented but in my opinion he needs someone like Axl to really get the most out of it. He seems happy to make a good riff and a cool solo, then bag the song with the standard arrangement and let one of his singers plaster on some lyrics.
Here's to hoping that old golden formula makes a return, sooner than later.
