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- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Re: Perfect Crime
I'm partial to The Garden and Garden of Eden, myself.
yes, The Garden starts weirdly, but quite fast it gets awesome. it was never my favourite, I tended to skip it, but it grew on me.
GoE is a nuts song, probably not to be taken seriously at all, cool to hear but that's it I guess.
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: Perfect Crime
Smoking Guns wrote:Don’t Damn Me is a fucking classic guns tune and most Guns fans don’t give 2 shits about it.
There are a bunch of songs like that in the GN'R catalogue. "Only" 5 albums released from 1987-2007, but those albums had a fuckload of great material.
This, more than anything else, is why I suspect GN'R is dragging their heels over a new album. Because all of their previous efforts, even the random-acoustic-EP-bolted-on-to-a-"live"-EP, even the covers album, even the album where 90% of the band left and was replaced by a revolving door of musicians, are better than 90% of other bands' efforts. The pressure to deliver with the regrouped band is enormous; it's not enough to deliver a pretty damn good ballad, that ballad has to be the equal of Sweet Child O'Mine. It's not enough to write a pretty good album opener, that album opener has to be up there with WTTJ. No wonder they're all retreating to the safety of their solo projects, where there are fewer expectations.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Perfect Crime
tejastech08 wrote:Smoking Guns wrote:Don’t Damn Me is a fucking classic guns tune and most Guns fans don’t give 2 shits about it.
There are a bunch of songs like that in the GN'R catalogue. "Only" 5 albums released from 1987-2007, but those albums had a fuckload of great material.
This, more than anything else, is why I suspect GN'R is dragging their heels over a new album. Because all of their previous efforts, even the random-acoustic-EP-bolted-on-to-a-"live"-EP, even the covers album, even the album where 90% of the band left and was replaced by a revolving door of musicians, are better than 90% of other bands' efforts. The pressure to deliver with the regrouped band is enormous; it's not enough to deliver a pretty damn good ballad, that ballad has to be the equal of Sweet Child O'Mine. It's not enough to write a pretty good album opener, that album opener has to be up there with WTTJ. No wonder they're all retreating to the safety of their solo projects, where there are fewer expectations.
The reason the all bolt to solo efforts is not out of fear but it is because of Axl. Axl would rather to Axl/DC than GNR. Duff and Slash want to GNR, you’re God Damn Right they do. Slash’s next album will have more killer riffs wasted on Myles vs GNR. GOD DAMNIT Axl pisses me off.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Perfect Crime
I think it's both.
I believe Axl is afraid of new material.
New songs in the set = covers. Guest appearances with Baz where songs already written by Baz.
Single released on End of Days - retrospectively labeled just a draft.
One album comes out in 30 years which Axl seems to describe as a terrible experience.
Then now it's over to Ac/Dc where Angus writes the songs, and Axl is already joking about how it would be better if someone just gave him awesome songs to sing rather than him have to write them.
But is he joking? I'm not so sure.
Re: Perfect Crime
It's a tough nut.
There are political, economic, personal, and artistic issues at play.
In Axl's mind, CD II is probably the next Guns N' Roses record.
But if they were to release CD II, it'd basically be fodder to justify another tour. Speaking of, I'd like to see some real 2017 statistics since the real numbers were obfuscated marketing speak. If I apply my rough math, GN'R made $100mil from 2016-2017.
Axl can continue to pad his pockets with AC/DC money, Slash and Duff can get a solo project workout, and they can all come back for another bite at the apple down the road. Axl went from king of the world to king of hocking Ferrari's and half-sold out arenas. Slash got raked over the coals in a messy divorce. The mice need their cheese.
Let's be clear though. The record company has no incentive to release (let alone market) CD II. Even if it has another "Better" on it, does big streaming numbers, and they can snag some ancillary distribution profits via some Hollywood blockbuster, they couldn't give a hot fuck about Guns N' Roses anymore. A new GN'R record from the ground up would likely involve renegotiating the contract to kick tour profits back to the record company, even if they give Axl some sort of sweetheart deal, which they wouldn't. Axl doesn't do corporate sponsorships and isn't marketable. So you get what you got: nostalgia tour and a fire sale on the GNR brand last year.
It's not show friends, it's show business.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Perfect Crime
But then the interesting question is why not play new stuff live.
If the issue is the label won't support a song release or an album - the band could still be a creative force and do their normal hits show but just sub out the occasional song for a new track.
Whenever I suggest this I get a chorus of "but the audience would use new music as a piss break" - I agree but realistically - no one came to hear Whichitta Lineman or The Seeker or even Black Hole Sun even if those covers are fun. There is absolutely room in the setlist to play a couple of new songs occasionally if the issue is the label.
I mean Axl played unreleased music in 2001, 2002 and 2006 that way. So why don't they now?
Re: Perfect Crime
It doesn't make sense to show your hand until you're ready to play your cards.
In 2001-2002, I think there was some combination of pressure from the record company, financial incentive to release the album, and a sincere belief or effort to release the album on Axl's part. The album was imminent. Until it wasn't. Same deal for 2006 although much more questionable there.
It diminishes Axl's leverage to play new music. Fans get familiar, start getting resentful. He shows his hand to the record company. The leaks went over well in 2005/2006 but by 2007/2008, your casual fan was laughing at the 3rd version of "Better" being discussed like it was Tannhauser.
The Wichita Lineman thing is curious but I wonder if not an inroads to some sort of heartland album. You know, the only demographic that actually still buys music.
But the only time it really makes sense to start playing new music live would've been in the near future on a 2018 North American tour right before a new album is released but of course, that's not happening.
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: Perfect Crime
It doesn't make sense to show your hand until you're ready to play your cards.
In 2001-2002, I think there was some combination of pressure from the record company, financial incentive to release the album, and a sincere belief or effort to release the album on Axl's part. The album was imminent. Until it wasn't. Same deal for 2006 although much more questionable there.
Also, in 2001-2002 there was no YouTube. Back then, Axl could belt out a couple of new tracks as a teaser during live shows, and the only people who'd know about it were the audience and the hardest of the hardcore fans who traded soundboard recordings. YouTube (and other streaming media) changed all that; suddenly the live performances and leaked tracks were out there for the world to listen to. I'm as guilty as anyone of being a downloading motherfucker (in fairness, there was no indication that Chinese Democracy was ever actually going to come out back then), but even I can see that one of the things that led to the album's muted initial response was that everyone who wanted to hear Chinese Democracy or Madagascar had already done so, via live performances and leaks.
