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Re: The General confirmed next
exoterica wrote:Axl is the weak link on most of Chinese Democracy. His writing needed work and it's clear he shut himself in while doing all the writing.
Axl in all his moods oscillates between pompous grandiosity and misogynistic self-hatred which worked for the afterglow of 1970s glam rock and 1980s hair metal but when the 1990s rolled around, he didn't really have much to say.
It's why "Better" is such a punch-through song for me. He's writing in the first-person, reflecting, and actually working through his issues in song form. It's like, okay, yeah I can get this. There's something here to be said between author and listener. "There Was A Time but now you're Better". Okay, cool, got it. I've been there. Perhaps is kind of like the proto-Better but it's not there. Still too depressive and just like... You listen to it and you go... just go to therapy, man. Or something. You're a killjoy to be around when you're like this.
And again, why Izzy was so important. Izzy hearing Perhaps would turn it into a bar song about some chick. Oh sorry, Perhaps I didn't see you. He'd give it that cheeky, sing-songy, dry humor sort of thing.
I'm not optimistic that "The General" is anything than more of the same. I think he probably could write a decent angry song in that era so "Soul Monster" would be the one I'd hold out for.
I get the impression we're getting commercially safe B-sides. Either they hold back for one final hurrah, don't release them at all, or just let the fizz come out of the soda. Very strange that "Atlas" is supposedly coming out. Song is nothing more than a deep cut for hardcores, even less commercial than Perhaps which reads like a coda.
Horseshit….
Stunning, masterful, jaw-dropping argument.
Hello, I’m the Great Axl. Let me only write a first draft of all my lyrics and only show up to the studio “when the Muse appears” while my two bands play, write, and record their asses off. Rehearsals? What are those? Only for the little people…
Interesting how after Buckethead and Robin and the record company sponsored shadow band disappeared, the Grand Pooh-Bah has yet to record another song.
Get a grip.
- carlossacanell
- Rep: 1
Re: The General confirmed next
carlossacanell wrote:I didn't know that me and my Elvis was SM !!!
I believe Axl said during the chats it was. He said Elvis Presley & the monster of soul would probably become Soul Monster (or something like that) Elvis Presley & the monster of soul and Me & My Elvis being the same song is an assumption, but a pretty safe one i think
And is confirmed It has lyrics ?
- Shacklermyrye
- Rep: 14
Re: The General confirmed next
Shacklermyrye wrote:carlossacanell wrote:I didn't know that me and my Elvis was SM !!!
I believe Axl said during the chats it was. He said Elvis Presley & the monster of soul would probably become Soul Monster (or something like that) Elvis Presley & the monster of soul and Me & My Elvis being the same song is an assumption, but a pretty safe one i think
And is confirmed It has lyrics ?
If I remember right he said he recorded vocals for it over Christmas one year, also said they were the meanest thing he had recorded I think, so yes.
The lyrics guts posted above were written on a forum by someone claiming to be a person who was known to have written the lyrics to Sorry on Mygnr before it was released.
I dont think it's proven fact they were the same people though.
Also Soulmonster was originally called Leave Me Alone and it was one of the songs Marco Beltrami worked on in 2002
Re: The General confirmed next
I want this version of Chinese Democracy a few here have that apparently has "phenomenal" production and mixing. I'm really missing out.
On the version I have, the cut/paste in the songs is so noticeable it is jarring to the listener. Even if your ears decide to just go with the flow, you have to deal with Tommy being mixed out of the songs while Ron is tossed right on top of the songs.
How is this phenomenal? 
Yeah I know...the master of masters did the mastering. I don't care.
Something is wrong when earlier versions of your songs sound better. All they needed was a final mix and master and it's ready to go.
- AgesOfTheIce
- Rep: 10
Re: The General confirmed next
CD sounds pretty crisp since it wasn't compressed to shit like every other rock album this century. As for the mix, it's not perfect but I don't see how it could be under the circumstances. As far as copy and paste goes, I think Hard Skool and Perhaps are far worse, in fact they are complete shit sonically imo. Of the new songs only Absurd was mixed well.
- jimmythegent
- Rep: 30
Re: The General confirmed next
The mastering of Chinese has long been lauded because Axl famously went for the less brick walled version that was presented with more dynamic range.
But the problems are not with the master - it’s the mix for me.
There are just too many layers - and Tommy gets the rawest deal of all with him barely distinguishable throughout the record. There is bottom end so the mix is balanced from that perspective but the actual bass lines he plays are largely a dog whistle.
The drums are also a bone of contention for me. Compressed to the heavens and all the life squeezed out of them. Prostitute and Sorry are the exception.
As to Bumble, the issues are twofold- it’s not just that he sounds pasted in (which he absolutely does) it’s that what he plays in many instances is a travesty. The parts he replaced are superior to what he offered. What he did to Catcher is criminal. Again, who signed off on this?
Despite all that, Chinese sounds vastly superior to Absurd and especially Hard Skool which is just an incredibly amateurish sounding mix. Perhaps is an encouraging step in the right direction mix wise although it is not without it’s glaring issues also.
Re: The General confirmed next
The issue with the mix is pasting things into the tracks post (Andy Wallace) mix. And yeah, Bumble’s playing just didn’t fit. Look at Perhaps and how Robin’s opening guitar is left in before Slash begins his solo. Whose idea do you think that was? Not Caram’s.
This is all on Axl.
I don’t get Axl being a perfectionist with CD and then he just shoved Ron onto the album like that… Was it out of spite against Bucket? Insecurity? Pride? He heard what we heard and did it anyway
Re: The General confirmed next
But the problems are not with the master - it’s the mix for me.
Absolutely.
A lot of people mix up(lol) mixing and mastering. It's always been like this. You even see it to an extent on audiophile forums...so just imagine the general public.
When an artist/band releases a remaster, many people think it's really a remix. Obviously it's not. We saw this a bit on the GNR forums with UYI. Probably made it more confusing since one song really did have a remix.
The material had its problems before it was handed to Ludwig.
I don’t get Axl being a perfectionist when he just shoved Ron onto the album like that…
That's because he's not a perfectionist.
I'm amazed that the myth stuck after Chinese and flabbergasted it still existed after Absurd and Hard School.
The myth started with UYI and how he wanted November Rain to be perfect. It probably should've ended there.
Re: The General confirmed next
That's because he's not a perfectionist.
I suspect he may actually still consider himself one, but may no longer capable of being one for at least this one reason... The dude has been center-stage for more combined hours of insanely loud rock concerts than the rest of us have collectively attended. How great could his hearing be at this point? What he hears and what is actually there may be two completely different things, and odds are he wouldn't even recognize it if they are.
Re: The General confirmed next
The issue with the mix is pasting things into the tracks post (Andy Wallace) mix. And yeah, Bumble’s playing just didn’t fit. Look at Perhaps and how Robin’s opening guitar is left in before Slash begins his solo. Whose idea do you think that was? Not Caram’s.
This is all on Axl.
I don’t get Axl being a perfectionist with CD and then he just shoved Ron onto the album like that… Was it out of spite against Bucket? Insecurity? Pride? He heard what we heard and did it anyway
You could argue the same about Slash and Duff….pasted in to songs they didn’t write
