The band that once took 15 years to release a new album hasn’t been doing too shabby of late with new releases. “Perhaps” we should say new/old releases (see what I did there?) because all four of the new songs released by Guns N’ Roses since Chinese Democracy have been re-worked outtakes from that era. Since Duff McKagan and Slash have returned to Guns, we’ve had four new tracks: “ABSUЯD” & “Hard Skool” were released on a previous single, and now we have “Perhaps” and “The General” to go with them.
The “G” side of this new single contains “Perhaps”, which is immediately reminiscent of Use Your Illusion era Guns, via the prominent piano line. Of any song released since, “Perhaps” sounds the most like a song that would have come out on a new GN’R album in 1995. Slash’s guitar solo sounds perfectly vintage, but it’s Dizzy Reed on piano, whose flourishes recall “November Rain”, that brings it all back to the glory days. “Perhaps” wouldn’t have been a big hit in the 90s, but it certainly would have been a solid album cut.
On the “R” side is “The General”, a song we’ve heard whispers about from those in Axl’s inner circle. This track is the most disappointing, without any notable hooks. It sounds more of the Chinese Democracy era, and is purely B-side material. It has a haunting quality that might come from Axl’s love of Alice Cooper, but it’s anything but memorable and the technical flourishes don’t do it any favours, except to obscure the lack of catchy melody or riff.
One good song, one throwaway. That makes the score pretty clear.
GUNS N’ ROSES – Hard Skool (2022 Geffen 7″ Nightrain club clear vinyl EP)
Back in February, Guns N’ Roses released the Hard Skool EP (or single, or whatever!), containing the first two new Guns songs since 2008’s Chinese Democracy. With five tracks total (two studio, three live) over three separate formats (CD, cassette, 7″), it was already a pretty good listen. Axl’s voice has adapted to singing these demanding songs, 35 years after. But there was always the promise of more in June 2022, and now it has come.
Members of the Guns N’ Roses Nightrain club received a brand new Hard Skool release on clear vinyl, with one exclusive live track added. The cover art colour has been changed from red to dark charcoal grey, and a “Nightrain Limited-Edition Clear” notation has been added to the front. This wasn’t cheap, costing $60 Canadian ($45 US) dollars to join. There are other perks but really, the truth of the matter is I paid $60 for one song.
They had better not reissue this track!
The new exclusive song is “Shadow Of Your Love”, a recent live version recorded with Axl, Slash, Duff, Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, and Melissa Reese. If you cast your minds back to the recent Appetite For Destruction super deluxe edition, “Shadow Of Your Love” was released as a single and it got a bit of airplay. Live with the new version of the band, it does recapture that Appetite vibe and let’s face it, the song was possibly superior to a couple tunes that did make the final album. You can hear Melissa on backing vocals, a touch that isn’t on early live versions of the song. That backing vocal part is present on the studio version from the third disc on the Appetite box, but not the others included. It’s cool that they’ve brought it back. This version is just as fast as the old ones too. It’s awesome to hear Frank Ferrer playing the drum part originally recorded by Steven Adler. As for Axl, he adapts. This is one of the most high and raspy of the original Guns repertoire. Axl delivers it smooth without the rasp and still manages to get his voice way, way up there. Say what you want about Axl Rose, he’s sounding better than many of his contemporaries. Of course the real treat is just hearing Slash wail on it, as he should.
As for the other songs on the single; we’ve discussed them before so we won’t spend much more time on them. “Hard Skool” is a Chinese Democracy outtake that has been reworked with Slash and Duff McKagan. The duo have writing credits on “Hard Skool” along with Axl Rose and former members Robin Finck, Josh Freese, Tommy Stinson and Paul “Huge” Tobias. Formerly known as “Jackie Chan”, this song comes closest to capturing the classic Guns vibe – think Illusions era GN’R. Slash imbues the riff with his trademark snakelike style, and Axl is in full-scream mode on the powerful chorus. The cowbell brings us back to the 80s a bit, but the experimental solo section is more modern. The other new/old song “ABSUЯD” is much more Chi-Dem, and more divisize. Formerly known as “Silkworms”, Guns started playing “ABSUЯD” live after a 20 year absence last year as a surprise. Axl’s voice is pretty strange here, sounding a bit muppet-ish. (The screaming portion sounds like tape.) This live track will take some getting used to. It’s not that Axl’s voice is bad just…different than what you’re used to.
Both vinyl releases came with a sticker. This fan club edition also comes with a Nightrain 2022 pin. The pin comes packaged in a little mini-folder. It is made of metal and heavy for a pin. Made for a jacket, not a shirt. For a higher tier, you could sign up for four pins and a hoodie. But I really only wanted to shell out for the exclusive track.
You can’t blame Axl for wanting to get some of these old songs out since he laboured for years over them. It’s fitting that only now with Slash and Duff back in the band, the songs are “finished”. Keep the releases coming guys. It doesn’t have to be an album. It just has to be Guns.
4/5 stars
All cautions made Every chance was given No effort spared to save what we had All in good faith I would not hesitate To extend myself and lend you my hand
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
As tempers fade And lies forgiven No cause embraced could break what we had In its place A storm is lifting I would’ve thought you could be more of a man
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
You had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
You had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
The first new physical music from Guns N’ Roses since 2008’s Chinese Democracy has finally arrived in the form of an EP! Good enough; we’ll take it. Beggars (and hangers-on) cannot be choosers. Considering how scarce new Guns music has been since the early 90s, the new Hard Skool EP almost feels like manna from the gods.
To the disappointment of some, the two new songs are slightly old: Chinese Democracy outtakes that have been reworked with Slash and Duff McKagan. The duo have writing credits on “Hard Skool” along with Axl Rose and former members Robin Finck, Josh Freese, Tommy Stinson and Paul “Huge” Tobias. Formerly known as “Jackie Chan”, this song comes closest to capturing the classic Guns vibe – think Illusions era GN’R. Slash imbues the riff with his trademark snakelike style, and Axl is in full-scream mode on the powerful chorus. The cowbell brings us back to the 80s a bit, but the experimental solo section is more modern.
The other new/old song “ABSUЯD” is much more Chi-Dem, and more divisize. Formerly known as “Silkworms”, it was largely enjoyed by those who knew it from live bootlegs but thought it should have been on the album. The keyboard intro has been axed, the riff emphasized and the lyrics slightly modified. The main hook “What can I do, with a bitch like you?” has been replaced with a refrain of “Absurd!” The words are otherwise just as angry. “Listen motherfuckers to the song that should be heard!” bellows Axl on the opening line. “Parasitic demons sucking acid through your heart!” I wonder who this was written about? Vocally, Axl’s in the faux accent he utilized on “Down on the Farm” and you’ll love it or hate it. Interestingly former keyboardist Chris Pitman, who was credited with songwriting on the original “Silkworms” version, no longer has a credit. It is now credited to Axl, Slash, Duff and Dizzy. Presumably the Pitman parts were chopped. At the time of its writing, Pitman said: “It ended up being this incredible track that sounded like Guns N’ Roses 10 or 15 years in the future. It was so far removed from our other songs that we had to put it in this other place. Concept-wise, it didn’t fit with Chinese Democracy. We hope we will have other songs that match that kind of futuristic sound. It’s a really exciting track because it morphs into this crazy sound, but it was out so much in the other direction that we have to let time catch up with it.” While that was true of “Silkworms”, the version known as “ABSUЯD” is more guitar-oriented.
The live songs commence with “Don’t Cry”. Slash and rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus sound great together on this, but Axl struggles when the singing gets high at the end. It’s a demanding song, and 1991 was a long time ago. “You’re Crazy” on the other hand is really good. Using the slower Lies arrangement, but played on electric, this version is like brand new. A real cool addition to your GN’R library.
The third live track is exclusive to the 7″ vinyl: “ABSUЯD”. Not only do we get new songs on this EP, but we already get one in a live version. Guns started playing “ABSUЯD” live in 2021 as a surprise before it was released on iTunes. Axl’s voice is pretty strange here, sounding a bit muppet-ish. (The screaming portion sounds like tape.) This live track will take some getting used to. It’s not that Axl’s voice is bad just…different than what you’re used to.
The 7″ vinyl came with a sticker while the cassette and CD versions come with no extras. The CD is packed in a slipcase, and the cassette in a cassingle cardboard sleeve. This got crushed a bit in the mail; a jewel case would have been better.
The cover artwork includes an interesting visual clue. On a school locker door, the classic Guns N’ Roses logo is stickered overtop a graffiti style logo reminiscent of Chinese Democracy. Almost a metaphor for what these new songs are.
It’s encouraging that Guns N’ Roses have finally released something new, even if the songs are just reworked tunes from 20+ years ago. Perhaps they’re clearing the decks before working on truly new material. It’s all but certain that we will see more, and hopefully a longer release next time. While some moments on the live tunes are shaky, and the new tunes were not as warmly received by some, the Hard Skool EP is wonderful to hold in hand. New physical music from GN’R! About time.
4/5 stars
All cautions made Every chance was given No effort spared to save what we had All in good faith I would not hesitate To extend myself and lend you my hand
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
As tempers fade And lies forgiven No cause embraced could break what we had In its place A storm is lifting I would’ve thought you could be more of a man
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
You had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
You had to play it cool, had to do it your way Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay If that were true, it wouldn’t matter anyway
“Listen motherfuckers to the song that should be heard!” bellows W. Axl Rose, cocky as ever.
Guns N’ Roses like to drop bombshells and they did this week when “Silkworms” returned to the setlist after an absence of almost two decades. It had been reworked and retitled “Absurd”, now augmented with Slash n’ Duff’s involvement. In another surprise bombshell, they just released a studio version. The first new Guns N’ Roses music since Chinese Democracy and first with Slash and Duff since 1994.
“Silkworms” is am interesting choice to release as the first new song with the old legends back in the band. It’s always going to be associated with the Chi-Dem era. The version I knew had Robin Finck and Buckethead on guitar. Brain on drums. Tommy Stinson on bass. A lot has changed! Slash is audible but more Slash-y sounds would be have appreciated. Duff sounds brilliant. Why not an actual new song? I don’t know…but at the same time, I’m glad “Silkworms” finally got a release as “Absurd”. It was always deserving of a proper studio release.
Axl sings in that punky “Down on the Farm” character, and the lyrics are as venomous as they were in 2001. “Parasitic demons sucking acid through your heart!” He sounds quite good; better than the concert versions we’ve heard thus far. The vocal is mixed to sound like a megaphone because, hey, it was the Chi-Dem era. There’s a disorienting quiet section in the middle that also hearkens back to that quaint time.
Good tune, but those of us who have craved “Silkworms” for 20 years are biased to a good impression. Those who didn’t like it won’t be turned, and those who want something more like Appetite and Illusions won’t get it this time. If you love Chinese Democracy, add a mark to my score. If you hate it, subtract one or two based on your level of venom.
“November Rain” was played live for the first time by Guns N’ Roses on this day in 1991.
GUNS N’ ROSES – Dramas & Traumas (Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN, May 29 1991 – Deep Records bootleg CD)
The market is littered with live Guns N’ Roses bootlegs from the Use Your Illusion tour. The band’s own official Use Your Illusion World Tour Live in Tokyo VHS tapes are an ideal source of live music from their biggest tour. But what many fans seek is an earlier show, before Izzy Stradlin went his own way and was replaced by Gilby Clarke. Nothing against Gilby, but Izzy only lasted about six months and has been missed ever since. This bootleg is from the seventh show on the tour, when the material was new, unheard, and rough. Some of the songs were dropped or rarely played later on.
Audio is average as far as bootlegs go; it’s an audience tape job with some occasional issues. The set is complete. “Double Talkin’ Jive” is unlisted, hidden within the larger “Patience” track. It is also the historic live debut of “November Rain”. Opening with “Right Next Door to Hell”, which was dropped by the start of ’92, the energy is high. Axl takes no mercy on the demanding song, giving 100%, especially on the obligatory “fuck you”!
Guns wisely played familiar songs mixed in with the new stuff. The albums would not be out for over three months. Axl asks if the audience wants to go dancin’, which means “Mr. Brownstone” is up next, a low energy version comparatively. It might be too easy to blame the new guy Matt Sorum, but you do notice the lack of Steven Adler when you think about it. Back to new tracks, it’s the bluesy “Bad Obsession” which Axl explains was written long before “Brownstone”. Slash rips out the slide guitar and Axl gets distracted by a hottie. It’s the first audible appearance of another new member — keyboardist Dizzy Reed on piano. Later on, Axl makes a big point of announcing that Dizzy is, contrary to some media reports, “a goddamn a-fuckin’ official member of the band!”
Regarding live debut of “November Rain”, Guns didn’t have a setlist. Axl just called out the songs, feeling out the crowd. According to Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan in a later interview by Dan Gallagher of MuchMusic:
Matt – “Axl said ‘November Rain’, and we hadn’t played it since we recorded it…in July! In front of 20,000 people, we’re going, ‘Uh, do you remember how that goes?’ Damn near a year ago we cut this track.”
Duff – “And he has this grand piano, that raises up out of the stage. And all of a sudden the piano raises up and we’re going, ‘What the hell is that…’“
You can almost hear the fear. Sorum tentatively taps the cymbals, but doesn’t miss his cue when it’s time to come crashing in. Axl mentions he can barely remember the words, but only flubs a couple. Slash’s first solo nails most of the big hooks, while the second is more improvisational. They all struggle a bit on the outro, but damn — they did it!
After “November Rain”, a microphone catches Slash saying, “A fucking curve ball, man!”
The two most significant tracks are the two sung by Izzy that were necessarily dropped when he left: “Dust N’ Bones”, and “14 Years”. Both feature raspy, Keef-like lead vocals from the guitarist. These two tracks are very good reasons to want an early set like this.
There are long solos, intros and outros, and all the stuff you expect from a Guns N’ Roses show. The solos had yet to evolve into the forms they would take by the time they hit Tokyo, though the “Godfather” theme has its place. They play a bit of Rod Stewart’s “I Was Only Joking” as part of the “Patience” intro, and of course “Only Women Bleed” before “Heaven’s Door”. The “Voodoo Chile” lick always works well going into “Civil War”. It’s also interesting to hear how the songs started out early on tour. “Civil War” seems a bit shaky in the start, but goes nuclear by the end.
The main set ends on “Perfect Crime” and the encores consist of “Estranged”, “Sweet Child”, “Jungle” and “Paradise”. A pretty slam-dunk way to send ’em home. Unlike “November Rain”, “Estranged” was already humming like a well-tuned car by this time.
The two bonus tracks are interesting curiosities from the 1989 MTV music video awards. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers performed “Free Falling” and “Heartbreak Hotel” with Axl Rose. They are here as a little bit of added value, but make no mistake — it’s just Axl from the band, nobody else.
As mentioned earlier, there are some sonic anomalies of the type that usually come with bootlegs. The disc goes silent for very brief moments during “Right Next Door to Hell”. Not a deal breaker considering the rest is very listenable.
Use Your Illusion wasn’t even out yet, but Guns N’ Roses were two solid weeks into a tour chock full of new and old music. MuchMusic’s Dan Gallagher talked with Duff McKagan and new member Matt Sorum before their show on June 7 in Toronto. Was there an album really coming?
MuchMusic was into adding strange visual effects to their videos in the early 90s. That choppy visual is not mine. That is from the source broadcast.
Axl Rose had hurt his ankle and was giving the injury a stretch, riding around backstage on a bike. Stay tuned to the end! I hope that was gum.
Topics discussed:
“Popping the question” with Matt Sorum.
The broad appeal of Guns N’ Roses.
Unexpectedly playing “November Rain” for the first time in a year in front of 20,000 people.
GUNS N’ ROSES – Appetite For Destruction (Originally 1987, 2018 Universal 4 CD/1 Blu-ray super deluxe edition)
Of course Axl Rose would be late for his own 30th anniversary. And why not? This set obviously took time to prepare for release so it’s better we have something that is not rushed out.
As Appetite is one of the most influential rock albums of all time, a super deluxe expanded edition is expected by now. This album launched a million bands back in the 80s and 90s, most of whom looked and sounded like knockoffs. Now you can deconstruct the album and hear how simple the formula actually was. (Liberal doses of Aerosmith with punk sprinkled on top.)
The first disc in this well-stuffed box set is the 5.1 Blu-ray. Why just listen in stereo when you can go full-bore with a surround sound mix?
This disc answers that question. It’s because you can tinker too much with a 5.1 mix, and come out with something that is too different for a beloved classic original like Appetite. This album was the roughest sounding thing Guns ever released. Unfortunately the 5.1 mix sounds clean. Too clean. An artefact of not having to cram all that music into just two channels?
“Welcome to the Jungle’s” guitars come from behind. Slowly turning, Axl surrounds you. Then the mix plays it straight, though backing vocals are more prominent. Hear Steven Adler’s reckless abandon up close and personal, the ride cymbal like his accelerated heartbeat.
It’s a good mix but some will find it too gimmicky and inconsistent, with guitars and vocals jabbing you unexpectedly from here and there. It varies from song to song and it’s all a matter of taste. You want to hear the 5.1 mix, but not so much that it changes parts of what you liked in a song. Some tracks are a mixture of both approaches. The intro to “Paradise City” is immaculately layered and laid out around you. Then things consolidate when it’s time to rock. Man, can you hear those guitars though! Every Les Paul can be noted clearly and separately in your mind. So can every vocal track; and there are a few.
There are even 5.1 bonus tracks. “Shadow of Your Love” is one of them, being the big song they were promoting for this box set. “Patience” benefits from the 5.1 re-examination. It’s a gimmick-free mix with sparse arrangement that sounds natural and familiar — like a band jamming on acoustics in a room with you. This makes it the best one on the whole disc. Even “Used to Love Her” has more prominent differences from the stereo mix, as does the acoustic “You’re Crazy”. The last bonus track is “Move to the City”, also acoustic, and sounding like a big party jam.
Finally the Blu-ray disc includes all the music videos and even one for “It’s So Easy” that was made just for them and not MTV! It could be the first documented appearance of Axl Rose in a kilt.
Unfortunately the 5.1 mix will most likely get less play than the good old stereo version, remastered on CD 1. What can be said about Appetite for Destruction that hasn’t been said before? All that sonic power is on the verge of overload in just two channels. If you imagine yourself back in 1987, you can hear why this album made the impact it did. It steered rock and roll back into a less cartoony, more dangerous direction. Classic single after classic single still command the airwaves today. In an unlikely twist, the back-to-basics, loose guitars of Slash and Izzy Stradlin are studied now like old Stones riffs.
The second CD (“B-Sides N’ EPs”) is brimming with extra value. Most of the followup EP, GNR Lies is included…all except “One In A Million”, that is, which Axl promised he’d delete approximately 20 years ago. With that EP still in print, nobody misses the track here. Adding the Lies material as bonus tracks is cheating a little bit, but I suppose that EP was part of the Appetite album cycle. Even though one track is deleted, the Lies stuff is expanded with bonus songs. A sharp “live” version of “Shadow of Your Love” follows “Mama Kin”. There’s also an alternate acoustic take of “You’re Crazy”. Once you’re past the acoustic songs including “Patience” you’ll get some vintage live B-sides. “It’s So Easy” is more vicious than the original, and sounds really live unlike the previous Lies songs like “Nice Boys”. The rare “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” is especially cool since it’s pre-Dizzy Reed and has no piano. Otherwise the style of the eventual Illusions version is sketched out, right down to the “high, yai, yai yai yai” vocals. Last on the CD is the live cover of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie”, foreshadowing Axl’s future as frontman of the Australian institution. This classic version has been heavily bootlegged, but remastered on CD, it sounds so fresh.
The final two discs are all unreleased sessions from the legendary Sound City (and other studios). Most of the Appetite songs are present in demo form but some, like “It’s So Easy”, “Brownstone” and “Sweet Child” are not. The shape of the album was already arranged down to most of the guitar solos. It’s less frantic and more rehearsed but it’s there in very close to final shape. Elements that wouldn’t make the final cut, like some of Axl’s scatting a-la Steven Tyler on “Jungle”, are here to examine. In the 1970s these Sound City sessions would have been good enough to release as an album! In the 80s, they needed Mike Clink to make the album stand out and they did that.
Non-album material is here a-plenty. The Sound City version of “Shadow of Your Love” on CD 3 is the B-side from the old “Live and Let Die” CD single, my personal favourite version for its reckless abandon. The cleaner one on CD 4 is the one released as a single in 2018. Then there’s a trashy punk metal version of Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” which could have been a fine B-side as well. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” on CD 3 is faster and different from the familiar bootlegged version (still unreleased).
The 4th CD is a mixed bag of demo sessions and unreleased songs, jams and acoustic versions. Instrumental “Ain’t Going Down No More” sounds like an Aerosmith outtake riff, with cowbell out the wazoo. “The Plague” has vocals but it’s quite clear why it was never released. It could be the worst Guns N’ Roses song heard yet. “New Work Tune” is just an acoustic riff that didn’t make it into anything. There are, however, a couple tunes that did. “Back Off Bitch” was reworked on Use Your Illusions, as was “November Rain”. This old demo of “Back Off Bitch” is probably better than the final version because that’s Steven Adler on drums. “November Rain” is particularly interesting because it’s present in both acoustic and piano forms. You can hear how the song grew, but also that it wasn’t ready yet.
Three more versions of “Move to the City” (electric and two acoustic) are here in case you ever wanted a studio version of that song. There are also studio takes of “Mama Kin” and “Reckless Life”. It’s a bit much in terms of repeat, but at least all the versions are notably different from each other. You’ll also have to hear an acoustic “You’re Crazy” one more time, but “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is pretty cool and jam-like in acoustic form.
A box set at this price point always has paper extras inside: replica posters, tickets, even Axl temporary tattoos. Nothing of any particular value. There are some posters and glossy photo prints. There is even a reprint of the original controversial Robert WIlliams artwork. What are you going to do with all this stuff? You’re not going to tape it to your walls. You’ll keep it safe and unseen in the box, of course. That’s why it’s valueless to most of us. There is also a massive hard cover photo book, in which you’ll find the CDs and Blu-ray. It’s light on text but heavy on glossy photos and memorabilia scans. (Within those scans, there’s plenty to read.)
The super deluxe Appetite For Destruction is of value to those who are going to listen to and appreciate all the different versions inside. The 5.1 mix is disappointing but there will be those who love how different it sounds. It’s not easy to consume all five discs in quick succession, but these bot sets rarely are.
I met Thussy back in 2007. He joined the team at work and we became friends immediately. We liked the same stuff. Trailer Park Boys, Guns N’ Roses, comedy. He is responsible for getting me into Super Troopers, which admittedly took a couple tries. We were also both getting married around the same time, so we had similar complaints and gripes to talk about. Drama with bridesmaids and seating plans, egads.
Thuss is a gamer, and we enjoyed chatting games. Axl Rose did a voice (a radio DJ) in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. You could switch between stations, and if you chose the rock station you got Axl. It was one of the few things Axl did that was released during that long dry spell between albums. Of course, this led to ample discussions of Chinese Democracy.
“It’s never coming out,” Chris insisted. I hated to say he was right, but it sure seemed that way. He refused to back down on his position. We’d been fucked with by this band for so long. Guns had missed several release dates, so many that it had become a joke. Axl chewed up managers and spat them out like stale bubblegum. Then the Dr. Pepper soda company offered to buy a Dr. Pepper for everyone in America if Axl managed to make his 2008 release date. Axl seemed good-naturedly amused by the idea, offering to share his Dr. Pepper with Buckethead when the album comes out. (This because Dr. Pepper said the only Americans exempt from this offer were former Guns members Buckethead and Slash!)
On October 22 2008, I was working at my desk, listening to the radio when the DJ, Carlos Benevides, announced that they would shortly be playing a brand new single by Guns N’ Roses. It was the title track, a song both Thuss and I were already familiar with. He had a disc of rough mixes for many of the tracks, and I had the Rock In Rio bootleg CD set. We already knew half the new songs, and “Chinese Democracy” was a track I thought smoked. I called Thuss and he listened in as it played.
It sounded like shit on our little mono telephone speakers, but we were listening to brand new Guns! The overall listener reaction was mixed to negative, but I already loved it. “The album’s never coming out,” said Thuss.
“It has to, now. There’s a single out. It’s definitely coming.”
“No.” Thuss was insistent. “It’s never coming out.”
“But Dr. Pepper…” I began before being cut off.
“No. Not coming out. Never.”
The funny thing was, “Chinese Democracy” wasn’t actually the first song released from the album. A month earlier, “Shackler’s Revenge” became the first new Guns song in nine years, when it was released as part of the Rock Band 2 video game, which neither of us had.
A new release date of November 23 was announced. “Nope,” said Thuss. “Nothing is coming out on November 23.” It was, strangely, a Sunday. Generally, nothing came out on Sundays. It was absolutely an odd move that did throw the whole release into question for some.
I asked ye olde Record Store to hold a copy for me. “Do you want vinyl?” he asked. “No, just CD.” It was something I’d regret, when he sold out of the vinyl a week later. I emailed to ask if he had any left. “Do you remember me asking you if you wanted vinyl?” he scolded. “Yeah,” I sulked.
When I walked into the store on November 23 and was handed my precious copy of Chinese Democracy, it was so anticlimactic. There it is. It’s in your hands, the culmination of a decade and a half’s work. You’ve been waiting all this time for this album, and there it sits. An album that had “release dates” going back to 1995 and every single year since. Then, you witness Guns return to the live stage from their cocoon, different but recognizable. You watch them struggle to establish a lineup, and you hear rumour after rumour about song titles and release dates. Then you’re holding a CD in your hands, a pitiful little plastic case with a little paper cover inside. You hand the guy your debit card, he rings it in. Transaction approved, you are handed your receipt. Chinese Democracy goes into a little plastic bag. Even though it’s probably the most expensive and longest gestating album of all time, your little plastic bag weighs the same as if you bought Sex Pistols.
At least I’d be able to show it to Thuss. Monday the 24th rolled around.
“It came out. I have it,” I told him as I strolled into his office.
“No it didn’t. It never came out. It’s never coming out.” He was sticking to his story come hell or high water!
“Yes it did! It’s in my car right now! I’ll show it to you.”
“You have nothing,” he responded, refusing to come and look.
In the years since, Thuss has stubbornly stuck to his guns and his believe that Chinese Democracy has never come out. “I have the unreleased mixes,” he says. “That’s all there is.”
I emailed him to tell him I was writing this story, our tale of the time Chinese Democracy was released.
“So you are going to take a crack at some fictional writing…nice.”
I will never win this one!
So now I have two stories both titled “Chinese Democracy”. I say, why not? Peter Gabriel has three self-titled albums.
GETTING MORE TALE #762: When Is Your Art Really “Done”?
“Where are the starting points and where are the end points? When’s a song ‘done’? What the fuck does that mean anyway? ‘Done’? When’s a record ‘done’? Where does a record start; where does it end?” — Lars Ulrich, Some Kind of Monster
When Lars Ulrich asked the rhetorical question “When is a song ‘done’?” he wasn’t just yammering meaningless bullshit. In fact he was colourfully paraphrasing Leonardo Da Vinci, who said “A work of art is never finished, merely abandoned.” Da Vinci might be the best known example today of someone who laboured over his art. Many of his paintings, including the Mona Lisa, conceal previous unseen versions beneath layers of paint. Scanning the paintings with modern technology, we have been able to discern Da Vinci’s works in progress. It is a little like peaking inside the mind of a creator as they create.
Imagine you’re finishing a painting of something completely imagined inside your head. How much time will it take to be “done”? Perhaps you have to make that sky a little more blue, or cloudy, to match your vision. You will never be able to take a photograph of your imagination, so painting something is by its very nature a compromise. You must decide when you are satisfied that you have accomplished your goal. Let’s say you added that cloud to your painting. It looks good to you. Then you take a step back and look at the whole painting. The corner where you added that cloud now looks too busy. Did you overdo it? Was the painting already “done”?
The same applies to music. Axl Rose laboured over Chinese Democracy for 15 years. There are, of course, some major differences between recording a Guns N’ Roses album and working on a painting. With the rock album, there is far more outside pressure and this can become the dominating influence. Even if outside forces end up pushing you to do something opposite from what they want, it has now effected your music. The music will not take the same shape that it would have without that outside pressure. Is that a good or bad thing? It can be either! Axl re-recorded the album at least once, and continually updated it as new members joined the band. By the time 2008 rolled around and the record was “finished”, dozens of musicians and producers and managers and writers had made some kind of impact, no matter how small.
Let’s not forget George Lucas either. The Star Wars creator fiddled with his movies continuously. Do you really think the 1997 special editions were the first Star Wars that were changed? Not even. The initial updates happened in 1980, when George re-titled Star Wars as Episode IV: A New Hope. He fidgeted with them steadily, even beginning a fairly recent conversion to 3D until he sold the rights to Disney in 2012. (Only Phantom Menace was released in 3D, with Disney putting the project on hold in favour of the sequel trilogy.)
You can obsess over and overthink art. You can also rush it, and end up with something “unfinished” that might actually be better. This often happens out of necessity. Black Sabbath famously recorded their first album in two days. They had been playing the songs live for months and were tight as hell (pun intended) but also had a very limited amount of time in the studio. Maybe they would have loved to stay in there, experiment with different amps and guitars, get different sounds, but there was no time. And so the debut album Black Sabbath pukes overloaded guitar, and you can hear amps hum. You couldn’t have made it better if you tried. (Zakk Wylde will try and will not succeed.) Whatever they did on that album, they did out of necessity and it just happened to work.
Though my “art” is usually the written word (and occasionally video), I also love recording song introductions. This is for our annual “Sausagefest” party, and it’s something that allows me to really get creative with sound. In recent years, in addition to introducing the songs, I also create an introduction for myself. It’s sort of an audio collage of things I found funny. This started out of necessity — it was the only way I could get my comedic bits into the evening! Now it’s something I work and obsess over. And this is the question I’m currently struggling with: When is it “done”? I started recording bits for it almost a year ago, and I began piecing the whole thing together on May 11. Now we’re at the tail end of June and I’m still making changes!
Without giving it all away, I like to begin my intro with a certain, recognizable musical theme. You’d know it. This year, a certain unnamed rock band recorded their own version of that classic theme. I happened to be playing that album in the car when I realized, I had to use it! As soon as I got home, I started editing the audio track that I thought was “finished”. In a couple minutes, I removed the original theme and replaced it with the 2019 rock version. It was a few seconds longer than the original so I also had to extend the space it fit into, but that’s pretty easy to do. Now I’m even happier with the intro.
When will it be “done”? It will be “finished” when time is up and I’m forced to turn it in. Until then, I continue to listen for room to improve.
I’m no Leonardo, or a Lucas, and I’m not even a Lars Ulrich (although we have shared the same hair style on numerous occasions). I do, however, have a keen understanding that art is never done in the eyes of the creator.
GUNS N’ ROSES have announced an APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION deluxe edition coming in June. While “Rocket Queen” will certainly be on it, it’s highly unlikely the interview track below will.
Fans of vintage Guns N’ Roses (what other kind are there?) should always be alert and eyes open for old singles. Whether CD or vinyl, some of those old Guns singles have buried treasure on them. One is “Patience”, released several months after the Lies EP from which it sprang.
Here’s some truth for you, and it’s rather strange. “Patience” simply sounds better with the crackle of vinyl. I can’t explain it but I sure can testify. Just a little bit. Just enough to transport you back in time to 1989 when people were spinning Lies on vinyl (or at least cassette tape) nightly. The delicate strum of acoustics accentuate one another, and hot-damn, it’s hard to deny the timelessness of “Patience”. The missus and I played it at our wedding reception and it was a highlight of the evening. Almost every couple dancing to it that night is still together. Magic, people! It’s real.
But no, the real treasure is on side two, and it’s not “Rocket Queen”. Don’t get me wrong! “Rocket Queen” is an amazing showcase and could still today be the best tune Guns have ever laid to vinyl. It’s heavy, it’s soft; it has a bit of everything. I’d put it in my top five. But you already have Appetite for Destruction, so you know this already. What you have probably never heard before is the second track on the B-side, a vintage interview (7:44 long) with the elusive W. Axl Rose himself.
Conducted in his apartment among his broken platinum albums, Axl is asked some point-blank questions. Did you know Duff had his own comedy version of “Patience” that could have come out at some time? Axl even dropped lyrics from a new Izzy Stradlin song still two years down the road. “Double talking jive, get the money motherfucker, ’cause I got no more patience…” He also revealed they had a lot of ideas…anything from “10 songs to 30 songs”. (Turns out, it was 30.)
Axl confessed that his violent streak comes from frustration and stress, and that he has always smashed his things. It’s clear that this guy, sitting at the very top of the rock pile, needed some mental health care. Bon Jovi, after all, didn’t smash his platinum albums. He even went as far as to warn psycho fans to stay away or deal with the consequences of getting in his face.
It’s an odd interview, and revealing. That’s why it’s a treasure worth seeking. A single like this is valuable to fans who need to know these bits of trivia and minutia.
GUNS N’ ROSES – “Perhaps” / “The General” (2023 Geffen 7″ single)
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