I was absolutely thrilled to be invited by John Snow of 2Loud2Old Music to co-host this incredible interview with former Great White and Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven!
Mr. Niven needs no introduction, but it case you do need one, how about this: Appetite for Destruction! Once Bitten! Twice Shy! This is the guy who made Guns N’ Roses into superstars, and gave Great White their big second chance. You can read all about it in his forthcoming book Sound N’ Fury, out June 24 wherever fine books are sold.
In this hourlong interview, John and I take Mr. Niven on a trip through his past in America, Sweden, England and more. He regales us with stories of rock and roll, raw talent, and having Axl Rose thrown in the back of a police cruiser just to ensure he makes it to the gig. We also discuss writing and storytelling, of which he is the expert.
Do not miss this epic interview with Alan Niven, on The Collection, tonight at 7:00 PM EST!
Show Notes (not all questions were asked):
“Nobody died on my watch” is the most powerful quote.
First of all, you are a great storyteller and writer. I had to look a few words up to see what they meant! Why did you choose to open the book with a Shakespeare quote?
I like how you opened the book with a corker of a GNR story, and kind of ended the book with your younger days. You mentioned this book reads like an album plays, and that is accurate.
I’m currently doing a series on Iron Maiden. You talk about Rod Smallwood a bit in this book. He sounds like a great guy.
Brilliant story there about Michael Bay, but what was best about it was the way you told it. The reveal was great.
The fight to keep Appetite alive… you obviously believed in that record, but did you ever question yourself?
I gather this is a small batch of stories…will there be more books?
One thing that surprised me, in my own naivete, is how physical you have to be to be a manager of a rock band. You have to be willing to go toe to toe with Slash and tell him to behave. You had to pull Jack’s pants up more than once.
Who would you want playing you in the movie of your life?
RECORD STORE TALES #1191: Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven
A couple weeks ago, I was asked by John Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic to co-host a big big interview he was offered.
“How would you like to interview Alan Niven with me?” he asked. John hadn’t done a solo interview before, and wouldn’t have minded a backup.
“Alan Niven? The Alan Niven? Yes!” How could I say no? The guy who managed Guns N’ Roses during their peak? The guy who co-wrote some amazing Great White songs, drawing out their best qualities? The guy who has a new book coming out called Sound N’ Fury? Of course!
While nervous, reading Alan’s book left us with loads and loads of questions to ask him. Without spoiling the interview, which will debut next week on The Collection on YouTube, here are the Top Five Cool Things You May Not Know About Alan Niven that I discovered in this interview process.
5. He had the “stones” to demand $1,000,000 from Mick Jagger, for Guns to open for the Rolling Stones on four dates at the Hollywood Bowl. Guns were originally offered half that.
4. He had to physically pull up Jack Russell’s pants, more than once, to keep him from being arrested.
3. He is well read and well spoken. He opens Sound N’ Fury with a quote from Macbeth.
2. There is an absolutely brilliant story about a music video director that later became a mega-smash-hit movie director, and the way Niven unfolded the story and dropped the name was pure epic storytelling. Read the book to get the name.
1. “Nobody died on my watch.” Indeed, of all the self-destructive personalities in the bands he managed, nobody died under his guidance. That is indeed an accomplishment, and to me, the most powerful quote in the book.
Pick up Sound N’ Fury by Alan Niven, wherever fine books are sold.
RECORD STORE TALES #1151: An Egg of a Day: End of August Scores
I have a coworker whose parents recently passed. This is always sad, but the time came for my coworker to purge her mom’s music collection. Periodically when this happens, people come to me to ask my opinion. Essentially, she wanted to know: “is there anything here that I shouldn’t take to the local Beat Goes On because it might be worth more?” She didn’t think much of her chances, but wanted to be sure.
“Sure, I’ll pop over and have a look,” I said. “I can’t promise you anything but I can at least have a look.”
That was good enough for her.
“I bet I find a bunch of Lawrence Welk!” I joked to Tim Durling and Jex Russell. You know the kind of record collection I mean.
Indeed, I did find Lawrence Welk in the very first box of vinyl. I had a laugh and kept digging. To everyone’s surprise, I found things that might indeed have been valuable, and they had no idea how it got into that collection.
First of all, she had a really nice stack of 78s. Big Crosby was the first one I saw. I have no idea on value of 78s, but this were stored well and all seemed in good condition. It might have been my first time handling a stack of 78’s like that. They are thicker than an LP, and much heavier. They require a special stylus as well as a turntable that can go up to 78. I used to have that equipment. She even had a cylinder, whether Edison or a competing brand, that was out for professional appraisal. So, this collection I was looking at had these formats:
LPs
45s
78s
Cassettes
8-tracks
CDs
and one cylinder
Pretty wild scope. The genres were all over the place, from easy listening and country (the usual suspects) to disco, jazz, oldies, and even progressive rock and heavy metal, as you’ll see. This, I did not expect.
Then I spied an album called Egg. Something about it jumped out at me. I flipped it around and there were black and white photos of long haired guys jamming. That struck me as out of place in this collection, so I set it aside. Somebody looked it up, and it can sell for easily over $100. Everyone seemed really impressed by my ability to sniff this out. I am no expert, folks. Not at all. But it looked out of place, which is why I took a second glance. It turns out Egg were an English progressive rock band, and the album was released in 1970. Very surprising, but they felt that this one find justified me coming over and looking at their records, so I was happy.
Original price: $6.99
I found some things I wanted for myself and made an offer. I left with the following titles:
Guns N’ Roses – “You Could Be Mine” 1991 Geffen cassette single. I own it on CD, but never on cassette. Why not? In this day and age of owning everything on every format, why not?
The Best Of ZZ Top 1977 Wea Music cassette. A staple, but one that I somehow have never owned before on any format. Stone cold classic compilation.
John Williams and the Boston Pops – Pops In Space 1980, Philips, made in Holland. This contains music from some of Williams science fiction classics: Superman, The Empire Strikes Back (which was brand new in 1980), Star Wars, and Close Encounters. I haven’t seen this one before.
Oscar Peterson – The Trio – Live from Chicago 1961 Verve/1986 Polygram CD. My second Oscar Peterson score this summer. You rarely find Oscar in the wild, and never this one.
Johnny Cash – His Greatest Hits, Volume II1971 Columbia 8-track. This was the Cash album I grew up with in the car with my dad, albeit on cassette. This cartridge is in great shape, and resides in a bright red shell. This is my first red shell 8-track tape.
When I called my dad to tell him of my musical scores, he was surprised at the 8-track. While he clearly remembers that Cash album, he asked me “Do you have anything that plays an 8-track?” This is a common question that we collectors get. No I do not. I don’t have a way to play a Minidisc, a DAT, or a DCC either but I would love to have some in my collection. My collecting desires are no longer strictly just to have music to play. Now I collect music I can’t even play too! Just to have a piece of history.
After we completely examined the collection and left some advice, I departed with my treasures. Since we were in the neighbourhood, I decided to visit the old Toys R Us/HMV store. There, I finally decided to pick up Iron Maiden’s Powerslave on vinyl, edging me closer to completing the 1980s collection. Now, all I should need are the first two Di’Anno albums (I think). Powerslave was $36 and hard to pull the trigger on, since I can distinctly remember a time when Sam the Record Man was swinning in new copies for $6.99 each, and that sticks with you. I finally have it now.
A successful Saturday. Time to listen to some music!
Alice Cooper was back in Toronto in 1991, promoting his new album Hey Stoopid in a big way: by playing on top of the iconic HMV building at 333 Yonge St! Shades of Let It Be, but with long hair and mascara, Alice’s band rocked the streets below.
Cooper also spoke to MuchMusic’s Michael Williams about the new album, and collaborating with L.A. friends such as Axl Rose. He dropped a tidbit about their new album and a certain song called “The Garden”.
There’s also a segment here of Alice meeting fans from Operation Rock N’ Roll that same year. Check it out1
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.
Happy Halloween! On this October 31, what is scarier than poor spelling? Take a look below and see for yourself! These are poorly-spelled search terms that somehow led people to this site. Boo!
The 90s were a weird time. For all intents and purposes, one of the biggest bands in the world was gone: Guns N’ Roses. We had to settle for solo albums from Duff, Slash, Gilby and Izzy.
Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan teamed up with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, and John Taylor from Duran Duran, to form the punky supergroup Neurotic Outsiders. They made one album. One and done! But what an album it was. We’ll be discussing all this and more tonight on Grant’s Rock Warehaus!
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
mikeladano.com 