This is my first ever post on this site. This particular piece is something that's been kicking around on my laptop for a few weeks.. so be kind!
In 2000, Roy Thomas Baker took the producers seat for the long-awaited Chinese Democracy. He wanted the band to rerecord everything they had written at that point due to the songs sounding ‘raw’. This is what could have been...
In late 1999, after the heat on the single ‘Oh My God’ cooled, Guns N’ Roses headed to the studio to put the finishing touches to the album now called ‘Chinese Democracy’. With the new line-up in place, Axl hopes to have the album out the following year. “Robin (Finck – also guitarist for Industrial outfit Nine Inch Nails) decided he wanted to rejoin NIN for their new tour. Which is fine with us; Huge (Paul Huge – Axl’s childhood friend you may recognize from the UYI credits) has the chops for this record. We’re currently looking for a new guitarist to fit the bill but the main thing at the moment is to get this record out so we can tour” said Axl to Rolling Stone. “But Robin has been such an integral part of the sound I wanted to achieve.. so I have a feeling he may return sooner or later”.
In early 2000, rumours circulated that the album had been put on the backburner due to Roy Thomas Baker’s influence. But GN’R put out a statement quashing such talk with a simple message: Its coming.
In early April, a supposed track-list surfaced in a five-page spread of the band by Kerrang magazine. The alleged list featured ‘I.R.S’, ‘Silkworms’, ‘This I Love’ and ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ – confirmed by Brian May and featuring his legendary guitarwork.
Then the news everyone was waiting for: Tuesday 19th September 2000. The release date of the forever delayed Chinese Democracy. A flurry of advertisements featuring a bandanna-clad Axl with the band’s name in stylised font detailing the release of the album swamped the music world. The title track was being touted as the first release. But would GN’R still be relevant in a world dominated by Nu-Metal and Pop-Punk? Only time would tell.
In early August, the single ‘Chinese Democracy’ was released to mixed reviews. The rawness juxtaposed with the digital, industrial edge polarised many critics though ex band members Slash and Duff were more complimentary: “It sounds pretty good!”. Regardless, news of a tour surfaced as Robin Finck returned just as Axl predicted. It was taken as a good omen.
Finally, the album was released to strong reviews and strong sales. “Rather than ride the nostalgia wave, GN’R rise above it onto a new plateau. They never needed a movement to support them, rather they always show up (late!) to show up everyone else” said one reviewer of NME. Musically, Chinese Democracy was an Industrial-tinged update of Appetite with much more experimentation. Sure, the techno-futurism of ‘Silkworms’ seemed like an update of UYI II’s ‘My World’, but the theatrical ballads of ‘Thyme’ and ‘This I Love’ proved that Axl had retained his edge. A year long tour was planned, while Avant-Garde guitarist Buckethead was recruited to bolster the sound. Whisper arose of the eccentric guitarists musical influence on the supposed new demos that had been recorded not long after he joined.
2001 and 2002 were triumphant years for GN’R on tour. Following Rock in Rio and the MTV Music Awards, it appeared GN’R had been resurrected. Though Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum had formed their yet-as-unnamed band, all eyes and ears were on Axl. Gigs were highly volatile material-wise. New tunes were mixed in with old classics while even an unreleased song or two made their live debuts. 2003 rolled on and while GN’R was winding down on a break, the newly named Velvet Revolver threatened to steal their thunder: Contraband was released to rave reviews and sold almost as much as Chinese Democracy. Perhaps sensing a need to compete, Axl rushed his new Gunners into the studio for a follow up record. It would lead to an interesting couple of years.
The Axl-Slash feud reached boiling point when Axl released a statement claiming Slash came to his residence inebriated and began to criticise his VR bandmates. Slash, who was still reeling after an earlier rant against Axl, retorted he was neither inebriated nor did he criticise his bandmates. Harsh words were exchanged between both camps which lead to intense media scrutiny. Fans would take sides, as did most music magazines.
In 2005, another press release from the GN’R camp created an excitement in the music community. However, this was not a rant but a release date for the new album ‘The General’. The release was hotly anticipated mainly thanks to the single ‘Better’ which cracked the Rock and Pop charts giving GN’R their first number one for many years. However, things were not as rosy in the Velvet Revolver camp. Scott Weiland has been fired due to internal strife which left Contraband’s follow up in limbo.
In October 2005, The General was released to much more critical acclaim than its predecessor. Gone was the Industrial edge, rather The General emphasised the Elton John-Queen style bombast which made the title track such a hit while the Izzy-cowritten ‘Down By The Ocean’ would become a fan favourite. ‘Atlas Shrugged’ became the second single and became note-worthy for its music video which seemed to continue the story portrayed in ‘Estranged’. Buckethead had left before a tour could coalesce, as did Paul Huge who was tired of life on the road. However, unknown Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal proved a worthy replacement while former guitarist Izzy Stradlin’ returned also. It surprised many due to Izzy’s alleged reluctance to play live with Axl again but soon rumours of a ‘classic’ Guns N’ Roses reunion spread like wildfire. Rumours Axl vehemently shot down.
The 2006/2007 tour was the biggest since the grandiose UYI era. But the band felt exhausted due to the heavy scheduling and the constant studio time demanded by Axl. As a show of goodwill, Axl proposed a two year hiatus which the rest of the band was more than happy to oblige. Talks of a supposed solo album were rife in the music magazines though Axl kept quiet and retreated from the public spotlight once more.
In July 2008, Slash was rushed to hospital after a heart attack during a gig at the famed Whiskey a-Go-Go. It has been suggested that the combination of stress and fatigue lead to the episode and it’s believed he has been told to take it easy lest such an incident should reoccur.
Not long after, photographs surfaced of Axl visiting Slash at his home in LA. Neither could be reached for comment, though Duff McKagen wryly suggested that ‘the old wounds may have finally had enough time to heal’.
[FONT="]During May 2009, Axl Rose resurfaced as a solo act performing an intimate gig at the Rainbow. The biggest shock came during the encore, when Slash walked onstage with an acoustic and together they performed stripped back versions of ‘Patience’, ‘You Ain’t The First’ and ‘Used To Love Her’. They were seen embracing at the end of the show, a photograph that has become iconic in the music world. And of course, speculation was rife of a reunion. But hey, Rock N’ Roll is a funny thing, eh?[/FONT]
In 2000, Roy Thomas Baker took the producers seat for the long-awaited Chinese Democracy. He wanted the band to rerecord everything they had written at that point due to the songs sounding ‘raw’. This is what could have been...
In late 1999, after the heat on the single ‘Oh My God’ cooled, Guns N’ Roses headed to the studio to put the finishing touches to the album now called ‘Chinese Democracy’. With the new line-up in place, Axl hopes to have the album out the following year. “Robin (Finck – also guitarist for Industrial outfit Nine Inch Nails) decided he wanted to rejoin NIN for their new tour. Which is fine with us; Huge (Paul Huge – Axl’s childhood friend you may recognize from the UYI credits) has the chops for this record. We’re currently looking for a new guitarist to fit the bill but the main thing at the moment is to get this record out so we can tour” said Axl to Rolling Stone. “But Robin has been such an integral part of the sound I wanted to achieve.. so I have a feeling he may return sooner or later”.
In early 2000, rumours circulated that the album had been put on the backburner due to Roy Thomas Baker’s influence. But GN’R put out a statement quashing such talk with a simple message: Its coming.
In early April, a supposed track-list surfaced in a five-page spread of the band by Kerrang magazine. The alleged list featured ‘I.R.S’, ‘Silkworms’, ‘This I Love’ and ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ – confirmed by Brian May and featuring his legendary guitarwork.
Then the news everyone was waiting for: Tuesday 19th September 2000. The release date of the forever delayed Chinese Democracy. A flurry of advertisements featuring a bandanna-clad Axl with the band’s name in stylised font detailing the release of the album swamped the music world. The title track was being touted as the first release. But would GN’R still be relevant in a world dominated by Nu-Metal and Pop-Punk? Only time would tell.
In early August, the single ‘Chinese Democracy’ was released to mixed reviews. The rawness juxtaposed with the digital, industrial edge polarised many critics though ex band members Slash and Duff were more complimentary: “It sounds pretty good!”. Regardless, news of a tour surfaced as Robin Finck returned just as Axl predicted. It was taken as a good omen.
Finally, the album was released to strong reviews and strong sales. “Rather than ride the nostalgia wave, GN’R rise above it onto a new plateau. They never needed a movement to support them, rather they always show up (late!) to show up everyone else” said one reviewer of NME. Musically, Chinese Democracy was an Industrial-tinged update of Appetite with much more experimentation. Sure, the techno-futurism of ‘Silkworms’ seemed like an update of UYI II’s ‘My World’, but the theatrical ballads of ‘Thyme’ and ‘This I Love’ proved that Axl had retained his edge. A year long tour was planned, while Avant-Garde guitarist Buckethead was recruited to bolster the sound. Whisper arose of the eccentric guitarists musical influence on the supposed new demos that had been recorded not long after he joined.
2001 and 2002 were triumphant years for GN’R on tour. Following Rock in Rio and the MTV Music Awards, it appeared GN’R had been resurrected. Though Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum had formed their yet-as-unnamed band, all eyes and ears were on Axl. Gigs were highly volatile material-wise. New tunes were mixed in with old classics while even an unreleased song or two made their live debuts. 2003 rolled on and while GN’R was winding down on a break, the newly named Velvet Revolver threatened to steal their thunder: Contraband was released to rave reviews and sold almost as much as Chinese Democracy. Perhaps sensing a need to compete, Axl rushed his new Gunners into the studio for a follow up record. It would lead to an interesting couple of years.
The Axl-Slash feud reached boiling point when Axl released a statement claiming Slash came to his residence inebriated and began to criticise his VR bandmates. Slash, who was still reeling after an earlier rant against Axl, retorted he was neither inebriated nor did he criticise his bandmates. Harsh words were exchanged between both camps which lead to intense media scrutiny. Fans would take sides, as did most music magazines.
In 2005, another press release from the GN’R camp created an excitement in the music community. However, this was not a rant but a release date for the new album ‘The General’. The release was hotly anticipated mainly thanks to the single ‘Better’ which cracked the Rock and Pop charts giving GN’R their first number one for many years. However, things were not as rosy in the Velvet Revolver camp. Scott Weiland has been fired due to internal strife which left Contraband’s follow up in limbo.
In October 2005, The General was released to much more critical acclaim than its predecessor. Gone was the Industrial edge, rather The General emphasised the Elton John-Queen style bombast which made the title track such a hit while the Izzy-cowritten ‘Down By The Ocean’ would become a fan favourite. ‘Atlas Shrugged’ became the second single and became note-worthy for its music video which seemed to continue the story portrayed in ‘Estranged’. Buckethead had left before a tour could coalesce, as did Paul Huge who was tired of life on the road. However, unknown Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal proved a worthy replacement while former guitarist Izzy Stradlin’ returned also. It surprised many due to Izzy’s alleged reluctance to play live with Axl again but soon rumours of a ‘classic’ Guns N’ Roses reunion spread like wildfire. Rumours Axl vehemently shot down.
The 2006/2007 tour was the biggest since the grandiose UYI era. But the band felt exhausted due to the heavy scheduling and the constant studio time demanded by Axl. As a show of goodwill, Axl proposed a two year hiatus which the rest of the band was more than happy to oblige. Talks of a supposed solo album were rife in the music magazines though Axl kept quiet and retreated from the public spotlight once more.
In July 2008, Slash was rushed to hospital after a heart attack during a gig at the famed Whiskey a-Go-Go. It has been suggested that the combination of stress and fatigue lead to the episode and it’s believed he has been told to take it easy lest such an incident should reoccur.
Not long after, photographs surfaced of Axl visiting Slash at his home in LA. Neither could be reached for comment, though Duff McKagen wryly suggested that ‘the old wounds may have finally had enough time to heal’.
[FONT="]During May 2009, Axl Rose resurfaced as a solo act performing an intimate gig at the Rainbow. The biggest shock came during the encore, when Slash walked onstage with an acoustic and together they performed stripped back versions of ‘Patience’, ‘You Ain’t The First’ and ‘Used To Love Her’. They were seen embracing at the end of the show, a photograph that has become iconic in the music world. And of course, speculation was rife of a reunion. But hey, Rock N’ Roll is a funny thing, eh?[/FONT]
