The thing is, if CD2 is already mostly recorded then the cost to the label of releasing anything would be a lot smaller, they'd just have to pay for mixing, mastering and promo...they'd save the entire recording cost process.

It's hard to believe they'd skip that - even a poorly performing GNR record would out-peform a lot of the smaller rock acts that labels put out (think Buckcherry etc)

My guess would be if negotiations broke down with the label, then it has to be that GNR asked for something that would alter the financial attractiveness of that deal to the label.

If for instance they wanted an unrealistic marketing commitment in advance, or 1990s level promo or tour support or something that modern sales can't justify unless you have a guaranteed smash. 

Otherwise it makes no sense. Even a bad GNR record would move a certain amount of units and the recording is paid for. There is very little reason for a label to reject it.

It's really surprising, but then reading the rest of your post it starts to make sense to me.

To me this tour seems to be about the casual fans. It's for people who missed the UYI tour. Of course the shows are great - it's Axl, Slash and Duff.

However for people like me it's a little frustrating. Axl sounds good some nights but I can't shake the feeling they waited until he was starting to struggle to do this - this stuff 7 - 10 years ago would have been mind blowing performances. It's still awesome...but it's not the greatest thing of all time like it probably would have been back then.

People like me notice the small things like the drumming but then I accept the masses out there don't give a shit.

Then there's the lack of new material. Most of these big reunions have some kinda come back single or album. Van Halen, Ac/Dc, Motley, Soundgarden...the absence of that sort of cements the feeling that it's just a victory lap before the end...and makes there less to talk about.

So as you said I just dont have much to say day to day about it.

Despite all that I'm still sort of hopeful they could do something else. Axl has albums worth of half done stuff. Slash can record an album in like 2 weeks. Axl can still do that Ac/Dc scream. In the studio they could still rock my world....you wouldn't place a bet on them doing it any time soon...but then you never know with GNR....

Yeah it's probably a nonsense job. But I'm jealous anyway. I mean we're at desks or whatever and he's touring the world listening to GNR every night...also he could learn the ropes of how shit works over all the past tours and eventually leverage his way from the experience into doing stuff for other artists too.

I guess good luck to him really, it's just one of the less palatable outcomes in the GNR fan stories to me. It's beyond me how he could trash Slash so badly and then be still welcome when Slash returns. But the whole organisation has been crazy for a long time.

Yup.

It's one of those things that's hard to get your head around.

I mean the guy openly mocked Slash and people who like slash for around a decade.

Additionally while GNR no doubt has it's share of bad users and trolls he was openly hostile, aggressive and patronising to many fans - the same people who are really the bands consumers and customer base.

So on an artistic level he mocked the art, on a commercial level he mocked the patrons.

This is rewarded with a dream job in the industry.

Only in GNR I guess.

I think it depends on what a person takes from GNR.

Ever notice how alone none of the members really nail the complete sound alone?

Chinese Democracy missed the guitar rawness of Slash. Slash's stuff missed the power of Axl's voice. Duff's stuff is punk but without the blues of the others, Izzy's is Americiana but without the solos and voice....

So on one hand you can say none of them did anything GNR outside of GNR.

On the other hand, if you listen closely to the parts and fill in the gaps, you can hear the records that never were.

You can listen to TIL, TWAT, Cather, Blues, Madgasgar and imagine what UYI Slash would play on those songs.

You can listen to By The Sword, Anastasia, Ghost, Sucker Train Blues, Neither Can I and imagine what Axl would have sung on those tracks.

Slash has a shit ton of riffs that were just as good guitar wise as GNR but are not as well appreciated because they didn't get the full GNR process.