While it's well-known that GNR went on to work on a follow-up to Illusions in between '94-96, little has ever been heard of this material, even though Axl (of all people!) has occasionally teased people with descriptions such as '1996 Aerosmith Rocks' and saying he still has the rehearsal tapes after all these years, with Slash playing out the key parts of VR's Fall to Pieces. While all the material might as well remain behind lock and key 'till kingdom come, so ideas may be drawn from the evidence at hand. Here, I'll try and look into everything recorded or composed during that era, and draw some ideas as to how the lost album might've sounded. Others are invited to join.

Slash's Snakepit - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

GNR according to Slash, from the demos recorded in late '93, finishing up in January '94. Duff was touring behind Believe in Me (which is left out as he always saw it as a solo album), while Axl was busy with lawsuits and whatever else. Which is why we got Slash banging out with Matt, Gilby and Mike Inez from Alice in Chains.

One thing is obvious from the get-go: Snakepit features some of the best riffs Slash has ever recorded. The bulk of the album rests on his shoulders, and he's more than happy to pull out a killer guitar part after another. Matt's drumming is another strong part; his fills have more imagination than on the oft heavy-handed approach he took with the UYI's. The album has only one significant problem: While Slash may maintain it's an album 100% in the true GNR spirit, I'd rather side with Duff and Axl on the matter.

There's some spectacular soloing with Slash going off to showcase himself at the top of his game, the leading blues-rock guitarist of the biggest band in the world. Still, only in about half the songs is that enough to conjure up reflections of a true GNR spirit. Mike Inez's bass thumps along well enough mostly during intros, but is left a bit unimaginative, doing only what is necessary and not much more.

Gilby's playing is even more depressing from a GNR perspective. Slash practically carries him on his shoulders for a good while, with Gilby only passingly encouraged to step outside the comfort zone and putting himself up against the leads. As daunting as the leads may be, Izzy never had a problem doing an inventive little undertone, circling around Slash's playing and contributing an additional texture to tunes.

Roughly half the album, to me, is Slash pointing out his creative peak as a lead guitarist, with the rest of the band doing little aside complimenting him and leaving more than enough room for his solos to twist, turn and entangle all over. Nothing wrong in that when talking about a band led by Slash, in which category Snakepit is excellent, but as a GNR album, it would feel a bit underwhelming.

Slash never goes out to do something extremely wild; there's no Coma, no Locomotive, nothing that really pushes those great abilities, harnesses the impeccable riffs into anything greater than the sum of their parts. Had the rest of the band worked on some of those songs, they could've easily been taken to the next level, while the simplicity Slash himself seemingly fancies could've been kept intact. I might personally go with songs like Neither Can I, Dime Store Rock, Beggars and Hangers-on, Soma City Ward and Be the Ball. There are also others, depending on the day I'm having.

Velvet Revolver - Fall to Pieces

The power ballad lacking from the Snakepit album? FTP is soft enough without getting sentimental, with Slash doing a more mature version of the haplessly sappy SCOM melody. The leads are still very much in tune with the Snakepit album, while the rhythm section obviously sound a whole lot more like Guns, for obvious reasons. Axl singing on top would've made this one fall excellently in line with the GNR versions of some of the Snakepit songs, contributing a more tender moment to all of Slash's solo frenzies.

Guns N' Roses - This I Love

Every GNR album has that defining Axl moment. On this one, TIL would've been it. Sticking out from between the aforementioned material glaringly, the song would've been redeemed more or less if Axl'd dared to keep the production in line with the rest. The lyrics would've been on par with November Rain on the tear-jerker department and here's where a top-notch Slash solo would've been in serious demand. A possible album closer, a more stripped version of the UYI epics,

Guns N' Roses - Sympathy for the Devil

The only chance to actually hear the lineup in a studio environment. The Stones' original is a bit too drowned in Axl's typically overblown production style, but the recording and mixing are certainly better than on the UYI's. You can actually hear a whole lot going on in there, and when you have so much commanding elements starting with the usual Axl/Slash duel, it's a small miracle to have a crystallized rhythm section on occasion.

Slash's phalanx

The jury should actually go out to wonder whether Gilby would've been the best possible replacement for Izzy when it comes to studio work with Slash. One thing's for sure: Slash himself had more than enough enough creative juices flowing, and he could've written all the leads a GNR would've needed. Placing Zakk Wylde or any other decidedly leading guitarist alongside would've just been overpowering and would've robbed Slash's work a lot of its impact. Not to say he shouldn't be let go too easy.

Zakk himself maintains glimpses of his tenure with GNR can be heard on Rose-Petaled Garden from the Black Label Society album Sonic Brew. Listening to the track, it's not too hard to imagine Slash and Zakk in the rehearsals, battling out with the sound ridiculously heavy. Fun? Most definitely, but certainly not GNR as it was known back then.

Judging by SFTD, Paul Huge doesn't do too much, but his style is somewhat comparable to Izzy; he's actually there, buzzing around Slash like a busy little bee, completely oblivious of the respecting manners Gilby'd adopted. The one person sure to find him irritating was Slash, because Paul's minor discords and fills tend to get in the middle of his solos in a way unheard of on the Snakepit album.

The resulting album...?

One can dream. Kick ass riffs and solos, more thought-out lyrics and some good screams. A serviceable package for sure, which would kept GNR afloat as a professional band, painstakingly sticking to the blues-based rock they knew best, despite grunge coming and going, with industrial and alternative already gaining a mainstream foothold. They would've likely been criticized at the time for rehashing and honing the UYI's into a more streamlined package, and would've, most importantly, lacked the sly humor Izzy brought on the table.

My guess is the album would've attained more appreciation over time, while much of the longevity would've depended on whether Axl would've sufficed to keep things simple. Going the UYI/SFTD route would've likely meant a lot of the solid guitars would've been irrevocably buried beyond superfluous keyboards and other knick-knacks, which would've had no place on the 1996 Aerosmith Rocks.

After that, the band would've more than likely broken up, since there would've been no immediate room to grow in the current musical environment while simultaneously struggling to maintain a presence as one of the world's biggest rock groups.

But then again.... That's just my guess. Others have theirs.