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Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
October '94.
The end of days was at hand for Slash and Axl.
And I went: "Dude, we finished it already. It's gone."
And he goes: "You couldn't have done an album in two weeks."
I said: "Oh yeah. I can."You can do that. And it turned into a big fight."
(Slash, Canadian Radio, 04/20/95)
The fight was over those 3-4 Snakepit demos Slash had recorded with Matt early into the year. He'd intended them for the next Guns album, so he had Gilby redo the rhythm parts. Duff was still touring behind his solo album, Believe in Me, so Mike Inez from Alice in Chains helped out. All was good except for the fact that Axl dragged his feet. Axl didn't see the whole Southern Rock aspect as a predominant part of the next Guns album, which he was envisioning to be... well, a lot of things.
Axl wanted This I Love in there. That song, demoed during the UYI tours, made Slash's skin crawl. Another Stephanie Seymour ballad, he sighed. More progress had been made on the preproduction of Axl's solo album, and since nothing else was coming together, Axl felt it was a stroke of genius to merge the project with the Guns album. Slash was abhorred - now Axl was giving him that Pearl Jam ticket. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
The Snakepit demos had been an earnest effort to get Guns' musical direction back to their gritty club days, towards the magic of Appetite. Following the fortunes of the yesteryears, Slash had enjoyed the luxury of a personal recording studio; the ability to do what he wanted, when he wanted, and most importantly, how he wanted. The demos were his bargaining chip to get away from sobby ballads and Pearl Jam influences, and he wasn't going to let it slide.
Axl scoffed most of the demos, but expressed interest in the chosen few. Slash made his stand; no changes. Guns would do them as is, because Slash felt they represented the purity of the vintage Guns material. Like AFD, or the instrumentals of the UYI tracks. Before Axl put on layers and layers of production. If these songs would indeed make the cut, Slash was ready to fight tooth and nail for his original intentions with them. It wasn't as much the songs as it was about principle: he was fed up with Axl now getting his way with everything, all the time.
There had been the Gilby situation. They had all gone to a room to write as a band. It was tricky, though. There were issues that had gone unresolved for the past few years. The shadows of Izzy and Steven loomed large over them. Duff's health was getting iffy. After some awkward moments, the songs began to trickle. A riff here, another there. Alas, Gilby had to soldier through the look he would get at any given time. 'Where's Izzy?' It all finally caught up with him and he lashed out at Slash. The sessions were over, right there and then.
Gilby had commitments by then. He had a solo album deal with Virgin, outside of the Geffen contract, which contained the recording agreements of founding Guns members. His album was in the can, he had a backing band ready to hit the road for the remainder of the year. He'd played his hand, knowing they might not call him back. They wouldn't. Gilby had lost the backing of Slash, the one founding member who'd championed him thus far. The writing sessions had failed to set the band on fire. Axl had a reason to have it his way.
There had been the Duff situation. After those sessions with Gilby, he'd gone off to Seattle to pass the time, like he'd done so often after coming back from tour. On April Fools Day, he flew alongside Kurt Cobain. Cobain was dead in a week. A month from that, Duff nearly joined him - his pancreas had its well-publicized swell, which changed his life. No more hard drinking with Slash and Matt, but mountain biking and healthy eating with Axl. Duff was now Axl's confidant and right-hand man on musical direction.
Throughout all this, the haggling over those 3-4 demos went on. This was standard practice with Guns. Everybody else recorded their stuff and presented the demos, Axl picked the ones he wanted to sing on. The rest were scrapped, no exceptions. Duff, as well as Izzy with the JuJu Hounds album, had set a precedent: they could record outside the Guns moniker, and get away with it. Slash wanted the songs out in a certain style. He set out to prove Axl and Duff a Southern Rock album would do, and pressed REC.
And it turned into a big fight.
Axl felt had. Those 3-4 demos, which he felt were in the running for the next Guns album, were now gone. Slash had vetoed his contributions without notice. Unsurprisingly, Axl immediately felt like suing Slash for breach of contract or whatever his lawyers could concote. But Slash had written and recorded the demos in his own basement, on his own time. There was no case, as he'd never signed the demos off to Guns in the first place. Slash had changed the rules of the game and Axl was not about to conform quietly.
In less than a year, Axl would make damn sure the Snakepit situation would never be repeated. All the while, he was spending more time with his legal, battling his ex-wives, than with his band, writing the next album. The lawyers would recommend a coup d'etat; leave the Guns partnership, own up the name and have everyone else on the payroll. It was within the existing recording agreement - he could get away with it. And he did, although his legal failed to underline he'd still have to work with those very people.
A more immediate ripple would occur before that, tho. David Geffen, the head of Geffen Records, was involved in producing the big-budget Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt vehicle, Interview with a Vampire. They were a month away from release, and there was some conundrum over the song during the end credits. Given the subject matter, Jay Aston from the goth band Gene Loves Jezebel had been commissioned an entry. It was scrapped in favor of the Stones' Sympathy for the Devil. But that version was an old hat and the financial pressure was there. Someone said, 'Well, Guns are on the label'.
A&R Man Tom Zutaut began grooming Guns to humor the label. Slash, a horror movie buff, went into a screening first. He hated the film and told Zoot they would be better off by going with the Stones cover. Zoot must've had sweaty palms the following night as Axl sat in an otherwise (naturally) vacant theatre. What Axl saw was probably similar to what he'd had going in the Guns videos since Don't Cry, a man doomed to traverse in and out of mortal coil for reasons unbeknownst to him. Slick, long-haired immortals likely struck a chord and Axl said yes.
Slash thought, fine. At least, they'd all get into a room and work on it, together. Only that Axl was sore over the Snakepit demos and was likely plotting their Devil version as an audial precursor for the new album. That's why only Slash, Matt and Duff attended the instrumental sessions. Slash did a revisionist solo for their version, he wanted it to carry the Guns signature. Axl was decidedly avoiding Slash and told through some middle men that the guitar solo needed to be more like Keith Richards. Moreover, note to note Richards.
Slash complied, irked. He wanted to talk to Axl and stormed into the vocal session. Axl shunned him. Slash left, feeling despodent. Axl did his vocals in varying pitches and mixed several takes together into the end result. Then, he did what could be seen as an immediate revenge over the Snakepit demos, and equally unheard of in Guns history: He tampered with Slash's guitar solo.
When the November Rain mix was on the table some years prior, engineers would later recall stories of how Axl would come up to Slash and, very politely, ask for a specific lick to be a bit louder. Axl went out of his way to personally inform Slash of the slightest alteration and Slash would have final say on mixing his own parts, anyway. When Slash put on the final mix of their Devil cover, he would've assumed the old gentlemen's agreement was still intact.
By the time he got to the solo, Slash was irate. There was another guitar, another guitar player. Axl had smuggled in his old Indiana friend Paul Huge to do a louder tune version of the Richards solo, and inserted it underneath Slash's solo. It was an imitation of call and response, a studio trick pulled to fatten up the sound without straying too far from the original Stones version. Axl had been studying this sort of modernization of sound for some time and was curious to see if it would big Slash's guitar up.
Above: Hear the infamous Paul Huge contributions.
And it turned into a big fight.
Slash felt had. While Huge had been merely Axl's underling and playing the good soldier, in Slash's mind, he grew to encompass all that had gone wrong between Slash and Axl during the past year. Had it been different for the band if another guitar player would've done the Devil session with Axl, or if Slash would've put those 3-4 demos aside while recording Snakepit, we'll never know. What's more certain is the band fell apart in slow motion over a period of years, due to the fragile egos of two men who successively shunned one another instead of mulling over their problems.
20 years later, rumors are abound that they may mend fences sometime in the future.
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
Axl still gets his way with everything. Unless Slash has surrendered his principles (again?) then can't see what's changed.
Great write up btw.
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
Only reason I defend Axl is because his decision was right musically. The Huge additions does make the solo better. All in all I love that song and think it is better than the Stones version. He may be a dick, but he's usually a dick that is right. If anything Slash has consistently displayed the opposite ever since. His idea of what GN'R should be usually ends up as generic rock that could use a lot more work. You can make an album in 2 weeks, but not a good album.
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
All in all I love that song and think it is better than the Stones version.
Better than the Stones?? No way. The versions atrocious & has no redeeming qualities. One of the worst songs in GnRs library and just a terrible cover altogether. Check out Janes Addicitions cover, wayyyyyyy better cover than Guns.
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
I'm a huge Stones fan, but that version never did much for me. You hear the same argument about KOHD, that it sucks because it doesn't really capture the original feel of the song. Well true, but why do a cover if you don't put your own spin to it? I much prefer Axl's jokey voice and Slash' sleek guitar over the Stones 60's sound. That Jane version sounds much too verbatim for me. Why even do it then?
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
We'll just have to disagree then, as the Janes version speeds up the tempo a bit, and give it a beach vibe/surf rock. Probably one of the best covers of all time, as it's a great re-interpretation imho. Can't listen to more than a couple seconds of the guns version myself as its atrocious.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
Stones version is one of the greatest songs ever. Slash's solos rip on the cover though. Mick actually sounded like the devil trying to seduce you. Axl had the post Illusions ragged out voice. Still lots of power, but sounded strained. Not bad just different.
- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
I love the GNR version of Devil. One of Axl's best vocal performances even for a cover (imo) and the production is sludgy and big rock n' roll! The instrumentation is damn good too.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: 20 Years Ago: The Snake and the Devil
That was Awesome!!! never heard that before..
