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ClaudeF
 Rep: 16 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

ClaudeF wrote:

Considering how Axl tries to live in the moment, focusing on the band he's working with, what are the prospects for him to finally release the Chinese Democracy remix album?

I strongly wish for some formal recognition of the 10th anniversary of Chinese Democracy but considering how GNR did nothing to commemorate last year being the 30th anniversary of Appetite - which could have been the basis for a best-selling box set - they probably aren't even thinking about it.

To the best of my knowledge, the remixes that have not yet circulated in full are:
"Silkworms"
"This I Love"
"Shackler's Revenge"
"Oh My God"
"If the World"

If the band or its label are concerned that a release on CD would not sell enough to warrant the cost, maybe the tracks could be released on iTunes or elsewhere. They have to have noticed the online interest in these songs. Why sit on them any longer?

I adored "Going Down." It deserves proper production and widespread release. Because Axl only sings harmony on the track, it feels like the truest *band* performance of the post-Spaghetti Incident era.

Any current opinions on the album's fate?

auad
 Rep: 3 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

auad wrote:

with respect to creativity and production ... GNR is dead, and there are times.

PaSnow
 Rep: 205 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

PaSnow wrote:

Just a long shot, but anyone know if GnRs contract (or bands in existing contracts) is remodeled to the Digital Download sales?

Were bands in legacy contracts (Metallica, Pearl Jam, Snoop Dog) during the 98-2005ish transition years just SOL?  Suddenly labels sold songs over to iTunes, Amazon etc and the label kept all royalties?




Anyway, a CD remix would be a turd. only about 500 leftover GnR forum posters would actually buy such a thing.

esoterica
 Rep: 69 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

esoterica wrote:

I love everything Chinese Democracy. I'd buy the remix album but I'm not necessarily excited about it.

The label owns rights to everything recorded 95-03, GNR had a 3 album contract at the time, Appetite For Democracy fulfilled one of those, and the last I knew it was negotiated on was around 2006.

For digital releases, sales, and profits, it depends entirely on the legal language, sometimes there are certain clauses to rope artists in longterm, sometimes not. It all depends on the contract.

If I had to wager a guess, there's been a longstanding gridlock and animosity between Axl and the label and it likely played a factor in no music being released 2010-2012. "It's a bit more complicated than anyone would like... and no ones trying to talk in parables".

I'm with Axl in terms of artist treatment, profits, and the like. Streaming is just as corrosive to art as illegal downloading.

James
 Rep: 664 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

James wrote:

It needed to be a bonus disc with CD. Could've helped move more copies that's for sure. I doubt it ever gets released but I'd like to see it on a box set.

zombux
 Rep: 36 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

zombux wrote:
ClaudeF wrote:

Considering how Axl tries to live in the moment, focusing on the band he's working with, what are the prospects for him to finally release the Chinese Democracy remix album?

I strongly wish for some formal recognition of the 10th anniversary of Chinese Democracy but considering how GNR did nothing to commemorate last year being the 30th anniversary of Appetite - which could have been the basis for a best-selling box set - they probably aren't even thinking about it.

To the best of my knowledge, the remixes that have not yet circulated in full are:
"Silkworms"
"This I Love"
"Shackler's Revenge"
"Oh My God"
"If the World"

If the band or its label are concerned that a release on CD would not sell enough to warrant the cost, maybe the tracks could be released on iTunes or elsewhere. They have to have noticed the online interest in these songs. Why sit on them any longer?

I adored "Going Down." It deserves proper production and widespread release. Because Axl only sings harmony on the track, it feels like the truest *band* performance of the post-Spaghetti Incident era.

Any current opinions on the album's fate?

depends on what do you consider the "remix album" - there actually were multiple approaches to this.

the most complete one we know of, are the "Brain remixes", which consisted of 6 songs: Better Gone and Blood In The Water leaked in their entirety, If The World, Shackler's Revenge leaked only as 16sec samples, and This I Love also leaked as 16sec sample - it's however not 100% certain to be a Brain's remix or some other remix. ITW was also recently performed by Brain & Melissa, I think it was twice. the last, sixth Brain's remix is unknown, we can only guess which ChiDem song or unreleased song it was.

Going Down (unreleased song leaked in its entirety), Silkworms and Oh My God (leaked as 16sec samples, unsure if those were old or newer mixes) are probably not any remixes, but just some old tracks Bumblefoot used to add his guitar to - unclear when or why.

so the only known remixes other than Brain's are DJ Ashba's rendition (this one is something between a proper remix and a cover-version using original vocals) and Bumblefoot's rendition (I don't remember if that one is also using original vocals or is a pure acoustic cover-version).

that's it.

elevendayempire
 Rep: 96 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

zombux wrote:

Bumblefoot's rendition (I don't remember if that one is also using original vocals or is a pure acoustic cover-version).

It is using the original vocals with new guitar tracks laid down over it. Because of that it's really easy to layer the Rock Band multitracks over it and create a "full-band" acoustic version.

zombux
 Rep: 36 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

zombux wrote:

thanks for refreshing my memory smile it would actually be cool of Bumblefoot to make a full acoustic cover with himself singing, that one would nicely fit on Barefoot EP in some parallel universe!

monkeychow
 Rep: 661 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

monkeychow wrote:
PaSnow wrote:

Were bands in legacy contracts (Metallica, Pearl Jam, Snoop Dog) during the 98-2005ish transition years just SOL?  Suddenly labels sold songs over to iTunes, Amazon etc and the label kept all royalties?

There was some litigation around that for a time.

The labels were trying to keep digital sales on the bases that the bands contract says they get paid for CDs and Records.

But there was the reverse argument that the band was paid for "copies sold of the recording" and digital sales are obviously copies even if when the contract was signed copies ment tapes and vinyl or whatever.

I think in some cases it came down to the exact wording in the contract. Like does the contract say you are paid X for "every copy sold" or X for "every record sold" and other fun and games like that. Or are they paid for recordings produced or sold - that can be different too.

Lot of shonky stuff in record contracts. For example they often have a clause that the label can deduct "breakages" from artist sales. this was a clause that existed back when records were smash-able and a certain amount would be destroyed going to the store. Funnily enough that doesn't happen with files uploaded to itunes...but there's probably still a clause in most of them allowing for label to deduct a certain amount of assumed breakages anyway.

Of course in modern contracts the labels often give you less of a good rate for digital than for physical too (for no reason). Likewise they try and get into all the revenue streams too like wanting a cut of t-shirts or tours - which never existed in old contracts.

So in short...it can go either way...sometimes a legacy deal is actually a better deal for the artist than they would get these days.

ClaudeF
 Rep: 16 

Re: Is the ChiDem remix album dead?

ClaudeF wrote:

I think the "breakages" clause is what led to the appearance of "cut-outs" up through the late 1980s: Albums with a drill hole or notch cut into the corner. You'd see albums, tapes, and CDs like this in the bargain bins at record stores, usually selling for half of regular price, or less.

I found both the censored and uncensored LPs of Appetite like that, each for $3.99!

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