The Rio 3 version of Madagascar is the best live version I've heard without doubt. BH's solo is amazing but it's not even just him the whole band was 'on' for that song, it sounded magic that night.

Axl's not exactly a poular guy and some people will be far from objective when hearing this thing. There's plenty of people that think Axls a total prick and would love to see him fail and based off that alone will hate anything this band does, some of them in powerful media positions. There's people who will love everything this band does and you'll find most of those on these forums, emailing those in powerful media positions

In all seriousness Bono, who's saying the productions crappy? Besides the layering of vocals which I can see turning some people off, what's wrong with the production, it sounds fine to me?

As for positive/negative reviews I've yet to hear the thing on the radio myself but everything I've read in terms of comments from UK radio stations has been good, no word of a lie. Did anyone listen to the radio 2 link I put up a few pages back? That's a national UK radio station and I'm pretty sure the most listened to radio station in the UK (I might be wrong on that but if it's not it's in the top 3). CD got played on Chris Evans hit or miss feature and after the track played he said the overall response to it was excellent. They read some good responses some bad responses and then announced that overall the responses were excellent, a 'volcanic hit' he described it as, and he also said he liked it himself. Hundreds of people if not more will have texted or emailed in to that and the large majority liked it. Not saying that's going to represent the worldwide feeling on the song but it's encouraging news imo.

IT took 11 years longer than Wembley Stadium and 14 years more than the Empire State Building - but at least it came in slightly quicker than the Great Wall Of China.

Then ... band logo 15 years ago
After 15 years in the making, the title track from GUNS N' ROSES' comeback album Chinese Democracy '” which will be the initial single '” finally had its first radio play yesterday.

And today I can reveal the ridiculous SPINAL TAP-style lengths AXL ROSE and Co have gone to in their search for perfection as they produced the follow-up to 1993 album The Spaghetti Incident?

The legendary rockers '” who have sold 27million copies of their iconic 1987 debut Appetite For Destruction '” have spent an estimated £15million and gone through five producers and a revolving cast of a dozen musicians to complete the epic.

They even spent £200,000 re-recording every individual drum beat and cymbal for the collection after drummer JOHN FREESE, who played on the sessions, quit the band.

Tub thumper BRYAN MANTIA was forced to spend seven months painstakingly replicating the intricate patterns when Freese downed tools in 2000 '” roughly halfway through the extraordinary decade-and-a-half it has taken to put the album together.

And Mantia spent a whopping five years behind his kit for Axl's magnum opus.

This lot make the four years it took to build Wembley look efficient.

Mantia said: 'I think I have the record for how long drums were set up in a studio.

Mine were at the Village Recorders in Los Angeles for five years.

Advertisement

'During that time we've had three different producers '” SEAN BEAVEN, ROY THOMAS BAKER and I guess Axl is the producer now.'

Metal titans Guns N' Roses were the biggest band on the planet in their heyday.

The line-up of singer Axl lead guitarist SLASH, rhythm guitarist IZZY STRADLIN, bassist DUFF McKAGAN and drummer STEVEN ADLER filled stadiums the world over in the late Eighties and early Nineties.

But with the exception of their famous frontman they have all since left the band and been replaced by a rotating cast of 12 new members.

The current line-up includes RON 'BUMBLEFOOT' THAL on lead guitar, RICHARD FORTUS on rhythm guitar, DIZZY REED on keyboards and TOMMY STINSON on bass.

The rockers even worked on the monstrously-delayed Chinese Democracy in suitably grand surroundings.

Mantia explained: 'It was recorded upstairs in an auditorium that used to be a Masonic temple.'

Since The Spaghetti Incident? the group have not issued a full-length studio album.

There is still no official UK release date for this much-awaited follow-up but it is expected to be November 24.

The first proper fruit of their Herculean effort got its worldwide debut yesterday as the album's title track hit radio stations.

It's a mighty slice of thundering, operatic, axe-shredding rock pomp '” much like the old stuff.

Fifteen years well spent then.

The 40 second mark is interesting for me, there's something else going on under the 'Don't you try...' it sounds like a new solo or something. I love those vocal harmonies as well the ohhh ooohs are haunting.