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#301 Re: Guns N' Roses » Half of CD vocals done in a week? » 519 weeks ago
Robin left in August '99, and said vocals were still to be done.
"I'm doing the vocals. I'm about three-quarters of the way through, and it's a very difficult process for me." (Axl, MTV, 11/08/99)
"'As far as I can tell,' says GnR's manager Doug Goldstein, 'we are now 99% musically done and 80% vocals done [in November '99]. I see the record being done Feb or March for a summer release.'" (Rolling Stone, 01/00)
In the space of a week, Axl whipped out 8 or more vocal tracks - 75-80% of the entire album suggests the total amount was about 11 (out of 14).
Oklahoma was presented as an instrumental to Rolling Stone, while TIL, again, lacked Beavan's input. Old song titles that do fit the bill include Ides of March, Atlas Shrugged - and Oh My God.
#302 Re: Guns N' Roses » Half of CD vocals done in a week? » 519 weeks ago
The song structures were done, the vocals were done.
Starting with Fortus in '02, there was the gradual piecemeal of replacing older parts with takes from current members.
Bucket's & Brain's work was on until 2006, one would think. That's when Ron and Frank started adding in stuff.
Fortus went back intermittently to record bits and pieces over the years. Tommy redid some stuff.
The album was in a polishing mode for a long time - smart money would've mastered it early and put the extra effort on CD2.
#303 Re: Guns N' Roses » Half of CD vocals done in a week? » 519 weeks ago
How about the booklet done overnight?
Hi guys, some time ago I contacted Ryan Corey (Chinese Democracy's art director) by email. I sent him several questions involved with his work on the album. He´s a cool dude because he replied the email and answered all the questions (he even ask for an opinion related to the finished work).
I want to share it with you. There are some interesting facts. Here we go!
1- When did you start working with the art of the album?
We only started working on this project shortly before its release. We had a bit more time to focus on the cover, but once that was decided, the rest of the package had to be completed in a matter of days. (I was only allowed one long night to complete 99% of the work).
2- Did you have a call from Axl or the management team? I mean, how did the relationship start?
We had a lot of meetings with Axl's management, but no direct contact with him at all. He's pretty reclusive.
3- About the work. Did you receive clear work instructions? Did you have freedom in the creative process?
Axl had the bike photo to begin with. My understanding was that he had had it in mind for the cover for a couple of years prior to the album's release. So we had pretty clear instructions that that photo was going to be on the cover. We did many different cover options and eventually Axl settled on the one that was released.
After that it was more about figuring out what the rest of the pieces should look like in accordance with the aesthetic of the cover and how to work in all the photos of the band members, lyrics, etc. within the pages allotted. Then there were some very specific instructions as to where some things should appear and the inclusion of the paintings that appear in the booklet etc.
4- Maybe you're not a GNR fan, but this album was surrounded with mystery through the years. What did it mean for you to do this job? I mean this was Axl Rose's comeback.
I was aware of the magnitude and the mystique surrounding this project, so I felt proud to be able to be a part of it; I knew that a lot of people would be anticipating this record.
At one point the album art leaked to the internet before its release and that was almost a big fiasco. How has the art been received by GnR fans? Do they like it or no?
(I like it, but I told him there are mixed opinions about the artwork)
5- How about the alternative covers? There are plenty of them online, some of them are supposed to be fake, but the “red hand” cover is shown in the Smog site as an original piece of work. What is the story behind the different covers? Which is your favourite one? The bicycle or the hand?
The only two covers I know about are the bicycle and the red hand, both of which were officially released by Geffen. After the bike package was out, Axl wanted to do a special "art edition" that featured art that he personally selected from various sources. That turned out into a completely alternate package and I think was only a very limited release.
As far as the covers are concerned, it's hard to chose one or the other. Maybe it's because I had stared at the bicycle for so long that it was refreshing to look at something different. And I like the red hand because I think that artist does interesting work. But the bicycle has good traits as well.
Axl recalled the alternative artwork somewhat differently.
There are two more covers/back cover combos and the real booklet that is all artwork, that will be out shortly in some form... My fave is the 'How Are You' Grenade cover...
The booklet or artwork has always been something I've been passionate about, and to release the album with unapproved and unseen final artwork, with a 1st work only error-filled draft - when others, more recent, were readily available - still has not been explained, but is finally getting cleared up... It's been an ugly battle that hasn't made any sense to anyone.
#304 Re: Guns N' Roses » Axl Rose joins AC/DC » 519 weeks ago
Ya'll are fickle.
There's a pattern in the Axl fandom. Fans want it one way and whatever he does is ultimately underwhelming.
What a dick he is, failing to take conflicting dictation to the course of his life from the internet. 
#305 Re: Guns N' Roses » Axl Rose joins AC/DC » 519 weeks ago
The Chinese Leftovers exist. It's relatively easy in that the onus on those is more on Slash and Duff than Axl.
They would need to be present on songs, but they can do it by themselves, see: Better.
AC/DC is in a wildly different place than Guns, right now.
Imagine that the AFD 5 had been active for a good while, like the Black Ice-era AC/DC.
Then, two years back, Izzy (Malcolm) retires from touring. He's replaced by Paul Huge (Malcolm's nephew, Stevie).
Guns announce a new album in spite of this. Adler (Phil Rudd) shows up to do his parts, but then runs into legal trouble.
He's unceremoniously replaced by the 90's drummer, Matt Sorum (Chris Slade). Business as usual, to the outside, at least.
In the middle of the tour, Slash (Brian) loses the ability to play live. Dates are being postponed, uncertainty looms.
Suddenly, there's a buzz - followed by a confirmation. A left-field replacement (Axl/Joe Satriani) is stepping in.
Within two years, the AFD 5 has trickled down to Axl and Duff, with reasonably proficient replacements. But Satch?
The fanbase would always be divided on whether a solid virtuoso could insert enough feeling to the solos.
#306 Re: Guns N' Roses » Axl Rose joins AC/DC » 519 weeks ago
Last Guns US date. 8/22/16: San Diego, CA @ Qualcomm Stadium
First Axl/DC US date. 8/27/16: Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
Five days in between. The reformation is bookended by AC/DC. 
The original Rock or Bust touring commitments are done after those US dates - I was pretty certain Axl'd do them in September, if he could.
With that, Axl's still filling up Brian's shoes. Whatever comes beyond it would be more definitively the Axl/DC -era of the band.
One'd think Guns would become a priority again in the autumn. Angus may take time off the road to write the next album. That might be a more convenient next step on the Axl/DC path, rather than extending the RoB tour, with Brian's shadow all over them.
Axl knows the grand prix - him singing lead on an AC/DC album. Another Guns album would be an excuse to take Guns on the road on the interim.
Yet, as long as AC/DC wants Axl, he can live without Guns.
#307 Guns N' Roses » Half of CD vocals done in a week? » 520 weeks ago
- apex-twin
- Replies: 19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQm7tanGAtk#t=8m31s
"To be honest, [when I joined the band,] it wasn't in the middle [of CD]. Honestly, I think it was more near the end. Overall, the songs were mostly written. The odd thing I wrote was, like, the chorus of Better. But that was all... it was pretty much done. I played on the whole thing, but I replaced other people's parts. I was playing, and they took somebody's elses part out and I put something in. But the songs... near 90% of it was done, as far as the songs having been written. I did all my stuff in less than a week on that entire album. Think I played on almost every song.
I've also heard that Axl sang that whole record in less than a week. Like, 90% of it was done in, literally, days. There was just so much stuff going on around the recording, that it took time, moreso than the actual recording. But, that being said, they had studios blocked out for long periods of time. It went through different producers. The record company said, 'No, we want to use this guy', and Axl said, 'OK, I'll try it'... They'd try it, would it work, they'd go in with somebody else. So, I think that's how I figure it amassed.
At that time, music still had value. People were still putting out records and touring to support the records. People don't do that anymore. People put out records to support a tour."
Producers coming in happened in '97-'98, before they landed on Sean Beavan.
I did hear the finished product... I thought, it came out 12 years after I did it or something, but I was surprised 'cause Roy Thomas Baker took over and then some other people were doing some stuff on it, and I figured there'd be nothing on there. It turns out almost every vocal track was a vocal track I did. -src
Axl’s main Vocals: Chinese Democracy, Prostitute, If The World, There Was A Time, Madagascar, Riad N’ The Bedouins, I.R.S., Street Of Dreams recorded by Sean Beavan, engineered by Critter, re-edited, processed and engineered by Caram Costanzo (all Axl’s vocals produced by Axl).
8 vocal tracks recorded in less than a week in '99, I'd say.
That leaves Better, Shackler, Scraped and Sorry to around 2001. This was the Roy Thomas Baker / Tom Zutaut -era, during which Brain and Bucket were encouraged to bring in their own material. They wrote those three of songs starting with an S with Pete Scaturro, I think. Better, a Robin song, has post-Beavan vocals.
TIL could be from anywhere since '93. Notably, Beavan lacks all credit on this song. Axl apparently worked on the song through the years as an aside - a bonus track or a soundtrack inclusion instead of actually including it on CD.
Fortus showed up in between the Vegas New Year shows and the '02 tour.
The album was almost done. What happened during and around that ill-fated US tour is still one of the great mysteries of the saga.
#308 Re: Guns N' Roses » Axl Rose joins AC/DC » 520 weeks ago
Yup, that first verse is harsh. Less so here, as I find his voice 'fuller' in this recording.
But the high part ('I'm gonna catch ya') is still grating - breaking out the Mickey.
#309 Re: Guns N' Roses » The Obsession » 520 weeks ago
Here's prolly the biggest fan on stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmC1srTBPWc
#310 Re: Guns N' Roses » Axl Rose joins AC/DC » 520 weeks ago
We would need soundboards to really tell. I can hear the fatigue, but there's also the factor of using a so-so smartphone in the middle of a crowd to record the front-of-house. At best, the representation is fair - but I've looked at videos of the same show, same song and thought to myself, Axl sounds completely different in between them. One vid had the fatigue and the other, more distorted, amplified the sour growls in his voice and made it sound worse than it actually was. Hence, we should always be looking for a median through separate recordings, separate shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz3RzrMREFM
He sounded fine to me Hamburg.
