To me the starting point is 5 O'clock Somewhere....

Those were the songs that Slash/Gilby wanted to put on the GNR record. What happened is one of those perspective issues. Slash's take is that Axl rejected them because he wanted to pursue an industrial sound. Axl's take is that Slash told him he had to sing them 'as is' and wasn't allowed to contribute. I suspect probably a bit of truth in both sides - Axl has said before he finds his process works best writing music around his melodies rather than being handed finished guitar tracks, so putting that with his then interest in electronic music might have been seen by Slash as rejection even if it wasn't intended as such. One can also understand Slash's perspective that he needed to get back on the road to get off drugs, the UYI recording had taken 2 years, and he just wasn't up for an extended hiatus of fucking around with them. The way its now been 15 year intervals between albums kinda makes his point. On the other hand when your singer is Axl, with Axl's talent, it's pretty stupid to tell him he doesn't get to contribute musically.

Anyways....whoever is right about it....I think it's fair to say in a more functional relationship...where Slash wasn't willing to take his riffs elsewhere, and where Axl was still hanging out with them contributing organically rather than keeping different hours and with different staff....I think....those riffs would have been the foundational rockers of the next album....and the songs you've mentioned would be the huge ballads....maybe Catcher too? I think it would have had a very UYI vibe.

I almost wish he had left it in properly and add slash as well.

Like have the robin solo on the studio in the middle section where it was - let richard play this live - then have a another solo section either right after it or at the end where Slash gets to do an outro or something.

But hey, it's not my song I guess, and Axl does write some kickass songs. This shit is so catchy. Lets hope they release it.

It's probably tricky too...like Slash is being come in and asked to play over existing recordings that we're Axl's babies at the time and of which there was a lot of drama around - and in some cases by players who don't really play in his style.

Generally he's doing that well - just playing them with more of a classic rock vibe (eg the title track!)  - but you can see why maybe he felt that's not a moment for him to re-invent the wheel. It's not the time he's going to push back against song structures or really try and take some heavy risks with his playing. So I think that's what's happened. Same on Absurd - live he goes crazy and shreds it up - but the studio version if quite 'safe' and non offensive.

He's also probably doing it in a hotel room on the road with myles or something...and who knows if Axl was around to ask questions of....then when Axl hears it back....is he really gunna ask Slash to have another pass at it? Like he's probably just glad they sorted their shit out and can work together at all - even casually like it is.

So my guess is slash went safe to not piss off Axl, and Axl didn't call him on it to not piss off Slash.

But then that could be entirely fictional - who the fuck knows how suff happens, being in a band is always weird and the creative process is even stranger.

We thought global release was last friday then the rumour surfaced that it was "delayed" - my guess is this one slipped through the cracks and came out as per the previous plan. Suggests that it will be out properly very soon though.