I think that 5 O'Clock's guitar work is as good as AFD's. He played great stuff on ALG, too. I agree that VR is Slash's weakest guitar work, although some songs match with his best GN'R moments. You'd have to listen some Neither Can I, Beggard and Hangers-On, Be The Ball, Back and forth, Speed Parade, Slither, Messages etc... He's still the guitar god, but unfortunately hasn't found another god to sing for him. I wish that his next singer wouldn't limitate the guitar force, at least.

He started a new band in 1991-1992, with the singer of Vain. The band was called Roadcrew, just like his band with Slash (and Duff). Steven sounded very ambitioius bach then, but they didn't last too long, cause Stevie's crack habit killed it all. In the late 80s-early 90s almost everyone in the rock business was outta this world, but Steven was in like another dimension. I feel sorry for him, cause he's still such an energetic drummer and a good guy, but very-very weak.

I think - based on the first VR album sales - there are at least 1,5 million hardcore GN'R fans, who'd buy the album without hearing a tone. Since they're hardcore fans, 1 million can buy all the 4 discs, or a 4-disc set. It's a strong possibility, I think. That's 1,000,000*4* $15 = 60 million bucks. Pretty good with close to zero promotion needed. They can make at least $ 30 million, even with a 4-disc box set. It'd still regain the money, with some profit, and without any risk. I still think that the guy who were caught misunderstood some info, and maybe Axl really has 4 albums ready, but it won't come out at the same time. But even if they do, it's not that crazy from the financial and fame point of view. Axl isn't interested in either money or fame, of course (if we can believe in Merck's words, who was proved to be a liar later).

I don't see  Uni releasing 4 Nu-GN'R albums at the same time. That would only make sence if they gave up the hope that it'd do good in the mainstream media, so they're forced to rip-off the hardcore fans. Anyone else would download all the 4 albums... or 1 or 2, but nobody who isn't hardcore will buy it... cuase it's just too much. And why release everything you have, when it seems like your band that wrote and recorded the majority of the material fell apart? BH, Finck, Tobias are no longer in the band, and even the guy, Josh Freese, who wrote the title track left a long-long time ago.

It doesn't make any sense unless you have enough of the whole project and your plan is to scrap it with capitalizing the most you can on the hardcore fans to get back some of the money spent. So 4 albums at the same time would mean that Axl wants to end this... he's either retiring, or starting a new band, or the gates are open for the reuinon... It's only opinion, of course.

Releasing a BH-dominated record, or even one with just some BH shining here and there would be stupid without having him in the band again. Imagine... the best moments are played by someone who left the band 4-5 years ago... Only one thing would be even more stupid: release an album without BH, who clearly has the best moment in the new songs - even though his role isn't more than a guest musician, his parts are mostly out of the songs, if you know what I mean... but it means that these are out of the mediocrity as well, which is a good thing. Without BH this band is nothing musically.