Good thinking, CC.

Steven was just finishing a South American tour with Adler's Appetite mk. II. Don't know what Gilby (or Izzy) was doing, but based on that, I'd suspect we would've gotten the UYI lineup.

Well, a little bit of historical facts first. On 12/31/95, Axl became the sole proprietor of the GNR name, brand and the musical partnership and the other members were demoted into hired employees. This piece of the puzzle has been unveiled only in the recent years, yet the way Duff and Slash have expressed their side of the story in the press through several years has alluded that the three-fold partnership formed in '92 was still in effect at the time their resignations. So keep in mind that whenever they say something to the effect of 'Axl turned the band into a dictatorship', he was exercising his legal right to enforce certain decisions over the band. Whether these decisions were in the best interests of any lineup is a different matter.

In a 1995 interview for a TV show in Paris, Slash spoke at length about how there was a pretty severe communication breakdown between him and Rose, and how he couldn't stomach working with Paul Huge, the rhythm guitarist Axl had just brought in to replace Izzy Stradlin. "The main trouble with Axl is that he always thinks a Guns N' Roses album is automatically a solo album for him," he remarked at one point. A year later, in September 1996, Duff McKagan - newly clean and sober - and Matt Sorum were also facing the same TV cameras.

[...]"All lead singers are egomaniacs," said Duff. "But hey, you need 'em. What more can I say?"

[...] In one of the few significant interviews he's granted in 1997, Slash admitted: "Axl and I have just not been able to have a meeting of the minds of such that we can actually work together. My basic plan is to wait, let the smoke clear, and maybe we can talk about it later.... Axl's whole visionary style - as far as input in Guns N' Roses - is completely different from mine. I just like to play guitar, as opposed to presenting an image." (Who's Afraid of Axl Rose, Icon Magazine, 10/97)

Showbizz: After the N.O tour, the press started to hear problems about the relationship between the GNR members. What really happened?

Duff: Slash got sick an tired and said: " Fu** off the band!". He and Axl didn't talk with each other anymore. They were always talking with each other through me - it was like being between two kids. After Axl wanted to fire Matt but I said: "We're a band and the majority must decide. You're pissed off because Matt said you're wrong".

S: Wrong about what?

D: About Axl's delay to record the next album. The group turned into an authoritarian thing - there was only Axl's opinion. They offered us lots of money to go to Europe but I thought: "Wait, I never was into it because of the money. Why would I do it now? I have a house a car and I'm fine". I had a dinner with Axl and said: "Man, the things are beyond the limits. I don't want to play to a commandant." (Duff, Showbizz, 06/99)

"Hard Force: After you finished the tour with NO, the medias started to talk about line-up problems in Guns N' Roses. Was this the beginning of the band's downfall?
Duff: Everything started when Slash turned his back and said : « This is shit. » [referring to their musical differences.] He and Axl didn't talk to each other anymore. It had become quite irrational.

Hard Force: The communication between them?
Duff: Yes. I was always in the middle, the one both came to see, and I got the impression I arbitrated little kids' quarrels. Matt was never a full member of the band, he was on an ejector seat and Axl said : « I'm gonna fire him. » I answered that this decision required more than one person to be taken since we were a band, that he alone didn't own the majority. All of this because Matt told him he was wrong. The truth is, Matt was right, and Axl wrong indeed.

Hard Force: Wrong about what?
Duff: About schedules and the way Axl was late for the next album. Susan, my girlfriend, was pregnant. We were going to have a baby, but this band was becoming a dictatorship, everything had to get done in Axl's way or it wouldn't get done at all. It wasn't like that when we started out. At one point, we were offered a huge sum of money to play a concert in Germany. I thought : « I never played for money and I'm not gonna start now! ». I've got a house, I'm secure financially." - Duff, 1999

"I was offered a lot of money to stay in Guns N' Roses, and I was very honored by that. But I realized that I had never gotten into making music for the money in the first place, so why should I start doing money for things now?" - Duff, 1999

"Post-Neurotic was the worst moment of my career in Guns. I went out for dinner with Axl and I told him : « Enough is enough. This band is a dictatorship and I don't see myself playing in those conditions. Find someone else. »" - Duff, 1999

"Actually nobody could fire somebody in that band, because everyone was the equal partner. I quit. I left the band two weeks before my daughter Grace (she is two now) was born [August 27th 1997]. It was not fun. That's the reason. The reason why I stayed in the band was to be a bridge between Axl and Slash. That's what I stick to. But I didn't want to stay there, cause that's not GN'R any more. There were only three guys left. What they want us to do? Me and AXL release the album as GN'R?

[...]

I was trying real hard. I have been sober since around '94 and I thought we could do better when I recall and analyze. Me and Axl were getting along well and we had very good conversation. Three of us could keep doing together. There was no doubt about it. There was no progress though. And it came to the end without facing and shaking hands saying "What the fuck were we doing?"

Everybody was trying to persuade me to stay in the band for money. I didn't want to stay the band. It was not good as it used be. It won't go well. Only three guys, not five. And Axl wanted to do something else. He didn't know what he was doing. I don't want to repeat what he said on MTV. If I do, it would be his
advantage. Music wise, he was invaded completely by guys his brought. He brought a guy and said "He is our new guitar player." I said "What a fuck?" That's not right. That's same thing I bring a guy and say "He is a new member." There was no democracy. Slash started to take it seriously said "Fuck it. Is that his
band? Since when?" That's ridiculous.

Even if I went to rehearsal at nine at night, Axl shows up at four or five in the next morning for about two years. I could not keep up with the schedule. There was no respect for me. That's enough, so I quit. I went to dinner with Axl and his manager. He was a manager of GN'R and still Axl's. I said "Axl, We had very [much] fun together, but it's your own band now. I'm not interested in you as a dictator. I didn't come here to talk about the money advanced for next record. You can have it. See Ya." That's it." (Duff, Burrn Magazine, 12/99)

"When you left the band, how did it all happen? You said you were out, you said you needed to talk?

Yeah, just talk, sit down and talk. I told them I had changed. I said if they needed help, they could just call me. I told Axl this was his band, he had ignored everyone and had hired his best friend for the band. I couldn't play with him. Paul Huge, that was the guy! He's a friend of Axl, he's a 'yes man'.

"I don't care" At that point, what would you do? I came to a point where I couldn't even look at him (Paul Huge). If I were in such a situation, if I were the friend joining the band, I'd say "Hey guys, you've done very good yourselves alone, I'm not going any further. Hey, Duff, thanks for the offer, but I'm breaking your band." But he didn't say it." (Duff, Popular 1, 07/00)

Slash talks about the breakup

Slash on Axl in Letterman

There are numerous other quotes but my archives sort of fail me. Basically, Slash was the one who kept saying he's willing to return to GNR whenever Axl "comes back to his senses" and Duff also started out very diplomatic. When Axl started to get around with his new band, S&D both started to become more openly aggressive on Axl and his decisions over the band. Things have cooled down since the advent of Velvet Revolver; the time between Contraband and Libertad was probably the moment where they had a Led Zeppelin-style rethink over things, and things with Weiland weren't exactly going their way.

A reunion for at least for some one-off shows was likely in the cards in late '05, when Universal was prepping the release of Welcome to the Jungle: The Very Best of GNR, a dualdisc release with a greatly improved track listing over GH. Slash commented on the situation via Ross Halfin, quite possibly to use the fanbase as a bargaining chip on Axl. Halfin even let the cat out of the bag by mentioning the original lineup should be appearing at the '06 Download festival. Slash was all smiles by then, saying that Axl was  genius, CD should be great, etc. Somehow, Axl got pissed again and released his statement on Slash's visit to his house in early '06, which effectively killed the mood. But it was a Weiland situation, no question. VR were spinning their wheels and Slash & Duff got interested on the possibility of joining forces with Axl.

Wallace may be only doing certain songs, or has only done some tryouts in order for Axl to determine whether he'd be a suitable candidate for the job. Considering that Axl has a major crush on Dave Grohl (as the drum track on CD states), it wouldn't be  a stretch to imagine the Nevermind mixer is asked to take a stab at the title track, possibly among others.

As a matter of fact...

Guitar technicians earned about $6,000 per month, while the album's main engineer was paid $14,000 per month and a recording software engineer was paid $25,000 a month, the document stated. - NY Times

Six grand a month gets you some shitty techs

Personally, I don't think its worth that much hubbub. I think Del's comments have been taken somewhat out of context.

The way I read it suggests his parts were replaced the last time (in '99, by Brian May) because there were "tuning issues" which weren't "fault of Robin's". Whether or not one takes Del's comments as canon here, he seems to be saying Brian May was called in the first place because Robin was unavailable to record his parts and get rid of those pesky tuning issues.

Personally, I'm still akin towards the fact that May was brought in to guest as a 'surrogate Slash', as Axl didn't have the heart to tell Robin he's uncomfortable in having the Finckster as the sole leading man, as his solos are distinctively different from those bluesy tunes and whether or not he can carry a whole guitar-driven album entirely on his own shoulders like Slash is debatable on the best of days.

While I think the "tuning issues" were indeed sorted in '99 - and have not been a recent problem - face it, whomever who's been thinking there'd be carefully crafted masterpiece hasn't read that many articles on the recording process, or is gleefully duped by the statements of Axl's personal street team (Mysteron / Del / Beta / etc.). People who were there have been going into the record for a decade saying that everything was basically splashed on the wall like a bucket of paint, to see what'd stick and how it'd come out. There are songs - good ones - but the creative process has been painstaking to say the least. One of the main reasons for the delays has been the fact that Axl hasn't been able to get a grip on what sort of album he should release.

Say, around 60-70 tracks recorded on three separate occasions. There were always enough instrumentals, there's no doubt about it. Axl wrote and recorded vocals to the Beavan album for atleast 10-15 tracks, which would've probably rounded up a whole album. At that point in time, Axl admitted to writing the lyrics 'last', which does make sense considering the approach they had on song-writing. There's really no point in writing more than cursory lines before you have a full structure in place and remain reasonably happy about the outcome. Basically, songs weren't written. They were forged, and when Axl went 'Ok, we got a song now', he went down and did the vocal tracks. So the vocal tracks were understandably always more scarce than much labored instrumentals.

When they had a reasonable amount of 'songs' (which means a structure and a vocal track), they'd be rerecorded with a different producer and various temp mixes would be made. As for the instrumentals, the producer would likely listen to the tracks Axl'd been developing the furthest and start reworking them to different directions, rerecording and adding various bits and pieces to give a more distinctive feel to it. RTB's a kitchen-sink kinda guy, while I always found Beavan to be more low-key in various instances, so it's easy (while simplifying) to suggest it was Axl and RTB who started bringing up the orchestrations.

He had no vision. If he could say outright, he would. You don't try out various studio musicians and sought-after session players (not to mention producers) if you have a clear-cut idea of what the record'll be like. To the credit of Sean Beavan and Paul Huge, they got Axl of his ass to bend over and do some songs - with vocal tracks - and I have a good feeling those two will one day be the unsung heroes of this saga.

Axl didn't have a clue when he started, but he might've gotten the hang of it somewhere down the line.

Rose: We've been working on, I don't know, 70 songs. [...] The record will be about, anywhere from 16 to 18 songs, but we recorded at least two albums' worth of material that is solidly recorded. But we are working on a lot more songs than that at the same time... in that way, what we're doing is exploring so, you know, you get a good idea, you save it, and then maybe you come back to it later, or maybe you get a good idea and you go, "That's really cool, but that's not what we're looking for. Okay, let's try something new." You know, basically taking the advance money for the record and actually spending it on the record. - MTV, '99

The rebuilding - and ongoing reinvention - of Guns N Roses has been a difficult and, quite obviously, slow and expensive process. Rose does point out that the expense will be less glaring if, as he expects, he gets another record out of the hours and hours of material he's committed to tape, possibly one that's even more industrial and electronica-influence than Chinese Democracy. ''I'd like to take some of the old Guns fans along with me gradually into the twenty-first century,'' he says. - RS, 00

Of course, the ideas Axl speaks for another album are probably outdated by now, as plans regarding the overall sound have quite possibly changed. However, I maintain there has been a semi-solid pool of tracks slated to appear on CD since '99. All those songs have been rerecorded and worked on. Then, there have been additional instrumental tracks, which have been worked on simultaneously, and they have tentatively been directed to further albums. If the song turns good enough (like Better), it might get a promotion and replace some CD staple on the so-called A-list. As time has passed, more instrumentals have likely gained a state in which the vocals are added. Thus the pool of songs ready for release keeps growing - more temp mixes are ordered, the cycle of Axl listening everything through and deciding on the sound keeps getting longer and longer...

Ok boys,

Since you're all such blabbermouths, I'm changing the Mysteron/HTGTH account password and this time, I won't be sharing it with you.

Oh fer Pete's sake,

That's just the same as the idiotic propaganda people like Beta and Del have tried to force down people's throats for just a little bit too long. "GNR are infallible, the record will revolutionize the music world, no we don't have to share it with you or anyone else, least of all the crooked record company which constantly tries to compromise Axl's vision. Complaining? Fuckhead, go home!"

At what point did it become a crime to care for this band and become a bit frustrated (not necessarily squarely at Axl, more at the situation as a whole) because the record which we all want to hear just keeps shifting forward into the unknown future?  I mean, it's not like things started to happen yesterday. In '94-'96 the old band worked irregularly over a new studio LP. Based on what I've read, it would've been a toned down effort when compared to the lush and posh of the UYI's, a harder, more straight-forward rock album. Some songs on the first Snakepit album and BLS' Rose-Petalled Garden from Sonic Brew may give some indication on the overall sound. Might not be a too much stretch to describe it as OMG, only a with more bluesy sound. If the band would've gone the VR route by releasing that album and touring as a sort of kiss-off, it would've been easier for people to accept the fact that the gears had shifted. That album would've probably been criticized by now over the lack of Izzy and the perhaps more obsolete musical direction they would've experimented with, but it would've given people something to chew on during the dead years. Imagine that, in '97, a break-up of the UYI lineup after a world tour, with the CD saga beginning.

But no. The CD saga has gone on for a good decade, and if you add up the efforts of the old band, you get 17 years since the previous album. It's sickening to think that we are asked to keep a brave face come what may (while I appreciate the fact that the work has been restarted more than once; 97-'99, '00-'02, '03-), as the years we've spent biding our time as far as GNR's concerned feel no shorter. 17 years without an album, which has been on its way for at least 7 years so far. It's easy to say be cool if one was fortunate enough to be able to drive down to Axl's mansion, sit down with the master of the house and hear the latest tunes. It's also easy to feel sympathy if you know exactly what's going on with the negotiations and the album, if Axl personally puts his faith in you and tells about all the backstage shenanigans.

I'm not overtly obsessed with the wait or the album, mind you, but I have zero respect for someone like Mysteron/Beta/Del who like shout out from the ivory tower that the peasants needs be quiet fer the lieges may not otherwise enjoy their 'Prostitute'.