Axl was right that Guns needed to do something outrageously ambitious to be seen as moving beyond its initial success. Lies was a placeholder, a way to buy the band some time between albums. The practice really dates back to the 1960s, with the "extended play" records of about four songs that The Beatles and others would release. U2 used to do the same things with mini-albums like Under a Blood Red Sky and Wide Awake in America (They should probably get back to doing that again). It gives fans something to enjoy so they don't forget about a group.

A single GNR LP would have been compared against Appetite and inevitably (unfairly) been written off as weaker by comparison, even though they're very different projects by a band at very different stages in its career. Releasing two CDs took that argument off the table. All the music press, and mainstream press, could talk about at the time was the audacity of the band to release such a huge project.

It also made them seem like songwriting machines, able to crank out tons of material. That, too, boosted the group's reputation, and by extension it defused a lot of frustration that had built up during the years of waiting for UYI to finally come out after repeated missed deadlines and broken promises in interviews with Slash and company. The sheer volume of music justified the delay.

I agree that a single disc would have been stronger (I usually listen to a mix CD of my favorite UYI tracks rather than the whole thing) but it's like Paul McCartney says about The Beatles' White Album: "Sure it's too long and at times it's strange, but come on: It's The Beatles' White Album!"

That's great news!

Considering his health issues, it'd be nice if Axl does release the ChiDem box set so many of us are hoping for. The pride of having his unheard music released, and the extra income, are both sure to help Bucket.

Wow. It says a lot about how prepared they were to record the album.

That being the case, maybe what we should hope for is a Rockband game release of UYI, with multitracks of each person's contribution.

I keep thinking about the podcast interview, and what an amazing guy he's turned out to be. As much as the Buckethead mystery has been fun to participate in as a fan, I'm hopeful that he'll do more interviews in the future to let us know about himself, and his music. With no exaggeration intended it's easy to believe that his work will be studied a century from now, like people study Beethoven or Mozart today. He's that innovative.

What a brilliant performer.