Here Today... Gone To Hell!

This is the best song Guns N' Roses has ever recorded in my opinion. This has everything you come to GN'R for; catchy melody, incredible vocals, great lyrics, awesome groove & guitar work. The drumming near the end of the song is what I was hoping for based on the live versions from late 06 and 07. A masterpiece.
5/5

what can i say...it always had single written all over it, and now it is!! It's one for the ages, its totally new and unique the way it sounds

Easily the worst song on the album. it is poorly mixed and ron and frank destroy what was once an amazing song. The cool effects are now gone. The live versions were much, much "Better."

Easily one of the best songs on the album. it is wonderfully mixed and ron and frank add alot to what was already an amazing song. The new slide guitar during the middle is fantastic. The live versions and demo did not at all prepare me for how awesome it would sound on the CD.

I'm really glad that this got released as a single, but I still think a different song would have been better for the FIRST single. Like I.R.S. would have been perfect, even though it's not my favorite, but simply because it's mainstream and more listenable to than Chinese Democracy to the untrained ear.

I don't agree with this being the BEST song from GNR EVER... but it's one of the best on the record. Great song... good single.

ITS BETTER!!! fuck 5/5 lol  :beer:  :beer:  :beer:  :rofl:

best version so far. a little too much drumming in the chorus though...

Better should've been THE first choice on radio singles for the album.  Most people I talk to that listen to local radio don't dig Chinese Democracy, and that doesn't surprise me.  I always suspected a mixed reaction to it which sucks because it has probably turned alot of people off on buying the album.

Better would've caught way more attention from the casual listener.

The last section, beginning with Robin's solo, and Axl's last verse over his "na, na, na, na, na" harmony is incredible.  I mean this is mainstream rock music at its best, one of my favorite GnR songs ever

I wish the guitars sounded less electronic. I also don't like the addition of the dive bomb over that techno break but eh. It's still fantastic. 2nd favorite song.

I think this is one of the best GNR Rock songs ever. Nice job Robin and Axl.

Right now, it's definitely my favorite song off the album. And I'm happy it will be officially the second single released. It sounded really good live and sounds even better on the album.  :)

its perfect except for the little fart sounds near the end.

So I was walking back to my flat last night, just coming back from Asda about 1am. And just before I got to my close I hear some loud music coming from across the street, so I concentrated and heard the tail end of Robin's solo and "La Naaa La Naaa!" First time I've heard Chinese Democracy in public since it came out  ;)

LOL. Yeah, this song is my favorite on cd. As I already explained, there is so much going on in this song that makes me love it.

I like the solo in the middle of it. Kind of an electronica type of stuff... But certainly not painful to the ears at all. I fell in love with this song when it leaked back in 2006, and nothings changed since. 5/5.

Love the song. Maybe the best on the album. It rocks.

What would our reactions be if a quality and live versions hadn't leaked..Probably would be more estatic. Still love it..

Was this song "officially" released as a single today I didnt hear it on my local Rock Station that has been playing CD quite a bit.

me either...
Im in Australia though

Put out the biggest gun in the holster and take your best shot.

I would warm up a ballad in the bullpen as well; a little This I Love  and, if all goes well, a solid rocker like Scraped.

They played it tonight on Triple M in Sydney and it sounded great. But they didn't mention anything after apart from "that was Guns N' Roses". I thought they might mention something about it being the NEW single from the NEW album etc. but nothing!

Still, it was cool to hear some new GN'R on the radio. I never heard Chinese Democracy get played.

I'd agree with that, definitely one of the shining moments on the album from the new band.

EASILY the catchiest song on the album aside maybe Prostitute or I.R.S. But even then, this takes it.

Any word on how many spins the song is getting?

Remember when everyone thought this song was written right before the '06 tour?

Not so. Paul Tobias' guitars are credited.

It's currently getting 7 spins a day by my stereo lol.

I'd have to disagree ,in my opinion catchers the catchiest. especially the " wehn all is said and done " parts  :)

Bucketheads solo was played during ESPN Monday Night Countdown

Better just played on Monday Night Football.

Which part are you referring to as Bucket's solo?  The bluesy solo in the song is Mr. Robin Finck.

Best song on CD, by far. It has been my favorite since the first leak. The guitars are awsome! I love the new slide in the
middle of the song... This is what a rock n' roll band should sound like!  5/5

That IS one of the best GNR solos ever too.

As great as This I Love is, I just can't imagine it getting played on the radio. Better is a good bet, because it's a blend of established GNR styles and themes with some new stuff thrown in, and besides all that, is catchy as hell.

Street Of Dreams could have a lot of crossover appeal too.

Sorry if there is already a thread about this, but last night they were playing better on Monday Night Football which I thought was pretty cool.  Did anyone else here it? They played it when they were about to cut to commercials during the third quarter.

I agree, though at least it isn't too loud (it's a little hard to catch unless it's turned up somewhat loud).

Besides that, I would never say this is the best GNR song ever! Anyone ever of a little song entitled "Estranged," or "Don't Cry," or maybe even "Sweet Child O' Mine?"

Better, still a good song, ranks 4/5 for me.

I was kind of disappointed by this on the first couple of listens... I guess because it was one of the only leaks I'd already listened to a shitload... But it's 'regrown' on me. Probably the song of the album, definitely up there along with Sorry.

Well, SCOM is hard to be objective on since its so overplayed, but while I prefer Estranged & Don't Cry, I definitely think Better is one of the all-time great GNR rockers. I'm just more of a ballad guy generally. I'd definitely place it way over 'You Could Be Mine' and all that stuff. I'd say it was up there with 'Rocket Queen' and WTTJ.

Same here.. I was almost bored listening to it when I bought the album, but now I love when Track #3 gets cooking in my car.

I posted this as just a discussion on gnrsource..... figured as it maybe fun to at least speculate here also......

Just a wild idea , and a thought, probably more geared to US, and maybe just something I think would be completely cool. But on NYE, there are many broadcasts that run simultaneously. If Axl wanted to make a splash, and statement, how cool would it be if during any, like MTV,s of perhaps all the stations having countdown parties aired, to have a world premier video for. "BETTER". Probably grasping at straws, but it could be sponsored by Bestbuy, along with DVD of the making. etc.. GNR fans want CD to succeed, and in a big way. I would be lying if i said otherwise. I accept however the band decides to do things, so long as I get to see the band again and finally say I saw my 20th GNR show. The album itself to me is a winner, and if people don't get to experience it that sucks ...and sorry for them. But I think that would the idea fall under monumental .  :beer: :peace:

yeh that sounds like a great idea,
but so has alot of other times when they could of dropped a music video and didnt,

fingers are crossed though :peace:

Better is #19 on Rollingstone's 'Singles of the year' list!  :peace:

It's getting some recognition at least...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24947047/singles_of_the_year/26 (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24947047/singles_of_the_year/26)

Could be worse I guess.
Although I think that list is complete garbage.

Does that makes it the best hard rock song of the year?

No sign of Metallica or AC/DC before GN'R on that list....




/jarmo

AC/DC - 'Big Boi' is #53

But yeah, 'Better' would be the highest ranked Hard Rock song.

EDIT: Just saw that you wrote 'before GN'R'  : ok:

Isn't that list just best singles.

You could have that rank high on the singles list , but have something else above it on the song list.

But then again, GN'R would have something above that again...  :hihi:

very good seeing gnr in top 20 singles and a short lived one.....im thinking next year at least 3 singles in top 100 for 2009! street of dreams, this i love and madagascar

thats pretty fucking cool,
even if there is no music video for it, thats awsome

I'm afraid this is the truest post ever. There's no escaping it, as good as the rest of Chinese Democracy is, Better is simply the best Guns N' Roses song ever. It's so good I'm almost afraid to listen to it too often, but no matter how often I listen to it it's as fresh and mindblowing as the first time I heard it. It has breathtaking lyrics and a fantastic melody, awesome guitar work and drums. I'm at a loss for words, really. I think that when I rank the best Chinese Democracy songs, I'll have to exclude Better, it's in a category of it's own. Too good to be compared to any song. I relate to this song in a number of ways. Thanks Axl for this materpiece.

Couldn't see that this had been mentioned....

I just finished Mick Wall's W. Axl Rose: Unauthorized Biography, which  was as expected mostly crap! But since I got it for Christmas from my sister, I felt I "had to" read it...   :)

Don't know if many of you have actually read the book, but...

Towards the end, he sorta gives his opinion on the leaks.
Regarding Better, he kinda interpret the song to be about Axl's long-time assistant Beta Leibes (wich is pronounced "Betta" not "Beta").

Hearing the song again with that in mind, I couldn't help but find that interpretation a tad interesting....   :-\

Also considering, it's been written several places that Axl ranks Better as one of his favourites, something that has puzzled me. I've allways thought one of the more epic tracks would be his favourite....

What do you guys think?   :)

 

^ He actually just copied the reviews of the 2007 leaks that was in the clossic rock article (the one celebrating the 20th anniversary of AFD), as he writes for that magazine

Weren't many fans guessing that when axl named the song at the korn party?

Possible. The lyrics do sound to me like one's sentiment for their family. Besides there was a suggestive post in one of the cd song elimination threads and i was almost replying like 'your mum!'. but I didn't :P

Incidentally, betta (ie Siamese fighting fish/ that windows 7 fish) is extremely aggressive and delicate.

I once had a little Betta fish that I named Axl. I really loved him. He was so feisty, he would love to bite my finger when I fed him. It broke my heart when he died. I had a little funeral for him, and I played GNR music. I still decorate his grave with roses. AND BETTER is a truly great song right up there with WTTJ.

I think Better is a good song. It is not one of the best songs on CD. My view on this is the introduction when Axl sings: "No one ever told me" should of been left alone instead of putting it through the effect that (and this is no way a put down to Mr. Rose.) makes it sound like the effect that Britney Spears and Hip-Hop artists use. (That telephone effect). It's a great song but that intro and when it repeats again is robbing the songs authenticity. Even though it makes the song sound modern now it will sound dated ten years from now. I'm sure Axl probably didn't want it this way. I think I'll blame the producer for suggesting the idea.  ;)

I like the intro. and I think telephone effect can be heard even on 70s albums.

I love every bit but the highlight is from 2:31 to 3:29 esp the bronze bell ish sound at 2:37,:42 and :47 mark.  :love:

rip to betta axl.
betta even attacks their own reflection on the aquarium wall sometimes. and any disturbance can spoil their appetite. so cute.

Thanks. I still miss him.

After the times, what do you think about it? I still see it as glamourous, piece of art, ferrarilike song.
Works live fine and matches the old catalogue. Thoughts?

It's probably my favorite song of CD

It's just getting "better" every day  :P

Best song on the album it's in my Top 5 Guns songs.  My own personal opinion is if they had the management that they have right now, when CD was released it would of been a mainstream hit.

One of favourite GN'R songs, a masterclass in progressive chords and poetry. The way the music interacts with the lyrics is just unbelievable. I'm forever thankful to Robin for writing such a classy song, and it's definitely one of his golden moments out of many while in Guns.

One of the best songs on the album and one of the very few "shred" solos that make it to rock radio.

Mods: Please don't delete this post.

 :peace:GNR4LYF!