Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Slash Says Guns N' Roses Purists Take His Music 'Too Seriously'

Apr 27th 2010

When it came time to decide on a bonus track for his eponymous debut album, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash decided to include a slowed-down, hip-hop version of his former band's 1988 Top 10 single 'Paradise City' featuring the unexpected tandem of Cypress Hill and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.

"I've been playing 'Paradise City' with Cypress Hill since 2002 -- I just love the way they do the verses -- and we always have somebody come up and do the chorus," Slash explains to Spinner of the collaboration's genesis. "I always said, 'one of these days, we've got to record this' and here we were, seven years later.

"I had the Cypress Hill guys come down [to the studio] and I'd just done 'Beautiful Dangerous' with Fergie so I said, 'why don't you sing the chorus?' just for the hell of it."

Before releasing the track in North America, the guitar god decided to give it a test run with Japanese audiences.

"I put it out as a B-side of a Japanese single and, of course, it cruised around the internet," he recalls. "I had all the Guns N' Roses purists that were really pissed off about it and I had all these other people that really liked it."

Despite the mixed reaction, the guitarist ultimately decided to include the new 'Paradise City' on the deluxe edition because, as he says with a smirk, "I just figured some people are taking it a little too seriously."

http://www.spinner.com/2010/04/27/slash-guns-n-roses/

reading the quotes on this board and this quote is poved every day

I don't necessarily have a problem with him re-making Paradise City, but I absolutely HATED the version with Cypress Hill from the first time I heard it 9 years ago.  It's just not my style.  It doesn't quite have the same touch as Run DMC and Aerosmith did with "Walk This Way".  I notice Cypress Hill is playing with some other rock group on some song that's out now.

I guess I'm one of those people who take that song too serious.
It just sucks.
Ass.
:P
I like the rest of the album though

Of course people are going to take it serious when he makes a shitty version of it. Did he really think people would be ok with him re-recording this song with cypress hill and fergie of all people?

I liked it. :)

Me too..... ;)

as did i....

I liked the Fergie parts, but could have done without Cypress Hill.  I would have preferred it if she sang the whole thing.  YES he is totally right about people taking it too seriously. It was done as a "jam" with a few friends, not as a piece of art that needs to be critiqued. 

I would've preferred the whole thing with Fergie as well.  But Slash is correct, people will always take it too seriously.  But I can't say I fault everyone for doing that, as I myself hated Axl's 1999 cover of "Sweet Child o Mine" with other musicians.

Hilariously, the people who actually liked this horrific rendition of a classic also disliked Chinese Democracy. Maybe they took it "too seriously." :hihi:

Some more "comments" here:

SLASH Says GUNS N' ROSES 'Purists' Took 'Paradise City' Re-Recording 'A Little Too Seriously' - Apr. 28, 2010

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=139280

Then play it live all you want instead of recording and releasing it as part of your album.

Exactly.

couldnt agree more.  I was happy it was not on the U.S release.  Its not a bad idea for a b-side, but I dont like it being attached to the Slash album, cause that brings the whole GNR thing into play and Slash's album really has nothing to do with GNR.  Like I said I didnt mind the Fergie parts but its not something im really going to listen to.  I heard it once or twice and that was about all I need for the rest of my life.

I dont like it but i do agree with what he said

i mean Paradise city isnt the deepest GNR song ever made.. its been played and commercialized to death anyway


if he redid NR or Estranged or something, yeah, id be leading the pitchforks.. but PC.. who cares.

i think it sucks but i really dont care either way

I don't think Slash realised how much a vocal change would affect the song. I think Slash thought as long as his playing the guitar parts, no one will care what's on top.

As someone's already said, in a live environment, it's a bit of fun, like a jam. But I think it was a step too far to think about including it on an official release, especially when the vocals are less than desirable.  :hihi:

Really, you studied statistics and determined that ALL (or even most) of those who liked the new version all hated Axl's album?  Quite the researcher there!

I don't care for either the new "Paradise City" or most of Chinese Democracy.  I guess I take it ALL too seriously!

im sure that if Slash would hear a bad cover of wild horses(for ex),played with britney spears and keith richars would though WTF?.

We can think this too.

Yeah, checking half a dozen post histories really ate up my evening :hihi:


Or maybe have a calendar for 1987 still on the wall :o

i still can't see why you bother to post in this section  ???
if you hate Slash, its probably not the best idea to spend time in the VR section.

I hate Slash so much Guns N' Roses is my favorite band, and I actually like a few Snakepit and VR songs. That's a real logical argument you have there.

i just found the use of Fergie bad. Generally using Fergie for anything is bad,

Well thats cool, but your posts don't always reflect it to people that don't know you.

Ah, so in other words, you just gauged it on 6 people who post here.  Very comprehensive research indeed.


Yep, it's right next to my calendar for 1984 since I like Purple Rain, right next to my 1983 calendar since I liked SCARFACE, and my 1979 calendar because I liked THE FOG.  Because anything I like that is from the past MUST mean I am living there.


That doesn't mean shit.  This site is full of people who hate Slash yet claim to be Guns N Roses fans.

"I just figured some people are taking it a little too seriously."

See?  Exactly.

I know what I'd use her for  ;D

You thought I actually walked around the streets of Vancouver interrogating random strangers about their Guns N' Roses preferences? Whatever floats your boat, pal.


I don't know what to tell you. To not like There Was A Time, Madagascar, or Prostitute would seem to implicitly imply you were either born in a barn, or had perhaps never heard music before.


You actually know these people personally, and their respective likes and dislikes? Very thorough research you've compiled there :no:

"implicitly imply" is a redundant phrase.  And it's called musical taste.


No, I just read their distressingly anti-Slash comments made on this site on a very frequent basis.  You don't need research to determine the overall attitude of this site.  It's just there.

some "purists" must be a poke at old school gnr fans? which i consider myself to be. and yes,i hated that version that he put out of paradice city... if he want's to put out that kind of shit,why dont he use an orginal song and not disrespect
the history and sound of a classic gnr song. his version vs. gnr version is equivilent to painting the mona lisa with shit
rather than paint.......

I like the new version. Not as much as the old version but it is different and updated. Music is different things to different people. A lot of old songs have been re-done. Life is to short to get tied up over any song. I wonder back in the day when GNR did their version of Bob Dylan's classic did people call it shit?

GNR's KOHD is a million times better than slash version of PC. To even try and compare the 2 is laughable.

thats your and just an opinion  ;)
my one on KOHD and LALD studio is that they both suck big time, love them live though!! its hard to compare them to Slash PC though because its just one original Gun on the last one.
but i like the Slash PC version, something new, something different, maybe i got too bored from the AFD PC version long time ago already.
my 2 complains for Slash PC would be: Cypress Hill praising the musicians in the beginning...kinda too childish, and the missing fast part/outro as i remember Slash was never pleased with his work in there on the AFD version, now he had chance to work on some new killer one but didnt do.

That's your opionin. A Bob Dylan fan might think that the GUNS version was a total wreck. A hip hop fan might think to themselves thank god someone did something with that sorry song  PC that GNR recorded.

That just further proves the point that it's completely common for GNR fans to be upset at Slash re-doing PC in the fashion that he did.  Of course GNR "purists" are going to shudder at the thought of Cypress Hill rapping "Paradise City", totally within their rights.  And if it was good, I would've been willing to admit it.  I thought Fergie did a more than adequate job, and I'm no Fergie fan by any means.  But Cypress Hill was just AWFUL on the song, IMO.  So if you, Slash, or anyone thinks I'm taking his music too seriously, that's fine.  But I can't pretend to like something I despise.

In all fairness Faldor, i don't think Slash was referring to people like you.  I hate it as well.  (like the slowed down riff though.)
I think he is referring to the people that call him a sell-out and get all upset that he'd release it as a B-side in Japan.  They're the people that take it "Too Seriously".

the great thing about music is if you don't like a song, you don't have to listen to it :hihi: