Hollywood Rose - Roots of Guns N' Roses

[badintentions]

anybody else got this yet? i can't believe more attention is not being given to this, at least on our board community. i've been interested in hearing old hollywood rose stuff since i first became a gnr fan. while not chinese democracy, i would say it is the next best thing.

[DemocracyRose]

anybody else got this yet? i can't believe more attention is not being given to this, at least on our board community. i've been interested in hearing old hollywood rose stuff since i first became a gnr fan. while not chinese democracy, i would say it is the next best thing.

I do understand you....

I think that many people on this board are waiting for there H.R-cd to arrive(i do) Because in a lot of countries you have to pre-order it from Amazon.com or another webside...

Could be wrong....

[Izzy]

anybody else got this yet? i can't believe more attention is not being given to this, at least on our board community. i've been interested in hearing old hollywood rose stuff since i first became a gnr fan. while not chinese democracy, i would say it is the next best thing.

well the isn't really anything to say untill we all get hold of it - still a week to go till a UK release

Plus we have all heard the songs on it.....

But i am really looking forward to it - its a new album with Axl Rose

[Will]

I'm still waiting for mine...I already heard the songs on the Hairspray Heroes bootleg CD a few months ago though. They are great.

[ktucker450]

Hey, so is anyone gonna buy this thing or what?  I've been looking forward to it quite a bit but surprisingly noones even been talking about this.  So is anyone buying this today?  Or has anyone, if you have what are your thoughts on it?  I'm looking forward to buying it a lot.  Probly going to today.

[spiderman]

im not spending my hard earned money on an album of 3 different versions of 5 songs!!! one of which is on afd and another is on gnr lies!!! ill copy it if someone lends it me though...

[Dave_Rose]

I'll buy not straight away because I am low on cash lol. But I will get it in time lol in sale maybe

[Is he struggling?]

If it goes on gerenal release at a budget price in the UK, then I'll buy it. I'm interested to hear what is on it, but not so interested to go to great lengths for the privelege.

[Izzy]

I get paid on friday and i'll order it on friday

[spiderman]

pardon my ignorance... could someone please tell me what "lol" means or stands for? ive wandered that since my first day on this message board.

[kujo722]

LOL= Laugh Out Loud

I got Hollywood Rose today. I only listened to the original versions so far. I loved it. Real raw and unpolished, yet sounds remarkably clear for a demo.

The Best Buy that I went to only had 3 copies, according to the guy I talked to, and they weren't even on display.He had to go into the storage area to get me one.

[spiderman]

thanks vigo youve put my troubled mind at rest.

[kupirock]

im not spending my hard earned money on an album of 3 different versions of 5 songs!!! copy it if someone lends it me though...

yeah same here

[CokeAddict]

I was undecided on buying the CD, but driving by Best Buy on the way home from work, I had a moment of weakness and stopped to buy it.

The songs are actually cool and fun to listen to.  Even though I've heard three of the songs before, they sound quite different from the GNR versions.  Axl has become a much better singer since then, but it's still fun to hear the raw, young stuff.   He's screaming as much as singing a lot of the time. There are lots of old pictures, and some old flyers included in the packaging that are great.

No comment on the remixes because I haven't listened to them yet...

[badintentions]

I bought the cd yesterday. Here are some of my thoughts on it:

1. the original demo sounds awesome. very rough, but very well recorded, all instruments and vocals are seperated well and mixed well.


2. the band has more of a punk rock approach to things than gnr did/does.


3. axl has a lot more of a 'heavy metal' voice on this stuff. he even does some operatic (a la bruce dickenson) vocals here. sometimes it sounds kinda cheesy. especially on the chorus of 'rocker'. his vocals, at times, even creep into jack black's parody of a heavy metal voice.


4. the gilby mixes are cool and i like the stuff that traci adds to it.


5. the fred coury mixes are kinda bass heavy and most sound good. he adds some driving fast drum beats to some of the stuff.


6. in the liner notes, it has a copy of an old setlist with some song titles i've never heard of before. i would love to get a live bootleg of a hollywood rose set.


7. overall a good product. the music is very cool. axl's vocals are raw and very interesting to hear. at times he does screams that i have never heard him do since. they sound very 'from the heart' and angry. sounds very cool.

[Mr Cowbell ?]

I dont know if this is the right catergory to put it in or not, So If I am wrong move it.

I just picked up the cd at best buy and to be honest I really wasnt expecting too much from this since it was a demo from 20 years ago but I got to say I was shocked. The pure power and rage in Axl's voice is incredible. SO much emotion in him. Their version of ANYTHING GOES was a plesant Surprise. I was shocked when I read these were recorded on a 16 track back in 1984. Even though there is only 5 different songs I got to say they are incredible and show the power that would become GnR. Great album for anyone who likes Axl's voice. A MUST if you love his voice.

[SlashFan]

Got this review off a website selling the album.

Early Guns N' Roses! What more do you want? Only faults are that there are only 5 songs (even if they are done 3 times) and the fact that they have been remixed by people with nothing to do with Guns at the time. Fans have an unexpected treat here.

[lastroots]

Heres mine (from my Newsletter)


HOLLYWOOD ROSE / THE ROOTS OF GUNS N ROSES

REVIEW

Released 6/22/2004 on Cleopatra Records / Deadline Music

First off, as usual, a take at the outer form (so to say) of the record. It comes in a cradboard sleeve just like Velvet Revolvers Contraband, but with much better layout. The cover shows a pic of Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber. The back cover has a pic of Hollywood Rose on stage and some notes about this band, which later became Guns N Roses. The booklet contains the story of the band written by Vicky Hamilton, their first manager. That four page story, surrounded by pics of the band that have not been seen before, is well written and funny at times and explains how Izzy and Axl came to Hollywood from Indiana, hooked up with Johnny Kreis and Chris Weber and Tracii Guns, founded a band named A.X.L., which would turn into Rose and the Hollywood Rose, how Tracii departed to go on with his band, the L.A. Guns and how they met Slash and Duff and finally became Guns N Roses. Some old flyers, created by Axl and Izzy themselves, are pictured, as well as a handwritten setlist of one of their first shows. That setlist reveals a lot. First off we realise that the song Back Off Bitch (which was later released on Use Your Illusion I) already existed, adding some songs that are as of yet unheard: Kill, Hollywood Girls, International, That Something, Cold Hard Cash and Rock N Rose. Maybe thse six songs will get available sometime in the future, even though I doubt it.
Now for the music. The record mainly contains five songs, which were recorded in January 1984 in Hollywood, CA, an a 16 track by Axl Rose, Chris Weber, Izzy Stradlin and Johnny Kreis. Anything Goes (which was then titeled My Way Your Way) appeared on Appetite For Destruction in 1987. Reckless Life was released as a live track on the 1986 EP Live Like A Suicide and later on GNR Lies (1988). Shadow Of Your Love appeared as a b-side on the single of Live And Let Die in 1991. Killing Time and Rocker were never before released. And as soon as you push play, you get an intense kick in the ass. Even though it sounds raw and unpolished, the songs are very well recorded and produced. Wild stakkato guitars and a W. Axl Rose who is as wild and aggressive as a singer can be. This music makes you feel an enormeous energy and the will of these guys to be nothing more than the best band on the whole Sunset Strip. We know who you are / We know who we are / We know our game, screams Rose and you can feel his seriousness. Just as the Rolling Stone magazine wrote, this EP has the potential to become a cult object. At least if it were just these five songs. But these five songs are there three times. Original Demo Version, Newly Remixed By Gilby Clarke and Newly Remixed By Fred Coury. Gilby Clarke, who played in Candy when Hollywood Rose formed, who later led one of the best sleaze bands ever (Kill For Thrills) and who joined Guns N Roses on rhythm guitar when Izzy Stradlin left during the Use Your Illusion World Tour, took Tracii Guns back into the studio to do some guitar overdubs. All in all his versions of the songs sound more polished and less raw. Same with Cinderella drummer Fred Courys versions. But all in all these remixes are nice but completely needless. In my opinion these songs only show their whole pwer and potential in the original demo version. Less would have been more in this case, but, well, who cares. It sounds good, it feels good, it is a pure kick in the face. Even though the songs are twenty years old now they still rock, and for all those GNR fans out there waiting desperately for new material (aka Chinese Democracy), this is a good buy. Just enjoy the two new (old) songs and the early versions of the other three. I personally got more than I expected. The text on the backcover of the cardboardsleeve says that these tracks were rumoured to be the holy grail of glam rock. Well, since there is nothing better in this form at the moment: That is absolutely true.



/lastroots

[Will]

Excellent! Good review!

Edit: I just got it this morning! I will listen to it later today...

[DemocracyRose]

Heres mine (from my Newsletter)


HOLLYWOOD ROSE / THE ROOTS OF GUNS N ROSES

REVIEW

Released 6/22/2004 on Cleopatra Records / Deadline Music

First off, as usual, a take at the outer form (so to say) of the record. It comes in a cradboard sleeve just like Velvet Revolvers Contraband, but with much better layout. The cover shows a pic of Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber. The back cover has a pic of Hollywood Rose on stage and some notes about this band, which later became Guns N Roses. The booklet contains the story of the band written by Vicky Hamilton, their first manager. That four page story, surrounded by pics of the band that have not been seen before, is well written and funny at times and explains how Izzy and Axl came to Hollywood from Indiana, hooked up with Johnny Kreis and Chris Weber and Tracii Guns, founded a band named A.X.L., which would turn into Rose and the Hollywood Rose, how Tracii departed to go on with his band, the L.A. Guns and how they met Slash and Duff and finally became Guns N Roses. Some old flyers, created by Axl and Izzy themselves, are pictured, as well as a handwritten setlist of one of their first shows. That setlist reveals a lot. First off we realise that the song Back Off Bitch (which was later released on Use Your Illusion I) already existed, adding some songs that are as of yet unheard: Kill, Hollywood Girls, International, That Something, Cold Hard Cash and Rock N Rose. Maybe thse six songs will get available sometime in the future, even though I doubt it.
Now for the music. The record mainly contains five songs, which were recorded in January 1984 in Hollywood, CA, an a 16 track by Axl Rose, Chris Weber, Izzy Stradlin and Johnny Kreis. Anything Goes (which was then titeled My Way Your Way) appeared on Appetite For Destruction in 1987. Reckless Life was released as a live track on the 1986 EP Live Like A Suicide and later on GNR Lies (1988). Shadow Of Your Love appeared as a b-side on the single of Live And Let Die in 1991. Killing Time and Rocker were never before released. And as soon as you push play, you get an intense kick in the ass. Even though it sounds raw and unpolished, the songs are very well recorded and produced. Wild stakkato guitars and a W. Axl Rose who is as wild and aggressive as a singer can be. This music makes you feel an enormeous energy and the will of these guys to be nothing more than the best band on the whole Sunset Strip. We know who you are / We know who we are / We know our game, screams Rose and you can feel his seriousness. Just as the Rolling Stone magazine wrote, this EP has the potential to become a cult object. At least if it were just these five songs. But these five songs are there three times. Original Demo Version, Newly Remixed By Gilby Clarke and Newly Remixed By Fred Coury. Gilby Clarke, who played in Candy when Hollywood Rose formed, who later led one of the best sleaze bands ever (Kill For Thrills) and who joined Guns N Roses on rhythm guitar when Izzy Stradlin left during the Use Your Illusion World Tour, took Tracii Guns back into the studio to do some guitar overdubs. All in all his versions of the songs sound more polished and less raw. Same with Cinderella drummer Fred Courys versions. But all in all these remixes are nice but completely needless. In my opinion these songs only show their whole pwer and potential in the original demo version. Less would have been more in this case, but, well, who cares. It sounds good, it feels good, it is a pure kick in the face. Even though the songs are twenty years old now they still rock, and for all those GNR fans out there waiting desperately for new material (aka Chinese Democracy), this is a good buy. Just enjoy the two new (old) songs and the early versions of the other three. I personally got more than I expected. The text on the backcover of the cardboardsleeve says that these tracks were rumoured to be the holy grail of glam rock. Well, since there is nothing better in this form at the moment: That is absolutely true.



/lastroots

I cant wait......

Nice review... Thanks.