My Chinese Democracy theory

[D]

Everyone knows that a record label has to approve a CD before it can be released.

Im not sure if it was ever confirmed but there was a report that Axl had submitted CD once and the  label made him go back and redo it.

I think the record label wasnt happy with Chinese Democracy *not cause it wasnt great* but music has changed so much since Axl last made a CD.

GNR are not a singles band.

GNR are about making amazing albums, great songs but they arent exactly a singles band.

SCOM the only number 1 single, PC was a hit,NR,DC were hits but they never thrived off the single.

Anyway I think the label tried to make Axl got back in and record some 3 minute radio friendly hits and Axl balked and refused which led to this huge stand still.


I think Axl to prove a point to the record label leaked the Demos.

Is it a coincidence everything was airtight, all of a sudden we get a few leaks and now things are rolling?

I dont think its coincidence.


Most of the great albums and music of all time was shunned by record labels who dont know shit and are looking for an easy profit.

I think the response to the demos woke up Geffen showed them how wrong they were and now have green lighted CD and thats why things are rolling.

[Neemo]

they aren't a singles band?

ISE
WTTJ
SCOM
PC
NT
Patience
DC
LALD
NR
YCBM
KOHD
Yesterdays
CW
Estranged
Ain't It Fun
SIDHY
SFTD
OMG

18 singles for 5 albums? dude i dunno what you were thinking, but that is alot of singles

[Gaymo, the Hobbit]

i think he meant as in having lots of no.1 singles

[Niko]

its a nice theory

but they surely are a singles baND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Neemo]

i think he meant as in having lots of no.1 singles

well not alot of rock bands have #1 singles, GnR definately had alot of radio freindly tunes back in the day and alot of videos that MTV would play on heavy rotation. And I think it would be totally plausibe for the label to turn down the record if Axl tried to discontinue that trend. Obviously Axl wants radio freindly stuff if he is recruiting song writer dudes to help him. Companies don't sink alot of dough into something that will be a "cult classic" they want upside

[RichardNixon]

I don't believe the rumor that the label rejected an album ?Axl sent. They have been after him forever to release an album. There is no way Axl sent the suits an album that was so bad it was rejected.

[Markus Asraelius]

D's theroy doesn't say they rejected it cause it was bad. His theroy says that they rejected it because it was outdated.

D...I think your theroy is a very interesting one, indeed.

[CAFC Nick]

Yeah its probably a correct theory but I reckon we will have to wait until CD is released to get all of these reasons and all of the truth.

[Bartlet]

I think he just wants to convince people they have been working, get a reaction to the new stuff, see what kind of songs go down best. However, some of the leaks could be very old and not even on the album, so maybe its a way of convincing us there has been recording, without really revealing anything from the album

[D]

GNR arent a singles band in the true sense of the word.

SCOM is unique, NR was freakin 8 minutes long.

Meaning they arent a singles band simply means they dont make the radio friendly formulatic singles.

Not in anyway a knock on the band or the songs but they are more of an album/great song band but the only single GNR have ever put out that could be considered a normal run of the mill single is probably Dont Cry and Patience.


WTTJ wasnt a conventional single,SCOM wasnt a conventional ballad, Paradise City definitey isnt a conventional rock single and so on and so on.

TOday the record label is geared towards radio friendly poppy 3 and a half minute singles, the days of the long guitar solos and complex songs arent the norm in music.

AFD sold almost 20 million copies and only had 1 number 1 single and 2 top 10 singles, that is unheard of.

I think the buzz generated by the demos showed the record label that GNR's brand is still extremely successful and popular and prosperous.


Coincidence that not one note leaked for over 10 years, all of a sudden we get 4 songs and GNR just happen to now announce a European tour?

Too coincidental.

In 1991 Warner Bros music didnt want to release Prince's cd "Diamonds and Pearls" it was totally unconventional, extremely different than anything out.  Prince shipped copies of the single "Gett Off' to radio without Warner Bros' knowledge. The song got such a massive response Warner Bros had no choice but to release the "Diamonds and Pearls" Cd.

Music is in the image age and the image sells the music instead of great music selling the image.

Axl proved that his way is still the best way thanks to the huge response 4 demos received.

thats my theory.

[Lord Kayoss]

they aren't a singles band?

SFTD
OMG

I thought SFTD and OMG were soundtrack exclusives.  They weren't actually released as singles too were they?

[bazgnr]

I remember watching VH1's "Behind the Music," and having someone - I forget who it was, Rolling Stone writer, perhaps? - say that Axl spends so much time pouring over his songs, and trying to bring them to perfection and make them as relevant to the current music scene as possible, that by the time he finally finishes a body of work, the music landscape has shifted again, forcing him to backtrack and essentially start over. 

I know I'm paraphrasing here, but still, that theory makes sense as well, whether it's Axl (likely) or the record company (unlikely) that wanted to make changes... 

[D]

Another Example

My band Bon Jovi are a singles band, they make sure they have the radio friendly radio hits on each album.

GNR arent a band that cares about radio friendly formulatic singles.

Thats actually what make GNR such an amazing legendary band, the fact they dont try to fit into someone elses category.

they write songs if they end up being a single format type song thats great but they dont sit down and say "WE gotta write a radio hit"

Think of the songs we have heard so far.

Better is definitely a hit single but compared to music on the charts its totally different than normal "radio" songs.

Same with the other 3.

[Neemo]

they aren't a singles band?

SFTD
OMG

I thought SFTD and OMG were soundtrack exclusives.? They weren't actually released as singles too were they?

well i bought the SFTD single at the record store so that is one for sure, dunno about OMG

[jbenzz]

I remember watching VH1's "Behind the Music," and having someone - I forget who it was, Rolling Stone writer, perhaps? - say that Axl spends so much time pouring over his songs, and trying to bring them to perfection and make them as relevant to the current music scene as possible, that by the time he finally finishes a body of work, the music landscape has shifted again, forcing him to backtrack and essentially start over.?

I know I'm paraphrasing here, but still, that theory makes sense as well, whether it's Axl (likely) or the record company (unlikely) that wanted to make changes...?

I wouldn't be surprised if the person had absolutly no idea what they were talking about. ?The demo's we've heard have shown that Axl has found a balance between the old sound and modern sound. ?

[bazgnr]

I remember watching VH1's "Behind the Music," and having someone - I forget who it was, Rolling Stone writer, perhaps? - say that Axl spends so much time pouring over his songs, and trying to bring them to perfection and make them as relevant to the current music scene as possible, that by the time he finally finishes a body of work, the music landscape has shifted again, forcing him to backtrack and essentially start over.?

I know I'm paraphrasing here, but still, that theory makes sense as well, whether it's Axl (likely) or the record company (unlikely) that wanted to make changes...?

I wouldn't be surprised if the person had absolutly no idea what they were talking about. ?The demo's we've heard have shown that Axl has found a balance between the old sound and modern sound. ?

I don't disagree.  The demos I've heard seem very relevant, and do a great job of fusing old and new influences.  Whoever said it - help here, anyone? - was basically trying to predict why Axl was taking so long to put anything out, if I remember correctly.

[Neemo]

see D i still disagree. they may not have set out to say that "this will be a radio single" but cuz of their popularity there were singles....When UYI's came out there were already 3 singles in circulation. CW, YCBM and DC.

and look how many Music videos they had in rotation on MTV

WTTJ, SCOM, PC, Patience, DC, LALD, NR, Yesterdays, The Garden, Dead Horse, Garden Of Eden, Estranged, Since I Don't Have You, You Could Be Mine, as well as a Live Version of Civil War and the Freddie Mercury KOHD. ?and nearly everyone of these videos made it to #1 on MTV. too say that GnR didn't make Radio freindly music is a Ridiculous assumption.

the songs don't have to be conventionally written the fact is that the public loved them.

I wouldn't be so sure about the general publics perception of the new songs. Most comments I've heard about the new songs from average listeners is negative....Don't confuse the general public with Hard Core forum goers that listened to the tracks 1,000 times each

[D]

That was a different era and time though Neemo.


Back then u could get away with the epic single. today for some reason Record labels think that music fans have short attention spans and need some kind of instant hooky song instead of the great epic complex songs.


When u think of conventional radio singles, Civil War,YCBM,NR,Estranged dont fit in that format.

Its not a knock on the songs quality cause those songs are some of the greatest songs in musical history but record labels are into a singles format these days which is why the quality of bands and music in general has went to shit.

what prompted Korn to release a song called "So u want a single" every band is badgered with having 3 or 4 radio friendly 3 and a half to 4 minute hooky easy to digest songs.

GNR have never been that band.


MOst bands that are popular today look alike,sound alike and are single driven bullshit.

GNR are gonna change the musical landscape and get it back to the good ole days of music as long as Geffen get their head out of their ass and realize what they got.

The demos being leaked i think removed said head from their ass.

[Neemo]

That was a different era and time though Neemo.

Riggght i got you now...sorry for the misunderstanding....no GnR will not release many catchy 3 minute little ditties....4-6 minutes or music is generally what I'd expect to hear from GnR. But also I think that they will have a few songs with a radio frieindly sound. not all songs on the radio are 3 minutes long...there are actually quite a few in the 4-5 minute range

On the other hand though, back in the day the stations did have short versions of the longer tracks, choped a solo out of NR here....out of Estranged there

[tHeElEcTrIcSiNtAr]

My sources tell me that the first single is gonna be called 'Still A.X.L' Its gonna be a traditional Guns song so the public knows that Axl can still rock the fuck out. You know kind of like what Dr. Dre did with 'Still D.R.E' when he came back with Chonic 2001.   

Sorry I'm just bored, Where's May at?