Welcome To the Jungle: The Very Best Of Guns N' Roses artwork?

[BurningHills]

I bet if One In A Million popped up on there, that it'd be an edited version.

[HamsterDemocracy]

TIMELINE:

- Late 2005. An album appears on Amazon with the title "The Very Best of GN'R: Welcome to the Jungle." It is available for preorder. Release date is not set, but instead lists "December 25 2025," the default date for all "undetermined" releases.

- Outside sites start confirming the album through the album label. Media outlets begin to issue articles announcing the album's pending release.

- Ross Halfin posts a blog claiming he spoke to Slash about the "upcoming album" The Very Best of Guns N' Roses.

- Suddenly the album listing on Amazon.com changes from "The Very Best Of" to Chinese Democracy. The URL is the same and the sales rank is the same; apparently the title has changed but the page itself is the same. It is still available for preorder.

- About a week later, it disappears off the site after peaking on the preorder list in the top 50.

- Ross Halfin's blog disappears.

- A couple months pass and then the European tour dates begin to come into fruition, and the "New Logo" makes its first appearance.

----------------------------

My take:

I think the album was set for release last year along with CD.

I think someone on Amazon got two orders for two different GN'R albums for release on the same day and thought it was a mistake. He probably saww that Greatest Hits had been released the year before and assumed Very Best Of was a mistake on the vendor's part, so he OVERWROTE the entry on Amazon with Chinese Democracy, instead of making a NEW entry on the site for the album.

Then, Geffen/Axl/whoever decided to postpone it and as such all plans were scrapped. Axl decided to go on tour first and they pushed it forward to THIS year.

Meanwhile, the artwork for the abandoned "Very Best Of" was taken and used in advertisements for the European concert. The "New" GN'R Logo is lifted from the Very Best Of artwork and used on GN'R posters and online ads.

And now, I'm expecting our announcement within the next few days/weeks will be that CD is coming out, it's being released alongside Very Best Of GN'R for promotion purposes, AND a single will drop.

Sounds feasible enough, but I'm a bit perplexed as to why you'd want to remind the buying public of the "old" band's output when you've just spent the better part of the past year building up the new band's credibility with said public..

Because this is marketing, and they are appealing to people outside of the fanbase.

People who don't know the history of the band, etc. People start hearing the old songs again, the DJ says the new album is out, and they play a new song, and the people are hooked.

MOST people - NOT the die-hards - aren't going to care as much about Axl's "reinvention" of the band. Many people still go to GN'R shows expecting Slash. The general public do not = us, and they don't know as much as us. And right now to get this album to sell they have to appeal to the general public.

I'm not saying they should try to pass off the band as the "old" band - but releasing a Best Of in coordination with a new album is a great marketing strategy regardless of whether band lineups have changed. Not everyone treats GN'R as religiously as we do.

[oneway23]

Great point...So long as it's released in conjunction with as opposed to instead of, I'll be OK.

[HamsterDemocracy]

Great point...So long as it's released in conjunction with as opposed to instead of, I'll be OK.

Same here.

I think the album is going to get GN'R more press because people who "hate" Axl and his "new album" are going to almost be forced into discussing GN'R to some extent because of the new album Best Of that's out, and MAYBE these people who go to pick up the Best Of will be lured into buying the new one out of curiosity...something they wouldn't do otherwise.

It'll also just get more promotion in general for the new album.

[lennonisgod]

Clearly this is real. It's for the album that was once listed on Amazon and other sites last year. The question is whether or not this album will be released, get released w/ C.D., etc. etc. I think the artwork is great though.

As I mentioned before, this album was first "confirmed" back in '05 for a late December release. It wasn't confirmed by Geffen but was confirmed by other sources and listed on Amazon.com (and many other sites) for preorder. Someone who knew Slash/the band also blogged about it and said he had spoken to Slash about it. After the album was canceled he deleted his post and people assumed he was lying.

Anyway, it was on Amazon for a while and then CHANGED to Chinese Democracy one day...the actual listing was the same - the same URL and all - but the title of the album changed.

Seems like a weird coincidence...

I bet this is going to be released alongside Chinese Democracy.

I don't think it would be a good idea to release it the same day as CD because that could end up hurting the sales.  If someone's attention is caught by something new from GN'R and they see the new album and a new 'best of', they could end up just buying the best of because they know it will be good and may not want to risk spending money on something new from GN'R. That will NEVER happen.

[newgnr]

The artwork on that is fuckin badass! I especially love the artwork ont he cd's themselves.  I hope ChiDem looks something like that.

[HamsterDemocracy]

Clearly this is real. It's for the album that was once listed on Amazon and other sites last year. The question is whether or not this album will be released, get released w/ C.D., etc. etc. I think the artwork is great though.

As I mentioned before, this album was first "confirmed" back in '05 for a late December release. It wasn't confirmed by Geffen but was confirmed by other sources and listed on Amazon.com (and many other sites) for preorder. Someone who knew Slash/the band also blogged about it and said he had spoken to Slash about it. After the album was canceled he deleted his post and people assumed he was lying.

Anyway, it was on Amazon for a while and then CHANGED to Chinese Democracy one day...the actual listing was the same - the same URL and all - but the title of the album changed.

Seems like a weird coincidence...

I bet this is going to be released alongside Chinese Democracy.

I don't think it would be a good idea to release it the same day as CD because that could end up hurting the sales.  If someone's attention is caught by something new from GN'R and they see the new album and a new 'best of', they could end up just buying the best of because they know it will be good and may not want to risk spending money on something new from GN'R. That will NEVER happen.

I actually think the week before would be ideal. And each album would contain a promotional material of some type for Chinese Democracy. A sticker on the front, perhaps, with a coupon as well - a nice bonus for fans who already dished out for Greatest Hits. Maybe "$5 Off On Chinese Democracy!" Something like that...a marketing gimmick...they work more than you'd believe!

[-Jack-]

Dude that cover is kick ASS.

If it's real.. then I'm buying.. only for the cover work.

[1badapple]

Maybe Chinese Democracy could be the bonus disc included with The Very Best Of...




I'm not serious, just being a bit of a smartass.

[RancidPunx]

This album is fucking pointless. Why the fuck would someone buy this, when you could buy all the Guns albums for less money used? This is a double disc set for a band with only three actual albums released (Sorry, I don't count TSI).

[Dadud]

Guys, before you go insane and start emailing them about it, dont bother. I Emailed them earlier asking for more information (IE. What is it for? is it a work in progress, or scrapped artwork? and other questions of the sort) If i get an email back from them tomorow ill be sure to post it.

[HamsterDemocracy]

This album is fucking pointless. Why the fuck would someone buy this, when you could buy all the Guns albums for less money used? This is a double disc set for a band with only three actual albums released (Sorry, I don't count TSI).

Appetite - $9.99
UYI I - $14.99
UYI II - $14.99
TSI - $6.99

The Very Best Of - $18.99

 

[RancidPunx]

This album is fucking pointless. Why the fuck would someone buy this, when you could buy all the Guns albums for less money used? This is a double disc set for a band with only three actual albums released (Sorry, I don't count TSI).

Appetite - $9.99
UYI I - $14.99
UYI II - $14.99
TSI - $6.99

The Very Best Of - $18.99

 

I don't know what used store you go to that charges 14.99 for a used copy of UYI1&2 but that store is guilty of highway robbery. I still can't see why a band with 3 albums needs a double disc set like this, regardless of how cool the artwork is.

[-Jack-]

This album is fucking pointless. Why the fuck would someone buy this, when you could buy all the Guns albums for less money used? This is a double disc set for a band with only three actual albums released (Sorry, I don't count TSI).

Appetite - $9.99
UYI I - $14.99
UYI II - $14.99
TSI - $6.99

The Very Best Of - $18.99

 

I don't know what used store you go to that charges 14.99 for a used copy of UYI1&2 but that store is guilty of highway robbery. I still can't see why a band with 3 albums needs a double disc set like this, regardless of how cool the artwork is.

Naw.. I bought UYI1 in LA for 20 bucks from Sam Goody.

14.99 is pretty good. 

Maybe it depends on where you live

[-Jack-]

Disk One looks so fucking badass...

But.. at the same time.. maybe this shouldn't come out. Who knows...

Anyways.. I just sent the dude an email concerning the design. Maybe I can get some answers...

[elevendayempire]

This I Love:

• The wankers who always shriek "FAKE" whenever something first appears, despite overwhelming evidence that it's not. You could put a copy of Chinese fucking Democracy in their hands and they'd go, "I think its fake, where's the proof loserrr lol111!!!11!!"
• The conspiracy theorists who try to read something into the fact that the artwork's just been discovered. Could it be that, oh, I dunno, we hadn't seen this before because no-one thought to look at that cover design portfolio before now?
• The people who don't understand basic principles of marketing. The reason bands release one Greatest Hits after another with different packaging is simply to sell more copies; they don't care if die-hard fans have an almost autistic need to buy everything from the band so it lines up pretty on their shelf. A couple of years on from the Greatest Hits release, all the people who could've bought it have done so, and the record company wants more product on the shelf, that little bit of marketing buzz that goes with having a new release out. So they wheel out a "Best Of" for Christmas. Couple of years later, it's a live album, then a "Very Best Of". It's the way of the world.

SG

[Oh My Choking Soul]

Could this be a distraction, and actually be CD? In other words, give a realease date for this but actually release CD on that date.

[Oh My Choking Soul]

The tracklist makes no sense to me. "Move to the City" WTF?

[estrangedpaul]

No, to be honest I didn't go to their site. Sorry ?

To make up for it:

Disc One:

Welcome To The Jungle
Mr Brownstone
Sweet Child O' Mine
November Rain
Civil War
14 Years
Used To Love Her
Out Ta Get Me
Down On The Farm
Perfect Crime
My Michelle
Coma
Move To The City
Nightrain
Live And Let Die
Don't Cry

Disc 2
It's So Easy
You Could Be Mine
Paradise City
Knocking On Heaven's Door
Patience
Yesterdays
Pretty Tied Up
Black Leather
Double Talkin' Jive
Locomotive
Dead Horse
You're Crazy
Estranged
Rocket Queen

That's actually an excellent tracklist. I think its a bit strange having 9/10 songs from one album (depending which version of You're Crazy is on there) but they would have to in order to have enough songs for a double-disc. It's just that record companies usually restrict to 4 or 5 songs from one album.

But its a good, a lot of my lesser known favourites are there, 14 Years, Double Talkin' Jive, Coma, Locomotive, Dead Horse, etc. I don't see the problem with Move To The City, its a good song and has a special meaning for the band, as Axl said in the Tokyo DVD. 4 songs from Lies is about right. Would have put Breakdown and Dust N' Bones in there myself instead of Yesterdays and You're Crazy, but a small complaint.

This really shows how strong the Illusion albums are. The best songs from each of the Illusion albums are as good as the Appetite ones, IMO.

The track order seems odd. November Rain seems very early. And Don't Cry the last track on the first CD? Paradise City would hae been cool to finish off the first CD and Estranged the second, but again that's nit-picking. Its a good selection.

What I would have liked is a couple of new songs, like U2 and Oasis did on their Best Of collections. Maybe the demo of Ain't Goin' Down, or a final studio version of a couple of CD songs. There are a couple of new songs, eg Better and Madagascar which are worthy, and I especially think it would have provided good promotion if released around the time of CD.

[PJ]

this is disc was Axl version of the Greatests Hits... this was confirmed by a lot of people
halfin one of them.. and what his blog said was that he talked to slash and slash told him "that a new GH was going out but it was Axl versions.. and that he liked the new tracklist but Axls managment was bad..."