"Next Album" rumor / speculation thread *UPDATE AUG 22/2023*

[AxlReznor]

It's interesting that the lead guitarist of our favourite band is as frustrated as us, and yet Jarmo still won't except people's opinion that this lack of productivity sucks! Yes the tours are great but it's time for something else. As Ron has said in the past listen to the fans.

And there is no way Ron was drunk- he's saying what he has said time and time again. With regards to Illusions, from what I recall from Duff's book it was Axl who was not playing ball. You can't ignore this- it's just history repeating itself. However I remain Patient!

Personally, I think the lead guitarist feeling that way and expressing it is fine. He's in the band, so it directly affects him.
For anyone who isn't in the band though, it has nothing to do with us when and if they ever record new material. We all want it, obviously... but people actually demanding it? No.
Just like with anything, if it happens it happens. Until then, enjoy something else instead.

[reayj2003]

What does 'demanding it' even mean?? If you were to put a gun to someones head- that is demanding! Venting your dissatisfaction on a fan forum is perfectly normal.

[faldor]

What does 'demanding it' even mean?? If you were to put a gun to someones head- that is demanding! Venting your dissatisfaction on a fan forum is perfectly normal.

Not to get technical, but I'm pretty sure you can be demanding without putting a gun to someone's head.

I think the point is, it's alright to want new music.  In fact, I'd say that's a good thing.  And it's fine to question why we haven't gotten new music in 4 years, or 1 album in 20 years.  But the fact remains, we don't know the answers to those questions and no matter how much bitching and complaining we do, it won't speed the process up one bit.  That I can assure you.  Axl obviously works at his own pace.  Lot of artists do in fact.  You can find it ridiculous, frustrating, etc.  Completely warranted.  But it's not like he has been given a strict deadline to release an album in 4 years.  That's not how things work in the industry.  I personally have stopped expecting an album, especially when given very little information about the process or how close new music might be to getting released.  For all we know, it could take 6 months or 6 years.  So I personally choose to enjoy what we do have rather than worry about what we don't have. 

I'll freely admit, there are certain things that occur surrounding this band that I find frustrating and I know it's not easy to stay hopeful and optimistic.  But that's a choice each of us needs to make. 

[Ali]

What does 'demanding it' even mean?? If you were to put a gun to someones head- that is demanding! Venting your dissatisfaction on a fan forum is perfectly normal.

Not to get technical, but I'm pretty sure you can be demanding without putting a gun to someone's head.

I think the point is, it's alright to want new music.  In fact, I'd say that's a good thing.  And it's fine to question why we haven't gotten new music in 4 years, or 1 album in 20 years.  But the fact remains, we don't know the answers to those questions and no matter how much bitching and complaining we do, it won't speed the process up one bit.  That I can assure you.  Axl obviously works at his own pace.  Lot of artists do in fact.  You can find it ridiculous, frustrating, etc.  Completely warranted.  But it's not like he has been given a strict deadline to release an album in 4 years.  That's not how things work in the industry.  I personally have stopped expecting an album, especially when given very little information about the process or how close new music might be to getting released.  For all we know, it could take 6 months or 6 years.  So I personally choose to enjoy what we do have rather than worry about what we don't have. 

I'll freely admit, there are certain things that occur surrounding this band that I find frustrating and I know it's not easy to stay hopeful and optimistic.  But that's a choice each of us needs to make. 

Well said.

The thing about the complaining that I've never fathomed is saying you're frustrated or disappointed a new album is not coming out in the foreseeable future is understandable.  Expressing that frustration over and over again, like some people do, is just pointless.  Like you said, it will not change a damn thing.  If it were possible for all the complaining to have any impact on releasing an album sooner rather than later, it would've happened with CD.  The best thing is to let go of any frustration when none of us clearly have any power to change anything about this situation.

Ali

[westcoast_junkie]

It's interesting that the lead guitarist of our favourite band is as frustrated as us, and yet Jarmo still won't except people's opinion that this lack of productivity sucks! Yes the tours are great but it's time for something else. As Ron has said in the past listen to the fans.

And there is no way Ron was drunk- he's saying what he has said time and time again. With regards to Illusions, from what I recall from Duff's book it was Axl who was not playing ball. You can't ignore this- it's just history repeating itself. However I remain Patient!

Personally, I think the lead guitarist feeling that way and expressing it is fine. He's in the band, so it directly affects him.
For anyone who isn't in the band though, it has nothing to do with us when and if they ever record new material. We all want it, obviously... but people actually demanding it? No.
Just like with anything, if it happens it happens. Until then, enjoy something else instead.

I agree. That the members view things differently isn't unhealthy. This is simply Bumblefoot sharing his view. I don't agree with him on all the things he says, but it's natural that he wants to contribute. I hope and believe the relations in Gn'R is strong, and that no one is upset when their bro's are expressing their opinions.

Reayj: That was Duff's view of the things, and he also clearly express that what he wrote in that book was his side of the story. We have no foundation of saying that a history that we do not know the facts about will repeat itself....

[LongGoneDay]

If you want to get technical, this thread is pointless.

Whining about not having an album, whining about other people whining about not having an album, expressing your feeling that any and every single thought you post on a rock band's forum is pointless in the grand scheme of things is pointless. Whining is whining, and pointless is pointless. Nothing any one writes here is going to change anything about anything, ever.
It's a way to kill time, get/share hopes/info/opinions, vent frustrations etc. In the end, nothing real productive going on here, positive or negative. It's all the same.

The whining about other people whining is just as boring to read for some as it is for other to read about the initial whining itself.
So I say, whine on whine bags. It's up to the individual to decide what they want to read, and not read.

The fact that there is any discussion to be had at all regarding a band as stagnant creatively as GN'R, is a good thing. Embrace it, you whiny ass mother fuckers.

[faldor]

If you want to get technical, this thread is pointless.

Whining about not having an album, whining about other people whining about not having an album, expressing your feeling that any and every single thought you post on a rock band's forum is pointless in the grand scheme of things is pointless. Whining is whining, and pointless is pointless. Nothing any one writes here is going to change anything about anything, ever.
It's a way to kill time, get/share hopes/info/opinions, vent frustrations etc. In the end, nothing real productive going on here, positive or negative. It's all the same.

The whining about other people whining is just as boring to read for some as it is for other to read about the initial whining itself.
So I say, whine on whine bags. It's up to the individual to decide what they want to read, and not read.

The fact that there is any discussion to be had at all regarding a band as stagnant creatively as GN'R, is a good thing. Embrace it, you whiny ass mother fuckers.

Agreed, but certain boards are run certain ways.  People seem to come here and "whine" because they know it'll get a rise out of certain people when there are plenty other places they could vent their frustrations freely and openly.  You have to respect the rules and know what is deemed acceptable.  You may not agree with it and it's fine to voice your opinion on those matters.  But to do it repeatedly doesn't accomplish anything.  There are certain matters pertaining to the band that I don't bother posting here because I know it probably wouldn't go over well.  So I choose to do so on other boards.  Yet I still come back here on a daily basis.  I haven't thrown up my hands in disgust and walked away.  I don't really get that attitude.

Sorry if I've taken this down an entirely different path, but that's the way I see things.

[LongGoneDay]

If you want to get technical, this thread is pointless.

Whining about not having an album, whining about other people whining about not having an album, expressing your feeling that any and every single thought you post on a rock band's forum is pointless in the grand scheme of things is pointless. Whining is whining, and pointless is pointless. Nothing any one writes here is going to change anything about anything, ever.
It's a way to kill time, get/share hopes/info/opinions, vent frustrations etc. In the end, nothing real productive going on here, positive or negative. It's all the same.

The whining about other people whining is just as boring to read for some as it is for other to read about the initial whining itself.
So I say, whine on whine bags. It's up to the individual to decide what they want to read, and not read.

The fact that there is any discussion to be had at all regarding a band as stagnant creatively as GN'R, is a good thing. Embrace it, you whiny ass mother fuckers.

Agreed, but certain boards are run certain ways.  People seem to come here and "whine" because they know it'll get a rise out of certain people when there are plenty other places they could vent their frustrations freely and openly.  You have to respect the rules and know what is deemed acceptable.  You may not agree with it and it's fine to voice your opinion on those matters.  But to do it repeatedly doesn't accomplish anything.  There are certain matters pertaining to the band that I don't bother posting here because I know it probably wouldn't go over well.  So I choose to do so on other boards.  Yet I still come back here on a daily basis.  I haven't thrown up my hands in disgust and walked away.  I don't really get that attitude.

Sorry if I've taken this down an entirely different path, but that's the way I see things.

I hear ya bud. I was just trying to break things up a bit with that post.
I can dig how this board is run. Some of the fandom is a bit over the top to say the least, but that's to be expected on a "fan" site!
No one wants to read a straight up love fest, and no one wants to hear incessant whining. Need a mix!
There's no shortage of differing opinions here, so everything seems in order.

[Ali]

If you want to get technical, this thread is pointless.

Whining about not having an album, whining about other people whining about not having an album, expressing your feeling that any and every single thought you post on a rock band's forum is pointless in the grand scheme of things is pointless. Whining is whining, and pointless is pointless. Nothing any one writes here is going to change anything about anything, ever.
It's a way to kill time, get/share hopes/info/opinions, vent frustrations etc. In the end, nothing real productive going on here, positive or negative. It's all the same.

The whining about other people whining is just as boring to read for some as it is for other to read about the initial whining itself.
So I say, whine on whine bags. It's up to the individual to decide what they want to read, and not read.

The fact that there is any discussion to be had at all regarding a band as stagnant creatively as GN'R, is a good thing. Embrace it, you whiny ass mother fuckers.

Expressing your point of view or feeling about a particular subject, whether it's engaging in a dialogue or just an act of self-expression, is not pointless.  I just find expressing the same POV or feeling, over and over and over again, pointless.  I don't think that's so much a problem here, but on other boards. 

I can understand expressing that once, twice, three times.  But, beyond that I just don't get it and fail to see the point.  With CD, I thought for a time that perhaps expressions of wanting a new album, being frustrated over not having a new album, may help to encourage all interested parties to secure a release sooner than 2008.  Obviously, that did not happen.  So, as I see it, we have a historical example to prove that the pressure from the fanbase doesn't help to speed up an album release.  So, again, I don't get it and fail to see the point in those repeated expressions of frustration from certain people about a new album.

None of that is to say that people should be censored from expressing what they want to express.  I just struggle to understand these particular expressions.


Ali

[One.In.A.Million]

Ron has gone from giving interviews where he tries to paint everything as being positive and going well, recording etc. To giving interviews where he doesn't give a crap, and basically says "this is how it is in reality", and how "I'm the only one who doesn't bullshit you guys about it".

A rather big change in Rons attitude as the years go on and on with GN'R... 

I hope that things change within Guns N' Roses for Ron to take a more active role in creating music, and everything else that goes along with that. It would be a sad thing for GN'R to lose Ron, because he is a huge asset to the group. 

I am not singling you out, but your post is the best example to give a concise reply to, in the sense that you are on the money with your observations.

As I've said before, with Ron's spinal issues, he's probably in a place, mentally where other than his passion, every thing else is a head fuck.  By that I mean, the mundane, the bullshit and the unpleasant day to day stuff is stuff that he'd rather not have to deal with, but has to.  The type of questions asked at interviews for example, yes he'll acknowledge the fans want to know this stuff, but the same questions keep getting asked and after a while is becoming boring.  They don't ask questions such as how does touring effect his relationship with his wife? Do you have a routine on tour, that you follow, if so what is it?  Are you working on any projects at the moment outside of Guns.

Trust me, as somebody who has similar issues health wise, we live (moreso) for something interesting to be that distraction that take our mind off the general crap we are feeling and feel that life has something good to offer.  Pain and depression are classic bed-fellows, for that circle to be broken, we need to be indulged in something worth getting out of bed for.... And believe me, someday's bed seems like the ONLY option. 

I totally agree with you as well...

At the end of the day, Ron is in Guns N' Roses and he has to deal with all of the day to day business of questions relating to "whens the new album coming out?, "have you guys wrote any new material yet?". He dealt with all of these questions in the run up to CD's release too, around 2006-2008, because he was too nice to turn interviews down.

So now, he is just pissed off and venting. Because he knows CD2 is knowhere near to being released if it's going to include material created by this band. And this would naturally make him annoyed as it is, especially when he knows it can easily be done if Axl decided it was a main priority, which it is obviously not.

Now put on top of that, every fan and interviewer asking him this on a daily basis...

Sure Rons pissed off, just deal with it guys... him and only him has to go through this not us, so don't judge him. 

[jarmo]

Demanding something sounds negative to me.

Especially in this case.


Wanting to hear new music, being anxious to hear it, having interest in it. That's all different and more positive. Demanding something is just a bit "too much" in my opinion.




Also, you can compare productivity all you want. But you are not getting the full picture. Did you forget that part of the long process was about rebuilding the whole band from scratch?





/jarmo

[AXLGNR123]

Demanding something sounds negative to me.

Especially in this case.


Wanting to hear new music, being anxious to hear it, having interest in it. That's all different and more positive. Demanding something is just a bit "too much" in my opinion.




Also, you can compare productivity all you want. But you are not getting the full picture. Did you forget that part of the long process was about rebuilding the whole band from scratch?





/jarmo

Nobody is demanding anything. It's human nature to release music for your fans. Axl's a musician, it's only natural for his fans (like me) to want to hear his lyrics, his melodies, his art. There's nothing wrong with that. Nobody is demanding the band to go into the studio to record and release music. That's just what band's do.

And yes, he did have to build the band from scratch. He successfully did that in 2001, when he had a kick-ass band and was touring behind new logos and a new look. The band was the ideal "New GN'R" in my opinion. Than, Philly happened. Than Vancouver. Than the rest of the 2002 tour was canceled. Than Buckethead left because of nothing getting done. Than, they came back and did a kick-ass tour in 2006-07, but there was no release of Chinese Democracy and before the album was released , Robin left. He had a band, a great band, and he let it slip away. Now, he's touring with a band who have (most likely) not wrote or recorded a single song together. That's not much of a band if you ask me. 

[jarmo]

Not much of a band?

Seriously...

Do you post just to get a reaction? Didn't you also said it'd be better if Axl was angry?




/jarmo

[AXLGNR123]

Not much of a band?

Seriously...

Do you post just to get a reaction? Didn't you also said it'd be better if Axl was angry?




/jarmo

Sure, what I said before about him being happy is a bad thing was stupid, I know. I just think that when he's got something to say, or when he wants to vent, he writes better lyrics, that's all. Sure, it's much better that he's in a happy place and he's generally happy. But, some of his best songs are songs that you can tell he's got something to say and doesn't give a damn if people don't like it or not. That's all I meant. If he's happy, than that's good because that means we won't have to see him be angry on stage.

And no, I don't post to get a reaction. Why would I do that? So tell me how a touring band who (most likely) never wrote one song or record together are a band. You can tour together as long as you want, but guys like Bumblefoot and DJ are musician's and they want to write music. If they can't with GN'R, they will go elsewhere. Why do you think Buckethead and Robin Finck left? For the hell of it? Nothing was getting done productively for the band, so they went back to their other ventures. Buckethead went solo, and Robin went back to NIN. Bumblefoot could easily either join another rock band or write his own solo album. DJ has Sixx AM and Motley Crue he can fall back on. The longer they tour behind material they didn't write, the more likely this "band" will need to find their 4th lead guitarist. 

[GypsySoul]

   Wonder what happened between March 2nd with Ron talking like this about the songs on "CD2".....

Ron was on a webstream tonight (http://www.ustream.tv/EatMoreHeat), where he talked a little bit about GN'R.

Here's some new information on a couple songs:

Atlas Shrugged
* Ron said it almost made it on Chinese Democracy, but it would've taken the album past the 74 minute mark.
* Ron has done a solo for this song.
* Ron said it'll be going on Chinese Democracy 2.

The General
* Ron thinks this is an interesting song.

Going Down
* (Co?-)written by Tommy Stinson
* Features Tommy on vocals and Axl on main chorus
* Ron has described the song as "slower paced".
* Ron has described the song as "acoustic-ey" - something that Bob Dylan could have done.

..... to him talking like this three days later 

Sad to hear this :/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbI95OEVF0k

But.... if you take Ron saying which songs are "going on CD2" (he wouldn't lie to us, right?) and Axl saying we're "definitely maybe" going to hear new music in 2013, one could possibly maybe construe that maybe possibly the new album is in some sorta kinda mixing/mastering stage?? ... maybe?? ... possibly??  *fingers crossed*

[Spirit]

  Wonder what happened between March 2nd with Ron talking like this about the songs on "CD2".....

Ron was on a webstream tonight (http://www.ustream.tv/EatMoreHeat), where he talked a little bit about GN'R.

Here's some new information on a couple songs:

Atlas Shrugged
* Ron said it almost made it on Chinese Democracy, but it would've taken the album past the 74 minute mark.
* Ron has done a solo for this song.
* Ron said it'll be going on Chinese Democracy 2.

The General
* Ron thinks this is an interesting song.

Going Down
* (Co?-)written by Tommy Stinson
* Features Tommy on vocals and Axl on main chorus
* Ron has described the song as "slower paced".
* Ron has described the song as "acoustic-ey" - something that Bob Dylan could have done.

..... to him talking like this three days later 

Sad to hear this :/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbI95OEVF0k

But.... if you take Ron saying which songs are "going on CD2" (he wouldn't lie to us, right?) and Axl saying we're "definitely maybe" going to hear new music in 2013, one could possibly maybe construe that maybe possibly the new album is in some sorta kinda mixing/mastering stage?? ... maybe?? ... possibly??  *fingers crossed*

The new info on those songs actually came from the same webcast as the youtube video.

[GypsySoul]

The new info on those songs actually came from the same webcast as the youtube video.

Wow.  That makes the whole thing even more bizarre.

Talk about a 180 

 

[One.In.A.Million]

I'm pretty confident that in Axl's mind, the next album will feature almost if not all CD era songs written by guys like Buckethead, Finck, Brain and Tobias. Why else isn't he in any rush to get this current band together to create new music. I don't give a fuck what's going on with the record company, NOTHING can stop Axl from saying to all the guys "right we are going to set aside a few weeks in our downtime, to write and record in (insert studio here)...

Axl probably knows the next album is more or less sorted creativity wise, so that's why he hasn't done the afformentioned. 

That's simple logic right there, and I'm betting I'm right on the money...

[raindogs70]

I wish GNR would put some new music out, but the band takes enough of a break to work on their own thing so they don't go stir crazy playing the same songs over and over. They have their creative outlets and business interests keeping them busy on the down time.

I think Ron enjoys the social aspect and interacting, but he and DJ use the GNR name to promote things that have nothing to do with the band.  Axl could just as easily go "I don't want you associating the band name with what you're doing".

Does Axl need to be angry to put a sentence together? He seems to be very good at putting a LOT of sentences together. Prob. did a lot of Mad Libs growing up.

I also think he wants to avoid putting a timeline on it, because the last time he did it, the dates kept getting pushed back further... and further... and further...
 

[raindogs70]

I'm pretty confident that in Axl's mind, the next album will feature almost if not all CD era songs written by guys like Buckethead, Finck, Brain and Tobias. Why else isn't he in any rush to get this current band together to create new music. I don't give a fuck what's going on with the record company, NOTHING can stop Axl from saying to all the guys "right we are going to set aside a few weeks in our downtime, to write and record in (insert studio here)...

Axl probably knows the next album is more or less sorted creativity wise, so that's why he hasn't done the afformentioned. 

That's simple logic right there, and I'm betting I'm right on the money...

I would rule out Buckethead coming back.

They probably don't need to go into a studio if half of them have home studios and can just send files back and forth. The only reason to do that is to collaborate on the songs and build them up into something.