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

[sofine11]

Whenever it comes out, I'm hoping for an album of raw, sleazy rock n' roll with riffs that require a tetanus shot after being heard...

An album that's blues/hard rock based that you can put on in the bar and say to people, "yeah this is off the new GN'R album, pretty sick huh"?

An album that the band recorded live in studio, with real emotion and feel pouring out like whiskey into a line of shot glasses.

An album that features more acoustic guitars than orchestral instruments.

I like all of the previous albums, and yes, growing musically is awesome (something many bands can't do), but I believe there comes a time when you have to say, lets hear some rock n' fuckin' roll and get back to the roots of this thing. As the man said,  "everything was roses when we held onto the guns!"

Other than that, I really don't have an opinion.

I would love that record too.... but its a completely different band than the one who made that record... obviously Chinese Democracy is nothing like that... and id expect the left overs to be some what similar

I dunno.  Soul Monster & Jackie Chan sound like they're gonna be pretty rowdy rockers...

I'm not so sure about that.  Remember how Baz compared "Sorry" to doom metal?  Well, it does have a very Sabbath/doom metal-esque riff during the chorus, but I personally wouldn't characterize the entire song as being Sabbath/doom metal-esque.

If these songs are as complex and dynamic as the songs on CD, then they may not be so easy to classify.

Ali

That'd be fine.   Let's just hope Fernando & co. are doing everything they can behind the scenes to make this release happen so we can all judge for ourselves which are rockers, ballads, etc. 

Personally, I'm chomping at the bit for "Seven".  On top of Marco Beltrami saying it was his favorite of the bunch he worked on, Brain called it an epic ballad.

God, why don't we have this album? 

[spgunner]

I only wish Axl doesn't bury new music with Bucket, Robin, Paul and Brain. Maybe it's hard for him to release new stuff from people who aren't in the band anymore as time flies - but after all, what matters is the music (one of the positive sides of no official videos for CD is that people were able to listen to it as a real rock album from the old times, it's just you and the music with nothing in the middle to disturb). I also hope we still can see the CD remixes and the original booklet out in some form. I know it seems like the CD era is probably gone for now (as regards set lists and products and flyers and posters and others) so maybe it won't happen. But I do hope it does
Anyway CD is still fresh for me. It's been 5 years this year and it's so complex and it's so good. If the next album will be like this too, I guess it's very ok for us to wait doens't matter how long it takes because it's gonna be worth - of course we all want a new record for yesterday but this is not our call.
Id rather have one Guns album every 10 years with the quality we are used to than 5 regular shitty albums in 5 years. That's one of the things that made this band so special. But seems like new fans from new generations, specially from this last decade, don't have patience and don't understand anything. Maybe it's because the world became so fast. People hear one zillion songs per day via downloads (legally or not), many young people never bought a real CD in their lives... so it's easy for some people to demand a new album. Many people don't care about what happens behind the scenes. People don't care for whatever reasons there's no new album yet (Maybe Axl doesn't want? Maybe Axl is still figuring what to do as regards members, former members, older new songs, issues with record company, contracts or God knows what else).
I just hope things go swell for Axl because he deserves the best after so many years with us.
Chinese Democracy rules!
I wish I could have a Tommy's Hamburger right now !

[JDA]

Just release something, anything.  Way too much time in between albums. 

[spgunner]

Many bands take years to release new albums. U2 doesn't put a new album since 2009? Boston took... 11 years? Aerosmith from Just Push Play to the new album took 11 years! And only one cover algum of blues tunes in between. Doesn't matter how long did it take to have CD out in the streets. It's just 5 years, give 'em a break. Apart from that, many people are only understanding and enjoying CD nowadays. Many people didn't like it from the get go and started to enjoy it later. 

[JAEBALL]

Many bands take years to release new albums. U2 doesn't put a new album since 2009? Boston took... 11 years? Aerosmith from Just Push Play to the new album took 11 years! And only one cover algum of blues tunes in between. Doesn't matter how long did it take to have CD out in the streets. It's just 5 years, give 'em a break. Apart from that, many people are only understanding and enjoying CD nowadays. Many people didn't like it from the get go and started to enjoy it later. 

i am just curious as to why you think people NOW like Chinese Democracy?

you might be right in certain individuals.... but as a whole? why do you think that?


i can only speak for myself... I strongly dislike some songs on the album, and then certain songs such as This i love... i have learned to love due tot he live performances and now listen to it everyday

but ive seen this sentiment before that people now "get " and appreciate CD...and i dont understand it

[spgunner]

I personally love it from the get go. But I've seen many people (friends and others) that didn't like it from the beginning (many didn't even bothered themselves to hear the entire album) enjoying it nowadays. I guess it's just because the hype and the pressure on the album are finally gone. Ron said something very interesting about it:

Bumblefoot pitches right in with, ?this is not my beard, there?s more to it.? He strokes the braided beard for greater effect. The only time they straightened up was when the topic of their 2008 album Chinese Democracy cropped up. Called the ?Titanic of rock albums?, their 2008 album took 17 years, more than $13 million and an army of musicians to bring it to life. Just like the ill-fated ship, the album met with a tragic fate and got a lukewarm reaction from rock ?n roll fans. But Bumblefoot defends their herculean efforts.

?Over time people will like the album. Now they don?t hear the album, they just think this was the most expensive album in the history of mankind and it took 8,000 years to build,? said Bumblefoot, adding that the songs sound much better during a live concert.

?That album has quite a reputation. In the history of humanity there is no album that has taken the road that album has taken ? It marks a chapter of growth. It is a pretty long chapter in the life of Guns N? Roses which is been here for a quarter of a century now. It?s a unique album as time passes and people stop thinking about the baggage that it came with that album then they get to have a less biased opinion about it,? said Bumblefoot. The earnest plea is interrupted by DJ Ashba with: ?I haven?t heard it ? is it any good??.

I guess it's the same thing that happened to Use Your Illusion I & II. When it was released many old die hard fans didn't like it (even though some songs were older than AFD) and it took many many years for some people to get used to the sound and to enjoy and love the songs. When you release something different, when you grow to another level, many people don't get it so it takes time.
I' ve seen the same people who didn't like that "horrible endless nonsense piano live song from Rock in Rio II" (Estranged!) screaming and crying when the band put it back in the set list in Rock in Rio IV. Some people take time to understand and to enjoy somehting that they don't expect. Many people from the late 80's didn't quite understood or liked Estranged and now it's one of GN'R's biggest classics. Just the other day a friend of mine called me to tell me how good CD is and that back in 2008 when I gave him the cd he listened to it only once, didn't pay enough attention, never put it back again. Last week he was going to sell some cds and he gave it another try: he's amazed by what he heard and told me how stupid he was because he just didn't give a shit when I gave him the album, just because it was Chinese Democracy.

[D-GenerationX]

but ive seen this sentiment before that people now "get " and appreciate CD...and i dont understand it

I see it as rationalization, nothing more.  And never uttered by anyone but rose colored fanboys.

- Its so complex!! (that's why it took so long to be made)
- It really needs time to be appreciated!! (that's why it made zero impact on the marketplace)
- I'm still just finding new things now!! (that's what I have to tell myself to tide me over until the next one comes out, god knows when)

I don't find those sorts of comments to be the least bit credible.  End of the day, it was a rock album.  And a rock album that didn't go anywhere or do anything.  Its OK to admit those things out loud, all while freely admitting you like some of the tunes on there.

I think 'There Was A Time' and 'I.R.S' were awesome.  I'd put them on any GNR mix I made right along side the classic stuff.  But that doesn't mean the album they can be found on is some complex piece of genius that that was just too overall brilliant to be appreciated by the uneducated masses.  That's just spin, nothing more.

[spgunner]

I disagree. You put CD way down when you say it's just a rock album. The same way AFD and Illusions aren't only hard rock or whatever. Some bands create pieces of art that are bigger than one particular style. It's almost impossible to label albums like "A Night at the Opera" or 'The Wall" or "Chinese Democracy" in one particular style.
You sound sarcastic when you use terms such as "complex" or "time to be appreciated". But it's true. Many albums from many bands out there became notorious after many many years from their original releases because most people weren't able to get it.
Even Axl knows that. In 99 he told MTV that some songs were way too advanced for old Guns fans to hear, remember?
I don't know what you mean about "didn't go anywhere or do anything". What else did you want apart from being a lucky fan that got the best record from the 21 century so far? Unless you don't dig it as much as I do. And even if you don't like it, you gotta admit that at least it's different from everything out there.
I have no idea how old are you and since when you're a Guns fan but I do remember clear as crystal about the Illusions era. How many fuckheads were against the albums saying there were way too many ballads, that they sold their souls, the band wasn't the same anymore, blablabla. The same fuckheads that today love Use Your Illusion I & II and still hate CD. And some of them are already digging CD. It's a matter of time.
Personally I wish there were a few videos out and the original booklet out but what  really matters in the end is the great music and the quality and passion that is inside of this album.
Id rather wait 10 years to have another album like this than to have 3 regular shitty albums.

   

[jarmo]

I see it as rationalization, nothing more.  And never uttered by anyone but rose colored fanboys.

What's a fanboy and why are you so afraid of being labeled one?

I think 'There Was A Time' and 'I.R.S' were awesome.  I'd put them on any GNR mix I made right along side the classic stuff.  But that doesn't mean the album they can be found on is some complex piece of genius that that was just too overall brilliant to be appreciated by the uneducated masses.  That's just spin, nothing more.

Could you, in your not-fanboy-100%-objective opinion, honestly say that everybody gave the album a fair chance and that all the opinions, such as the above, are solely based on listening to the music with an open mind?


As a GN'R fan, it's obvious I'm more likely to enjoy a GN'R album than a person who isn't, and at the same time, it's likely that I won't have a completely open mind when listening to an artist whose musical output I can't stand.


/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

I disagree. You put CD way down when you say it's just a rock album. The same way AFD and Illusions aren't only hard rock or whatever. Some bands create pieces of art that are bigger than one particular style. It's almost impossible to label albums like "A Night at the Opera" or 'The Wall" or "Chinese Democracy" in one particular style.
You sound sarcastic when you use terms such as "complex" or "time to be appreciated".    

Well, good.  That means its coming through.

It's a rock album.  It didn't change the fucking world.  It has some good songs, and some weak songs, like any album.  Its not a religious experience.

[D-GenerationX]

I see it as rationalization, nothing more.  And never uttered by anyone but rose colored fanboys.

What's a fanboy and why are you so afraid of being labeled one?

With all due respect...you.  A fanboy is someone that finds no fault with anything, spins everything that happens as positive, and rips apart anyone else who dares speak anything resembling a dissenting opinion.

I don't want to be labeled one because that's not a credible person to me.  Anyone that tells me this is a well run operation with no legit gripes to be had is someone that you can't take super seriously.  I'm sure you have your reasons for saying the things you do (many of which we can all guess) but that doesn't mean its the gospel truth.  Its spin and the party line.  It is what it is, and we all know what it is.

Nothing in the world is super terrific awesome 24/7/365.  Sometimes, its OK to say certain things are wrong.  Anyone that cannot ever seem to do so, is a fanboy.  Simple as that.  It doesn't make them a bad person overall, obviously, but their credibility on that particular topic can be questioned, because objectivity seems to not be part of the equation.

Could you, in your not-fanboy-100%-objective opinion, honestly say that everybody gave the album a fair chance and that all the opinions, such as the above, are solely based on listening to the music with an open mind?

Of course not.  That would be ridiculous to say. 

Many people long gave up on Axl.  And were never going to give this album a chance without Slash.  I don't agree with that take, but I would say it was the vast majority of the music listening public.

But I'm not going to then sit here and get frosty that people have that opinion, and try to whip up some goofball argument it was because it was all so super complex and layered and they just didn't get it.  That's pretty self serving and frankly, ridiculous.  It was a rock album.  Done by a rock band, playing rock songs.  If people either didn't like it, or simply never gave it a chance, it was not because they were just too dumb to appreciate the brilliance contained within.

[Ali]

I see it as rationalization, nothing more.  And never uttered by anyone but rose colored fanboys.

What's a fanboy and why are you so afraid of being labeled one?

With all due respect...you.  A fanboy is someone that finds no fault with anything, spins everything that happens as positive, and rips apart anyone else who dares speak anything resembling a dissenting opinion.

I don't want to be labeled one because that's not a credible person to me.  Anyone that tells me this is a well run operation with no legit gripes to be had is someone that you can't take super seriously.  I'm sure you have your reasons for saying the things you do (many of which we can all guess) but that doesn't mean its the gospel truth.  Its spin and the party line.  It is what it is, and we all know what it is.

Nothing in the world is super terrific awesome 24/7/365.  Sometimes, its OK to say certain things are wrong.  Anyone that cannot ever seem to do so, is a fanboy.  Simple as that.  It doesn't make them a bad person overall, obviously, but their credibility on that particular topic can be questioned, because objectivity seems to not be part of the equation.

Could you, in your not-fanboy-100%-objective opinion, honestly say that everybody gave the album a fair chance and that all the opinions, such as the above, are solely based on listening to the music with an open mind?

Of course not.  That would be ridiculous to say. 

Many people long gave up on Axl.  And were never going to give this album a chance without Slash.  I don't agree with that take, but I would say it was the vast majority of the music listening public.

But I'm not going to then sit here and get frosty that people have that opinion, and try to whip up some goofball argument it was because it was all so super complex and layered and they just didn't get it.  That's pretty self serving and frankly, ridiculous.  It was a rock album.  Done by a rock band, playing rock songs.  If people either didn't like it, or simply never gave it a chance, it was not because they were just too dumb to appreciate the brilliance contained within.

I do agree that nothing in the world is super awesome 24/7/365 and that things could have been more productive or better, ideally, with GN'R.  But, having said that, I personally don't feel the need to harp on these things because nothing in the world is EVER super awesome 24/7/365.  I think that's a given.

I also agree that there was a fair segment of the listening public that were prejudiced towards the album by virtue of Slash and the old lineup not being on the album.  I read through countless reviews on Amazon and iTunes, among other sites that allow fan/listener reviews.  I quickly lost count of how many people said something to the effect of "It's not the same without Slash".  Well, no shit.  That's something you could have said without even listening to the album.  OF COURSE an album by a guitar-driven rock band without a lead guitar player as distinctive in his tone and at times almost lyrical style of lead guitar playing will not sound the same.  Knowing that doesn't require listening to a note of CD.

But, I do disagree that it is a "goofball" argument that the complexity of CD, both stylistically, structurally and in the number of tracks per song, may have pushed some people off initially and that could've been alleviated with more listens, thus allowing for a deeper appreciation of the songs.  "Sorry" and "This I Love" were two songs that really grew on me with additional listens.  I, for one, know others that have expressed the same sentiments about several tracks on the album.

Does this mean that not everyone gave it a chance?  No. 

But the argument of the layered sound, song to song and within song stylistic complexity/variation, and the non-traditional structure of the songs themselves didn't put people off initially, and that could've changed with additional listens is not an invalid or "goofball" argument.

Ali

[damnthehaters]

Ali, people harp on the fact that GNR isn't perfect from time to time BECAUSE Jarmo and others are ALWAYS defending this band NO MATTER WHAT.  You say "it's a given" that bands and people aren't perfect....well it's NOT a given in Jarmo's world.  Nothing GNR nor Axl does can be wrong in his mind.  I would hate to date Jarmo...ha  Probably never admits to making mistakes and thinks he's perfect.  God...Get me out of the house!  I think the only reason people "harp" on certain things about GNR on this site, is because Jarmo and others can't let someone say something (somewhat negative) about GNR without stepping in and telling us were wrong/making us feel stupid/or sticking up for Axl at all costs.  When someone points out what they believe is to be a mistake or something being handled wrong by this band, we get the same responses...."it's not Axl's fault", "this band doesn't owe you anything", "other bands haven't done it like that either".  And often Jarmo will get all philosophical and start asking questions to any comments he may not agree with.  "What's a fanboy and why are you so afraid of being labeled one?"  or "while you think this, the band may be thinking something else....bla bla bla"  Give it up.  It's become exhausting but almost humorous at the same time.  When someone says something suggesting they don't agree with what GNR is doing, I like to come back to the topic a day later and see Jarmo's post.  It gets humorous when we all pretty much know GNR fucked that one up, and yet Jarmo is still there defending his boy. 

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

[D-GenerationX]

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

I think the exact same thing all the time.

These guys are always going to be my favorite band.  But sometimes, you have to say what's what.

[Ali]

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

I think the exact same thing all the time.

These guys are always going to be my favorite band.  But sometimes, you have to say what's what.

Sure, but at a certain point, you have to speak your opinion and move on once you've gotten your two cents in.  There's saying what's what and then there's beating an opinion into the ground when it doesn't change anything to do so.

Speaking in a broader sense, the one thing I have never gotten with the GN'R forums is the reiterating the same point of frustration over and over.  Yes, we all want new music.  I don't think there's a fan out there that wouldn't. 

But, if the Chinese Democracy saga taught me anything, the reiterating of that frustrated desire for new music over and over and over again did nothing ultimately but get me more frustrated with something I have zero control over.

So, I respect and appreciate the expressing of views, at least when it is done without personal invective.  But, like I said, there's saying what's what and then there's beating an opinion into the ground when it doesn't change anything to do so.

Ali

[lance]

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

I think the exact same thing all the time.

These guys are always going to be my favorite band.  But sometimes, you have to say what's what.

you say what YOU THINK is what. where I live Chinese democracy is extremely popular. More so than any other album to have been released in the past 10 years

[jarmo]

I see it as rationalization, nothing more.  And never uttered by anyone but rose colored fanboys.

What's a fanboy and why are you so afraid of being labeled one?

With all due respect...you.  A fanboy is someone that finds no fault with anything, spins everything that happens as positive, and rips apart anyone else who dares speak anything resembling a dissenting opinion.

I don't want to be labeled one because that's not a credible person to me.  Anyone that tells me this is a well run operation with no legit gripes to be had is someone that you can't take super seriously.  I'm sure you have your reasons for saying the things you do (many of which we can all guess) but that doesn't mean its the gospel truth.  Its spin and the party line.  It is what it is, and we all know what it is.

Nothing in the world is super terrific awesome 24/7/365.  Sometimes, its OK to say certain things are wrong.  Anyone that cannot ever seem to do so, is a fanboy.  Simple as that.  It doesn't make them a bad person overall, obviously, but their credibility on that particular topic can be questioned, because objectivity seems to not be part of the equation.

Not credible? That's a bit disrespectful to say about people who have a different point of view from yours. Especially when the labeling is done based on assumptions.
Maybe in your opinion credibility doesn't mix well with understanding and seeing things from a different point of view....




/jarmo
 

[D-GenerationX]

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

I think the exact same thing all the time.

These guys are always going to be my favorite band.  But sometimes, you have to say what's what.

you say what YOU THINK is what. where I live Chinese democracy is extremely popular. More so than any other album to have been released in the past 10 years

And where is this?

[D-GenerationX]

Not credible? That's a bit disrespectful to say about people who have a different point of view from yours. Especially when the labeling is done based on assumptions.
Maybe in your opinion credibility doesn't mix well with understanding and seeing things from a different point of view....

Then tell me this, Jarmo.  What have they done over the past decade or so that you found some fault with?  I've never heard you be critical of anything, ever.  Can you give me an instance?

I'll start.  I was in a building in Philadelphia with over 10,000 other people waiting to see him and he never showed up.  And we have yet to be been given a reason why.  I have been a fan of his since 6th grade (1988) and December 6, 2002 was going to be the first time I ever got to see him live.

This was no god damn good and a total dick move.  Agree or disagree?

[One.In.A.Million]

It's funny because on the outside world, I defend GNR all the time.  But on here, I think it gets rediculouos               

I think the exact same thing all the time.

These guys are always going to be my favorite band.  But sometimes, you have to say what's what.

Haha, you know this kind of hits home a lot with me as well. I always defend Guns, even when someone says something that's not even a dig, but is maybe a tad negative. Because, for all their faults I hate to hear people who are not even fans talk badly of the band for whatever reason. BUT, on GN'R forums where we are all fans, I often find myself thinking "Wtf?" in regards to a lot of things that aren't getting done for instance the Vegas DVD, the album or just the general lack of communication. So I totally get what you guys are saying here, and it's kind of like not allowing people to disrespect your family in public, but ALWAYS arguing with them behind closed doors anyways.