The General being released (perhaps B-side)

[Bodhi]

Really enjoy this song and yes I agree with an above post it is even better when paired with Monsters.  That could be because that’s the first way I’ve heard it but it does seem to fit.

My favorite thing about these new songs they’ve released is they don’t sound like anything the band has ever done before.  Most bands at this stage of their career more often than not are repeating themselves, if they are even bothering to put out new music at all.  I’m hoping this trend of putting out a song at a time from song ideas that originated from the “Chinese Democracy “ years with Slash and Duff doing their thing on them continues for the foreseeable future. 

[shaundix]

I like it. Sounds like the vocals were recorded fairly recently.

[Ginger King]

I like it. Sounds like the vocals were recorded fairly recently.

It sounds like the vocals (especially the "can anybody tell me") were recorded through a walkie-talkie 20 years ago.

[D-GenerationX]

Extremely disappointing track, feels very disjointed, and you can tell Slash's talk box component and the overuse of 'wah' guitar  was just cut and pasted to include him on the track to keep him happy / band morale good, this is extremely unfitting.

I give it a 4.5 to 5/10. I'm disappointed.

Had the same reaction.

[D-GenerationX]

I like it. Sounds like the vocals were recorded fairly recently.

I thought the same.

And is that a good thing?  Making me wonder about the wisdom of wanting a new album done with the current band, as is.

[shaundix]

I like it. Sounds like the vocals were recorded fairly recently.

It sounds like the vocals (especially the "can anybody tell me") were recorded through a walkie-talkie 20 years ago.

Each to their own, but i thought it sounded like Axl from earlier this year, and how he did on Perhaps.

[D-GenerationX]

It sounds like the vocals (especially the "can anybody tell me") were recorded through a walkie-talkie 20 years ago.

Yeah, what were they going for there?

The cynic in me says that the vocals are more recent, and that is done to hide the sound of the them a bit.  

As in, it was done out of necessity.

[pilferk]

It sounds like the vocals (especially the "can anybody tell me") were recorded through a walkie-talkie 20 years ago.

Yeah, what were they going for there?

The cynic in me says that the vocals are more recent, and that is done to hide the sound of the them a bit.  

As in, it was done out of necessity.

See, I think it's an artistic choice.  I think the vocals are meant to "move away" from you.  The effect gets more pronounced as you move through the song.  He's sort of going into the depths and the effect on the vocals is meant to show that.  Just mho.

And I see what Baz meant by "heavy" both in tone and topic.

I like it.  It's something different.  I never did hear Monsters, so it's interesting to hear people talk about that being a companion piece to this one. 

[gunns1]

I'm wondering why Axl rewrote the lyrics to this song... hmm

[jarmo]

See, I think it's an artistic choice.  I think the vocals are meant to "move away" from you.  The effect gets more pronounced as you move through the song.  He's sort of going into the depths and the effect on the vocals is meant to show that.  Just mho.

Yeah, to me it's like two people/two sides of the same person singing. In order to get that idea across, one is his normal voice, the other has effects.





/jarmo

[thomas]

I'm wondering why Axl rewrote the lyrics to this song... hmm

did not know that it sounding the same to me

[Wooody]

Don't like the vocals effects. Dont like the fake drums either. 

[westcoast_junkie]

Good song, strong lyrics!

[D-GenerationX]

Look, no one bats 1.000

I thought 'Perhaps' was excellent.  Thought 'Hard Skool' was very good.

'Absurd', I'm not sure I have played 5 times in total since I got it.  'The General' is likely to join that distinction.

Buy hey...some fans really dug them.  That's cool.  Just as others didn't love 'Perhaps' like I did.  No worries.

Differing opinions are good.  That's credible.  People that wave the pom-poms no matter what, just as well as people that shit on everything regardless, their credibility lacks.

[jarmo]

People that wave the pom-poms no matter what, just as well as people that shit on everything regardless, their credibility lacks.

Explain why liking what your favorite artist/band releases makes one lack credibility?

If one song is a 10, another a 7 that somehow invalidates that person's credibility? If someone is happy the band released a new track, that makes them less credible? It really doesn't. In your reality, someone who has the ability to whine is somehow more credible than someone who doesn't.

You post on a fan forum, your worry about this so called credibility is somewhat ironic.

Come on, get real. You're as credible as the next guy.


There's people who think UYI should have been one album. And then there's those of us (me), who have zero credibility, who think it's perfect the way it is.... 



But you're right, everyone will never like everything. It's as simple as that. There is no perfect GN'R track that everyone will like equally. And there's no perfect setlist. Etc.

GN'R have released four completely different tracks in the last two years (or so). I think that's awesome. If someone dislikes all four, sucks to be them.

The General seems to be the most experimental of them. Which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone here.



/jarmo

[faldor]

I like the song. I do think Monsters is vastly superior, but The General has definitely grown on me. My biggest issue is the failure to follow through and carry the momentum on any of these releases. The music video for Perhaps was an awesome and completely unexpected surprise. But there was nothing done to follow up on that and all the excitement kind of died. I get that they toured for 7 years and that certainly pays the bills. I’m not necessarily expecting them to make endless TV & radio appearances, but a little something would be nice.

The General is currently #1 on the iTunes rock chart, but any hype is going to wear off quick. Maybe I’m misguided and extra work and promotion from the band wouldn’t make much of a difference, but it’s frustrating that they don’t even try.

[slashsbaconpit]

Cue all the negative ninnies and armchair music critics of the Internet who think the know everything who will complain:
GNR isn’t the same since Steven Adler left!
This sucks cuz it doesn’t sound like Appetite.
Axl stinks and I don’t like him.
Since this isn’t better than November Rain, it’s the worst thing ever!
It’s over produced!
The productions sucks!
Where’s Izzy!?
It’s too different!

Calm the fuck down. Just give it a few listens and see what they’re doing. Writing songs about strippers and booze in you 60s doesn’t work. Sorry.

[D-GenerationX]

Explain why liking what your favorite artist/band releases makes one lack credibility?

Really, guy?  YOU want to go down this road?  You, of all people?

OK.  Here is what I mean.  Since you asked.

We all have favorite bands, favorite shows, favorite directors...what have you.  Not everything is super awesome.  Way of the world.  As I said, no one bats 1.000.

So if a person find themselves in a spot where you can't bring themselves to say anything critical out loud, they lack credibility.  And I am not even talking outright shitting on things.

Look at my last post.  I said I loved 'Perhaps', think 'Hard Skool' was very good.  The other 2 were misses, to me.  I do not consider that out of line.  Nor would I think anyone out of line if they had different opinions on which of the 4 were good and which of the 4 were not.  Different tastes.

But my man, I've known you over 10 years now.  If you were asked to utter even a *mild* criticism such as that with a gun to you head...your brains would be all over the wall.  Because you could NEVER say such a thing.  Never seen ONE thing you didn't defend like your own child.  And chastise the hell out of anyone that dared.

I do not claim a eidetic memory.  But I would feel pretty confident betting green money that no one here could recall a situation where you said something even as mild as "yeah, that one didn't land."  Or, "yeah, not their finest moment."

Flipside is also true.  A guy who says everything is terrible is not a credible person.  Simple law of averages dictates something must have been good.  At at the very least, alright.

Extremes in either direction are not noble.  Finding fault with nothing, as well as finding fault with everything, is simply an illogical way to live life.

[D-GenerationX]

Cue all the negative ninnies and armchair music critics of the Internet who think the know everything who will complain:
GNR isn’t the same since Steven Adler left!
This sucks cuz it doesn’t sound like Appetite.
Axl stinks and I don’t like him.
Since this isn’t better than November Rain, it’s the worst thing ever!
It’s over produced!
The productions sucks!
Where’s Izzy!?
It’s too different!

Calm the fuck down. Just give it a few listens and see what they’re doing. Writing songs about strippers and booze in you 60s doesn’t work. Sorry.

I agree with you. 

The ones I have in bold are things I consider things that can be summarily dismissed.  Those ships have all sailed.  People still fighting those battles are the like the Japanese soldiers they found on that isolated island in like 1959 that thought WWII was still going on.  Those battles are over and done.

[Ginger King]

I like the song. Not as good as Hard Skool, IMO. The song just seems incomplete. One chorus, one verse, one refrain. Repeated. That's it. The song just lacks depth. It most certainly will not catch on in circles larger than this [cue: artistic integrity argument]. I think what most of us want is a new song that makes the band relevant again...and it's apparent to me that it isn't going to be a CD-era song.