Here Today... Gone To Hell!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ClxpaNrmbM&ab_channel=GunsN%27Roses-Topic


EDIT: It might not have come out in your region yet. I used a VPN for New Zealand, and the link works.


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_-PACqVQAEMw8C?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)

The video won't play. Apparently, it was released prematurely.

Ali

Could be midnight in each time zone. The video description says: "Released on: 2021-09-24"

I see. Thanks for the clarification. I will just have to wait I guess.

Does it sound different? Can you tell Slash and Duff are on it?

Ali

Different intro, Duff is prominent there. Slash is all over the song. Vocals seem to be the old ones, mixed with some new ones.

I’ve heard it , I like it . Same Axl vocal as the demo he’s not re-recorded em , and I’m a bit gutted about the drumming at the end when the fast bit builds and the song kicks back in I prefer the fast rolls on the demo to the straight forward snare and bass I presume Frank is playing . Overall tho the song rocks , old Skool fans will dig it

If I'm not mistaken, some vocal tracks near the end are new.

VERY solid.

First new song in 30 years you can play for your friends and not have them go, "wait...*this* is Guns N' Roses?"

Axl sounds like Axl.  Slash sounds great.  And there is an actual chorus.

Love this move.

cool intro from Duff, some very good stuff from Slash, the slow
passage was not necessary and it kills a bit the dynamic of the
track, but overall a very good single  : ok:

My thoughts exactly. I dig Absurd but am embarrassed to play it to my friends… This song kicks ass, and sounds like Guns N’ Fuckin Roses….

#idoreallydigabsurd haha

Same here.  Here was how it went with more than one guy.

"Hey, I heard GNR has a new song out?"

"Yeah, but I'd be astounded if you liked it.  The next one will be more in line with your expectations."

Not up for me yet either.

Need a New Zealand VPN.  At least for today.

Listen motherfuckers to a song that shoud be heard!!!  :peace:   #HardSkool

Yeeeeesss! :headbanger:

That is all  :smoking:

Can’t wait for midnight!

Love Duff's intro...then fucking Slash (and Axl).

Fucking loving it!

By the way, Australian VPN also works

Not available in my area yet! But I'm truly happy that they’ll put this out today/tomorow. Let’s see if tonight’s gig can brings this one to us! Even with all the hype around this song they surprised me releasing it today!!! I wasn’t prepared.. :rofl:  :beer:

Nice! Not up here yet neither. Gonna have to stay up for this tonight  :beer:

Man, the DRIVE of this song with Slash's playing!

Worked for me with Melbourme vpn.

I love that the artwork has that "block script" "S" that everyone drew on their notebooks and book covers back in the day (at least it was everywhere when I was in school in the 80's to early 90's)

Where's the like feature when you need it??

2 hours on repeat so far. Out of the 1000 views on YouTube, 50 are mine haha!

Can Axl sing that?

That's it, Hard Skool is going to be a huge hit; just played the song to my wife. She's a singer, but only listens (and sings) Flamenco type of music...she says she really digs Hard skool!

This reminds me of when Shadow of Your Love was released as a single. I suspect that the answer is the same.

Ali

Im i the only one who prefers Absurd as a song?

yes

Looking at the reception in social media so far, it's like night and day compared to Absurd. This one will go down very well with the casual fan.

Hardskool is fucking great
That’s it
Slash’s guitar work makes it a fucking monster
I’m off to listen to it on a constant loop : ok:

I'd say there is a 100% chance you are in the minority on that one.

BIG step up from Absurd (imho).  : ok:
Vocals pretty much like the leaked demo, but improved Guitar parts. Great song.

Keep em comin’ now  :yes:

-Eirik

Wow! This is great. Love it :peace: : ok:

Letttssss fucking gooooo....

Why is MYGNR down?

Definitely more Guns N' Roses than Absurd. It's gonna be liked by the casual fans. Very catchy one, I like it a lot. If I have to chose though, I will go for Absurd. Still, it's a personal choice. I would go for Garden Of Eden than for Nightrain, so...  :hihi:

NZ VPN and access is granted!

Nice tune, tight vocals, could definetely fit AFD! Hope they keep new stuff coming!!

Should be out in Europe now too...




/jarmo

It is. And it's glorious!

Yes, it's out here
in my case Spain

Sounds fuckin' great
Cooler than Absurd to me

But I still expect new stuff, not CD era songs reworked with this lineup

Anyway, great song 8.5 out of 10 to me

Nice guitar work from Slash at the bridge.

Having listened to this several times, and then diving into articles and quotes from about 1996, I am more and more convinced that this song in some form was in Slash and Duffs hands post UYI tour.

Duff was going to leave New York in 1996 to return to LA and record a song for a Jackie Chan movie. From 1996 to 1998 Jackie Chan was in 3 movies as an actor... 2 of them were Hong Kong Produced films (One from the Police Story Series). BUT the third was a complete dumpster fire of a movie called "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn". It did "star" Jackie Chan, but during the run up to the filming names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, and Mick Jagger were tied to the project... That seems 100% up Axl's alley, and the rumor has always been that this soundtrack song was a skeleton of a Slash idea.

Then miraculously a song called Jackie Chan shows up... Was the Axl message board Q&A the first time that came up? I can't remember if that was in the Spin Article around the 2000 Intentions time period? I know there was a Rolling Stone or Spin article that that very very early on talked about "Oklahoma" and the bombing happening while he was in court, I just can't in my "senior" state remember when we first heard different working titles.

It sounds like a proper Guns N' Roses song.

It's tremendous, in that sense.

Same here! You are not alone.

4 hours to go :peace:

Can someone give me the history on this song? I know it was acknowledged a while back but is this from chinese democracy recordings and just adding duff & slash onto it now or is this a song that they came up with when they got back together?

Its sounds good, the intro was totally changed, so sad, now it seems like Its So easy . I like the intro of demo version. But its another "new" song re recorded by this alineation, so that is always to celebrate. We will see how Axl sing it live, in studio has rasp voice

4 minutes for me... can't wait!

totally stayed up for this and i do love it. is there any chance this gets radio air play or on satellite radio? not sure if they have with absurd but would love to see this get some radio play.

on a secondary note i wonder if this is GNR emptying the coffers on old songs they wanted to get out there before releasing all new material. Or is this GNR's plan to just release single songs going forward.

Oh that was good.   :D

Can we dedicate this to my nephew?  5 cars later and DWI, hard school is coming.  :hihi:

Slash and Duff elevated this song so, so much. Such a kickass little rocker. They elevated Absurd tremendously, but here they had the bones of a better song.

Ali

Wow!!!!!

I really like it! What’s next?:)! Give me more! We have 30 yrs to make up for:)

Agree

New GNR in the traditional sense is my take on this. Great song IMO  

New songs in this style as well as more experimental songs like Absurd along with more modern UYI style songs would make a stellar new album in a perfect world.

Definitely lived up to the hype of the demo clips I heard over the years. Feels like it could be the type of single to lead to an album.

On a side note, anyone try calling the 1-800 # from the video yet?

Cool song. Glad it’s out. I suspect within a week, people will be bitching about wanting a third new song.

10/10 Duff's intro, school bell effect, AMAZING Slash solo, I hope they promote this on ESPN during MNF would be cool, Absurd was played on Sirius XM.. I'd suspect this gets a lot of air play.

I finally got to hear it. Much closer to Illusions than Chinese, specifically closer to Illusion I. It really is a great song! Duff's intro is perfect, Slash's solos give us that 90's GN’R vibe...I really enjoyed it!!!  :beer:

Awesome as expected. Although when the first riff kicks in I keep expecting Monkey Wrench by the Foos

I love the addition of the cowbell during the solo. I just wish the  snare drum wasn't so muddy.

The casual fans should like it, that melodic dreamy solo should please them. That and of course Axl sounding like Axl.

I'm, hoping for a November 23rd release of an album. A 4th Gunner Album released on my birthday is always welcome.

The guitar parts and the solo really improved, the old solo was very banal. The drums sound poor. Sadly the old intro disappeared but musically i can understand why. Good song.

I'm hoping that's their plan. I think a good plan would be release a double album. One consisting of completely new material written by the current band accompanied by re-recorded CD material.

Even it's just like 7 Chinese Democracy demos that would rad.    

I agree completely. The drums are so muffled. Come to think of I can hardly hear any cymbals either. 

All options open for them…they are playing with house money..touring going great and they are a smooth running machine.

drums are completely lost… i can understand the punk vibe and the make it simple thing, which is good, but it sounds empty, in particular when the chorus kicks in (‘lend you my hand’) … where is the fuck in climax the old version had?

My sediments exactly. I loved the build-up to the chorus in the old demo version. Frank does do it after the second verse but it doesn't have the same drive or conviction. It sounds like somebody put a blanket over his snare

it seem every month will be a new song August Absurd September Hard Skool October what will the next song be

and by the way this is much better then the demo love it

I must say this is a "breath of fresh air"  ;D
Can't wait for the album to come out!

The good times are officially back!  :peace:
Please do not refer to the demo because it was not intended to be listened to in the first place... I too, am going through the phase of loving the official version and letting go of the demo... Same happened with absurd, and all other leaks from CD :)
Is it only me or is hard school an autobiography of the GnR brake up ...?
On the other hand I read into Absurd like its dedicated to all the trolls, media and fans complaining for new music

Listened to this about 8 times before I got to work this morning.  As above, it really is a breath of fresh air.

Not only does it feel straight out of the CD era, but it has a gritty, old school Guns n' Roses feel to it.  Nice introduction, the vocals sound great, Slash on top form.  A triumph.

Now, let's hope the rumours of an EP are true, and that we might see a new album in the not too distant future.

Solid f'ckng tune - not much else to say

I had avoided the previous leaks so this was my first listen.

REALLY diggin' it.  It's got a nice hook, great musicality, and sounds like a more traditional GnR tune.  I liked Absurd, but I get it might not be everyone's cup of tea (or expectations, given it's much "punkier" than GnRs more famous tunes).

Two new songs in...what...3 or 4 months time?

Awesome.

That solo is amazing :o

Any news on songwriting credits ? And who plays on the song . Is it Frank for sure or Brain ? Sounds like Frank I think . I’m really interested to see who wrote the song

CHECKMATE!!!!!  IT'S FINALLY OUTTTTTTTT!!!! OMGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!  Just woke up to see this.  And it's f'n brilliant!!

if you are saying Absurd is a leak no it not a leak it was officially release by the band just like hard school was

I think he’s talking about previous leaks of Hard Skool, Jackie Chan, Checkmate, etc.

This one is much more radio friendly than Absurd. It’s up to #6 on the iTunes chart, FWIW and it’s getting pretty solid reviews across the board from what I can tell. I hope they can keep the momentum going with the tour coming to an end soon.

ok and i hope hard school get more good reviews can not wait for next month to find out what the next song will be

Extremely positive response from my circle of friends and other assorted FB peeps.

Not a one of them liked 'Absurd'.

Man, it is such a good time to be a GN'R fan. This is kind of surreal. I mean Who would have thought of that? Two fuckin' songs in a month?! Not in the GN'R world.

Team Brazil: thank you aswell! This band has done a lot more since you guys came on board.

Who am I to tell GNR management what to do, but IMHO, releasing Absurd as a comeback single was a terrible mistake. They should have dropped Hard Skool all the way...Absurd feels more like a B-side and sort of an experimental trip...not saying the song is bad, but it I will definitely let it pile up dust after a couple times listening to it... Hard Skool on the other hand will be a regular on my playlist  : ok:

Just wondering, when do you think these vocals were recorded? I've seen some people saying it dates back from 1998-2000.

It sure sounds a hell of like the same vocals from the demo from that time, yes.

Sort of like 'I.R.S.'  That music was tweaked for 10 years.  But that vocal track was the same one from 1999ish each time, each version.

i agree ever since team brazil came mangers they did an awesome job with the band and i'm willing to bet it was Fernando ideal to release a new song each month

In Tidal it just says:
Composer: Guns N' Roses
Lyricist: Guns N' Roses

So since Absurd mentioned Brain im confident that Frank plays on Hard Skool

Official lyrics anywhere?

Finished product sounds amazing, I love everything about it.

I have no problem whatsoever with them reworking old songs. This is part of this band's history (Don't Cry, November Rain, etc.)

I do, though, wish a completely brand new song emerged, to sort of "prove" that can work as a band again, composing their songs.

That being said, I loved Hard Skool, definately WAY better than Absurd, which I don't even listen to anymore. This will definately get more airplay for me.

Nothing yet.

I found this on Internet...Could someone please tell me if this is it?

Hard Skool (Guns N’ Roses)

All cautions made
Every chance was given
No effort spared
To save what we had
All in good faith
I would not hesitate
To extend myself
And lend you a hand

But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way
Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
Too hardschool
And you thought you were here to stay
If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway


As tempers fade
And lies forgiven
No God's embrace
Could break what we had
And in it's place
A storm had lifted
I would've thought you could've been more of a man

But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way
Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
Too hardschool
And you thought you were here to stay
If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway


But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way
Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
Too hardschool
And you thought you were here to stay
If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway

But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way
Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
Too hardschool
And you thought you were here to stay
If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway

But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way
Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away
Too hardschool
And you thought you were here to stay
If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway

I like the bass introduction and the guitar solos, but drums are predictable, is it a Drum Machine?

On the other hand, Axl is still recycling old material, I would like to listen to something brand new.

I remember Jarmo asking this board a while back about ideas on releasing new music.  A few people were talking about releasing a new song basically a month apart.  I think two things could happen from here. 1) Keep releasing a song about a month apart.  2) Maybe one more single and then drop album.

I think 2 may be in the works.  Drop another single early November, and then drop album later November .

From a musicianship stand point I actually like Absurd but not a fan of how it was sung. I feel like it could have been a modern day Garden of Eden type song

Van Halen released reworked songs from the 70's in 2012 and that album had some real cool stuff! I don't have any issues with that either.
I personally think they will keep releasing singles out of reworked stuff from late 90's-2008 era as we know from interviews that Axl has tons of material in the closet.

It will be interesting to see what they do next. if they continue the single release route at what point does it make sense to release a full album if half the tracks are already out there. Now if this was the tease releasing these 2 older songs and an album is next im fine with that too. But im very curious to see whats next because it will really give us an idea as to what their plans may be.

ok listen to hard school and you got new music

I think that was me... I said this:

I’ve been saying all along that I don’t think there next release should be a “record store Tuesday release”… that isn’t how the industry is built anymore. Plus I believe if they do this for say the first hand full of singles it gives them feed back that could eventually change the direction of an eventual compilation release that is aimed at the “physical media” collectors. I think whether or not it’s Hard Skool, there will be a similar pattern either when they hit LA in a week or so… or a month out when they are in Chicago. Hit a “big market” play it to a large audience once or twice then drop it to streaming platforms and release video content. This makes each show a little unique and keeps attention on the tour which makes money. Could be done again in Miami for October, like a serial release (think Stephen King with the Green Mile). Then take it to Europe and elsewhere depending on Covid.

This also gives them plenty of time to work out kinks that have popped up in their past physical releases with rushed artwork, liner notes that weren’t proof read, and other distribution issues. This gets them to the largest consuming audience by attacking streams.

Also Said this:

I agree the song selection was odd… BUT I think Radio like physical release aren’t what anyone is really measuring anymore like they did in the past. Streaming makes up like 80+% of the industry these days.

I’ll be honest I don’t know when the last time I listened to the radio was. My iPhone gets plugged in and I either listen to playlists I built, playlists based off and artist/genre, or podcasts. I don’t want to listen to 7 minutes of music followed by 20 minutes of commercials… also I grew up with pre America’s got Talent Howard Stern so I also don’t need the dozens and dozens of morning or afternoon drive rip offs of his 1980’s and 1990’s persona.

I think this gives Axl the freedom to release what he wants how he wants without having to cater to what “mainstream rock radio” demands, which means we get music.

Honestly this is my favourite band in the world good for them for touring having a great time but if these last two songs is what  to be expected from the arsenal of music they have then  I’m thoroughly
Disappointed.

OK, see you .

Ali

Delighted these songs have been polished up and released officially. There’s gotta be tons of stuff in the vaults that never got to be heard. I’m listening to them all day. Really looking forward to hearing more, I’m really enjoying them. Had to take a drive late last night so I could blast Hard Skool up loud

Hahahaha

I hope Crash Diet gets the same treatment and gets an official release

The stance on that song is that IS NOT a Guns N' Roses song. That is a West Arkeen song that Axl co wrote and planned on recording with another band. It was more of a song writing project for Axl and West than a Guns n Roses Project.

I have a question for anybody that are familiar with the leaks.

During the melodic solo in Hard Skool I keep hearing Axl singing "hey" in the background. For me, it sounds just like the hey section from the leaked song "Eye on You".

It's during the part part when he sings " I know you're think bad, but who's the MacDaddy".

Or maybe I'm just hearing things, I did listen to the song on repeat on my drive home early this morning from work. And my drive takes 50 mins.

  

Well, only one listen in (I'm taking it slow so I don't burn out on it) and I'm somewhat impressed and somewhat "meh". I was expecting the same as Absurd, where it's basically just Slash and Duff playing over the exact same song structure, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear the new melodic section in the middle. Also a surprise because Slash seems to have been getting less and less melodic over time. It does feel like he actually put effort into this beyond what he does with Myles and I wasn't expecting that either. However, the little embellishments he added to make the chord changes into more of a riff just sound like aimless noodling.

I was thinking the same.
Anyway im glad the song is out. 
I wonder if these are standalone releases or apart of a coming album. Soon we will know more.

What do you think. Did the extremely positive response of the Hard Skool leak couple years ago motivate them to re-record and release it, or was it coming anyway?

This is just a theory on my part but I think this actually might be something the guys meaning Slash & Duff are doing for Axl probably because they know songs that he wrote or came up with from as far back as the mid 90s are probably very important to Axl and so they are putting out these singles to kind of clean out the coffers of old material. I could be just fantasizing but i think there is gonna be alot more music from these guys in the future meaning music they have written since rejoining but also putting out Chinese Democracy era music. In the end I think we as fans are the winners if this obviously does happen cuz we get GNR music.

Absolutely.
We have new GN'R music. hasent happened since 2008!

There's no doubt in my mind that the buzz the Hard Skool demo generated definitely made the band take notice. But, if I'm being honest, I believe given the lukewarm response Absurd received they had steer the ship back in the right direction. Hence the second new release in less than 2 months.

As much as G n' R likes to do things their way, it still is a business. As for their plan I'm guessing some sort of album is coming. With the christmas season approaching and singles being released that seems the logical path.  

I think that's a valid possibility.

https://gnrmerch.com/

Hard Skool merch, including 7" vinyl, cd-single and cassette.

The cd-single (more of a maxi-single maybe) and cassette ships February 25, 2022... indication of time frame for the album??

(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1507/3336/products/CD_3_0b0cf14e-e480-4b2b-8dca-d4776e1e4178_1600x.png?v=1632514114) (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1507/3336/products/7_3_c0ebb12b-cba5-4b9f-9015-4e6823e10c43_1600x.png?v=1632514066) (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1507/3336/products/CAS_3_c4a13165-ad0e-4f24-84c0-607422964ee3_1600x.png?v=1632514080)

Tracklist for the maxi-single:

1. Hard Skool
2. ABSUЯD
3. Don’t Cry (Live)
4. You’re Crazy (Live)


Hopefully they'll do a digital release for the live cuts as well.

Whoa! Not sure thats good news regarding the album or not.

Meanwhile if you wanna buy the song in lossless quality (which i recommend every downloading motherfucker to do)
https://www.qobuz.com/fi-en/album/hard-skool-guns-n-roses/icex1lfcxmtta?qref=dpa

Just speculation on my part. Could very well be there are production issues (delays) these days.

The vinyl has a different tracklisting. Live version of Absurd!

:Hard Skool Black 7inch Vinyl

Tracklist:
Hard Skool – Side A
ABSUЯD (Live) – Side B

Also the vinyl is damn expensive 30$

Well, AMEN to that  :)

There absolutely are. Justin Hawkins of The Darkness just announced they have to delay their album due to scarcity of raw vinyl. Blame the people buying vinyl flooring!

I'm not sure why you'd think that indicates a time frame for the album though. Why release the album around the same time as the preceding single? I do think it lays to rest the ridiculous expectations that the album would come out before the end of the year though. Nobody in their right mind leaves such little time for promotion.


That's awesome. Absurd is WAY better as a live track.

I dont know. Hard Skool cd is coming out in February so that means in my logic that the album would be coming out after that. If there is an album. Normally these days you drop the single, then announce the album thats gonna ship in some months. Now we have the same thing but for the single only.

Btw the vinyl price dropped its 18$ now.

I just bited the bullet and spent 100$ on the Hard Skool vinyl, cd. Illusions cap and coffee mug. :smoking:

Like Hard Skool, but seeing all this merch for a single, and waiting until February to release a physical copy feels like a bit of a letdown, as I was building hope  for an album release in November.  Now it feels like this it for a while. And is the merch to promote the song, or did they release the song to promote the merch?

HS cd pre-ordered.

Guessing the February timeframe means spring for an album at the earliest. Which makes sense, hopefully COVID is more under control and they can tour more extensively then.

In the meantime, thrilled to be able to buy a GNR CD for the first time since 2008!

Pre ordered almost all of it…great to buy new GNR physical release and merchandise

February?

Seems so random.

Maybe for Axl's birthday lol. maybe he gives us a gift.

I was thinking the same. That is a lot of push to wait until February with everything available in digital anyway. It doesn't make any sense to wait that long

I kinda wish Absurd was gettin some merch.

November?! What in the world gave you the idea they would release an album with less than one month's notice?

I was listening to Sirius Volume this pass week and one of the guest host mentioned how they know somebody in the vinyl industry. That person stated that there is now somewhat of a queue with vinyl pressings. In other words, any up and coming releases have actually been planned well in advance.  They also mentioned how they know about a slue of releases that nobody will see coming.

So if there is indeed a queued line up for vinyl pressings then I think it's safe to say there's no new album until next spring.  And this is not on the band, obviously.

November is more than a month away.

If you look back to 2008, Chinese was officially announced exactly one month before release. So, maybe GNR gave that idea?

Waiting till February 2022 to release the physical copy is an indicator that we may not see an album in November though, unless they are planning a digital release for November and then a physical copy release for May/June next year, which really wouldn't make too much sense.

Isn't Slash releasing his album in February 2022?  I don't think both Conspirators and Guns albums will be launched in the same month. So Feb is already ruled out for a potential Guns album release.

In the meantime, we may get another single. Who knows....

In any case, Hard Skool rocks! Just can't get enough of it. 

I feel a similar level of excitement that sort of reminds me when Oh my God was released in Oct'99. I was living in Virginia at the time, I went to Best Buy, grabbed me a copy of the End of Days soundtrack, drove home and played the song at least 20 times in a row. It felt like opening a Christmas present when I was a kid.

A few nights ago I felt that sensation again, the same excitement, the same thrill.

I hadn't felt this way not even with the leaks back in 2006 or even when I downloaded Madagascar for the first time off Napster in 2001.

i love the 2 studio songs we got from the gnr camp Absurd is a ok song love it but hard school is a rocker remind me of old school gnr from the 80's and early 90's to me slash and duff is all over this song

The more i hear this song, the more I love it and it just gets stuck in my head.

Maybe the plan is to put out another single or two?  One in November and another a couple weeks before album.  You’re assuming no new music would hit until Feb. 

Maybe I missed something but is there any solid evidence that the band has plans to release an album? All I can remember is some of them saying they were working on some stuff. And, in my understanding, this stuff is these two singles.

I'd be surprised if they didn't release an album.

But I think the timing is right. Look at Greta Van Fleet and Coldplay for example. They released singles way before the release date of their albums.

Have pre-ordered the cd, 7” vinyl and cassette.  I had to, right???

CD was announced in 1999 or 2000 as I recall.

Slash said in January of 2020 that they were basically done with it and figuring out how to release it. Fernando said in some message board that it was targeted to release in March 2020 but then the pandemic hit.

Not the release date.

Didn't care for Absurd to much.  Cool that it was a new release but just wasn't very pleasing to my ear.  Hard Skool on the other hand is awesome.  I can't stop listening to it.  I wish they had released and played it at the Indianapolis show that I was at!

Anyone think about the lyrics?  It sounds like it could be able the attempts to keep GN'R together back in 96 or so.  Maybe I'm always looking into things but feels like Hard Skool, Sorry, even Street of Dreams has elements of that.

I didn't say the release date. I said this album has not even been announced at all. No official acknowledgement it even exists yet.

No, I was referring to the fact that a version of Hard Skool had leaked out awhile back, and I actively avoided listening to in that form.

I know Absurd was an official release.  I liked that too.  I do think Hard Skool is a little closer to what the casual fans would consider GnR.

hard school sound like an old classic gnr song from the 80's or 90's

It definitely fits in with some of the Illusions stuff. Perfect Crime, etc. Different enough to show growth but fits in a way Absurd doesn't

Announcement was 1 month before the release.

Also, define acknowledgement... Here's what you said yourself:


Isn't that acknowledgement?

WTF does it even mean to recycle an old song? If the song hasn't been finished and released it isn't old....
if people spoiled it cause you listened to some parasitic jackass leaking it, that's not Axl's fault.

Live version here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bD851YtIFw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bD851YtIFw) Not so great IMO, Axl sounds awful.

I think the song is just OK. Doesn't really have a lot going on...sounds like a b-side from years ago. It's better than the demo/leaked version, kind of bummed they kept the same vocals. But honestly, not so sure Axl can sing anymore--his live falsetto sounds awful and doesn't work for me.

I was pretty pumped when they got back together but seeing them turn into a bloated touring mess again is kind of a bummer. Was hoping for some good, inspired new music from them...maybe getting re-energized when they got back together, rediscovered the feeling of the old times. Not sure that's happened, and not sure what adversity 3 ~60 year old multi-millionaires have to write about anymore. If they put out an album I'll buy it...hell, maybe I'll even like it, but I'm not holding my breath.

It's really too fucking bad these people squandered their best years together because of ego. They could have been the next Stones...now we get "Hard Skool" after like 15 years and everyone acts like it's the second coming.

I know this won't be a popular opinion, but man...hard for me not to be cynical about GNR.

This is one of the most accurate posts I've ever read on this forum.

This is a good tune, much better than Absurd. But I can't be the only one hoping for fresh new material and not old songs re-recorded with Slash & Duff? Don't get me wrong, as a GNR fan I certainly feel that it's good to have ANYTHING but this whole comeback still feels a bit underwhelming without fresh new material.

And let me get this straight: I don't think GNR owes anything to fans or anyone, so that's not my complaint here. But this rehashing of old material doesn't feel much more than an easy cash in.

This and what Pilferk said are the problems with the leaks. Can you imagine sitting back and saying "I can't believe they put those recycled BSide songs Don't Cry and November Rain on UYI??? I heard them when Rick sent out leaked demo cassettes via self addressed stamped envelope, those got left off Appetite for a reason!!"

I can only speak for myself...

I'm not so much disappointed that they worked an old "vault" song, so much as....that's the best they can do?? I would hope for and want a new song (or album) of original material that has a spark of new inspiration, something that re-captures some of that old magic they used to have. And, frankly, "Hard Skool" is not that song. None of them as individuals have come close to recapturing the magic that they all had when they were Guns N' fuckin' Roses--not Axl and CD, not Slash and Snakepit or Velvet, same with Duff.  It sounds exactly like what it is...a cast of relic from an earlier era, something lazy that Duff could add 3 second bass intro to and Slash could noodle some in the middle. Axl didn't even deign to re-record his vocals. The mixing sucks, the recording sounds like shit...it still sounds like a demo. There's a reason why this song didn't make the cut for CD...it's not very good.

"Hard Skool" is nowhere near the same ballpark as Don't Cry or November Rain, so I dunno why you made that comparison other than yes, DC and NR were started during the Appetite sessions. 


I understanding working old vault songs is totally a normal thing for artists and musicians to do--it just bums me out that they don't/can't/won't seem to write new music together.

This isn't a good song ya'll...you've just been wandering thirsty in the desert for 15 years and think this piss is water. I know this isn't a popular opinion around here...I just had much higher hopes in 2016 whenever they got back together.

Man GNR fans are the worst. It’s like some of you actually hate the band and just need to air those opinions.

Personally I think it sounds great. Very happy to have it out there.

They are not. The nerds who spend their time posting their negativity all over the internet are the minority. The real fans are at the shows and listening to their favourite band.

OK, see you.

Appa Ali

Obviously this isn't on par with NR and DC, I'm just using the example of music that was floating around at bootleg record stores back in the day that was from or even before Appetite.

As far as writing new music together... I still don't discount that the beginnings of this song could be from the 1994-1996 time frame starting as "ideas" they had. I still find it way to coincidental that Duff was on Howard Stern in 1996 saying he was supposed to return to LA to record a song for a Jackie Chan movie, and then several years later a song previously known as Checkmate gets confirmed by Axl as having a 'working title' of Jackie Chan. They all worked on more than just Sympathy... There was time to get Slash to work with Paul, there was a Zach feeling out process...

As far as not making CD... there could be a variety of reasons why it didn't. One of them could be that it never got to where Axl thought it needed to be based on who worked on it in the 1999-2008 time frame. The lyrics seem to directly relate to trying to keep the old lineup together, so maybe the "cold" sound of the CD lineup couldn't get it to where Axl wanted. While I do agree that this thing isn't exactly a masterpiece, so you really think Scraped, Sorry, Shackler are world beaters??? There is plenty of crap on CD... there are some great songs, but the vast majority of it is bloated unfeeling garbage. Would this have been worse than half of that album, I don't believe so.

NOW the live performance was crap, and maybe part of the reason that both Hard Skool and Absurd used the original demo vocals was because they don't think they are going to get better out of Axl? The few versions I've heard from last night are some of the roughest vocals I've heard from him in a while. That falsetto just doesn't work. They need to potentially consider dialing back the number of dates, spreading them out, and then seriously analyzing if they want to record new music... if not, then he needs to just abuse his voice like he did in the 80's and 90's because "saving his instrument Axl" can't sing GnR songs. I don't want to hear the in ears thing... Here is where the "no one else is Guns N Roses" people come to answer this question... Why doesn't any other band seem to have the technical difficulties that this band (specifically Axl) has? Every time he sounds like shit, which is more and more common, all you hear is the million things that seem to go wrong only in the circle of this band... Metallica sounds like the record 30+ years later every night they perform, Same with Foo Fighters, and on and on.

I believe part of the reason we aren't getting truly new music, is because they can't record it. Even go back to the Trunk interview in 2006 when he was on with Sebastian... Sebastian was absolutely bashing Pro Tools, and Axl had to jump in and try to defend it because even then he needed it to fix his vocals. I don't think that is anything Slash or Duff are interested in working with after all, Slash's recent stuff is still being recorded analog.

I also have stood by my thought that Axl sounded better in 2016 with AC/DC because he was singing in front of a wall of music and not that in ear/iso cab silent stage stuff where he can only hear what is being mixed and sent to his ears, he doesn't need the power so sing over that music.

Gotta love the people that decided they’re experts in live and studio music production. Great addition to the conversation.  : ok:

As was your comment a great addition... not sure what a message board is for if not to discuss topics. Didn't realize I signed up in the late 90's for a membership to an ongoing digital ball washing of everything Axl does.

Not sure why every one thinks being a fan of a band means that you can't be disappointed in something and share that opinion with other opinionated fans of the same band.

I like the song unlike the other poster above (which is his right), but the first live performance was rough vocally, is that why they used a vocal track from 1999? Who knows, but what else is a message board for if you can't discuss it?

If you just count the most recent launch of the message board by Jarmo in 2002, I've been on here for 6907 days. By your logic should I have just come here daily like a workplace injury tracker and said "6907 days of Axl being awesome!"

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’m just surprised by the amount of time people spend talking about things they don’t like, instead of things that they do like. But yeah, spend your energy the way that seems constructive to you.

Agreed. The whining is strong with this one.

Ali

Totally agree I hadn't heard either song or any other leaks  before so for me they are new songs and hopefully it will lead to more new music getting released in the not to distant future I hope they release more EPs or even an album  next year but it's impossible to know what the band's intentions are as they don't reveal too much to the media.

Ok, well it was a bad example because NR and DC were/are good songs. HS is not a good song. If HS sounded like DC or NR there wouldn't be an issue. It's not a revelation or anything that musicians work on/off music for years sometimes.


Yeah, I've heard the same thing. That doesn't change anything really. I was hoping for the 3 of them to get together and write some new, awesome songs, hopefully re-capturing some of that feeling that exists only when the 3 of them make music. I don't think that has happened or will happen. I will happily be proven wrong if they release something awesome. I'll be first in line to buy.

But HS is just lazy...


Again, I don't know what you think you are arguing. All you did was write a long paragraph about how HS isn't a very good song and wasn't good enough to be on CD (for whatever reason you speculated)...which was my point. So...thanks for agreeing with me??? I honestly don't know what point you were trying to make here.

I never said Scraped, Sorry, et/all were "world beaters" or anything close to that. You seem to be extrapolating and assuming a lot of information based on one sentence. BUT, I will say I would rather listen to any of those CD songs than HS. Even marginally better is better.


Lol, didn't know that was required to comment on a new GNR song. Sorry you don't like my opinion.

I don't need to be an expert in music production to hear that Axl sounds horrible live (especially on HS) and the production on HS single ins't great. I have ears.


I mean, what are you doing right now, committing energy to a thread you don't like instead of one you do. Hypocrite.

Why the fuck are you here then? Just to bitch and complain? Are you just blowing off steam and the band is your target?

If you are no longer a fan, that is fine. But, some of us here still are, and your trolling is self-service. Nothing more.

On another note, Shadow of Your Love sounded great. He did a great job with that.

OK, see you.

Ali

So you think that criticism towards anything is unnecessary or pointless? That doesn't sound very constructive either. If all of us here wouldn't love GNR we wouldn't bother with the criticism.

Anyway, like I said I like the song but I'd still like to hear something new that the boys have come up with together, as a band.

I agree for the most part and have said it on here multiple times. I love Hard Skool, but I want to hear some new original stuff from the New/old group (Axl/Slash/Duff/Fortus)

I said "official". CD was on Geffen's schedule as early as, what '99? Axl announced the title around that same time. We've seen nothing official about an album this time, just vague statements from band members.

Also, I think it's safe to say they learned some lessons from the complete lack of promotion for CD.

If you were expecting something as good as AFD or UYI, that's on you for having unreasonable expectations. No band on earth is making music as good as their prime when they're 30 years beyond it.

It's especially ridiculous if you think nothing any of them has put out since then measures up (which I think is ridiculous and disagree with completely; Snakepit, VR and CD all have top notch material).

And don't lie, if Axl did re-record his vocals, you'd be bitching about that, too.


You're repeatedly missing their point. They never compared them in terms of quality. They compared them because they both fit the label of "recycled old songs" as that other person put it. The quality of those songs being high was actually the point, to disprove the suggestion that being old or recycled makes them bad.

New song is quite good, but I was sad to know it's a rehash. It's great t I get something new, but I was hoping for something totally original and not from 15 years ago or whatever

I dont see your point guys... You know how Axl works... And if we have 2 songs already we know we have to thank slash and duff who agree to rework the old material. Plus no one is pushing them cause the tour is a colossal business and albums don't sell anymore...It's the perfect time for axl to be lazy AF in that sense  :rofl: :rofl: ... I'd like to see him more in shape vocally than rushing a new album right now, even though i think we'll see new music here and there

I love the song! I Like Absurd too! Now I want a remake of Oh My God, and Better with the Slash/Duff intro.
I love what they have done merch wise with Hard Skool, 7", cds, casette, t-shirt... Just like the old days with songs/ versions of songs from different albums on there.

I hope they still release physicall singles in the same way for Chinese Democracy, and re-release all their old singles.

If Axl, Slash, and Duff wrote Hardskool (or some form of it) in 1996ish than it is their song, It doesn't matter what you heard from that locker. It is an Axl, Slash, Duff song that some other people re-recorded, and has since been officially released by the band that created it. This more so than Absurd is exactly what people are asking for... or are you just asking for better Axl, Slash, and Duff songs, because that is subjective.

As far as my point on the why it didn't make CD... I'm not saying it wasn't a "good enough song", I'm speculating that Axl couldn't get from it what he saw/heard in the early phases of the song with Slash and Duff. Tommy and Robin, (or Robin, Bucket, Paul, etc...) couldn't do to it what Axl heard from Slash and it's obvious from the lyrics that emotion towards Slash (and possibly Duff) played heavily into Axl's vision for that song. Maybe as pop punk as it is, this was a very important song emotionally for Axl, which is why it is also getting this push and treatment.

As far as my bringing up Scraped and Shacklers, I'm just saying that while Hard Skool isn't a masterpiece, neither are those songs. If this were in a state that Axl was happy with (for whatever reason) I could easily have seen this replace one of those (or even Riad). Let's be honest, none of them are jumping Missy Elliott for 8th best song ever in Rolling Stone (obviously kidding about that disaster of a list), but just I'm saying (IMO) there are songs on CD that were not better than this track.

I never said that. Lol, you're attacking me for something I didn't say because you didn't understand what I wrote. I said "captures SOME of that old magic"

And yes, I think nothing any of them have done separately has been as good as Guns N' Roses 1986-1993. If you think they have....OK. I question your taste, but you do you.


Only if they sucked


No, YOU are missing the point. You need reading lessons.

I never said HS was bad because it was pulled from the vault...it's bad/mediocre because it is not a very good song.

I said I would have preferred it if they wrote new material together to take advantage of new found inspiration and/or energy of being reunited. I was hoping that would spark something.


Jesus fucking Christ. It's not a very good song. I don't have a problem with them using old stuff...if it's GOOD (like NR/DC). I think that pulling a cast off song from the 90's when the band was falling apart and slapping a bass intro and some noodling guitars is lazy and uninspired. Axl didn't re-record the vocals, so he either thinks he nailed it the first time (he didn't) or he can't sing anymore (he can't) and it's sad and scary.

I said all that above. What about this isn't clear to you? Why are you arguing points I didn't make? 


It didn't make CD because it wasn't good enough to go on CD. All you wrote was speculation that Axl didn't think it was good/ready for the album. I agree with Axl...HS wasn't good enough for CD. It doesn't really matter "why," does it?

I remember an interview with Axl from the early 2000's where he said they had enough material for at least two albums. They were planning to release another album not long after CD, and he said the second album wouldn't be CD's leftovers, they would choose the songs that fit best together for each album. So the fact that Hard Skool wasn't on CD doesn't mean it wasn't good enough for it.

You don't like the new song, and you don't like the way Axl sings now. OK. That is clear. How many times do you need to state that view?

Ali

This is totally bizarre mindset.  And only prevalent at this particular board.  

We are the top 1% of GNR fans.  We are obsessed, probably to an unhealthy degree.  Who is as obsessed with GNR other than other diehard of the diehard GNR fans?

But does that mean we just wave the pom-poms, 24/7/365?  Of course not.  Such people have zero credibility.  Sheer law of averages dictates some things don't land.  That's wrong to say?

You judge each thing on its own merits.  For instance :

- Was thrilled with the release of 'Absurd'.  It showed me they actually have been in a studio.  So on that level, I found it the most encouraging thing on the GNR front in forever.  But..end the day, the song kind of sucks.  Will never be in my heavy rotation

Both things can be true.

- Loved the 'Hard Skool' single.  Dug it since the leaks a few years back.  And I actually believe they have improved on that original demo.  Listen to the song heavily already.  But guess what?  The lone live performance of it we have sucks donkey dick.  Axl sounds horrendous on it.  He sounds 'There Was a Time' bad.  Just weak vocals, nothing behind them.

Both things can be true.

And, more to the point, who else am I (or any of us) supposed to discuss deep in the weeds minutiae then with other hardcore fans of the same subject??

Zero surprise that the usual suspects found something to bitch amd moan about within days of new music being released (to solid reviews from Rolling Stone and many other outlets no less). Just zero surprise. Or less than zero.

- the art is ugly
- he can't sing it live the whole one time he tried it
- the wrong people wrote it, maybe
- it's not as good as the demo I wore my earbuds out to, because reasons
- I didn't get a complimentary blowjob when I ordered the vinyl

Go yell at some fucking clouds, ffs.

I see one legit point here.  And there will be plenty of chances for him to improve on it.

Now, me?  Personally?  I am flogging the shit out of 'Hard Skool'.  Posted it on FB right away.  Sent link to other friends.  Told people in person to go check it out.

Everybody digs it too.  Which is awesome.

Funny, I recently revisited Oh My God and it's a cooler track than I remembered. But I don't think Slash and Duff would improve it. That song just feels like it's how it was meant to be.

What a weasel move, coming up with retroactive continuity once called out. "Magic" is as vague, subjective and undefinable a term as it gets. Hardschool has almost everything a classic GNR track should. To act like it has none of what made classic Guns good is ridiculous and I would love to see you try to substantiate that claim. And don't try to weasel out of that one by saying "anyone who tries to hold my feet to the fire just isn't reading into my retconned excuses well enough". By saying it does not even have "some", you are saying it has NONE.

Nobody's taste is in question here except yours, bud.  :rofl:


Holy shit, you sure do project your own failings onto others HARD, huh?

I guess I have to run it back and walk you through like a child because you have ZERO reading comprehension skills...

Coma responded to this comment from D: "WTF does it even mean to recycle an old song? If the song hasn't been finished and released it isn't old....
if people spoiled it cause you listened to some parasitic jackass leaking it, that's not Axl's fault."

Notice they said nothing about quality. Read it as many times as you need to, kiddo.  ::)

Then, you came in acting like Coma was comparing those songs in terms of quality when nobody was talking about that. YOU were the one who was a failure at reading comprehension from day one. Sit the F down.

That dude's inability to read is amazing, isn't it? He says "There's a reason why this song didn't make the cut for CD...it's not very good." and when you point out the songs that DID make the cut and were not very good, he doesn't grasp what you said and pretends like his argument wasn't built around the bar for making the album being a standard of quality. And then has the gall to accuse you of lacking reading comprehension because he's insecure about his own.

You made your point clear enough for a grade schooler to grasp when you said "Would this have been worse than half of that album, I don't believe so."

Instead he chooses to pretend like he didn't just argue that making the album is a sign of quality. So dishonest and weaselly.

Anyone with an ounce of sense could tell that HS with Slash's improvements is a better song than Shackler or Riad. Hell, it could surpass the bar for entry of ANY Guns album. It's better than My World and 14 Years, and it's better than Anything Goes and Think About You.

I have always dug that tune.  Doesn't really sound like GNR at all, but I like it's overall vibe.

I also love that RIR III version.  Axl obviously mistimes the outro, but I think it turned out to be a happy accident.  With him one beat behind the band, he delivers that line basically a capella and I think it sounds great that way.

I still don't think it's far out to announce an album one month in advance. Especially in the times we're living now. Lots of artists have done this. Hell, Eminem announced an album on the same day he released it.

lol. absolutely this. no surprises at all. people love being miserable.

There's a distinct difference between saying, "Axl sounds like shit", "He sucks", "Hard Skool sucks", and saying, "Axl could use more breath support, and he should adjust the phrasing in the chorus for that."

Furthermore, if you voice your displeasure with something once, that is one thing. But, when you repeat it multiple times, that is another. You have already vented and are now trolling.

Trolling doesn't facilitate good, productive discussions on a discussion board, IMHO.

Ali

Lol what?? What "retroactive continuity?" My shit is all posted on there for anyone to read. I didn't go back and edit or change anything. It's all there.

You took me saying "recapture some of that old magic" and made that into me expecting a new Appetite or UYI. Which is an absurd extrapolation from that sentence. You were corrected in your stupidity. Nobody is trying to "weasel" out of anything. It's quite clear what I meant from the get--again, you seem to be the one who doesn't grasp what I wrote. If you need more help PM me.


Yeah, I'm the one who brought up quality. What's your point? I said that HS was nowhere near as good as NR or DC, and told COma that it was a bad comparison because they were of such differing quality. Pulling a song out of the vault is a normal thing for a band to do (I said that before too...did you read it?)...I just would expect something better? Again, what is unclear about this? If you read the thread it's all laid out right there.

The very fact that COma brought up HS with NR and DC invites comparison, yes??

I'd rather them write something new instead of re-hashing something old, uninspired and clearly average at best. I've been crystal clear from the start. What don't you understand? Seriously, how did you not get that?

Like, "HS is a bad song and lazy, I wish they had written something new instead of pulling this from the vault"

then "NR and DC were both from the vault," like that somehow matters in any context of our discussion? Who fucking cares? That's neither a defense of HS nor a revelation. The issue isn't that they pulled a song from the vault, the issue is the song isn't very good. Comprende? I understand totally what they are saying...it's just a dumb point IMO.

I can't believe you think you are the smart one here.


You're spare parts bud. Hot damn.

Why wasn't HS on CD then?

Axl chose the songs to release for CD, and HS didn't make the cut. Now, music is subjective and if you like HS better than, say, Shackler's then good for you. I'm not of the opinion that CD is a masterpiece or, honestly, even a great album. I'm not even going to suggest to you that Rhiad, Shackler's, etc/all are good songs. They aren't. IMO they are marginally better than HS. Not by much. If I had to pick between those or HS I would pick CD. HS is not even the best of the demos.

Go find where I said Shackler's or Sorry, etc were good songs...they aren't good songs. I just think they are marginally better than HS. Not a high bar IMO.

But there is a reason why Axl chose not to put HS on CD...and chose the other songs. So, I agree with Axl and I'm OK with that on this issue. YMMV

Don't bother responding, I don't care what you have to say. I won't bother replying to you.

Finally, a voice of reason.

To all of these people that are constantly complaining…in the words of Axl…nobody owes you..not one god damn thing..you know where to put your just shut up and sing…new music..successful touring…just shut up.

I love Hard Skool, just like I loved Oh My God when I first heard it.

And I also think this board should be the place to have open discussions about whether we like Hard Skool or not.

Personally, I enjoy reading ALL people's impressions on the song, specially since they come from hard core fans like us. We all love the band (and care about them), so if someone posts something negative about HS or Absurd, why is that trolling?

I get it, sometimes people come here and talk shit, but why can't we all agree to disagree?

I think Kill Your Idols expressed some valid points, I disagree with most of the things he said about Hard Skool and about the reason why it wasn't included on CD (I believe HS is way better than half the songs in CD), but all and all, I didn't view his posts as trolling or whatever.

But some of you do not take criticism well.

Having different views on GNR related things is what makes this board exciting. The variety of thoughts and opinions. If we all thought HS and Absurd were great songs, why even bother having a topic about them?

Also, we know Axl doesn't sound GREAT in every single performance these days, so why not say it? Where's the harm? Sometimes, it seems like people get offended if some poster says "Axl sucked last night". Well, who cares? I don't. Truth to be told, sometimes he's does miss a few notes here and there, just like everyone else. We all know his voice doesn't sound like 2016...

I mean, do we really need to use euphemisms like "he should adjust the phrasing in the chorus for that" so some of you don't get offended? Can we not say "Axl had a rough night"?

Anyway,  just my two cents.

Gonna play Hard Skool now for the millionth time haha.

Hard Skool is basically Think About You level of quality or lower. It's great the band put it out; sad that it can't be performed anywhere close to the recording quality (at least vocal performance-wise); and slightly depressing it's a rehashed CD leftover. For me, the thing that really rings hollow, is that while Axl wails on the chorus, it is not something he can do in reality, and that lends an empty feeling to the whole enterprise. It just seems a bit fake. Studio-trickery. Glad people like it and I get why people do like it. But for me it's all just a bit depressing. 

Eminem likes to drop surprise releases, and I think he can get away with it because he's still more relevant in the mainstream than Guns (even though IMO he stopped making good music after Relapse).

Incidentally, I've always thought Axl and Slim Shady had similarities and wondered what a collab would look like.

A voice of reason, or just someone who shares your point of view?

This complaining about what is or isn't to your liking is akin to people who bitch about their sports teams on social media or on sports talk radio. OK, great. You vented and made your perspective known. Reiterating your point time and again will not move things in the direction you prefer. So, at that point, it is just performative.

Ali

People arguing about personal taste.... If you don't like the song. Fine.

But whining about how you want new music only to whine about not liking it the next minute seems kinda ironic.


The notion that if a song was written during a period and wasn't on the next album somehow makes it a throw away is also misleading. November Rain was left off Appetite, as was Don't Cry.... No one would make the claims that those songs are not good enough to be on Appetite. They just didn't fit.




/jarmo

AKA "I'm trying to steal the last word and running away because I'm a sore loser".


That's not what ret-conning is. It's when you abuse any ambiguity in past statements to retroactively load in implications and nuances that weren't there to make it all consistent from the back end.

And again, you've failed to explain what you meant by the deliberately vague term "magic" because you never actually had any solid foundation for your argument.


So you're admitting you don't know the difference between an analogy and an equivalence. They were comparing a specific aspect of the songs to each other, not the entirety of them. They were talking about the age of the songs and you failed to comprehend that the comparison was not an equivalence but a limited scope comparison - aka an analogy. You were the one from day one who failed to comprehend what you were reading and introduced a strawman fallacy. Then you got belligerent with Coma over your own failure in comprehension. Which is why I stepped in.


You're reversing the order of events. Do you really think that's fooling anyone when the record is there for all to see? Try:

Coma: "NR and DC were both from the vault, so why don't you have a problem with them being old, D?"

Uninvolved guy butting in: "NR and DC are better quality"

Cool non sequitur. Try reading better next time.


Imagine this: I'm not so arrogant as to assume I know. There are any number of reasons Axl chose not to put it on the album. Somebody else already offered a great explanation with evidence from the man himself:


Maybe you should start reading what other people say instead of nothing but your own comments.

This is an excellent point. By KYI's logic, Don't Cry wasn't "good enough" for AFD.

Ali

The fact is they are outtakes but you are right that a song is a song you either don’t care for or you do. There may be someone out there who thinks Don’t Cry is better than Sweet Child. There may be someone out there who thinks Hard Skool is better than IRS.

I do not agree that they were outtakes. Per Tommy Stinson: "Tommy Stinson, who says he hasn't listened to Chinese Democracy since he helped record it, provides his take on Axl's unfinished masterpiece: "All I can is…that record was not meant to be one disc."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/rock/8490842/guns-n-roses-chinese-democracy-album-legacy

Ali

"and the unheard "Atlas Shrugged" ("a song influenced by Axl's fascination with Ayn Rand," confirms Zutaut)"

LOL

I've seldom met a whole group of people committed to misunderstanding like most of you all here. It must be difficult to live in such a bubble where any sort of criticism of Axl or GNR shatters the denial you all have that they are making good new music or performing at a high level.

I mean, if this is what you need to hear in order to keep you worldview from falling apart in front of your eyes I feel bad for you. If you identify so completely with someone that you somehow feel personally attacked when somebody is moderately critical to something GNR/Axl does, I suggest you take a hard look at yourself and do some self reflection. If it were a member of my family I would be concerned.

Jesus christ, there was a time in this forum that you couldn't even mention Slash without being banned, lol.

I was really hoping for something better from them...I was so excited when they got back together (I used to NEVER think it would happen) and all they've done is tour (OK, cool) and release 2 mediocre songs years later.

I kind of think if Axl farted into a microphone you guys would try and tell me how great it was. "Axl didn't eat enough beans last night, he should adjust his intake for the next show"

Anyways, you can all have your wish, I'm done. See you if they ever release anything good so I can join the effusive cheerleading and fit in better.

I'm starting to get a weird feeling like I stumbled into a Scientologist meeting or something so I'm going to take my thetons and slowly back away. You can keep my 10 dollars

What an asinine remark, and completely missing the point, as usual.

That statement was exaggerated to make the point that it isn't about whether or not you criticize, but how you do it. There's no having a discussion with someone like you who makes blanket statements and just bitches and moans because GN'R didn't do what you thought they should.

That is a childish worldview. If you were in my family, that and your lack of reading comprehension, would have me concerned.

Instead of bitching and moaning about what you didn't get, try spending time discussing something you actually enjoy.

Ali

It's a fan forum on a fan site. What the fuck did you expect? That everyone here is as obsessed as you about whining full time?

What a miserable existence.


If you didn't like the song, find something you enjoy. Who knows, maybe it'll give you some kind of other pleasure than what whining about GN'R does. Unless that's the only true pleasure you have in your life..... :D


GN'R just finished a 3.5 hour show. Didn't hear or see a lot of whining going on in the audience. Imagine that.





/jarmo

GNFNR FN Rules! Booth new songs kicks ass! Hare Skool is the better one of them. Just great to rock out! Blast them in the car full volume!

I need Oh My God on Spotify! Real bad! Why can't I have it?
Slash/Duff doing it would be a bonus. FN rocks as it is!

Wahh wahh wahh. I've literally been critical with every comment I've made in this thread before stopping to straighten you out. Get a freaking grip. No wonder you took that name, you're playing the martyr with the crown of thorns.

It's great to see you guys gathering your ammunition, taking shots at each other.   It's so endearing that you care about this band no matter what your opinion. 

Just wanted to say it's good to see you all.   :D

I can see why people would bitch about Absurd. It's very different from that old GNR feel, and frankly it's not a good song. Off course, it's a matter of taste, but to me it sounds too unidimensional and simple.

Hard Skool, however, has all the classic elements that we all love about Guns n Roses. Classic Axl vocals, Duff's Bass, great guitar work from Slash, both riffwise and solo wise. The only downside for me is the drumming, but it's not bad at all, but could be better.

To me Hard Skool could easily be on the Illusions albuns. It's better than Right Next Door to Hell, Shotgun Blues and I like it even more than Perfect Crime.

And again, bitching about how it's an old song just shows complete ignorance about the band's history.

I agree. Furthermore, it shows extreme ignorance about the concept of art. Art is timeless, if you use a time chronology to judge how bad a song is, you're ignoring everything about it. Do not like a song is a natural thing and it can happen to any of us, it's not because we're fans that, necessarily, everything about the band pleases us. But to use the timeline to justify a criticism about a song is to ignore the concept of art, is to deprive us of enjoying something that could be good.IMO.

It sounded like CD era GNR, which 99% of the people rejected out of hand.

Just poll your own friends.  One song got the turned up nose, one got the thumbs up.  Why?  One sounds like what people expect Guns N' Roses to sound like, and the other does not.

No, they are not outtakes. What the public may think of as the "Chinese Democracy sessions" were actually the sessions for more than one album. Use Your Illusion II isn't the outtakes from Use your Illusion I. Two albums were worked on at the same time.

Same thing with Absurd & Hard Skool. They are not b-sides from Chinese Democracy. They are songs that were being worked on for release after Chinese Democracy. No different than several of UYI's biggest hits having been written years before Appetite was even released.

Awesome Tune🤘Hope there's more to come.

Still digging it. I've heard this is a CD era song redone, and I've heard that it dates back to 95 or 96.

Which is it?

It's actually climbing the charts, and deservedly so. A good rock song. UYI era vibes for sure.

Pure speculation off the simple fact of a working title it had at one point. I say it's clearly CD-lineup songwriting style. Slash writes riffs, whereas this song was built around chords and Slash had to retrofit a riff into it.

I don’t care when and where this song originated…I love it and that is all that matters to me.

Exactly.  :beer:





/jarmo

Yeah it does rock, but that's a bit shortsighted. The biggest mystery with Gn'R is what in the hell happened in the writing process from 1994 to 1996 before Slash quit.

Was this one of those songs? It would be cool to know. I mean like you know they had things banging around. Would love to know if this was one of them.

Not shortsighted at all…I would love to hear how everything came together, but the important thing is it is out and things seem to be trending in the right direction for more music.

Hard skool question on italian tv ;D https://youtu.be/HGM5Xjo0dps

I get the impression that not even a single song was fully written. They were almost never together in the studio at the same time by that point. Slash was with Snakepit for most of '94 and '95, and then when he quit officially, Axl released a statement that he'd not been in the band for a year at that point.  ???

And didn't Slash basically say that what they came up with at that time was uninspired anyway?

Haha...That’s kool!!!!! :smoking:

What did he win for getting that answer correct?

Any of you hear the radio edit of  “Hard Skool” yet?  I heard it on the radio yesterday, probably clocks in under 3 minutes, sounds like parts of the intro, Slash’s  solos and interlude were all shortened.  I liked it, hope that version comes out on Spotify too at some point. 

I did not. apparently some radios plays it since two months now, and Duff played it as well on his radio show (?)

They have a top 10 hit with it on the mainstream rock charts.

Very cool.

Has anyone received their Hard Skool trucker hat? I deleted my confirmation email.... oops.  I noticed it's not on the store's website, don't know if they cancelled it or not.

Not sure but received my Illusions hat yesterday.

Slash's interlude is the best part of the song.

Wait a minute, there was a rumor from way back that GNR cancelled, I believe it was a Nashville show, because they were filming a video at a school back in California.  Anybody remember that?  Footage in this video from that?  I want to say it was an LA girl's school.

In at #6.  https://loudwire.com/best-rock-songs-of-2021/

And at 21  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QYyqeT1JZtGzdKy5tCSc8

Wasn’t Nashville.

Wasn't Bakersfield.  :hihi:  I don't know any more.  Time moves on and the details fade.  Don't know why but all these GNR memories keep coming up.  Guess it's the season to miss people.  Really liked the new GNR line up.

I remember rumblings of them filming at a school popping up on the boards, but I’ve been searching for articles and can’t find anything concrete on that. I also can’t remember any concerts since 2016 that were cancelled like that.

Before that, more around 2008.  The good old days when shows, tours got cancelled for "we don't believe that reason".   :hihi:  Anyway, I was looking over the video and it would only be a few short clips inside the school.  Looks like an American school.  Not sure what the inside of schools in other countries look like.  Isn't the video people from England?  Love their work.

I got my CD single of Hard Skool today. It's a paper sleeve with a nice spine for the shelf. Does anyone know what year or venue the 2 live recordings are from?

Great question. I was wondering the same thing. Live songs sound great.

Random question, what are the times in minutes and seconds for the two live songs

Don't Cry - 4:24.08
You're Crazy - 4:24.57

Still havent gotten mine.

I suspect the live tracks are from the 2016-2021 era?

That is my guess as well.

Ali

I'm just now getting around to buying the MP3.  "Hard Skool" does rock.

Would make sense since the new songs were released in 2021 while the band was on tour.





/jarmo

Got my physical releases from the Danish merch store. www.gnrmerch.dk

 8)




/jarmo

I went to a bar last night, and just as I entered, Hard Skool was playing.  :beer:

Awesome! Such a great feeling, right? Like Christmas. Ha!

Nice! Hoping for that same moment this weekend. Cheers!

Yeah.

Actually buying records from your favorite artists sure is different than listening to the music on streaming services.





/jarmo

Agreed. I still love CDs. The thrill of opening up a physical copy is part of the fun. Don’t get me wrong I stream music most of the time, but reading liner notes and staring at the cover/track listing is part of the experience.

Yeah, physical albums still rule. :)





/jarmo

I received the vinyl, cd and cassette a couple of weeks ago.  Brilliant…

(https://i.ibb.co/Xyk3bPp/0-DADE6-DA-5-CA3-45-EA-8574-5-C035-C5-ABA16.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6vJ1mSb)
photo uploader (https://imgbb.com/)

Lovin' that "Parental Advisory" label..... I remember back in the day, that always let you know GNR was in the house!   8)

I have to say, there's something ironic getting a tape as well as a 7" single and CD.

I stopped buying tapes when I moved to vinyls and then CDs. But had to do it for this one. :)





/jarmo

Had to be done guys.  I’m a sucker for physical media, and if I can I’ll always buy vinyl first.  If there’s a cassette, I’ll have that too.

As for the Parental Advisory - so good to see those on there.

They were truly old “skool” they would have released an 8 track edition!  :hihi:

LOL. I guess even the hipsters with typewriters haven't caught on to 8 track tapes yet? ;)






/jarmo

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!  :rant:
Gosh dang kids...

Wow. I see you got online with your dial up modem. Congrats! ;)






/jarmo

😂😂😂