Has anyone seen Axl Rose at a grocery store lately?

Did your friend get that on S******K? I was looking for "Chinese Democracy" stuff not too long ago there but didn't find any 4 track demos... only new songs performed live.

http://www.boffofilm.com/pages/filmPages/shortFilm/axlRose.php

I have no way of getting this online, by the way, but if you do, I think it would be an excellent idea.

yes I am obsessed, and I didn't even like GnR when they were around - kinda still don't. I am just obsessed by recluses.

Huh. A mystery. An ugly, fascinating, sort of depressing mystery.

Track 1 - opens with about thirty seconds of guitar skree. Then becomes a Hanoi Rocks In Their Practice Space tribute, only it's audibly no more than two people playing: whoever's doing the drums has only a rudimentary drum capability, but the lead guitarist has enough chops (not very good ones, but chops all the same) that I'd be kinda surprised if it was Axl. Vox very probably Axl - the scream is the key, and the sound of him leaping into the scream especially. Whole thing almost unquestionably recorded using a Tascam 4-track, which'd support any "this is Axl by himself" assertions. Verdict: poor.

Track 2 - The notorious "Preechin' and Screechin'," one of the worst things ever recorded by anyone on anything. For a long time I thought this was a sendup specifically made to fool people on Napster - a prank - and in fact back in the days of Napster this very song used to be re-labeled by a guy who had the song "Chinese Democracy" (or the one so i.d.'d by hardcores, anyhow) as follows: "NOT Guns 'n' Roses, NOT Chinese Democracy - for the real thing search my files!!!" I chatted with this guy a couple of times; like me at the time, he couldn't accept "Preechin' and Screechin'" as authentic. Close listening could still go either way, but the particular four track sound has pretty much exactly the same settings as track one. It sounds like a South Park piss-take on G 'n' R. Its chorus: "Can't quite find a reason/why you are so stupid/it blows my mind/that you'll never find/a reason to live." Yes, really. Verdict: poor.

Track 3 - Strange instrumental piece, same fuzzy guitar, drum kit (Synsonics or drum pad?) , but a considerably better song than either of the first two - in 6/8 unless I'm counting wrong, it sounds kind of like an Iron Maiden bridge ca. Piece of Mind. Two of the song's four sections shares later GnR's melodic feel: dramatic, moody, dark 'n' minor. Verdict: interesting and almost good.

Track 4 - Unquestionably Axl - opens with a rather stupid but kind of enjoyable spoken "Wake up! It's time to play!" My thought this morning: is this from the Hollywood Rose CD that Cleopatra's putting out: Axl's first L.A. band, pre-Slash? Evidence for this proposition: there's a song on the Cleopatra CD called "Shadows of Your Love," and the chorus of this one is "Shadow of love/shadow of love" etc. This is probably eight or even sixteen tracks and if recorded well would have fit well onto Appetite for Destruction; as a song, IMO, it's considerably better than about half the songs on AFD. Features some "Welcome to the Jungle" style "n-n-n-n-n-n-n" articulation. Musically more Hanoi Rocks/Johnny Thunders pastiche. Verdict: pretty good.

Track 5 - At least sixteen tracks and maybe even more. Recorded in a real studio sometime within the last six years, from the sound of things. This is the track I got from the guy who said he had "the real thing" on Napster, and musically sounds a lot like drama-queen Axl - spooky dark-clouds minor key vocal melody, "threatening" 80's-style metal guitar, loads of debt to less bluesy '70s Aerosmith. Vocally, if this is Axl, his voice has changed quite a bit: the singing style is identical, almost, but the voice is deeper and has less range, or at least uses less range. The phrasings are all Axl, though. This kind of song is exactly what I didn't like about Guns 'n' Roses, but for that very reason it seems authentic. Verdict: "good" but with scarequotes.

Track 6 - The first of a few instrumental sound collage things that owe quite a bit to Cabaret Voltaire's Sluggin' for Jesus series, though probably via Robert Plant's Tie Die on the Highway. Fake-wah guitar, lead-up-to-explosion-that-won't-happen high-hat, burbling bass, and tape of some guy talking about how we gotta save the planet. He says "motherfucker" and "fuck" a lot and seems to be speaking to a large crowd. Verdict: huh?

Track 7 - More sound collage, opening with the Hindenberg broadcast's "Oh, the humanity!" slowed down. Sounds like Chris 'n' Cosey, kinda. Two minutes long. Verdict: shrooms.

Track 8 - Back to the 4-track, but unquestionably Axl. If Axl were to track this one with a full band, it'd be a huge hit. It's a one-four-five ballad urging some girl to stay with him and is delivered entirely in the howl. This is, again, clearly the same "line-up" (just Axl?) of the opening few tracks but is of the "I can see how that'd be good" variety and not the "holy shit Axl's brain has melted" variety. Appears to be called "Just Another Sunday" and will appeal to people who liked "Patience." Verdict: "good," again with the scarequotes.

Track 9 - Also four-track, but either not the same machine as the first three tracks or fewer-generations-old recordings. Kinda nice instrumental monkeying-around in a psych-stylee - sounds like Brother JT for a little while, if a little more caffienated. No vocals, constant guitar soloing. Verdict: kinda good, would not go over well with GnR's fanbase.

Track 10 - Entitled "European Jewel," this very strange number features...nah, just kiddin', there is no track 10

HA!

Seriously, I would love a copy of this stuff. Please e-mail me. Thanks.

You know, I'm just remembering that GNR did have a song called "Shadow of Your Love" on a B-side to one of their big singles (maybe Patience or something)....I think it's their only really notable non-album B-side that never made it to a formal album...I am checking Allmusic now...

Does anyone with a better GNR history/memory recall this b-side or am I on crack?

Sounds right...

1. Reckless Life - 3:20
2. Nice Boys - 3:04
3. Move to the City - 3:43
4. Mama Kin - 3:57

HOLLYWOOD ROSE - The Roots Of GUNS N’ ROSES is a historical and monumental musical document of the very first demos recorded by Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, before they became Guns N’ Roses.

The album features five demo recordings that haven’t been heard in decades, plus new remixes by former GN’R member Gilby Clarke. These rare tracks showcase the raw talent of Axl and Izzy that was just beginning to blossom into GN’R.

The story of Guns N’ Roses began when L.A. GUNS founder Tracii Guns introduced guitarist Chris Weber to Izzy Stradlin in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar And Grill. After jamming together at Izzy’s place, the two decided to form a band and recruited a vocalist, Bill Bailey, better known to most as Axl Rose. Together, they drew inspiration from the diverse musical scene emerging in Hollywood and, with the help of drummer Johnny Kreis, recorded a demo under the name Hollywood Rose.

For years these demos have remained in the vault, never appearing on CD. Now, Cleopatra Records is bringing these raw recordings to the masses. As a special bonus, Gilby Clarke took these recordings back to the studio and polished up the rough edges.

Due for release in June, Hollywood Rose - The Roots Of Guns N’ Roses includes the following tracklisting: Original Demo Versions: ‘Shadow Of Your Love’, ‘Rocker’, ‘Killing Time’, ‘Wreckless Life’ and ‘Anything Goes’. Newly Remixed By Gilby Clarke: ‘Shadow Of Your Love’, ‘Rocker’, ‘Killing Time’, ‘Wreckless Life’ and ‘Anything Goes’. Newly Remixed By Fred Coury: ‘Move To The City’ and ‘Wreckless Life’.

Those were also by far the most interesting tracks to me on the disc. Sigh.

i'm not entirely convinced that's axl either.

Wow. Sounds interesting... I'm excited to hear it, if it ever gets released.

I know most of you guys are interested in this GNR stuff as irony or an opportunity to snicker at how the mighty have fallen, but y'know, I feel a lot of sympathy for Axl Rose. Even though he may have made a lot of mistakes and treated his friends like shit, deep down I'm sure he's a good guy who has just had more than his share of false friends, childhood abuse, drug problems, and lawsuits that have messed him up mentally. This may sound strange, but when I hear his voice (like when he's talking to crowds, for example-- for example, at the beginning of the late-era GNR live track "Madagascar"), it sounds nakedly honest and innocent, like he's a man whose fear and vulnerability are the root of his anti-social behavior. I dunno.

For the record, I really really love Appetite for Destruction; I'm not such a fan of the rest of the albums; I don't think Axl is a great lyricist, but I do think he's a tremendous singer and frontman; I'd love for him to come back hard, but it seems unlikely, and if stuff on these demos is actually related to what he's doing now, then the best we can hope for is some kind of weirdo-recluse document. Preferably one with good songs, and without the shadow of mental/emotional torture.

And I agree, I hope Axl ends up okay.

(incidentally, yeah, I know there's technically no such thing as "ironic appreciation" -- actually, I've written a long treatise about that very subject. i guess i just didn't figure that most of the people here were actually GNR/Axl Rose fans.)

Vote Blue... Bitches!!🇺🇸🔵🔷💙 pic.twitter.com/vciYbuvWpt

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) October 29, 2018

Yes