Archive for the ‘Guns N’ Roses’ Category

Tracks From A Tiny Guns N’ Roses CD

Sunday, October 5th, 2014

Well then, that stupid Hulk Hogan post is now the most popular thing I’ve written all year. I suspected that might go viral just from its idiocy and rarity, but I had no idea it would blow up so big. So to anyone who read that post and decided to check out what this blog is all about, thanks! Before I disappoint you with a series of Madonna singles in the coming weeks, stick around, I promise more wrestling stupidity later this week.

Until then, how about some G N’F’n R?

Guns N’ Roses
Live And Let Die (Live)
Shadow Of Your Love
Coma (Live)
It’s amazing the shit you can find in a discount record bin.

The first two of these GNR tracks are from a CD-single of “Live And Let Die.” Not just that, they’re from a 3-inch CD single that came packaged tiny “longbox” style. Seriously, check this thing out.

003

It’s hard to see, but it comes with instructions on how to snap the bottom half off and make it more compact.

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Like anyone in Japan would ever do such a thing. You have no idea how well the Japanese people treat their media. You go to a used bookstore or CD store and all that shit looks brand freaking new. It’s insane. It’s great when you find one a little banged up though, because when you do it’s mad discounted. However, such instances are few and far between. Shit, when I buy game music here it usually comes complete with the original sticker sheets. I don’t know how anyone could buy a CD that came with stickers and NOT USE THE STICKERS. Madness.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, GNR. So, I did some digging and I really can’t find if those two tracks were ever put on any other official GNR release. The live version of “Live And Let Die” is not on the Live Era album, and I don’t think it’s on any of their EPs either. If Axl’s opening rant is to be believed, this recording was filmed for the VMAs. I think I have a vague recollection of that happening, so that sounds about right.

As for “Shadow Of Your Love,” that tune pre-dates GNR by several years. It’s actually a Hollywood Rose track, Hollywood Rose being the proto-GNR group that Axl formed in 1983. While many Hollywood Rose-era tracks would be re-worked or re-recorded for inclusion on several official GNR official releases, “Shadow Of Your Love” wasn’t one of them.

It should be pointed out that “Shadow Of Your Love” is not a particularly good song.

Anyways, while the track never made it to a GNR album proper, various versions have seen the light of day over the years. A faux-live take (with crowd overdubs) was recorded for the Live Like Suicide EP, cut, and then included on the Japanese-only Live From The Jungle EP. A demo by the original(ish) Hollywood Rose line-up was also recorded back in the 80s, which was released a few years ago by Cleopatra Records, much to the chagrin of Axl. As far as I know, this is the only studio version of the track recorded by GNR that doesn’t feature the crowd overdubs.

I would also like to point out once more that it is not a very good song.

As for the live version of “Coma,” that’s from the Japanese edition of Live Era. I actually don’t own the Japanese edition of Live Era, I just snagged this MP3 off of…somewhere eons ago.

Posted in Guns N' Roses, live | 3 Comments »

GNR, Frank Black and Goldie. Yeah, I didn’t plan this one out very well.

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

I added an RSS/Google Reader/I don’t know what reader to my sidebar. Does it work? I never use that stuff. Someone tell me, I’ll be your best friend if you do.

Guns N’ Roses
Don’t Cry (Demo)
I never thought I’d get a chance to post some rare and out-of-print GNR, mostly because I didn’t think that there was any rare and out of print GNR. But hey, I love being proven wrong. This demo version of the classic “Don’t Cry” is the B-side to to the 12″ “Don’t Cry” single, which is a nifty record because the cover has a hologram on it.

Hologram covers. That’s some 90s shit right there. I can put this right next to my lenticular comic book trading cards.

Frank Black
The Ballad Of Johnny Horton
Surf Epic
I never thought I’d get to post and rare Frank Blank either! But hey, I found some at a record show last week! These are B-sides to the “Hang On To Your Ego” single, which was a track from Frank’s self-titled 1993 debut. While that track is a cover, I’m fairly certain that both of these instrumental tunes are original compositions. There is another song “The Ballad of Johnny Horton,” but I don’t believe they have anything in common (aside from probably being about Johnny Horton). But don’t pay much mind to that track, instead, focus on the aptly-titled “Surf Epic,” a 10 minute smorgasbord of surf guitar and sci-fi sounds that is brain-meltingly good.

If you don’t own an of Frank Black’s early solo albums then you’re failing at life. Go buy Teenager Of The Year right now. that album has “Speedy Marie” on it. A song that an ex-girlfriend of mine consistently referred to as “like the best song EVER!” Myself, I prefer “If It Takes All Night” from Dog In the Sand, but maybe that’s why we broke up.

Goldie
Inner City Life (Full Length Mix)
Inner City Life (Roni Size Instant Mix)
Inner City Life (Nookie Remix)
Inner City Life (4 Hero Pt. 1)
It’s 2012 and I still don’t own Goldie’s Timeless. So I guess I’m failing at life too. In fact, I hardly own any Goldie! Just some 12″ singles and that song he did on the Spawn soundtrack with Henry Rollins (also, for some reason I own that soundtrack on vinyl, red transparent vinyl, what the hell?!).

Anyways, even if you don’t like drum and bass (and why not? It’s the best thing since sliced Beatles) I still think you should give this song a chance. It’s freaking beautiful.

 

Posted in B-sides, Frank Black, Goldie, Guns N' Roses, remixes | 5 Comments »