Latest news with #ChineseDemocracy
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Guns N' Roses manager claims Axl Rose now takes 50% of the band's income
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Former Guns N' Roses manager Alan Niven has claimed that frontman Axl Rose now collects 50% of the band's income. Niven was speaking with Appetite For Distortion, the Guns N' Roses-themed podcast hosted by Brando Weissle. "It's a control thing with Axl," says Niven. "Here's another little snapshot that is illuminating and goes to forming a correct perception. Axl takes 50% of the income of Guns N' Roses now. 50%, okay? That, to me, is anathema. He is not Guns N' Roses. "They were five individuals. It was a chemistry. It was a moment. But Axl wants to be in control of everything all the time. And look what that gets you. A boring solo record and a shitty thing of punk covers. And that's it." Niven is presumably referring to the last two Guns N' Roses albums, 1993's covers album, "The Spaghetti Incident?", and 2008's famously long-awaited Chinese Democracy. This isn't the first time Niven – who managed Guns N' Roses from 1986 to 1991 and oversaw their chaotic rise to prominence – has criticised Axl Rose. "I have no hope of, or interest in, a new Guns N' Roses album," he told Classic Rock in 2022. "The tantrums of youth look absurd on a 60-year-old. It's a shame they have been creatively impotent since 1991." Alan Niven's book Sound N' Fury: Rock N' Roll Stories is published on June 24 and can be pre-ordered now. Guns N' Roses' Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour kicks off at Songdo Moonlight Park in Incheon, South Korea, on May 1. Full dates below. May 01: Incheon Songdo Moonlight Park, South KoreaMay 05: Yokohama K Arena, JapanMay 10: Taoyuan Sunlight Arena, TaiwanMay 13: Bangkok Thunderdome Stadium, ThailandMay 17: Mumbai Mahalaxmi Racecourse, IndiaMay 23: Riyadh Kingdom Arena, Saudi ArabiaMay 27: Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, UAEMay 30: Shekvetili Parka, Georgia^Jun 02: Istanbul Tüpraş Stadyumu, Turkey^Jun 06: Coimbra Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Portugal^Jun 09: Barcelona Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, SpainJun 12: Florence Firenze Rocks, Italy*^Jun 15: Hradec Kralove Rock For People, Czech Republic*^Jun 18: Dusseldorf Merkur Spiel-Arena, Germany^Jun 20: Munich Allianz Arena, Germany^Jun 23: Birmingham Villa Park, UKJun 26: London Wembley Stadium, UKJun 29: Aarhus Eskelunden, Denmark+Jul 02: Trondheim Granåsen Ski Centre, Norway+Jul 04: Stockholm Strawberry Aren, Sweden+Jul 07: Tampere Ratina Stadium, Finland+Jul 10: Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Lithuania+Jul 12: Warsaw PGE Nardowy, Poland+Jul 15: Budapest Puskás Aréna, Hungary+Jul 18: Belgrade Ušće Park, Serbia+Jul 21: Sofia Vasil Levski Stadium, Bulgaria+Jul 24: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria#Jul 28: Luxembourg Open Air, Luxembourg#Jul 31: Wacken Festival, Germany* * = Festival appearance+ = with Public Enemy^ = with Rival Sons# = with Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter Tickets are on sale now.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'If we don't get to Paradise City soon I'm going to pass out!': How drummer Frank Ferrer powered Guns N' Roses
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Guns N' Roses have announced that drummer Frank Ferrer has left the band by mutual consent. Ferrer was GN'R's longest-serving drummer, having joined the band in 2006. He also had a couple of side projects - The Compulsions and Pisser. His final show with Guns N' Roses was in Mexico on 5 November, 2023. Ferrer also played on five tracks from Guns N' Roses' 2008 album Chinese Democracy. In 2016, when lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan reunited with singer Axl Rose for the band's Not In The Lifetime tour, Ferrer spoke to MusicRadar about his role in Guns N' Roses. He also voiced his appreciation for the drummers who had performed with the band before him - Steven Adler (who played on the classic debut album Appetite For Destruction), Matt Sorum (featured on the twin 1991 albums Use Your Illusion I and II) and Chinese Democracy-era drummer Bryan 'Brain' Mantia. Ferrer said of his predecessors: 'I have tremendous respect for the drummers in Guns N' Roses. I really try to keep the spirit of the way the [original] song was played.' He gave the highest praise to Steven Adler's performance on Appetite For Destruction. 'When we play the Appetite stuff I try to have the push and pulls,' he said. 'Steven's punk rock bits are great. 'Adler's playing was one of the greatest rock drumming performances in the history of music. You can put it in the top ten. His playing on Appetite is perfect. 'Then with [Matt] Sorum it's a little more tight and more reserved kind of playing. I do try to keep that spirit, though. 'I love Brain [Mantia] so much. What Brain told me was to try and make the songs my own. I never forget that. 'Obviously my own personality comes through, especially on some of the funkier stuff. I might give a more New York hip hop kind of feel to it.' Ferrer revealed which classic songs he most enjoyed playing. 'My favourite song to play is You Could Be Mine, that's so fun to play as a drummer. That one's like shifting in a car. You're peeling out then hit a low gear, then you're cruising. You have to shift the gears. It's balls out! He continued: 'Rocket Queen is dope. [Mr.] Brownstone is dope. I do Brain's intro to Brownstone. Adler used to just do the bo diddley on the floor tom where as Brain was doing it more on the toms, the two racks and the floor. 'Think About You is a lot of fun, real punk rock and more of the kind of spirit that I grew up with. 'Some of the first record stuff, the way that Brain was playing it when I watched him play it, it sounded like it gave Axl more room to sing. Axl sings fast a lot so you have to pull back a little bit so he can get his words out.' Ferrer went into detail about his own sound and kit. 'The style of music and sound I like to hear is like John Bonham, big, huge, open toms. 'What they did with Chinese Democracy, the drum sound they got there is the one that they like to use live. It's not important to me that it has to be my snare sound, just as long as it sounds good. If it makes the music sound better then that's all that matters to me. I don't really mess with the tunings. 'I have a great tech and front of house guy and they're the experts in that as far as I'm concerned. I have a 12' rack, 14' and 16' floor, 24' bass drum. The snare drum is the diamond of the kit, it's a Tama bell brass snare. It's the greatest drum I've ever heard. They used those on the record, but they used the original one from the '80s. I think the one I'm using now is the newer one, the one Lars Ulrich came out with. The ones they used on the record were 27 years old, $3,000 a piece!' He also explained the physical challenges of performing with Guns N' Roses, with three-hour sets as standard. 'During the live show I play on all of the [guitar and keyboard] solos so I don't get off my riser once,' he said. 'It definitely pushes you to the limits. 'There's nights I feel like I can play all night long. There's nights where I think, 'If we don't get to Paradise City soon I'm going to pass out!' Then sometimes you get to the double time in 'Paradise' and think, 'Man, I've got to play this now!?' 'It's a gig that you have to have your mind in it, your body in it, you have to be in it because it will get away from you fast," he added. "Most of the time even if you're not feeling at top form the crowd will pull you through. I just started doing a little yoga. It's good to do that kind of stretching.' Ferrer concluded by describing his role in the band. 'The kind of drummers I love are guys like Phil Rudd, Charlie Watts, Peter Criss, just foundation type drumming,' he said. 'Soloists that I grew up listening to where guys like Zack Alfred, Sterling Campbell. 'I'm in between there, I would imagine. I can rip it out. My mindset was to just give it to them, just hammer them, throw your sticks down and walk off the stage. What's great about Guns is that I get to showcase my talent within the songs. 'A lot of that stuff is the Sorum stuff, but there's also songs like Brownstone. If you want to know what kind of drummer I am just listen to me play Brownstone or Rocket Queen. 'I love being the foundation and sitting in that pocket. I can be in the pocket all day. I'm more like Phil Rudd, I just want to 2/4 it and let everybody else do their thing while I sit up there holding it together.'
Express Tribune
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Guns N' Roses part ways with longtime drummer Frank Ferrer after 19 years
Guns N' Roses have officially parted ways with drummer Frank Ferrer after nearly two decades together. The band confirmed the lineup change in a statement released on Wednesday (March 19), calling the departure amicable. 'Guns N' Roses announce the amicable exit of Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in their storied run,' the statement read. 'The band thanks Frank for his friendship, creativity and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.' Ferrer joined the band in 2006, replacing Bryan 'Brain' Mantia, who had been with the group since 2000. His tenure made him the longest-serving drummer in Guns N' Roses history, surpassing Steven Adler, who was behind the kit from 1990 to 1997. His recording contributions began with five tracks on Chinese Democracy, the band's long-awaited 2008 album. He also appeared on the live portion of 2022's Hard Skool EP, while former drummer Brain played on the studio tracks, as well as Guns N' Roses' 2023 singles 'Perhaps' and 'The General.' Ferrer's final performance with the band took place at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in November 2023, which remains Guns N' Roses' most recent live show. The group is set to resume touring soon, kicking off their Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour in South Korea on May 1. The tour will continue through the Middle East and Europe, wrapping up with a July 31 show in Germany. No replacement for Ferrer has been announced. Beyond his time with Guns N' Roses, Ferrer performed with The Beautiful and later joined future GNR bandmate Richard Fortus in both Love Spit Love and The Psychedelic Furs. In 2019, he co-founded the rock band PSSR, which has released several singles in recent years.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
15 awful albums by classic bands, from Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith
Rock'n'roll musicians have a habit of thinking of themselves like secular gods, but the truth is they're not infallible. No matter how successful a band may or may not have been in the past, there's never any guarantee their next record will live up to the heights they've previously scaled. Sometimes, everything that once went right just all goes wrong. There are often extenuating circumstances, of course. Band members may leave due to death, drugs or just good old-fashioned 'musical differences', or an ambitious new direction may turn out to be more like a swerve into oncoming traffic. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that just because an album has the name of a classic band slapped across the cover, it doesn't necessarily follow that the album itself will be a classic. Featuring the likes of The Doors, The Clash and Duran Duran, here are the 15 worst albums ever made by otherwise great bands: 15. Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy (2008) Recorded at 15 different studios over a 10-year period at a cost exceeding $13 million Chinese Democracy is the most expensive rock album ever made, which just goes to show that money can't buy you quality. Early Guns N' Roses guitarist Tracii Guns called Axl Rose's labour of love 'over-indulgent, sterile and not that exciting'. 14. Queen + Paul Rodgers – The Cosmos Rocks (2008) More than a decade after the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991, Queen announced they would be reuniting for a tour with former Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers. The collaboration eventually led to a new record, but the clunky and forgettable The Cosmos Rocks failed to come anywhere near the heights of their classic period. 13. Aerosmith – Draw The Line (1977) Aerosmith were catapulted to rock superstardom by 1975's Toys in the Attic and 1976's Rocks, but by the next year the band had run off the rails. Frontman Steven Tyler was alternating between huge lines of cocaine and fistfuls of sedatives. Guitarist Joe Perry later told band biographer Stephen Davis that during the recording of the incohesive Draw The Line, 'We were drug addicts dabbling in music, rather than musicians dabbling in drugs.' 12. The Doors – Other Voices (1971) When their iconic frontman Jim Morrison died in Paris in July 1971, the remaining three members of The Doors were faced with the difficult decision of whether they should carry on without him. Just three months later they released the album the trio had been working on in his absence: the lacklustre Other Voices. 'We probably shouldn't have put it out that quick after Jim's passing,' admitted guitarist Robby Krieger in a recent interview. 11. Van Halen – Van Halen III (1998) Van Halen only ever released one album with Extreme singer Gary Cherone, and you only have to listen to it to find out why. It was so bad they didn't release another record for 14 years. The most withering review came from the band's original singer David Lee Roth, who opined that the Eddie Van Halen-sung 'How Many Say I' sounded like 'hot water being poured on a cat'. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial 10. Mötley Crüe – Generation Swine (1997) Generation Swine was much hyped before its release because it saw the return of Vince Neil to Mötley Crüe after a five-year absence. Their original singer may have been back in the fold, but their early magic failed to reappear. In 2008, speaking to Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer, Neil said: 'It was a terrible record, 'cause there was too much experimenting.' 9. The Who – It's Hard (1982) The Who are one of Britain's greatest ever rock bands, but by 1982 they were running out of steam fast. Iconic drummer Keith Moon had died four years earlier, and the remaining members were unsure whether they even still wanted to be making albums. After releasing the largely insipid It's Hard, they wouldn't make another record for 24 years. 8. Black Sabbath – Forbidden (1995) When someone at Sabbath's record label suggested to guitarist Tony Iommi that the band collaborate with rapper Ice-T, Iommi's response was: 'Who the hell is he?' Not only did Ice-T end up performing on Forbidden, but his Body Count bandmate Ernie C was brought in to produce the record. His style never suited the band, and Iommi has since called the album they made together 'really crap.' 7. Kiss – Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (1997) In the mid-Nineties, Kiss decided that if they couldn't beat the grunge sound of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, they may as well join them. They ludicrously tried to reinvent themselves as flannel-wearing alternative rockers, but initially ditched the idea before releasing an album. Then, after bootlegs started to circulate, they put out Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions anyway. It would have been OK if they hadn't. 6. Led Zeppelin – Presence (1976) The end of 1975 was a tough time for Led Zep. Singer Robert Plant was still recovering after being seriously injured in a car accident, so their tour was cancelled and studio time booked instead. Presence was put together in just a few weeks, with guitarist and producer Jimmy Page working 20 hour days to finish it and Plant singing through the pain. In hindsight, bed rest may have been a better option. 5. Genesis – Calling All Stations (1997) By the time drummer and singer Phil Collins quit Genesis in 1996, they were down to two original members: keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist Mike Rutherford. The pair brought in Scottish singer Ray Wilson to replace Collins, but they shouldn't have bothered. The album was widely panned, with the Chicago Tribune calling it 'a formless blob of synth sounds'. 4. The Clash – Cut The Crap (1985) The final album by punk heroes The Clash is now largely forgotten, excluded from box sets and compilations, and rightfully so. After sacking drummer Topper Headon and guitarist Mick Jones, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon decided to press on with this uninspired record. The band split for good shortly after its release, and Strummer later disowned it, perhaps wishing he had taken his own titular advice. 3. Metallica – St Anger (2003) Sometimes, a band tinkering with the formula that made their name is just what they need to scale new heights. Other times, well, it doesn't work out quite so well. Metallica's bloated St Anger suffered from an overuse of a tinny snare drum sound, a complete lack of guitar solos from Kirk Hammett, and most damningly of all, a succession of vapid, overlong songs. 2. Chris Cornell – Scream (2009) The cover of Chris Cornell's third solo album shows the former frontman of grunge titans Soundgarden symbolically smashing a guitar. On the record itself, he ditched his guitar-led rock sound in favour of electronic pop beats executive produced by Timbaland and 'aided' by Justin Timberlake. The result was certainly a scream, but not in a fun way. 1. Duran Duran – Thank You (1995) It must have seemed like a good idea at the time: A massively successful band paying tribute to their favourite artists and songs. The result was an album named the worst of all time by Q magazine in 2006. The Bob Dylan and Sly and the Family Stone covers were bad enough, but the ghastly nadir was Simon Le Bon rapping his way through Public Enemy's urgent protest anthem '911 is a Joke'.
