Guns N' Roses - 1999 Demos

This is a post I imagine very few people will be interested in, but it fits the guidelines of the site so I'm including it.

If you're familiar with Guns N' Roses and Chinese Democracy, you know the album was in the process of creation for near fifteen years. Slash and Duff were still members of the band when the process of creating a new album began, although they left the very early on and made no contributions to the album that would be released. From there, Axl took the reigns of the band, minus any prior band members other than Dizzy Reed, and hired an incredible cast of producers and musicians to help him flesh out his ideas. Roy Thomas Baker, Moby, Sean Beaven, Andy Wallace and many more were tapped for assistance, although just because they were contacted doesn't mean their influence was necessarily felt throughout the finished product.

In the end, it's been rumored by fans of GNR that four or five finished versions of the album may exist, if not more. Some of this was proven when Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill leaked nine songs from a version of the album that was supposedly finished for potential release in 2006. At the time, he stated that the tracks from the leak were finished and mastered, although who knows if that is completely accurate. Some have speculated that the leak of so much material may have forced Geffen to give the album a release date, as some rumors state that the album may have been finished by mid-2008, but regardless, by the time the finished Chinese Democracy saw release near the end of 2008 it featured changes from the Skwerl leak that brought up questions regarding how finished any version of the album is in Axl's eyes.

The earliest reported songs from Chinese Democracy are supposedly from 1999. Oh My God, the song featured on the End Of Days soundtrack, was rumored to be on the "then forthcoming" album, meaning it was probably recorded around the same time as the other 1999 tracks that are out there. I've heard stories of an all night mixing session with Jimmy Iovine to have that song completed for the soundtrack, so who knows how long the tracks that leaked were worked on. Versions of There Was A Time and I.R.S. both leaked, with Time sounding quite similar to the version officially released almost a decade later whereas I.R.S. sounds rather rough with minimal bass. A version of Catcher In The Rye also leaked with a confirmed guitar solo by Brian May, and while it sounds VERY finished, Axl has always referred to it as a demo. An excerpt from another track, one that has not been officially released, leaked under unclear circumstances and has been included here with the weird kiss-off that whomever posted it attached to it's end. That track has been referred to as Jackie Chan by Axl, but there has been speculation that it was either named Check Mate or The General.

The download in this post contains all five of the tracks mentioned in the above paragraph as well as the version of Sweet Child O' Mine recorded during this era that appeared in the end credits of the movie Big Daddy. The first half of the track is taken from a live performance of the original line-up whereas the second is performed by what is assumed to be the 1999 version of the band. Since the GNR community is still leary of leaks after the June 2008 incident I'm only posting these six tracks for download, but if anyone is interested in getting the other leaks please drop me a line and I'll be happy to give you some links. Enjoy!


Guns N' Roses - 1999

01 I.R.S.
02 There Was A Time
03 Catcher In The Rye
04 Oh My God
05 Sweet Child O' Mine (Big Daddy Version)
06 Jackie Chan excerpt


PS - I'm not going to be doing many posts this month as I'm busy with other things, but I'll still be around and reading my e-mail so if you write me I'll respond.