The General

ludurigan wrote:So is it one song or two?

Did they play both songs/parts or just the "General" song/part?

The Monsters song/part is quite listenable

It is two songs, and they only played The Monster. We don't really know why it is listed as The General and Monsters. I guess we will find out in December.

Soulmonster wrote:

ludurigan wrote:So is it one song or two?

Did they play both songs/parts or just the "General" song/part?

The Monsters song/part is quite listenable

It is two songs, and they only played The Monster. We don't really know why it is listed as The General and Monsters. I guess we will find out in December.

Thanks!

But I am a bit confused here now

I just saw a clip where Axl says "this is called The General"



So did they play "Monster"? Or "General"?

ludurigan wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:

ludurigan wrote:So is it one song or two?

Did they play both songs/parts or just the "General" song/part?

The Monsters song/part is quite listenable

It is two songs, and they only played The Monster. We don't really know why it is listed as The General and Monsters. I guess we will find out in December.

Thanks!

But I am a bit confused here now

I just saw a clip where Axl says "this is called The General"



So did they play "Monster"? Or "General"?

They played The General. Monsters is a different song. On the forthcoming release these two separate, individual songs might be connected somehow (hence why it is listed as The General and Monsters in a database).

ludurigan wrote:So is it one song or two?

Did they play both songs/parts or just the "General" song/part?

The Monsters song/part is quite listenable

It's two songs that must be somehow connected as they have been registered together and also leaked together. A theory is that they are (or were) going to be released together maybe with Monsters as a hidden track.

These look to be the correct lyrics of the chorus:

My only regret
Is that I never took the time to forget
All those unspoken feelings
That were never spared
At those who understand
Love deserves respect
And not disordered meaning

"Live Like A Suicide" at mygnrforum deciphered them from this live performance where Axl's vocals can be heard more clearly:

The 7-inch vinyl has also shipped.

That's good news

Must be an older mix/production then since Caram did it. What's the Haggard connection again? Friend of Brain?

Soulmonster wrote:Must be an older mix/production then since Caram did it. What's the Haggard connection again? Friend of Brain?

Yes, the mix must be from 2-3 years ago and Marc "Mirv" Haggard is Brain's friend - one of his two friends who he co-wrote The General (and Seven) with.

Updated the lyrics with the official lyrics from Apple Music.

Press release:
-------------------

LOS ANGELES, CA December 8, 2023-- Today, Guns N’ Roses debuted their new single titled, “The General” via Geffen Records.

LISTEN HERE: https://gunsnroses.lnk.to/TheGeneralPresave

“The General” stands out as the band’s second release of 2023, following their summer single “Perhaps”. Guns N’ Roses initially debuted “The General” to a sold-out hometown audience during their two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. Since then, fans have anxiously awaited the official arrival of “The General.”

Last month, Guns N’ Roses concluded their blockbuster 2023 world tour, which sold 1.3 million tickets around the world. The tour marked the band’s largest run to date and consisted of acclaimed performances across European stadiums and arenas. Their run included headlining festivals including Glastonbury and London’s Hyde Park. The band’s North American leg included sold-out performances at historic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, as well as a co-headlining performance at Power Trip in Indio with AC/DC & Metallica.

Around the world, the band’s shows have only gotten bigger and bolder. The group’s now-legendary three-hour-plus sets have evolved with sought-after fan favorites in addition to newly dusted-off gems from their back catalog, leaving ardent audiences in awe.

ABOUT GUNS N’ ROSES

Embedded in popular culture, Guns N’ Roses’ landmark diamond-selling 1987 opus, Appetite For Destruction, stands out as “the best-selling U.S. debut album ever” and “the 11th best-selling U.S. album of all time.” Following its release, Guns N’ Roses shook the world with the one-two punch of the over 7x-platinum Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, clinching the top two spots on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart upon arrival. With total sales of 100 million units thus far, their catalog also consists of G N’ R Lies (5x-platinum), The Spaghetti Incident? (platinum), Greatest Hits (5x-platinum), and Chinese Democracy (over 6 million worldwide). Not to mention, they are one of the most-streamed rock bands in the world with an average of 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The band’s Not In This Lifetime… Tour ranked as the “fourth-highest grossing concert tour of all time,” selling 5 million-plus tickets and included a headline performance at Coachella. Guns N’ Roses never stop with more touring on the horizon and other surprises—the “Nightrain” keeps rolling at full speed.

Guns N’ Roses are Axl Rose (vocals, keyboards), Duff McKagan (bass), Slash (lead guitar), Dizzy Reed (keyboard), Richard Fortus (rhythm guitar), Frank Ferrer (drums), and Melissa Reese (keyboard).

Review in Louder/Classic Rock:
-------------------------------------

Guns N' Roses release anguished yet epic new recording of The General

By Fraser Lewry

Last month Guns N' Roses surprised fans at their Los Angeles by casually dropping a previously unreleased song, The General, into their set. While the tune originally dates from from the band's Chinese Democracy sessions, it's now been released onto streaming platforms as a new studio track, having been recorded, mixed and mastered this summer.

The General is also available as a physical release, occupying the b-side of the limited edition Guns N' Roses single Perhaps, which is also released today. The pairing will also be available as a Japan-only SHM-CD, which is due for release next month.

The chorus of The General, a slow-burner that features one of Axl Rose's more anguished vocals, opens with the lines, "My only regret is that I never took the time to forgive all those unspoken feelings" while the pre-chorus finds a him singing, "Can anybody tell me why the pain, it just won't stop?"

The General was produced by Axl Rose, while the line-up of musicians featured on the song includes original members Duff McKagan (bass) and Slash (guitar). The rest of the lineup includes current touring members Richard Fortis (guitar) and Dizzy Reid (keyboards), and is rounded out by guitarist Marc Haggard, keyboardists Chris Pitman and Caram Costanzo, and drummer Bryan Mantia. Strings are provided by Marco Beltrami.

Availability of The General on streaming platforms in timezone-dependent, so it may not be available in all territories at the time of writing.

According to former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, The General dates back to 2007.

“It’s by far the heaviest metal tune I think I’ve ever heard Axl do,” he told Metal Edge magazine, “This slow, grinding riff with these high, piercing vocals, screaming vocals. I was like, ‘When is this coming out?’ And he said, ‘2012’.” The following year, Bach told Rolling Stone that Rose had written The General as a sequel to the Use Your Illusion-era classic Estranged.

https://www.loudersound.com/news/guns-n-roses-the-general