Izzy Stradlin has recorded Appetite-era songwriting sessions on a micro-cassette recorder

This is a quote from a Slash and Izzy 1988 interview/story that was published on the March 1989 issue of Guitar World magazine under the headline "Raunchy Guitars and Reckless Reps".

Full article here = https://www.a-4-d.com/t529-1989-03-dd-guitar-world-agony-n-excesses-slash-and-izzy#28352

Please see below for a highlighted Izzy quote where he says -- beyond any shadow of a doubt -- that he recorded the (or some of the) songwriting sessions for Appetite For Destruction on a micro-cassete recorder.

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(...) Holed up in Izzy's one-room digs, the band eked out songs on whatever equipment they happened to own that week, viewing their desperate situation as necessary fodder for their compositions.

"Some of the best stuff can be written out of dire times," Izzy states matter-of-factly. "Slash and I would throw riffs back and forth, which is certainly one of his major strengths. I write on anything—I did then, and I still do. I think that I wrote much of the stuff on Appetite on an old Harmony. It was pretty hilarious. Stevie would set up this suitcase and drum on it. Pretty crude. I would tape-record the whole thing on this little micro-cassette recorder. It sounded real good; that's how we wrote. I think maybe one day I'll press that stuff. So it doesn't matter what you write on, PortaStudios, eight-tracks. If you have a song that can cut it, it doesn't matter." (...)

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WOW

I don't even know how to react to this

JUST... WOW!

I have been wondering for years about this...

1) Has anyone recorded the early 1985-1986 Guns n' Roses songwriting sessions?

2) Has anyone kept these recordings?

3) Are these recordings in good enough quality that you can enjoy listening to them?

I don't think we can get clearer answers!

1) Yes, Izzy has recorded some of the early 1985-1986 Guns n' Roses songwriting sessions in his micro-cassete recorder.

2) Most likely, I'd say probably, Izzy has kept these recordings. I believe that it is safe to say that. If he was able to keep them from 1985-1986 up until November-December 1988 (when this interview took place), in which was some of the craziest period of his life, drug-wise, sanity-wise etc, then he probably has kept them until the present time. Right?

3) Most likely, yes, these recordings are in good enough quality that one can enjoy listening to them. I think it is safe to assume that because Izzy says with all words: "It sounded real good". Izzy also says "I think maybe one day I'll press that stuff". If the quality was crap, it is fair to assume that he wouldn't say that.

Wow.

Just fucking WOW.

What attracts me most to this type of recordings are two things:

1) listening to how the songs that we all know and love were created

2) listening to ideas and maybe even full songs that were never used and were discarded/forgotten by the band

Please discuss!

2. It is possible he still has the tapes somewhere, but also possibly he has lost them at some point.

3. We would likely enjoy hearing them, but instrumental versions of early GN'R songs wouldn't really be interesting to people who aren't big fans, I think. Unless Axl's on them, of course.

Soulmonster wrote:2. It is possible he still has the tapes somewhere, but also possibly he has lost them at some point.

3. We would likely enjoy hearing them, but instrumental versions of early GN'R songs wouldn't really be interesting to people who aren't big fans, I think. Unless Axl's on them, of course.

2. Yes. But the way he refers to them seems to indicate that in 1988 he already knew/noticed/realized/perceived that these recordings have "value". And by "value" I mean "musical", "historical" and probably even "monetary" value.

3. I think there is no reason to believe that these songs are instrumental.

a) Axl possibly was in a few of these sessions. Not all, but he most likely was on some of them.

b) Some of these songs surely have Izzy vocals. Mr., Brownstone, for example, surely has Izzy's vocals as it was mainly written by Izzy and Slash including the lyrics. Nightrain seems to have been collectively written by the band so iit is likely that Izzy sang the lyrics if Axl wasn't around

c) Other songs are also likely to have vocals because when bands are writing songs usually one of the guys just sings whatever improv vocal melodies and/or lyyrics (even if there are none yet written, like Axl does on some of the Chinese Demos) or just sing whatever vocals that already exist (already written) as a guide.

d) Duff may also sing in some of these tracks (It's so Easy, for example).

e) Some of these songs may actually have early Izzy vocals and/or lyrics that were completely discarded/rewritten by Axl later on

Oh fuck this should be so fun to listen to

Sure, I just don't want think early demo/rehearsal versions of songs with Izzy or Duff have much appeal outside the fan base. I am salivating, tho.

The Holy Grail is more stuff of Adler playing UYI songs. I can’t not believe there wasn’t a single rehearsal circa 1988-1990 of them even just rehearsing an early version of YCBM. Think of how much cooler that would sound: Adler on drums with the swing he gave the band, Izzy higher in the mix and playing off Slash like on Appetite. A recording of any sort of YCBM pre 91 is the Holy Grail

Wilco wrote:The Holy Grail is more stuff of Adler playing UYI songs. I can’t not believe there wasn’t a single rehearsal circa 1988-1990 of them even just rehearsing an early version of YCBM. Think of how much cooler that would sound: Adler on drums with the swing he gave the band, Izzy higher in the mix and playing off Slash like on Appetite. A recording of any sort of YCBM pre 91 is the Holy Grail

Yes, this should be fantastic.

I remember reading that You Could be Mine was actually "started" much earlier than 1989-1990, and they actually played it (or an earlier version of it) on studio during the actual Appetite recording sessions they did with Mike Clink.

So if the tape was rolling in the studio...

But yes, of course

There have been several writing/recording sessions for UYI over the years 1989-1990

I remember an Izzy interview where he said that they "recorded the album three times" or something to that effect

there must be sooo much stuff that we have no idea of

And I will repeat myself here:

There must be a handful -- or dozens -- of unfinished songs, untitled songs, or parts of songs, that were just left unfinished and abandoned along the way.

That is just how things go for basically all the bands that write songs, specially a band that has so many songwriters like GN'R.

I would add THAT to the Holy Grail!

Music journalist/critic Paul Elliot has said that he heard a demo of You Could Be Mine when he interviewed the band during the UK tour in 1987.

The thing is that back then the band didn't necessarily care to preserve all that stuff. And now they probably don't even remember what they had recorded or know its whereabouts. If any of this stuff exists it's more likely that someone like Mike Clink has it than the band. I suppose Alan Niven has sold/released everything he had, which has been out there for ages - and the few that haven't circulated we know what they are (a couple more instrumentals from the Mates rehearsal, a demo of Coma with Axl singing placeholder lyrics, etc.).

Blackstar wrote:Music journalist/critic Paul Elliot has said that he heard a demo of You Could Be Mine when he interviewed the band during the UK tour in 1987.

The thing is that back then the band didn't necessarily care to preserve all that stuff. And now they probably don't even remember what they had recorded or know its whereabouts. If any of this stuff exists it's more likely that someone like Mike Clink has it than the band. I suppose Alan Niven has sold/released everything he had, which has been out there for ages - and the few that haven't circulated we know what they are (a couple more instrumentals from the Mates rehearsal, a demo of Coma with Axl singing placeholder lyrics, etc.).

Not sure about they not caring to preserve this stuff.

After all we have a lot of stuff that was preserved, several studio sessions, several demos, etc.

And we have this quote -- straight from Izzy's mouth! -- saying that in 1988 he still had home-made recordings of appetite songwriting sessions!

Of course that some of it -- maybe even a lot of it -- may be lost.

But I strongly believe that there are loads -- hours and hours and hours -- of Guns n' Roses recordings that are preserved and that are simply not in circulation

"uncirculated"

Those may be in possession of band members, or the record company, or someone from the record company, someone that worked in the studio (engineers, producers, mixers, etc) friends, former friends, family members, ex-girlfriends, ex-associates of the band etc

Some of it may be very well preserved and taken care of and some of it may be just forgotten in a box on somebody's attic.

Remember that photo of a huge pile of tapes that included some Izzy/Duff tapes that were sent to Axl in the late 90s (or was it in the 00s?) that has surfaced a while ago?

Remember the Slash quote about "the best Guns n' Roses instrumental album" that they (Slash, Izzy, Duff and Matt) recorded at some point?

Remember all those 17 CDs of Axl/Bucketthead leaks from the Chinese Democracy sessions that leaked a few years ago?

Remember the 1987 Ritz show that surfaced some years ago and that no one -- no one! -- had any idea that existed as a professsionally recorded video by Geffen?

Remember the quote (was it from some journalist?) saying that Geffen recorded early GN'R concerts from the (sound)board?

You are probably aware that there are several snippets of uncirculated pro-shot recordings of early (1985-1986) live Guns n' Roses concerts that are being shared on "discord" and other places like that.

Marc Canter has loads of uncirculated footage...

Unfortunately the band has shown again and again that they have almost zero interest in finding, "cleaning" and releasing these, so it is very likely that it will only happen when some or all of them are no longer alive.

Which is a huge fucking shame.

I strongly believe that loads and loads of uncirculated studio recordings exist and I strongly believe that they will surface one day.

Hopefully sooner than later and hopefully no one will have to die for this to happen!