Wow is their guitarist bad. I did not expect that at all. He has no feel for the songs at all. Nighttrain is especially bad, he misses all of the feel Slash puts into the song.

The best GnR tribute band I saw (and I've seen a couple) was Addler's Appetite with that guy from Love/Hate singing. Thought he did a better job than Axl on the songs (not as screechy as Axl).

Who's paying for the recording sessions? Usually it's the label and label has to recoup the bands' recording expenses. But Axl has enough money to do it on his own.

In this case, if it's the label, Axl has absolutely no bargaining power. He OWES the label millions. And the label should force him to put up.

The real winners in this are the hired hands (Tommy Stinson and everyone else who is on salary). Like lawyers in a long winded courtcase, they get paid no matter what. And Tommy & the boys are getting paid a ton of money for sitting on their asses.

I've already said that this thread will remain open in line with the requirements of various DVDTalkers.

Reasoned argument involving differing points of view is fine.

Snipped quotes and "yawns", however, threaten to hasten the threads demise.

Please keep things civil.

Dirk: Look, man, all we need is the tapes, all right?

Record Producer: No, you don't get the tapes until you've paid.

Dirk: In our situation, that doesn't make any fucking sense.

Reed Rothchild: Look, we can not pay for the tapes, unless we take the tapes to the record company, and get paid.

Dirk: Hello? Exactly.

Record Producer: That's not an MP, that's a YP, your problem. Come up with the money, or forget it.

Reed Rothchild: Okay, now you're talking above my head. I don't know all of this industry jargon, YP, MP. All I know is that I can't get a record contract, we cannot get a record contract unless we take those tapes to the record company. And granted, the tapes themselves are a uh um oh, you own them, all right, but the magic that is on those tapes. That fucking heart and soul that we put onto those tapes, that is ours and you don't own that. Now I need to take that magic and get it over the record company. And they're waiting for us, we were supposed to be there a half hour ago. We look like assholes, man.

I don't know if I agree with this.

As a musician, would I like to make a living off it? Sure.

But would I like to not be able to tour or do anything else musically meaningful with other artists while years pass me by as I am on a salary retainer? Hell no.

I would not be surprised at all if these guys' contracts stipulate they can't do anything else so they are ready at a moment's notice. I guess it's like being a backup quarterback to someone like Favre or Brady. Sure you're getting paid, but you never get to play, and you let your best years pass you by.

Benedict please respond

I deleted all my most recent "offending" sections of my posts. Sorry to be such a realist.

Good points, but coming from one of the greatest bands of all time, Tommy's best years of playing in a band are long behind him.

Didn't realize Stinson was that old. I never listened to the Replacements so I didn't know that's where he came from.

Stinson is only 41 or so, but he was in the Replacements since he was 12 (check out the photos on the inside sleeve to "Sorry Ma...") The Replacements were more legendary for their drunken stageshows and thumbing their nose at the business rather than having "hits". He basically was on the road nonstop from the time he was 15 until about 24 ('91) when they broke up. He then started a couple bands in LA that basically went nowhere (Bash & Pop and Perfect). Tommy deserves the paycheck. He's certainly paid his dues.

I do agree that the other hired hands are probably wasting their best years sitting around collecting the paycheck.