November Rain (Guns N' Roses) - Episode 320, Season 3 Finale

Turn up the radio and sing along time for another Great Song, the Great Song Podcast season's greetings and welcome once again. And for the final time of season three, to the Great Song Podcast, I'm Rob Alley, JP motor, and we're here to celebrate the greatest songs in modern music history. We're going to tell you what makes them great, why we think they're awesome and why you should to JP.

How you doing, man? I am doing fantastic. It's one of those bittersweet Fantasticks it's the end of the season, which is always exciting because we're going out with a monster, but it's sad because it's the last time we'll get to hang out for a bit. So with you folks out there, did we not do into the road by boys?

To men? That's what I want to know. Yeah. We were holding hands. I'll tell you why, because this one is the way to close one out eight minutes and 57 seconds of pure goodness. Don't tell them what we're talking about. We like to go epic on season finales. You guys know this by now. So we had to go the song that I was telling J.P.

like, honestly, I haven't listened to a while. This is not something I listened to every day. Oh, it's so epic. And immediately when it, when it hits like warm bath, just all over, just give me the warm bath milk. And that's what, I just, it just, it makes me not even be able to talk. Right? Yeah. The warm bath milk, you know, you don't do that.

Is that another thing? I don't take baths. I'm a shower guy. I can't tell you the last time I've taken a bath. Well, I would have probably been like six I'm a bath guy when I can like once, once a week. Yeah. I would say eight years once a week. Definitely once every like two weeks, I think when I was 16 or 17, I broke my arm.

So I had to take a bath because I had to keep my right foot out of the tub. Yeah. But that's probably the last time I'm taking a bath. I'm like I'll put on like Hulu, right? I'll put on 30 rock. Sit it next to me and just chill in the bathroom. Mr. Bubble dude. Yeah. I mean, I got four kids. We got bubble bath, you know, all over the place, man.

Let's just, let's do the thing. Well, whether you're in the shower or whether you're relaxing in your bathtub, here's your jail. Here we go. Let's crank up a little, collecting some November Rain, water, and using it for an eco-friendly path. Let's listen this out a disaster. This is November Rain by Guns N' Roses, rock and roll.

Oh, my goodness. That's like that's the same kind of sound he makes him like, welcome to the jungle. We're like right before I want to watch you bleed, but it's like, this is the ballad version of that sound. Right. He's like, welcome to the joke. I want to want you bleed like sweet version. Yeah. Yeah.

It's the same sound. It's just like slowed down a little bit. Yeah. It's Michael Jackson's hiccup. This is just his thing he has done. Yes. Anyway I just love the like good rock vocalist can make weird sounds and ballads and it's okay. We're going to get hit a few different sections of the song.

Cause it's about to really, we're a full song into this. Like that's three and a half minutes. We just played of this and it's about to kick into second gear, third gear. And there's going to be so many, so many gears by the time it's over with. But it's about to hit a kind of a bridge ish section. And we'll, we'll talk some more about the other sections.

So that's just the first couple of verses and like what pre-K, I don't really know. It's it's almost like folk style where you just have verses and then just a couple of different sections. Man. Oh, I just want to just give me all of it by the way, I'm in the bath now I'm recording. No, he's not recording from the bathtub.

So if you hear me splashing around just don't mind. This is November Rain by Guns N' Roses from the 1991 album. Use your illusion one not to be confused with you, use your illusion to released on the same day. Yeah. Yeah. It's I don't know why they didn't just do a double album. You know what I mean?

That kind of thing. I'm not exactly sure, but it worked, it worked. Yeah, sure. Maybe it's just cause you get double album sale numbers. I mean, I don't know, man. But anyway, it's like the thing where Pearl jam released like 50 live albums on the same day. You remember that a few years back, they released like seriously, it was something ungodly amount of live, actual albums, CDs in stores while same day different cuts from different places.

Yeah. Anyway, this was brazen of them to release it on the same day. And the, the amazingness to that it, this debuted at number two. Because use your illusion volume to debuted at number one. And the thing that makes that so impressive is Kmart and Walmart wouldn't carry it really because of the use of profanity.

So they did all that without Kmart and Walmart. And this is a 19 91, 1 91 sales CDs without Kmart and world. I mean, that's even before the big, the last bastion of CD sales in the United States is target, right? That's the last place you can like, just go to a big store and get CDs other than a specific music store.

But that was before even target was really a big player in that, you know, whatever. But that's also when you still had like three music stores at the mall, that's true. You know what I mean? Dang. We didn't have some goodie. We had Camelot and I, Karen Kim a lot was my favorite, but we had literally grown up.

We had three. Music stores in the mall. And I would just go that's when I love going to the mall. Cause I would just go to all three of them and you know what I mean? Just see what it was. Cool. See what was new at three toy stores, man, I miss my as being good toys or ass KB toys and we had a toys R us outside the mall.

Okay. And then inside the mall, we had three more. We had, yeah, we had KB. There was a man. I can't, it's been so long, but yeah. Having music stores in the mall was great. I really, really miss having just music stores around. I'm hoping that maybe with kind of the re-emergence of vinyl, I know there's more like record stores popping up.

I would love to have just a little. Music store I'm in Nashville. I have around trip over music stores. Yeah. So anyway, 1991 written by Axl rose. It was actually released as a single in February of 92. That seems like a missed opportunity because they, they like the album came out in 91. They could have released this in November.

You know what I'm saying? Oh, that would have been the right time. It seems like a missed opportunity, but it might've been a little nose. And then again, here we are recording it on an episode for may. So what the crap, why did we drop November Rain in may? Totally different seat. Like everybody's getting ready for like Memorial day and we're lag.

That is in go know them. The rain marketing geniuses. We are so tight, so timely. That'd be like us doing one of the it's going to be me. It's going to be made in November. Exactly. Hit number three on the billboard hot 100 number four on the UK singles chart. Number five in Australia, top 10 in several other countries, platinum sales, the list goes on and on.

This is, here's an interesting note on it. This is the longest song in history to hit the top 10 and third longest to hit the top 100. So that is not just one indicative of its time on the list. It's indicative of its the length of the song. It edged out American pie, which is eight minutes and 37 seconds, 20 seconds longer.

Yup. And the, the longest that I got the top five longest time, 100. Number five is untitled oh seven L levitate by Kendrick Lamar from 2006 8 37. Number four is American pie parts one and two in 1972. Number three is November Rain in 1992. And number two is better place to be by Harry in 1976.

And the number one the longest. Hot 100 hit peaked at number 78. So just barely crack that top 102,016, Blackstar by David Bowie. One of his last one of his last singles, nine minutes and 57 seconds, almost a solid, he was just kind of doing that one to keep that one long to when that record. Right. So if, when you get up into the nine minute mark, okay, this is my last shot guys.

I can feel it. I'm going out. I'm getting one more, getting one more record here. The shortest, by the way, here's the opposite of that list? The shortest hot $100 roll to me, actually. That's really short, but it doesn't quite make it. It's very short though. It's like two minutes, 12 seconds. Barely two minutes.

Yeah. But these start at a minute 20 and get shorter. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Yeah. So number five, clocking in at a minute 20 seconds. What I've been looking for reprised by Andrew Sealy and Vanessa and Hudgins in 2006. Number one 19. Forward Beyonce featuring James Blake from 2016, hit number 63, 1 17, some kind of earthquake, Duane Eddy and Dwayne Eddie, his Twain guitar and the rebels, 19 59, 1 17.

Ready 1 0 2, the second shortest song 1 0 2 little boxes by the women folk hit number 83 in 1964. And number one, the shortest hot 100 hit of all time. Clocking it at a whopping 45 seconds. I feel like we're going to need to play it. We can just listen to the whole thing. Jesus wept by John at 45 seconds.

PPAP also known as pen pineapple, apple pen from 2016 by Pico Toro. Have you heard this? I don't know the song. Wow. I mean, maybe we should just listen to it only 45 seconds of our life. Even if we just hear 10 seconds of it, it's basically the opposite of November Rain in every conceivable way. So yeah, why don't we get a little taste of the shortest?

This is another brain is among the longest. Let's get a, let's get the, let's get these short. Of all time. I have a pen. I have an apple, I can't make it through 40, 45 seconds. Apple fan. I have, I have pineapple, pineapple,

PIP pineapple. Well, Aaron has November. Rain is shower, bath time. That's like mud, throw it against dirty. That's gross, but the kids love it. Yeah. Oh, it was huge for a hot second. Huge. Yeah, it took over for a minute. It was the YouTube clip. Like it's funny. It originated as a YouTube clip and then it ends up on, it ends up setting a record on the billboard Holland hall and then crazy.

Yeah, it was the baby shark of 2016. Yeah, absolutely. The I didn't see that this going back to the album sales on this sold 500,000 copies in two hours. Wow. That's like moving pretty impressive. That is Taylor swift kind of numbers. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have a preference on which of the albums you like better?

You know, I, I, let me give you which ones are on which one on the one with November Rain, they also have don't cry and live and let die. That'll be the red one. For those of you guys that are looking at your box cover. So that'll be red, which is use your illusion one on use your illusion to it's blue. That's got knocking on heaven's door, civil war.

And could you be mine or you could be mine. Excuse me. That's the lead single from the Terminator two judgment day, which has one of the greatest jokes in movie history is they find a gun hidden in a box of roses. Oh, that's amazing. I was like, wait, and then I saw it. I saw it in my brain. That's a great, great little tip of the cap with that song.

I will take, I'll take you as your illusion one as the album for no other reason than their version of knocking on heaven's door is maybe the worst song you like, because you hate the other, I mean like if, for no other reason than that, but yeah, that's. It's so off that it literally sounds like you've seen Billy Madison, right.

You know, the band that they hire when he graduates third grade, that's literally what Guns N' Roses sounds like on, on a non, he passed the third grade heads. Great. Glorious. Dang. Yeah. So that was, that was the last album feature. Is he straddling on guitar with them? So we can talk more about that in the meet the band section.

Yeah, absolutely. Let's talk a little bit about Guns N' Roses and then maybe we'll meet them. How about that sounds great. Over 45 million albums sold in their careers, including over 30, just from their debut album appetite for destruction. Great album, man. I love that album. The highest selling debut album of all time.

Yeah. Got welcome to the jungle paradise city. Sweet child of mine. I mean, goodness gracious. Yeah, we, yeah, it could easily, you could easily do an album. Listen, episode of appetite for destruction. I think that would be totally called for, I didn't like the spaghetti incident. Did you? I don't think many people did.

It's a cover album with mainly punk songs. It's not my favorite. Yeah. I will say this, and this goes into Steve Earl had a great quote about Guns N' Roses. He said Guns N' Roses are what every LA band pretends to be like. They're actually that, you know what I'm saying? Everybody tries to look tough and hard and cool.

And they're actually that they're really, they really carry a punk attitude into like hard rock. You know what I mean? So like, he's basically saying that a lot of guys are hard rock in name only, and really they're kind of soft posers, you know? But that Guns N' Roses literally is that, and I've seen that to be true.

You know, Axl rose is getting arrested every 10 seconds you know, Slash like there's all kinds of videos. One of my favorite videos of Slash is he's done a lot of stuff with Michael Jackson over the years, played on various songs and this and that. But I saw a clip of him playing with live with Michael Jackson at a huge, you know, Michael didn't, Michael didn't play small venues.

You know what I'm saying? So it's obviously in front of a huge crowd and he's playing a solo. And and he's, he's got kind of a, he's supposed to sorta take a minute, right? Like the breast of the band is stopped and he's whatever, but he won't stop. He just keeps going and going and going. And literally, like, it's a deal where like, at first Michael standing next to him doing like air guitar, you know, and into it.

And then he's like, bro, we gotta move on. You know what I'm saying? He's like, and so he's trying like physically trying to get him to like stop. Like at first he's trying to be like subtle and you know, whatever. And that it's so it's hilarious. What Slash like, I don't give a crap. I'm feeling this, you know what I mean?

I'm moving on, but yeah, it's great. But they just have that kind of attitude. It's like, you know, just you're going to do what we want. Yeah. We're going to do we want, I think the, the. It reminds me of there was one I think it was a video music awards where the bass player for raging against the machine, they kind of got snubbed.

They felt like. And so the bass player from rage against the machine just starts climbing the set dressing. Like he's climbing the scaffolding in the middle of the show and like in protest or something, I don't even know what it was, but that's kind of that attitude. It's just like, man, I'm going to do whatever I want my manager, you know, he'll write you a check for it or whatever, you know?

That's great. Yeah. They came out of the LA club scene in the mid eighties. They signed a deal with Geffen records for a $75,000 advance. I mentioned that because they had an offer for double that from cliffs Chrysalis records. But they rejected it because Chrysalis wanted to change their aesthetic, changed their vibe, craft their sound a little bit, and Geffen offered them full creative control.

So So if they signed this deal tag on freedom. Exactly. So they, they, if they sign this deal for double that with Chrysalis, appetite for destruction, doesn't get made. How about that? Called appetite for candy, exactly. Appetite for yummies. And according to you know what I'll say that for later a huge part of the band's history at this point, like they have, they rule the world that use your illusion one and two, right?

The biggest band in the world, probably pretty much. I mean, at that coming off of appetite for destruction and the fan, you can release two separate albums because fans are like, oh, we'll take whatever you got and make it number one and two. Yes, exactly. Give me more Guns N' Roses now. They've since kind of fallen off of that.

And part of it, part of it is they're part of their history now is they're stalled progress in their lineup changes. I'm sure we'll talk about this a little bit. But like reading their Wikipedia page, their bio is like going around on a tilt, a whirl, you know what I mean? It's like it, and kind of the thread running through, it seems to be that like Axl rose is kind of a disaster of a person.

You know, I think interpersonally, socially, maybe. He's just a, he's a kind of a different kind of a troubled, you know, guy maybe doesn't play so well with others. And then the other guys kind of having this edge to begin with, you know what I mean? It's just, I think it's just a very combustible relationship.

It's a recipe for destruction. It is a recipe for destruction and they all have the appetite already it's because they're like, just get me more. Give me just, I won't need destruction. You got to meet them. Of course I do. It's time to meet the man. Hey, mama was beat the man

let's make the band Guns N' Roses with Xcel rose late vocalists William bro. Bruce Rose, Jr. William Bruce Rose, Jr. He sounds like such a sweet boy. I know Bruce harmless, well briefly, I guess was pretty destructive, only constant member since 1985. Most recently in 2016, he toured as the vocalist for ACDC.

Yeah, that's a great replacement vocalist. Listen, if you got to that's one of the more solid, you know what I mean? That makes sense. Yeah. Grew up in a Pentecostal church, even taught Sunday school. No kidding. Yeah. Imagine Xcel rose as your Sunday school teacher, could he have been cause like, how's he looking at 85 when Guns N' Roses, I guess some teenagers teach Sunday school, the little kids, maybe.

I don't know, I guess, but yeah, like he was probably still basically a teenager. You know what I'm saying? High school at 17, he discovered his parents' insurance papers and realized that his biological father's real name was rose and took it. Huh? He became the town delinquent. After that arrested 20 times started a band a lot of times to get started a band called Axl Axl and thus changed his name to XL rose.

First band was called rapid-fire then Hollywood rose with Izzy straddling and Chris Webber, not the Michigan fab five God. And then he formed Guns N' Roses with Tracie guns, SLA guns. Lots of lineup changes. Yeah. So Axl on lead guitar Slash Saul Huddleson. How about that? Left Guns N' Roses in 96 and formed the supergroup velvet revolver with Scott Weiland and the stone temple pilots.

I like fall to pieces. I'm just gonna throw it out there. You know, it wasn't a F I was totally underwhelmed by velvet revolver, man. I love all the pieces, so good. Tom magazine ranked him as the number two on the list of hundred electric guitarists of all time. I'll rolling. Stone puts him at 65. I'll say this.

Go ahead. No, I was just saying, where do you put him? You can say, okay. So yeah, I'm going to say, I don't give much credence to that time magazine list. I saw it also because Yngwie Malmsteen is also on that list. He made the top 10, you know what I mean? And the fact that they seem, in fact, they, they, they kind of seem to take a dig at , even in their two sentence bio, it says the Swedes super fast neoclassical style, he credits bok and Paganini as influences is a blur of scales and technical precision.

It almost makes you forget that the great bulk of his music is so fast that it's unlistenable and he made their top 10. Yeah, me and a lot saw Yngwie Malmsteen as part of the G three tour. And then we were very it's great. For 10 seconds, man. It's mind blowing the first song. You're like, this is going to be the greatest thing ever.

And then he does it over and over. It's like you've kicked 42 pigs into the stands and you spun your guitar around serious much. Yeah. It's like yeah, I don't want to say what I think it's like. But so I would put him more closely on the rolling stones. In the middle of the pack, in the middle of the pack, here's for me.

Okay. I don't know where he is. Is he in your top 20 top? I'd say just cause of influence maybe. And just because of notable rifts, like sweet child of mine puts him up there. Not necessarily my FA and the solos on this. I mean, these are great. We should maybe listen to one of them. Let's take three solid songs.

Pick one. Let's just go in order, I guess, play the first one and then we'll. And we'll go from there. Here's kind of the next section of of where we are. Where we, where we stopped before.

this is countermelody

oh my goodness. It's so melodic. Yes. So very single Singapore, just beautiful. The tone, everything perfect guitar world puts November Rain, guitar solo, number six on it's guitar solos of all time. And you know what? Let's play the second one. Let's go. Let's go ahead. Just go ahead and do it because this is I'm feeling it now.

So I'm in the mood. I mean the Mo the moment. So they basically go from that guitar solo to like four lines of lyrics, straight into another guitar solo going to, for him to take a drag of a cigarette and then get the sweat off his hands and go back for round two.

If they're not air guitar. Yeah, you have to air, right? Like we're not like I don't over the top air guitar now, but with this, this definitely air guitar thing. Like every single note, this is the yeah. It's, which is weird because Slash is not one of my favorite guitarists. I feel like I don't feel like he has a distinct style that sets him apart from other guitarists.

I kind of put him in that class of like, He's the best guitarist you could possibly ask for in your band. You know what I'm saying? In town period, like he's the best guitarist that you could find? You know what I'm saying? But he's not an innovator. He's not a legend. You know what I'm saying? Guitar soloist.

He's not like, I see what you're saying. Like not, you don't go to see Slash like, as the, as the creator of something, you go to see the band and then Slash plays the guitar. Yeah. Like he got don't get me wrong. He's great. I'm saying he's great. He's the best guitarist that you could ask for. But there are just guys out there who are a notch beyond that who really carve out their own space sonically or you know with, with some sort of originality or whatever, you know what I mean?

I feel like I'm walking a really fine line, but like, he, he, it's not like Slash doesn't have his own style. You know what I'm saying? He plays hard rock guitar and that's, and that's what he does. He's written some great riffs, you know what I'm saying? And he's got some really tasteful solo parts and some really just freaking rock and roll solo parts.

But his playing is not something that sets him apart. You know what I'm saying? If you just, if you just I don't really know how to say this, but if you, if you, if you heard some of his solos and stuff like that, just kind of out of context, right. Just a guy play and you go, man, that guy's a good guitar player.

If you heard, let's say Eddie van Halen, just because he's the first person that comes on my mind. You go, that's not even. You know what I'm saying? Sounds like cetera. Exactly. Like they just do certain things that you go immediately. Yes. Yes. So like you could hear Slash out of context and not know it was him.

You just go, man, that guy's a really good guitar. That makes sense. I see what you're saying. His mom designed costumes for David Bowie. Of course. So his mom doesn't, his dad made album covers for Joni Mitchell and Neil young got his nickname because he was always in a hurry, just zipping around, Slashing around to see what they called his brother.

No Ash Slasher. And I am on, there you go. Started on. First instrument. He had a one string bass guitar. Okay. So there you go. Play bass for presidency, the United States of America. He's Gump, no lump shots up to where now we always try to, whenever we can. Yeah. Classmates with Lenny Kravitz. Yeah. It's kind of cool.

That's very cool. That's a cool, what I want you to do a Lenny Kravitz song. Oh yeah. Audition for poison. Didn't get in. Wow. So everybody gets in poison. I don't know. I mean, they took cc's who was good. Sorry. CCD feels good. So he's serious. He knows good. But anyway, I'll just flash faster than slack. Oh, okay.

I would think, yeah, I don't know. They both, listen. I'll give CC is one of my I wouldn't like either of them in my band, like, you know, that would freaking wreck the place because of talent. They've got the talent, but they are just be just disasters does not work well with others. CC is one of my like guilty pleasure, guitarists, not gonna lie poisons greatest hits.

I listened to probably once a year. Oh man. We'll have to do a poison song next season. So so for that reason he hates poison. Like they're his least favorite Slash hate Slash. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of horror movies and pinball machines. Why not also artists. He's also an artist and he designed the Guns N' Roses logo.

He designed the GNR logo. That's cool. I, his favorite game is angry. Birds might as well gear pretty most notably. If you see him, he's gonna be playing a Gibson. Les Paul, there were Marshall silver Jubilee. JCM 2, 5, 5, 5 amp. Yeah, there you go. Just like what your classic rock and roll guitar stuff. Hold on.

And it's just literally, he said, they said the, he they just plugged. And went like, that's how he got, he's not a tone craft or so much, you know what I'm saying? Like the edge is like the ultimate tone chaser and he's got all the things Slashes, like, whatever, man, just plug it in, turn the thing up like 10 I'm like whatever dude.

And the thing up. That's good. Other guitar player Izzy, straddling, Jeffrey Dean Isabelle, his name, I left the band in 91, played his last show at Wembley stadium. You're not allowed to go. That's where you go. Right? He left the band because they were trying to cut the percentage of his royalties and he was like blank.

You I've been here since day one. So that's how he left them. Interesting. So rejoined the group for a few shows in 93 as their new guitarists Gilby Clark broke his wrist. And he, since then reunited with him on three different occasions. So easy straddling I'm on base Duff. McKagan Michael Andrew McKagan left Guns N' Roses and 95 and formed another supergroup, which a lot of people do called neurotic outsiders with Steve Jones, with the sex pistols and John Taylor of Duran Duran.

First lineup actually fissured Billy idol, but he was replaced by Jones, avid rider for the Seattle weekly.com and ESPN. He writes for ESPN. Now it's pretty cool. I always thought Duff McKagan was a super cool name. That's a great name, right? He had stints with Jane's addiction and Alison chains, and he claims that Duff beer in the Simpsons is named after him.

Really. He claimed that like to this day, but Matt, he says that's absurd. There's no way, but deaf to this day, claims that interesting on drums, Matthew Sorum and I'm going to pause a minute. Talk about his name because let's just talk about the first few members axle, not as real name William Bruce Royster, Jr.

Royce Jr. Rose Jr. Slash Saul huddle. Izzy straddling Jeffrey Dean Isabelle, Duff. McKagan Michael, like he's the only one of the core he's Matt that is Matt. Like that's his name? And even the keys player who we'll talk about here in a minute has a nickname. So original name. There you go. He was also in velvet revital revolver and the neurotic outsiders, both of their supergroups that both of them formed.

And he now has plays with Kings of chaos, which is a supergroup conform com combined combined of Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard and deep purple. And so they just grew up or they come up doing their covers of their own side so that they can, they have members of each so they can do them. If that makes sense.

I had a hard time speaking there. Sorry about that. He grew up in marching band, his earliest earliest memories of life on the road. He got in a fist fight with members of rat before they were, before they were rats. So his first big band was why can't Tori. Which is fronted by Tori Amos. Really? Yeah.

So that was his first man. He was the drummer for Tori Amos, his first band. He then joined the band, the cult in 89 before Guns N' Roses. And he's been a vegetarian since 2014, Matt Sorum and the last member of the band on keys, dizzy Reed, Darren Arthur Reed, longest running Guns N' Roses band member.

He's been with them since use your illusion and he's been loyal to them since then. And I think the neatest thing I found about him is he joined a frat in 2006, which is well over the age of most people. Oh my gosh. Joining a frat. Interesting. Yeah. So if you're keeping track, you've got Axl Slash dizzy, dizzy and mouth Duff and match.

All right. So literally act well. Okay. Yeah. Nobody over two syllables. I was going to say, Axl has the longest name of, but you've got dizzy, Izzy. We talked a little bit about Slashes solos, and we're going to get to his last solo on this, which is just it goes, it goes to a place y'all like it, like, this is a cool song, you know what I'm saying?

But here toward the end, it goes to a place and and then Slash goes ham. And, but even still it's melodic and memorable, like that is so hard to do as a lead guitarist. At least for me, I find it really hard to play solos that are singable. You know what I mean? To not just try to play fast yeah.

To not just, yeah. You know, what's the most impressive thing I can do right now, whether it's whether it's speed or whether it's a lick or whether it's my knowledge of this scale, you know what I mean? Like just play something that people will remember. And that is something that Slash does really, really well, especially on this song, like his best display of that is on, you know, this song.

But he said he said this way, he said, and we mentioned this on the Kansas episode that they made the same claim. He said I think that demo session was the first time we played in November Rain together as a band. We actually did it on piano and acoustic guitar. As far as the guitar solo.

It was so natural from the first time I ever played it on the demo that I don't even know if I made any changes to it. When we did the electric version on use your illusion. I never even went back and listened to the old tapes. One of the best things about a melody for a guitar solo when it comes to you the same way every time.

And that was definitely the case with November Rain. When it came time to do the record, I just went into the studio, play the solo through a Les Paul standard and a Marshall 20 twenty-five, 55 Jubilee head and said, I think that sounds right. He said it was as simple as that. That's awesome. Like, whatever I feel like Slash is, is just whatever, you know what I mean?

He's he's at the same time, like infinitely punk and infinitely chill, you know? I don't know if that's just his natural bent or if or if you know he's on something, I don't know. I didn't know this. Did you know, did you catch in his research that he was born in England? No, he was born in stoke on Trent Staffordshire, England.

He is British American. Wow. He holds dual citizenship. Awesome. And his birth city is home to most of England's pottery industry. So there you go. Yeah. Man, where you want to go, you want to hit, you wanna just talk about the last section? Yeah. Let's talk about the last guitar section and then let's talk about the video.

So let's go last section right here. It is. So listen, we're getting to this D what do you think the song, I know what the video is about this song. To me, close to the closest I can get to it is a kind of a take me back song. You know, it's like, it's almost, it's, it's this close to time after time. It's like, it sounds to me like a relationship that though that the girl has decided she wants out of, but he's trying to have a conversation with her to try and convince her.

You know what I'm saying? Like, nothing lasts forever. I know, you know, hearts can change. Right. But we still can find a way. So you think he's trying to get her to stay with him and B I think he's breaking up with her. I think he's like nothing lasts forever, even cold, November Rain. He just left. I think he's the other side of it.

Like, I don't, I don't know because he's, he says he's like, you need some time. I think he's trying to do a subtle breakup. Like you need some time on your own, you go off and she's just like, no, what are you talking about? He's like, do you need some time? All alone? Like kind of like you think he's like, I think it's an appeal to get back together.

He's like, you go take some time on your own and then, but I'll be here. Yeah. But I'll be okay. You know, he said, I know it's hard to heal a broken heart when even friends seem not to harm you. But if, but if you can, what is it? Keep an open heart. You can, you can. Anyway, but it's more, I know it starts with that.

But and then at the end, he's the whole intersection that we're about to play is don't you think that you need somebody don't you think that you need someone, this inner liner? I don't smoke, but this thing just smells like smoke. When I opened it up, it just comes with a Slash cigarette inside it.

It's got Slashes and ashes on the inside, but if you can heal a broken heart in time, be out to charm you. There you go. Okay. So like, I just think to me, that's what I get. I think it's an a, I think it's an appeal, a baby coming back. Okay. That's what I get out of it. Yeah. So anyway, we're getting to the end of that.

And then it's about to change moods. We're going from B major to B minor. Ooh. Minor. It would be setter. It would be, you know, the saddest of all keys. But in this case, the minor part is the angry part and like the intense part and the major part is the somber or not some, but a more chill to me.

Right? Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, the major part is the I don't know if there's supposed to be a change in. Mahmoud lyrically, you know what I mean? But it's the same kind of, you know, they do this really well also on a sweet child of mine. It's major. Right. It's

right. And that they hand in it, they hit, they hit the end and it's gone now, you know, it's got it's really? Yeah. So they're pretty good at this like mood change. So there's a moody band. They're a moody band. They're probably, that's probably just axle. You know what I mean? That feels like maybe the way axles live in his life, he starts a song crying and then he's the angry let's fight.

Like, Hey bud, how you doing? It's like, you just punched me in the nose. When you talking about, as you know, he's handcuffed and being driven away in a cop car, I love you. Like whenever we can still find a way. Right. So yeah, let's hit this last section and they do this great walk down. I'll leave it all.

Cause this is so intense. You've got the symphony behind, right? This is pre like Metallica S and M you know what I mean? This is obviously it's been done before, but this is a this is a real moment for them, a real production. So let's, let's catch the inning of this and then we'll just let kind of the rest of it.

Speak for itself.

oh my goodness. I mean, that's an experience, you know what I mean? You have to live through that song, you know? Oh my goodness. Yeah, he's just yelling at you then at that point is like extra voices at the end. Not the old man. I mean, he straight up rom to somebody with somebody and someone, someone, and it felt different each time.

Like he just said something different each time, but not really, man. It's just intense. It's yeah, it's so good. And this song, this song is almost inextricably linked to the video. Like you see? Yeah. If you've seen the video, then you're with it every time. Okay. Slash standing up on a piano axle, just going, you know, whatever you know, We talked recently about best bandana in rock axles, axles nannies, like 1991 axle.

He made he's in the conversation. Maybe have it. I already worked on this song since 1983. Do you see that's what Tracy Gunn says? Yeah. Tracy goes, would say he would give him a hard time because he would always sit down and play it and he thought, man finished that song. Yeah. Yes. So, okay. On that, I'm so glad you said that because there, there is a piano version piano only version indeed from 1986 that is included in the appetite for destruction 30th anniversary, super deluxe edition.

It's only piano because I know he demoed an 18 minute version of that song before with the Nazarus the guitar player, many Carlton or whatever that guy was. Okay. So I listen to this. It's it, it kind of exposes the fact that and I'll, I'll just say this, that with that, the opening piano. Really isn't all that much to listen to without the strings behind it, supporting it and kind of covering its weaknesses.

Okay. It like, it's fine, but it just kind of does sound like the kind of thing that a guy who knows, one thing on the piano would sit down and play every time he sees the piano. Everybody knows that guy, you know what I'm talking about? They know one riff, they sit down and play home sweet home by Motley crew.

Every time they find a piano, you know what I mean? And that's kind of the level, I feel like that this opening riff is on without the strings behind giving it some added. Yeah. Some added gravitas. Right? Okay. So take a listen here. This is the November Rain piano version.

He plays it. Tune down.

it's like he learned heart and soul and they're like, take these cards and petty.

That's the one that gets me.

Anyway, I'm not like I'm not knocking it. God bless the guy for it. He made a bajillion dollars in one of the coolest songs in history, but you know, it the strings really help is all I'm saying the strings really helped that to feel like kind of more than it really is. That to me sounded like, if you just said, I'm going to play you, this I'd be like, oh, that's neat.

Some eight year olds learning to play November Rain. That's awesome. Have you had it one day? Oh, that's so accurate. Deadly accurate. Oh, that's hilarious. Well, we got to talk a little bit about the video, a huge budget million dollars, approximately 1.5 million. So I looked up the most expensive videos. Did you look at that?

No. Number one, most expensive video ever take against, I think it is still Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson story and scream $7 million. This video wasn't even the most expensive Guns N' Roses video. Oh, I'm a strange, which is another one off of here is a $5 million because have you seen a strange, I had never seen the video since the nineties.

I don't even remember seeing it ever till I was looking his other, what made it so expensive? There's fricking elephants, limos dolphins, battleships airplanes. It's like a mini movie with live concert shots in there too. It's nine minutes and 46 seconds long. So imagine nine minutes and 46 seconds of expensive things.

Yeah. I mean, so. Part of a strange this and civil war or don't cry, don't cry kind of form a trilogy. Yeah. And and all of them, all of them with kind of bigger, expensive videos that are very cinematic and whatever, but man, that's wow. That's a lot to not be memorable. I don't know. Strange. I don't know the song or the video.

I remember them both from the time, but I don't continue the one. I think I'd seen the last clip because at the, maybe not because at the end it's got, you know, Axl there and he's like beside a dolphin, there's a lot of dolphin there at the end of the shot. So it was a clinic. One thing I do want to add before we get out of here, it's 2006, it was voted the number one rock song in New Jersey.

And we have a big New Zealand follow what's up New Zealand. So we thank you out there in New Zealand for keeping us relevant out there. Strong. We do know this song did drop to number two in 2007 behind back in black, which is an ACDC song. So ironic that axle still, still singing some popular stuff in New Zealand.

Yeah, this was MTV's top video of 1992, really mature video for a rock band in like 91 92. Don't you think? A big budget, very cinematic, even in the live performance. You know what I mean? It's like at that wide screen, 24 frames, a second, you know, feel I just think comparatively like the, okay. That the top five videos listed by MTV that year, our November Rain end of the road.

Under the bridge. That's what I would compare it to stylistically. You know what I'm saying? Under the bridge, I felt like was your typical rock video at that time grainy footage you know what I mean? And this was very, not that it's very clean, very, as classy as you can call Guns N' Roses, you know, standing on an eight foot grand piano with a cigarette in your mouth and playing rock guitar, it was as classy as that can be.

The other was Jeremy the color version, which also had its own thing, right. Jeremy was very much its own aesthetic. And then actually number five that year was right now by van Halen. But which was that still that very kind of grungy looking video. You know what I mean? So this is very similar.

It wasn't a good year for Vegas. Definitely was the, this was the, this was the first video made in the pre YouTube era to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. Okay. So like cable go back and launch it. Right? Like other videos hit 1 billion views first, but they originated on YouTube. You know what I'm saying?

Like everything, when it comes out is typically going to get a jump because it's fresh. Whereas this has got the nostalgic where people go back and nostalgia, it doesn't get the nostalgia. It was really, really surprised to see this is a billion lives on YouTube. Like that's, I mean, that's a lot a billion, 100 Bailey

How about this? A couple of notes on the video, the priest in the video an Italian guy named John, John, I'm going to screw it. We're great with names. Yes. I think it's John Antonio. I think that's actually how it comes out. And John Antonio G I a N Antonio. Okay. He was a friend of axles and unbeknownst to the band by total, total.

Accident, the church that they used for the interior shots. Okay. So is getting married right in the video. The church that they used for the interior shots was where that guy, that priest had performed some of his last services, eight years prior to the shooting of the video, he had actually done some of his last services as a priest in that interior shot in the cool.

And you can't talk about the church in that video without talking about the exterior church that they use or Slashes out in front, out in front in New Mexico. Gosh, that's so cool. So it's a, it's a just go watch the, if you've never seen the video. Yeah, go, go watch it. If you, if you've seen it, go watch it again.

I ever made electricity in the ground. That's where it was like he plugged into the ground and awesome. He's standing out there with his Les Paul and his, and his leather jacket, probably with no shirt on underneath, I think. And I don't think Slash has ever worn a shirt in his life. Not that I can imagine maybe for the rock and roll hall of fame ceremony, maybe.

But he just doesn't invest in shirts. He's like, I'd rather go with a good vest, you know? But like, so he's standing in front of this tiny, tiny chapel. Your mom made stuff for David Bowie. Can't she make you a shirt? Just make a shirt. I can't sign. I got to get all this stuff to Bowie. Bowie needs all the shirts, no shirts, right?

It's for you. So you stand in front of the tiny chapel, which instantly ends up being the chapel in from the movie desperate. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, that's cool. But they, but they put this the, the entire building on the back of trucks and moved it to this New Mexico, like desert spot. And, and then they have a helicopter come in and film Slash while he's playing these solos.

So, and the, the director the, actually the guy who like Slash asked him what he did. And he said like, I'm the director Slash art director Slash whatever Slash whatever. And Slash was like, well, I'm just Slash, but anyway, so he's inside the tiny chapel with a walkie talkie, communicating with the helicopter so they can time the shots and be able to find more time in a desert and Slashes, just sitting there, rocking out.

Yeah. And then so it was shot in several locations, a couple of sets in New Mexico, and it was shot. The, the live element was shot at Las Orpheum theater fan. So maybe like they wanted to say what's, they don't care about like, they're like, what's the most expensive way we can do this. Right. We could do it on a swivel camera.

No, let's go get a helicopter. Absolutely. It's going to helicopter. You know, tons of tons of videos have live live footage. Obviously that's sort of the first video, like trope was just bands playing the songs life. It was the cheapest way to do it, but they found the most expensive way to, to shoot live footage for a video, you know, but it's awesome.

I mean, it like, even though the live footage it's, it's so cinematic and so my top 10 favorite music videos. Oh gosh. Yeah, I think it's gotta be, it's gotta be and then sort of the plot to the video as famously explained by Wayne Campbell of Wayne's world is where Slashes wife gets. Killed by freakishly huge hail nugget.

It's light. Like they get married, everything's cool there at the reception and then comes the November Rain. And and it starts, it's not hailing in the video. But but the story goes one way or another, that weather related his wife, I don't know if she could have caught a cold and Dodge. She could've caught pneumonia and died.

I don't know, but choked on a raindrop. Yeah. But if I tell if Mike Myers tells me it was a freakishly huge hail nugget, then I believe it. And the state then at the, at the end of the video, they say based on the short story, I think it's called without you. By Dell James and Dell, James was a friend of the band who is now there.

I think he's their road manager. Okay. And he had written this short story and they based the video off of it. And so, and I think also really liked the story or they really liked Dale J.P. I think it was kind of both. They're like, man, let's use Dell story. It's close enough to what we're going for here, you know, gives it that same you know, when the when the, the, like the cake is getting rained on and it starts to go to that ending piano part, which is awesome.

The coolness of the, of the is it overtakes the not coolness of the beginning piano part, you know what I'm saying? It levels that sucker right out. And. Th th the video takes a turn there too. You know what I'm saying? And it's just got cool shots at the end of like the roses on the casket getting rained on and, you know, just very, very, very good video.

Really good. I'd be interested actually, to take stock sometime of like our favorite videos. I know we're not a video podcast, but like, it'd be a good, be a good, good conversation. Good talk. We'll find the right episode and throw it in there. Absolutely. Absolutely. I got one, maybe one other note on this, I think, and then I got to go a couple of covers.

Okay. Before we, before we close down on season three there was a performance of the. On the 1992 MTV video music awards, which were like the biggest VMs of all time, that was like peak year for production on the VMAX. But it was funny, Dana Carvey was the host that year speaking of Wayne's world and he knows Al gore.

Yeah, Garth he introduced him, he goes here, they are between court dates, guns, scrapes. And they, you know, they killed, they killed November Rainy. It was really good, really solid live. It's always disappointing to hear a band that doesn't quite pull it offline, but they really did. They were still in their prime.

Right. Like axle might not be able to pull off everything now that he could then, but it was, yeah, it was really very solid and they, they did a performance. I don't honestly remember if it was this performance. I think it was where Axl played opposite. Elton John, they both played big grand piano.

I was like eight foot grands facing each other. I just played and played the whole thing, which is weird to have two acoustic pianos, you know, whatever Elton was playing like a middy, a white mini grant, I think. But anyway some people said that that was because Axl had like been accused of like homophobic tendencies and his attitudes and whatever, and so much like M and M Elton John is just the guy.

If you want to convince people that you're not a homophobe, you call Elton John, he'd be like, listen, can we like hug each other on a stage somewhere and like help everybody know that, you know, that we're cool. I guess he's just that dude, you know, he, Elton John speaks for all the gays and, and the LGBTs of everyone.

And so if you can, if you can get Elton to like hug you or whatever, then it's all cool. Obviously everybody knows that you don't have any of those problems. Michael Scott kissing Oscar I'm the office. Absolutely. Yes. This is the equivalent. Yeah. Okay. Couple of covers. And then, and then we're out of here.

This is a rather nice version for what it is by Stephen seagulls. We've talked about them before, right. A kind of a kind of a bluegrass, whatever. It's really nice to kind of, once everything kicks in, I'll play a little bit of it and then I'll, I'll let it kick in here about three minutes and 30 seconds in is from the album, brothers and farms, by the way.

when I look into your I can see the bridge drain

but darling, when I hold you and you know, I feel the same.

there's nothing lasts forever and we both know how it's crunchy. All right. So let's let this kick in. Around the three minute 32nd mark. And see what happens.

Oh, I expected him to go hi there. It's nice. Yeah.

And when your fears and shadows still remain anyway, it is what it is, you know, it's nice. It's just, it'll get you. It'll get you there. It's definitely not you know, the same vibe, but and then there's one more this is by ghetto blaster, LTD from the album, Basa and roses. And I thought this was pretty dope.

Oh. And then it got to the second.

I'm not mad at all. Yeah, I will be

Restraining.

I like the Miller. Completely different, but the first part, the way she sings it,

come on. That's good. I added this to my library. I downloaded this and it's hard to

such a long, long time just trying to kill the pain.

If we could take the time to lay it on the line.

Oh man. Like. I got, I got 30 seconds in and downloaded this. Right. Like I was like, I want this. And then it got to that. And I just burned my house down. I went full axle. You know what I'm saying? Like why it was so cool and smooth and then

oh man, is it? I just learned how to play November Rain on piano. Like come back and sing this part. Such angry made me many. Oh, I think we need to send it out with the last part. Like, that'll be the, send them out for the season. Guys. It's been a, it's been a good run this season, guys. Thank you so much.

It's that time again? It's time to close up shop. Since we're together. We might as well say, take your mind, man. Remind won't you be my neighbor. Here's what we want you to do. All right. We're going to take a little hiatus short. Stick with us, please. We've got, we've got seasoned four planned already.

Like we're ready to go on season four, as far as what we know we're going to do, we're going to try and do some stuff in between seasons to make sure that you guys don't forget who we are and don't forget that we still love you and we miss you and we'll see you soon. Linda, why don't you call me back?

You know, we'll be outside your house. No, but seriously, keep up with us on Facebook. The, the group great songs and the great people who love them greatly or facebook.com/groups/ Great Song pod. You can find us on Twitter, always at Great Song pod at worship nerd, if you want to hit me up directly J.P.

is. Penny trader 10. And man, we, we got some stuff planned. We're going to try some, do some fun stuff over the break and and then we'll be back, man. Once, once once summer is over, we'll be back better than ever with season for the Great Song Podcast. And we've touched on it, but we really have enjoyed the interactions this season.

There's a lot more, not just on social media, but when you see us and talk to friends, please bring it up. We'd love to talk about it. And people that you entered have introduced us to that are listening to the podcast. That's the best is when you're like, Hey, this is J.P. for the zone where this is Rob from the Great Song Podcast.

And they know something about. That absolutely makes our day. So thank you so much for this season. If you could, over the off season, do me a favor and just introduce one person to the show. Just evangelize for the show. One person, you know what I'm saying? Bring one next week. Just go knock on, knock on doors.

Do you, excuse me, do you know the Great Song Podcast has a great plan for your life? If you could do that for me, that'd be amazing sticker or a track under their door with an invite. Yeah, exactly. Seriously, you guys are amazing. We've we've grown to love and know a lot of you online. So thanks so much for supporting the show for listening.

You guys are buying merch. You guys are kind of getting into what we're doing, and we really appreciate it all from all over the world to not just here in the states for listeners all over the world. We just want to say thanks for an amazing third season and an amazing what are we up to 75 episodes now?

Ish, something like that. So it's just been an amazing run. We, we might hit a hundred episodes next season, heavy. Amazing. Oh man. If we could end the season with a hundredth episode, we. Double barrel. Yeah. So anyway, until we see you at the beginning of season four, signing off I'm Rob. Hi, I'm J.P. go listen to some music. .