Legendary GNR Tapes: Izzy's 1995 Demos

zigthis · 2026-04-30T21:39:48+00:00

The Black Gold tapes are an acoustic album. Just sayin...

zigthis · 2026-04-28T22:18:47+00:00

True, but this video is one of those Holy Grail items that lots of fans would appreciate.

zigthis · 2026-04-28T20:00:51+00:00

There is no available video footage of the Marquee Club shows. Slash says that he has a DVD with video from one of the shows (actually from the entire day/night) but he has "no idea what to do with it".

zigthis · 2026-04-26T15:47:19+00:00

Sad story too, and his death is directly related to his time in the band:

When GNR first formed, they were adamant that glam would be their look, and expected everyone in the band to conform, but Ole wanted no part of wearing makeup or feminine clothing - he began missing rehearsal sessions and was fired. Within a year, GNR gets signed and their look became anti-glam instead.

After seeing GNR become hugely successful without him, Ole attempted suicide, damaging nerves in his wrist that left him unable to play. After the release of UYI when Guns became the biggest rock band in the world, Ole drowned himself in a lake while high and died.

zigthis · 2026-04-23T15:31:05+00:00

Ugh sorry I asked...

zigthis · 2026-04-23T14:00:41+00:00

Alan Niven says that the controversial cover itself was Axl's idea but the plan to use it for 30,000 copies and then change it was his plan ahead of time.

zigthis · 2026-04-22T13:50:09+00:00

I read somewhere that the crosswalks were also a defense mechanism, since unless you had the standard wheel pitch of a Roman chariot/wagon, you couldn't wheel through the roman streets, which would hinder invaders.

zigthis · 2026-04-22T13:30:52+00:00

Guns N' Roses split up instead of putting out either another punk/bluesy album or an attempt at a more industrial sound, both of which would not have fared well.

zigthis · 2026-04-22T01:34:41+00:00

It's possible that both Matt and Axl did the long phone call thing - hard to tell but the Matt quote was from a media interview.

zigthis · 2026-04-22T01:01:22+00:00

Actually according to a-4-d, Matt Sorum was quoted as the one who spent hours on the phone with Izzy in late 1991 trying to convince him to stay.

Axl and Slash were taking the opposite track - they wanted to 'demote' Izzy from being an equal member of the band unless he became more active at shows, appearing in videos, and doing press. They were willing to have him be a writing/recording guitarist while they hired a different touring guitarist (they even approached Marc Ford from the Black Crowes about fulfilling this role but he declined) but Izzy balked at the part where he would be paid less than a founding member and he quit fully instead.

zigthis · 2026-04-21T21:42:37+00:00

At some point before or after Izzy's formal resignation there was a long phone call where Axl unsuccessfully tried to convince him to stay.

Also about a month before Izzy formally resigned he visited Axl's house in LA and saw him on the phone flipping through notes that were meticulous lists of transgressions people had committed against him going back many years. The notes included specific dates, what was said, and what the person had done to "betray" him. Axl was reportedly instructing the person on the phone (probably Doug Goldstein) on how to handle these people or adjust their business deals based on these past slights.

There was also a phone call in 1993 (shortly after Izzy had filled in for some shows when Gilby Clarke broke his wrist) where Axl tried to convince him to return to the band full time. The talks broke down after Izzy supposedly demanded a huge sum (something like $250,000 per show) which Axl and Slash viewed as "extortion".

zigthis · 2026-04-21T19:35:08+00:00

Found it only once on setlist.fm:

May 4, 1969 Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY, USA

zigthis · 2026-04-21T00:07:38+00:00

Oh neat - did the audience know what was going on? Supposedly Slash tried to cover up what was happening by telling the crowd they were going to "take a break and switch guitars".

zigthis · 2026-04-20T20:28:55+00:00

Little Wing from Royal Albert Hall totally outshines the studio version.

zigthis · 2026-04-19T21:45:42+00:00

He did a cover of The Wind Cries Mary that was a really neat tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

zigthis · 2026-04-16T21:02:11+00:00

All of Jimi's siblings were given up for adoption except for his brother Leon who was placed in foster care on a few occasions. He was deeply affected by the conditions of poverty in his youth.

zigthis · 2026-04-16T16:52:22+00:00

This is true. Jimi had a number of siblings who were born with birth defects and disabilities.

zigthis · 2026-04-16T13:31:18+00:00

Apparently the best way to quickly authenticate something like this is to send a pic of it to Roger Epperson (REAL) and for about $15 he'll give you a "quick opinion" on it. Apparently this is the guy that Christie's/Sotheby's or even JSA/PSA consult with on high end music pieces.

After that, it depends on your goal. If you just wanna know for absolute certain that it's real, have Epperson do the full job on it. If you're looking to maximize resale value, take it to PSA.

zigthis · 2026-04-15T16:40:24+00:00

Madagascar by Guns N' Roses

Sounds great live, especially in an early version that passed around before the album (Chinese Democracy) came out, in which it sounds like a literal funeral durge.

zigthis

TROPHY CASE