Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
The strange case of the missing master tape that could be worth a huge amount in favor of charity
Former The Who drummer Zak Starkey has resorted to Instagram to beg Axl Rose, the vocalist of Guns N’ Roses, to give back the master recording of a song that he claims could raise $2 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust. As reported from Loudersound, following Guns N’ Roses and The Who‘s appearance at the 2017 Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, T.Rex‘s “Children of the Revolution” project began to take shape. If released, the recording, which features appearances by Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan, would be the first entirely new studio work from Guns N’ Roses since their 2016 reformation (because the four tracks released since the reformation all originated during the sessions for 2008’s “Chinese Democracy”). The song also features Ringo Starr and Elton John, however according to Starkey, Axl has not yet returned the tape, despite allegedly mixing the song in April 2024. Starkey, who shared a clip of “Children Of The Revolution” on Instagram in April, claims in the comments section below his post that he hasn’t had a copy of the recording he can use since the recording session. He also says the recording is part of a charity album that he intends to give to charity directly in order to avoid organizations that might otherwise keep a cut of the money raised.
I’ve been waiting seven years for the finished master sent as .mp3 to me on 4 May 2018. I need a WAV for a record, not .mp3. Who is suffering? Not me, not you, not the contributors. There are 12 other massive legacy artists doing ten Marc songs. Put it in an auction as a limited edition, make a shitload of money for teen cancer, and stop worrying about bullshit major label marketing plans. I had all this set up. I have the artwork in a one-off gold-leaf original, and a Marc Bolan Gibson Custom Shop guitar signed by all participants, including Axl Rose. All for the auction. It’s a charity record, not the Constitution.
Iggy Pop, Richard Ashcroft, the frontman of The Verve, and as-yet-unnamed members of The Smiths and The Pretenders are among the other artists who contributed to the album.