![Guns N Roses- Chinese Democracy [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/2/7/gnr_chinesedemocracy.jpg)
![Guns N Roses- Chinese Democracy [Album]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/altthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fhangout.altsounds.com%2Fgeek%2Fgars%2Fimages%2F2%2F7%2Fgnr_chinesedemocracy.jpg&w=500&h=500&zc=1&q=70){kind=small}
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It took 15 years and about $20 million to make Chinese Democracy. Considering there are 14 songs on the album, that's over a year and around $1.4 million per track. I heard the singles, so I already know it's not packed full of million dollar songs. But, before I really rip into this album, there is something we need to get out of the way. The name. No, not Chinese Democracy. Guns N Roses. I don't have a problem with the fact that Axl is the only original member in the band. What I do have a problem with is that Axl's ego is so big I'm sure he'd sue the pants off anyone who tried to take credit for any small portion of this album. For that reason, it is not Guns N Roses, it is Axl Rose. Now onto the content of the record (and further evidence that this is actually a solo album).
Let's be honest here, the first 2 singles suck ass. The title track and 'Better' are beyond disappointing even without considering the above math. Fortunately, the two lead singles are deceptively bad. The rest of Chinese Democracy is actually much better and at moments quite surprising in it's innovation. The true beginning to this album is the song 'Street of Dreams,' a borderline ballad that reaches more to classic rock than classic GNR. The next track 'If The World' sees a major deviation from anything Guns N Roses has done before, introducing a funky hip hop vibe into the repertoire with the help of Chris Pitman on synthesizer. This sound doesn't really appear again on the album making the one-off track feel out of place on this particular record. The song is quite good, but I think it could have found a better home than Chinese Democracy. There was talk of Moby being approached to produce this album. He turned it down, but I wonder if there would have been more of this style had he accepted the position.
'There Was a Time' picks up where 'Street of Dreams' left off, and leads in nicely to an instant favorite, 'Catcher in the Rye.' While the best tracks so far teeter on ballads with the slow tempos and orchestral instrumentation, I would take a million pseudo-ballads over the stinking turd that is 'Scraped.' It is truly unfortunate that this horrible song is the first time it actually begins to sound like Guns N Roses. The hard rocking maintains through 'Riad N The Bedouins,' another low point for Chinese Democracy. The song rocks and it's ripe with riffage, but it doesn't have that banging hook that made everyone fall in love with Guns N Roses so many years ago.
I heard rumor that the song 'Sorry' features the backing vocals of Sebastian Bach. I hope that was simply a rumor because there are so many vocal layers on this track it is virtually impossible to distinguish one voice from another. The song is slow and dark and Rose does his best Bowie impression, trading in the demon scream for a fake British accent. It's a cool track, but it could be much cooler and by the end of the 6 and a half minutes, I find myself completely bored. 'I.R.S' does little to remedy this, despite having one of the more memorable choruses on the album.
'Madagascar' has Axl teaming up again with Chris Pitman, this time creating a song that sounds like a lost track from the Use Your Illusion sessions. Martin Luther King makes an appearance on the track, adding a whole new dimension to the slow groove and wailing vocals. There is only one song on the album penned solely by Rose, 'This I Love.' If Sebastian Bach were to sing on any GNR song, it should have been this one. While clearly making an attempt to be very intimate, it loses a bit of it's intimacy through overproduction and thousands of vocal layers. There is definitely a cinematic quality to the tune and it is melodically one of the strongest on the album, however the production is a major turn off.
Was Chinese Democracy worth the 15 year wait? Was it worth all of the money spent making it happen? Is it right to call it a Guns N Roses album? I would personally answer 'no' to all of these, but what's done is done. There are a number of songs die-hard fans and passive fans alike will enjoy. Overall it's a bit of a disappointment, but there are definitely some gems if you're willing to give it a chance. It's not a life-changer like Appetite for Destruction, but it's on par with the bands of today. Wait...is that a good thing?
http://www.myspace.com/GunsNRoses
Let's be honest here, the first 2 singles suck ass. The title track and 'Better' are beyond disappointing even without considering the above math. Fortunately, the two lead singles are deceptively bad. The rest of Chinese Democracy is actually much better and at moments quite surprising in it's innovation. The true beginning to this album is the song 'Street of Dreams,' a borderline ballad that reaches more to classic rock than classic GNR. The next track 'If The World' sees a major deviation from anything Guns N Roses has done before, introducing a funky hip hop vibe into the repertoire with the help of Chris Pitman on synthesizer. This sound doesn't really appear again on the album making the one-off track feel out of place on this particular record. The song is quite good, but I think it could have found a better home than Chinese Democracy. There was talk of Moby being approached to produce this album. He turned it down, but I wonder if there would have been more of this style had he accepted the position.
'There Was a Time' picks up where 'Street of Dreams' left off, and leads in nicely to an instant favorite, 'Catcher in the Rye.' While the best tracks so far teeter on ballads with the slow tempos and orchestral instrumentation, I would take a million pseudo-ballads over the stinking turd that is 'Scraped.' It is truly unfortunate that this horrible song is the first time it actually begins to sound like Guns N Roses. The hard rocking maintains through 'Riad N The Bedouins,' another low point for Chinese Democracy. The song rocks and it's ripe with riffage, but it doesn't have that banging hook that made everyone fall in love with Guns N Roses so many years ago.
I heard rumor that the song 'Sorry' features the backing vocals of Sebastian Bach. I hope that was simply a rumor because there are so many vocal layers on this track it is virtually impossible to distinguish one voice from another. The song is slow and dark and Rose does his best Bowie impression, trading in the demon scream for a fake British accent. It's a cool track, but it could be much cooler and by the end of the 6 and a half minutes, I find myself completely bored. 'I.R.S' does little to remedy this, despite having one of the more memorable choruses on the album.
'Madagascar' has Axl teaming up again with Chris Pitman, this time creating a song that sounds like a lost track from the Use Your Illusion sessions. Martin Luther King makes an appearance on the track, adding a whole new dimension to the slow groove and wailing vocals. There is only one song on the album penned solely by Rose, 'This I Love.' If Sebastian Bach were to sing on any GNR song, it should have been this one. While clearly making an attempt to be very intimate, it loses a bit of it's intimacy through overproduction and thousands of vocal layers. There is definitely a cinematic quality to the tune and it is melodically one of the strongest on the album, however the production is a major turn off.
Was Chinese Democracy worth the 15 year wait? Was it worth all of the money spent making it happen? Is it right to call it a Guns N Roses album? I would personally answer 'no' to all of these, but what's done is done. There are a number of songs die-hard fans and passive fans alike will enjoy. Overall it's a bit of a disappointment, but there are definitely some gems if you're willing to give it a chance. It's not a life-changer like Appetite for Destruction, but it's on par with the bands of today. Wait...is that a good thing?
http://www.myspace.com/GunsNRoses
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