Chinese Democracy revisited

[El Rev sXe]

So since I joined WZ I haven't seen any thread about Axl Ro...er...Guns n Roses latest and definitely most controversial album: Chinese Democracy.

Okay let's start this thing. So in 1993, GnR released "The Spaghetti Incident?" (bad CD btw) and slowly every single member of GnR left. Slash, Matt, Duff... every single member left. Of course we got one exception, mister Axl Rose "stayed" in GnR and continued to tour with new members and stating that the next album was "Chinese Democracy". Let's forward 15 years later. The so long and waited GnR album came and... well beside the fact that we waited for 15 fucking years, the album itself was... I mean polemic.We didn't have any kind of guitar that defined the sound of GnR (NO Slash!!! ), backing vocals or anything that was classic in the sound of GnR.

Now onto the topic itself, what was your thoughts when you heard for the first time Chinese Democracy? I was so confused, I mean I look and it was GnR but it didn't sound at all like. Now I kinda like the CD, but it wasn't at any point GnR imo. It was something completely different, it didn't had at any point that bluesy feeling that they always had. The vocals done by Axl were good, but he obviously lost his voice I mean it was after all 15 years. It was a huge change. The solos were great but, it seem they were missing something (Slash anyone?).

Anyway, my thoughts and I want to read yours. Chinese Democracy is good, bad, it doesn't matter cause it isn't GnR? Your thoughts please...

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think it is a pretty decent album, there are several tracks I really like "There Was A Time" being my favourite and actually sounding like an old G 'n' R song.

However, it is basically the Axl Rose show, and I think everyone would ahve preferred him to release it as an "Axl Rose- Chinese Democracy", rather than a Guns N Roses album, which automatically starts people comparing it with the stuff they did back in the day.

It is overproduced, egotistitcal but a decent album, however I cannot compare it to any of the "real" G n R stuff, as to me it is not the same band.

 

[PunksNo1Fan]

I actually thought it was the worst album I'd ever heard. It was just BAD, like REALLY BAD. Gimme old GnR anyday, please. This album was just trying to be better than the old stuff, and it failed on every level possible.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I actually thought it was the worst album I'd ever heard. It was just BAD, like REALLY BAD. Gimme old GnR anyday, please. This album was just trying to be better than the old stuff, and it failed on every level possible.

Whooaaahh I take it you didnt like it then? lol!

It was on no level as good as ANY of the original Guns albums (except Spagetti Incident? but I am not counting that one), but there were some decent songs on it, and the original line-ups albums were soooo good that this was never going to match their quality. I agree, give me the old GnR stuff ahead of Chinese Democracy, but I can appreciate it for what it is, a fairly decent, but overproduced album, but not a patch on Appetite of either of the Use Your Illusions.

 

[LigerBomb]

It wasn't a GnR album, first of all. It was an Axl Rose ego-trip set to music, 15 years too late to be relevant –or even mildly entertaining as a kind of ironic joke. Bland from top to bottom, the album just didn't hold any weight in practically any context save for the possibility that it lends very real credence to the idea that a musical group is more than just the sum of it's individual parts.

 

[El Rev sXe]

It wasn't a GnR album, first of all. It was an Axl Rose ego-trip set to music, 15 years too late to be relevant –or even mildly entertaining as a kind of ironic joke. Bland from top to bottom, the album just didn't hold any weight in practically any context save for the possibility that it lends very real credence to the idea that a musical group is more than just the sum of it's individual parts.

You got a really good point there Liger, Chinese showed us not only how big is the ego of Axl, but it also how important is the work of the whole band. GnR's sound wasn't defined only by Axl but also by Duff, Izzy; Slash; Matt... As I said in the OP, they lost that blues element that was so present in GnR, it's a shame.