Guns N Roses : Chinese Democracy

[WrikaWrek]

Track listing
#    
1.    "Chinese Democracy" 
2.    "Shackler's Revenge" 
3.    "Better"   
4.    "Street of Dreams" 
5.    "If the World"   
6.    "There Was a Time"   
7.    "Catcher in the Rye"   
8.    "Scraped"      
9.    "Riad N' the Bedouins"   
10.    "Sorry"   
11.    "I.R.S."      
12.    "Madagascar"      
13.    "This I Love"   
14.    "Prostitute"   

After the awesome Death Magnetic by Metallica, i've been enjoying Dark Horse by Nickelback, and am now hearing Chinese Democracy, and i'm liking it.

I love rock in general, don't care if it's pop rock, heavy metal, whatever, if it sounds good then it sounds good. Anybody has taken a listen to the 15 year in the making Axel Rose's epic journey?

[ch1nchilla]

Is this out today or did it just leak?

[WrikaWrek]

Is this out today or did it just leak?

It has leaked. I don't know when it's out.

[Akala]

Many of the leaks early in the summer were pretty good representations of how the final mixes would turn out. I like it, for the most part.

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm not downloading until I'm 100% sure I can get the retail version. Hearing a shitty mix of an unfinished album can ruin my impressions of it forever

[TVC15]

I'm not downloading until I'm 100% sure I can get the retail version. Hearing a shitty mix of an unfinished album can ruin my impressions of it forever

There are already FLAC and VBR rips out there.  It's the retail version.

[Robo]

This album is garbage.  Fuck you, Chuck Klosterman, for wasting more of my time!

[Brehvolution]

Exclusively @ Best Buy!

No wonder it took so long to come out. Axl had to put 15 voice dubs on each song.

[Joe Molotov]

I've heard Shackler's Revenge because of Rock Band 2, and it was crap. I'll assume the rest is also.

[CurseoftheGods]

I've heard Shackler's Revenge because of Rock Band 2, and it was crap. I'll assume the rest is also.

.

[BobbyRobby]

what's the filename?

[littlemathletics]

This album is garbage.  Fuck you, Chuck Klosterman, for wasting more of my time!

Ugh. What a shitty review.

"Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music."

Uh, no, fuckhead. It's exactly like reviewing music.

[Rman]

Sebastian Bach is featured. 

[TVC15]

The album is getting the same treatment Sarah Palin got after her debate.  Since it's not a total disaster, it's being viewed as a winner.  Truth be told, Buckethead's guitar parts are the only interesting things on the record.  The songs are largely hookless--recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band.  Also, Buckethead's parts start sounding similar after half the record.  None of the songs are bad, they're just largely mediocre.  Death Magnetic is the better rock comeback album of the year.

[BobbyRobby]

There's a few decent and, one or two good songs in the middle of the album, but it largely sucks.

[WrikaWrek]

The album is getting the same treatment Sarah Palin got after her debate.  Since it's not a total disaster, it's being viewed as a winner.  Truth be told, Buckethead's guitar parts are the only interesting things on the record.  The songs are largely hookless--recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band.  Also, Buckethead's parts start sounding similar after half the record.  None of the songs are bad, they're just largely mediocre.  Death Magnetic is the better rock comeback album of the year.

Oh for certain.

[littlemathletics]

The album is getting the same treatment Sarah Palin got after her debate.  Since it's not a total disaster, it's being viewed as a winner.  Truth be told, Buckethead's guitar parts are the only interesting things on the record.  The songs are largely hookless--recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band.  Also, Buckethead's parts start sounding similar after half the record.  None of the songs are bad, they're just largely mediocre.  Death Magnetic is the better rock comeback album of the year.

Damning with faint praise?

[John Dunbar]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

[DJ_Tet]

I've waited this long (and have a $50 GC from BB) so I guess I'll pick this up at launch.  No sense in spoiling myself now.

[ferrarimanf355]

You guys don't have to buy it in Best Buy if you don't want to. iTunes will have it too. 

[Robo]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

I am SMH so hard it's making me dizzy.

[TVC15]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

So basically, Izzy did the music for the undeniably great stuff, and as Axl took more writing responsibility (in UYI1&2), the band got more hit and miss, and now that Axl is doing everything, it's mediocre?  Also, don't try to tyell me there's more than 1 album's worth of good material between the UYI albums.

[Phoenix Dark]

The album is getting the same treatment Sarah Palin got after her debate.  Since it's not a total disaster, it's being viewed as a winner.  Truth be told, Buckethead's guitar parts are the only interesting things on the record.  The songs are largely hookless--recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band.  Also, Buckethead's parts start sounding similar after half the record.  None of the songs are bad, they're just largely mediocre.  Death Magnetic is the better rock comeback album of the year.

For real? I really liked some of the songs that first leaked a couple years ago like Better, There Was a Time, Madagascar, etc.

anyone have a rapidshare/megaupload download for it? Torrents are automatically shitcanned in the library

edit: http://www.myspace.com/gunsnroses (stream)

Chinese Democracy: decent rocker

Shackler's Revenge: this mix is better than the first one but it's still eh

Better: love the melody, solo/guitar work, etc. still think that ugly bridge (at 2:50) should be cut out. that being said i love the song

Street of Dreams: formally The Blues. good solo, nice melody. axl's voice sounds better in the second half of the song hm

If the World: odd mix. transitions between the acoustic Spanish guitar work and piano/strings driven verse and chorus doesn't work right. good song but damn this should have featured some nice hand percussion

There Was a Time: over produced but i always loved the melody, i like the new, more guitar driven chorus. vocals seem off time in a few points hm. arrghh the vocals go crazy in the last few seconds but i love this song

Catcher in the Rye: taking Brian May off the song=booo. i still like it though

Scraped: what the fuck is this. buckethead sounds restrained, the vocals are horrible

Sorry: lyrics define pussy. some good parts but overall it's just meh. why is this 6min long

Riad n' the Bedouins: Eh. I like the chorus but the transition to it is just meh. sounds like 3 songs mixed together

IRS: wow they really stripped this from a rocker to a borderline rocker. love the solo/Axl belting though

Madagascar: my most anticipated song based on that live video from a couple years ago. vocals are eh. kinda disappointed

This I Love: decent ballad but jeez, in 14 years this is the best ballad he could come up with? solo is ok but tries to hard

Prostitute: another meh ballad

Very front loaded album. There are a few great songs but the majority of this album is quite average. I'll give it a few more listens but right now eh, maybe a 7/10

I like Death Magnetic btw; I'd say the best songs on Chinese Democracy>those on DM but overall DM is a better album. DM is actually legitimately good outside of a few missteps (Unforgiven III wtf). CD feels like half an album

[Sideshow Raheem]

The album is getting the same treatment Sarah Palin got after her debate.  Since it's not a total disaster, it's being viewed as a winner.  Truth be told, Buckethead's guitar parts are the only interesting things on the record.  The songs are largely hookless--recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band.  Also, Buckethead's parts start sounding similar after half the record.  None of the songs are bad, they're just largely mediocre.  Death Magnetic is the better rock comeback album of the year.

You, sir, are correct.

I also found the album to be, at times, leaden and plodding. It really doesn't have the spark that Appetite or Use Your Illusion does.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

And this I wholly disagree with because it is simply not true.

[TVC15]

Really, PD, from your song descriptions, it sounds like you mostly agree with me.  I don't think any of the songs are bad, I just don't see many (possibly any) of them getting much repeat play.

[fistfulofmetal]

i'm about to listen to this
get ready for my scathing opinion to follow

[fistfulofmetal]

its average

[John Dunbar]

So basically, Izzy did the music for the undeniably great stuff, and as Axl took more writing responsibility (in UYI1&2), the band got more hit and miss, and now that Axl is doing everything, it's mediocre?  Also, don't try to tyell me there's more than 1 album's worth of good material between the UYI albums.

But saying Izzy was the main songwriter is just false. Not to mention if you listen to Izzy's solo albums, it's pretty obvious he needed Axl and the lot just as much or more than they needed him.

And GNR's "undeniable great stuff" were songs like Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, Rocket Queen, November Rain and Civil War, most of which Izzy is not marked as a writer or his parts were not the key (like Sweet Child O' Mine, he was a writer but it was Axl and Slash that made that song). Of course he deserves credit for songs like Mr. Brownstone, Patience and Pretty Tied Up, but Axl was obviously the more ambitious of the pair. And talented.

And yeah, there's filler on UYI, but if you take the best songs from both and put it together, it would be one of the greatest rock albums ever and most of the songs would be written by Axl.

[TVC15]

While the songwriting credits are indiscriminately credited to all five band members, many of the songs began as solo tracks that individual band members wrote in the pre-Guns N' Roses era, only to be completed by the band. These songs include "It's So Easy" (McKagan), "Anything Goes", and "Think About You" (Stradlin). "Rocket Queen" was an unfinished Slash/McKagan song that was written from their earlier band Road Crew.

Other songs on the album reflect the band's reaction to the debauchery of the L.A. rock and roll underground, such as "Welcome to the Jungle" (Rose wrote the lyrics while in Seattle about an incident in New York City)[5] and "Out ta Get Me", as well as their assorted female companions, reflected in the songs "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Think About You", "My Michelle", "You're Crazy", and "Rocket Queen". An Edited version of this album was also released however it left all profanity in the music and only edited the booklet to remove the original Controversial cover art.

Most of their greatest stuff is credited to the band as a whole (ie. Appetite).

Anyway, what I was getting at is that Axl can't write a hook without help.  There's not one on the new album.

[Brehvolution]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica* or AC/DC** has ever done.

* No
** Debatable

[Phoenix Dark]

Really, PD, from your song descriptions, it sounds like you mostly agree with me.  I don't think any of the songs are bad, I just don't see many (possibly any) of them getting much repeat play.

I basically agree. There are a few really good songs but unfortunately I heard them a million times...two years ago. I don't know if I'll put this on my iPod. I gotta kinda disagree about the hooks though; TWAT and Better have great ones.

Arguing over who wrote what seems kinda unimportant when you consider both Axl and Izzy were writing TO Slash's riffs/melodies. It's like taking Jimmy Page away from Robert Plant, or Tony Iommi/Rhodes away from Ozzy. Both were decent writers who needed great guitar pieces to really spark their best work

[DJ_Tet]

I mean, I bought Spaghetti Incident.  By all accounts it's lightyears better than that trash, I'm looking forward to picking it up. 

[Don Flamenco]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

are you saying Chinese Democracy is better than Metallica or AC/DC has ever done? 

[John Dunbar]

recall that Axl wasn't the main songwriter in version 1 of the band. 

Actually, I'd say he was. GN'R Lies is the only album I'd say Stradlin was the main songwriter. On Appetite for Destruction it was pretty even with Axl writing majority of lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is also pretty even with Axl writing a bit more. Use Your Illusion II being almost all Axl (He's marked as a writer on 11/14 songs with Stradlin on 4/14). Of course you can argue who wrote the better stuff, but since Axl wrote Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain and lyrics to Sweet Child O'Mine, he wins by default.

Anyway, not the best album ever, but still better than anything Metallica or AC/DC has ever done.

are you saying Chinese Democracy is better than Metallica or AC/DC has ever done? 

Don't make fun, English isn't my first language.

[Powerslave]

Guns N' Faggots