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Chinese Democracy review: no holds barred!
The painful truth about Guns N' Roses new album
The MusicRadar Team, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:03 pm UTC
After 15 plus years and $13 million spent, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is finally out on Sunday 23 November. So, what is it really like?
Three MusicRadar staffers (Chris Vinnicombe, Joe Bosso and Michael Leonard) listened to Chinese Democracy separately – so as not to influence each other – and these are our honest opinions of the world's most expensive album ever. We didn't compare opinions before writing.
If you are a diehard Guns N' Roses fan – or Axl Rose himself – you may want to look away now.
Or better still, tell us if we're wrong...
Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy: track by track
Chinese Democracy
"A punchy, if over-processed riff drives along nicely. Axl's voice sounds great in the verses, recalling his Appetite-era menace. The shouty choruses might have benefited from a little more melody and the soloing is tedious. But a solid enough opener." CV
"Decent riff, Axl sings okay, but the lead guitars are too much. A stuttering, spluttering mess." ML
"A not-so-bad power chord riff announces 'We're off!' And then...we're not. The chorus is decent, but not memorable. And Axl's voice sounds like an impersonation. The guitar solo is flat and ultimately pointless." JB
Shackler's Revenge
"Is it 1993? Industrial-metal numbness, with guitar solos that sounds like a malfunctioning Nintendo. There's a tune here somewhere, lost in an insane mix." ML
"Hideous intro recalls mid-'90s video game soundtracks, and the industrial flavours are long past their use-by date. A shame because there's a decent tune fighting to get out here." CV
"Whoa, boy. That's some dated video game sounds for you. The guitar solos are literally fighting to be heard amidst the wannabe-techno clutter. Way too much going on here. If there was a song, it's lost." JB
"The guitar solos are mostly horrible. Can somebody call Slash please?"
Better
"The strongest melodies so far. Probably about two minutes too long though and the guitar solos are mostly horrible. Can somebody call Slash please?" CV
"I think this is better. It has a groove of sorts, as opposed to chucking 67 guitars at the problem of not-having-a-song. Best so far." ML
"The best song so far, which might be why it's called Better. Sadly, what could have been a strong tune wears out its welcome. Axl just doesn't know when to stop. Three tracks in and we have yet to hear a killer guitar solo." JB
Street Of Dreams
"The ripple of piano is ominous and it signals Axl entering lighters-aloft stadium ballad mode. Axl's been trying to be Elton John and Queen at the same time since Use Your Illusion."CV
"Overwrought, too many vox overdubs, too many strings, too much of everything. Awful." ML
"Where's the chorus? This is simultaneously too much and too little."
"The piano intro is the kind that is meant to signal 'This is my next November Rain.' Problem is, Axl throws the kitchen sink at us production-wise but he hasn't written a memorable song. Where's the chorus? It's simultaneously too much and too little." JB
User comments (35)
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are you three in love with slash or what?fags dont know shit chinese democracy is the best cd to come out in a long fuckin time.get your heads out of each others ass's.
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Nearly every review of every song was in regards to what was NOT there?? Do you get paid for your jobs? I'm not sure what the three of you thought this album was going to sound like 14 years on. I don't necessarily understand what you're basing your comparisons on. I imagine that you are fans of such recent crap as the new *cough* AC/DC and Metallica albums. Apparently you love anything that hasn't evolved or changed over any number of decades. I love it when reviewers comment on song length! How is that reviewable or quantifiable?? What was that movie where a person was listening to an song and said it had "too many notes"....that's what you sounded like!!! The album is not only a body of solid work but my guess is that within the next 6 months the album will grow in popularity as it definitely is a growing album. I am not unreasonable or biased in my listening. I am NOT a big fan of songs such as "catcher in the rye", or "this I love" but songs such as "There was a time", "Better" and "Sorry" are a few examples of what really make this album stand out. And please, just go ask Slash out on a date for as much as you love the man. If Slash was (is) such a savior then by your accounting, both Velvet Revolver albums should have been met with huge success (realistically it was moderate). Axl and Slash complimented each other well. We all realize that as a matter of fact and not opinion. However, Guns N Roses has always been about attitude. Axl has it (all his flaws included) and Slash doesn't (sorry Mr. Hudson). Guns N Roses has and always will be more about the stand out voice of Axl Rose than the assortment of guitar players through the years (Slash and Izzy included). You can't replace Freddy Mercury and you can't replace Axl Rose. There is simply no one alive that does what he can do. Axl did this on his own terms, regardless of monetary cost or critical (ah-hem) opinion. What is more Guns N Roses than that?...... The best line from the song "Sorry" sums everything up perfectly in the world of Axl Rose, " you thought they'd make me behave and submit.....what were you thinking"......sounds like pure Axl and that's exactly why we love him and his music, flaws and all. This album is great and I'm sorry that you can't look past when you were 15 and get over it. Oh no!, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd!! How will they survive? Oh wait....they did.
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You 3 are a joke...
"Reviewed seperately so as not to influence to each other" - What BS you all obviously had the same preconceptions and let each other know before even going your "seperate ways to listen" - Some of your comments are "Xerox's" of each others, pardon the plagarism!
And you wank on about Axl's self indulgence - hypocrites.
Now......to the album.... it's crap!
Nah not really I think it's pretty damn good - a couple don't do it for me and sound dated but a few grabbed me up front like a kick in the nuts and a few others started as a small tingle in my scrotum and got better from there....... you get the picture....
A few growers in this lot.......
Interesting that a few of the albums nuances that have attracted other reviewer's wrath and ridicule I actually thought help make it. I love the draculian "But I don't want to do it" in Sorry.... wierd but effective.....
I also reckon Axl's multitracked harmonies sound pretty damn good in places... Listen to This I Love at 2 minute mark..... don't get much better than that.
The fact that these are used sparingly add to it, not harped on or slutted out ad nauseam just dropped in here and there as a one offs.....
Agree with a few of the other crew above - this aint GnR it's AR - Get over it. GnR are history. -
Poor review...saying sounds dated...open up your minds, did you think Velvet revolver sound current?? Of course this is NOT the Guns N Roses we all grew up on, but once you can get over that (and it seems a lot of closed minded people are having trouble - I for one was the same for a while) you will begin to see that the guitarmanship on show on the album is flawless, and this (solo) album would not have been created by Axl with the original Guns N Roses album. Think of this more as Axl's solo album, or 'new' GNR and enjoy it for what it is. Don't compare this to albums of yesterday and you may enjoy (some) of this album...if not for the playing which is some of the best out there from today's cutting edge players (Buckethead, Bumblefoot, Fink and Fortus) then just for the sheer amazing production unless you are fans of 'today's trend is volume over dynamics' production (think Metallica's Death Magnetic). If you want Guns N Roses and live in the 80's early 90's then put on the Illusion albums or Appetite...or even Velvet Revolver (just don't listen to the singing). Or if you want a more up to date imaginative journey through music put on Axl's solo (ahem) the new GNR album...but whatever you do enjoy it for what it is - as that is what music is there for...each to their own.
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i found that the album on the whole sounds good, if a little long winded, but is that really enough? i guess some things, such as the 15 year wait, have to be taken into consideration when reviewing Chinese Democracy, but in general, i though the album to be 'good'. Nothing more, or less. In fact it's good enough to sell out in every shop in every country, purely from the hype. Ofcourse the songs don't have the true substance or raw feel of say appetite for destruction, but ageing and the loss of izzy stradlin and slash tends to have that effect. Like any 'good' album it will grow on people rather than have an instant effect, it'll take time but i believe it will . The fact that this album is not amazing will not matter at all. The hardcore fans have been waiting so long they will love the album, finding some kind of merit in its faults, and the newer generation of listeners who missed the musical industrial revolution of the early nineties will grasp it as a new genre of music. And peace will again be restored to the world of rock n' roll.
:P -
Reet, I have listened to it. I have to say it half leaves me unsure as to what to think but as the album wore on I definitely picked up interest. Have to really disagree about sorry, for me it is a clear standout track. At least he is trying to be creative. Some people just cannot get over appetite for destruction. For pete's sake, it came out like 20 years ago!! And slash is no longer in guns n roses it will obviously sound different. I wont compare with velvet stuff as they are very different bands it seems. One thing I will say is that I am not fussed on the second velvet album at all
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Poxican,
The 'agree' was added, yes, at sub-editing stage after we'd all written what we thought. But, honestly, we listened and wrote what we thought completely separately. And, unusually, we all agreed on what was good and what was not so good.
Still, that's just us, just 3 opinions. I'm sure what we say won't spoil your enjoyment of the album? I'm sure it will do well.
And, yes xkillswitchx, I have heard quite a few Buckethead albums. He's immensely talented at what he does. Does that mean he's right for these songs? Not from what I hear.
Oh, and the intro paragraphs were written AFTER we'd all done copy, of course, so they are bound to summise what you are about to read.
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. Who's down to the music store Sunday/Monday? Our poll suggests a lot are. Please, post your own reviews. Like we say, let us know if we are wrong. -
You didn't compare opinions before writing? How does that explain:
"Decent stalking riff in chorus but, I agree, it sounds old." ML
-who's he agreeing with?
and
"Axl's voice is great on this, though: he almost sounds like he's human." ML
Just seems odd... -
you guys suck
i heard loads of "could use a slash solo" or will somebody just calls slash please"
those of you who said that admit it the album is not that bad you just miss the original lineup.
"After 15 plus years and $13 million spent, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is finally out on Sunday 23 November."
oh please. it took that long in makin'. SO WHAT.?. It's not like you've been going to the recordstore and sleeping in front of it just to make sure you get the album.
99% of the people that didn't like the album, had decided to hate it before they even heard it.
the album IS really good even your LIFESAVER SLASH says so.
of course it's not like the old GN'R but wake up, that was inn the fkn 80s this is now. I think people will like this album in lets say a month or 2 when they let go of that stupidity and be fkn openminded -
So it`s safe to asume that most people on here dont like this album? It`s interesting that so many people site the fact that the album may have "sounded relevent 10 years ago" Is that a round-about way of saying that you like all your music to sound the same?? If it sounded like a 2008 album would you then pigeon-hole it with every other bit of trash released this year?
There are sooooo many "artists" out there mass producing the same recycled garbage and the masses just lap it up. How dull.
Axl is a moron, this is not a Guns record, it is too long and very self indulgent but did anyone really expect anything else? Most of these opinions were formed years ago, probably writen years ago, and stored ready to be used when the album finaly turned up. It`s not a dated record at all! It`s refreshing in its.... variatey (however accidental that may have been)
There are exceptions, mainly "Postitute" which is shocking but then he did end illusions with "My World" so it must be some kind of habit?
All in all thank you Axl and friends for a breath of slightly tainted fresh air.
For your next effort drop the Gn`R name and if its going to be 70+minutes long then at least finish with a balls to the wall mamoth instead of limping out.......
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dopeman420
Fri 6 Feb 2009, 8:04 am UTC