Comments on: Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy (Release Year – 2008)

By: Rob Rockitt

Rob Rockitt — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:40:40 +0000

It is ok, but there is no way in hell I could call Chinese Democracy a masterpiece on a good day. I am glad Axl can.

Like you, I think Appetite was G N’R’s masterpiece. They will never top that effort no matter what lineup Axl puts out there.

By: J. Edwards

J. Edwards — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:20:41 +0000

There’s no way Axl was holding back Rob, this was his “masterpiece”. He painstakingly took 14 years to make sure he was happy with every single note and sound, this is why it is so disappointing, it is completely over-thought. Appetite will never be duplicated..by anyone… it was brilliantly recorded like a natural stream of seedy, Los Angeles sub-consciousness with no apparent forethought whatsoever. Brilliant.

By: Rob Rockitt

Rob Rockitt — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:17:34 +0000

I agree with some of your points. Appetite is easily G N’R’s best album. I wasn’t feeling the love for this album at the time of review. It has grown on me since then. There are 3 or 4 decent songs. I still think this is like the Axl Rose solo project instead of G N’R. I half wonder if this is part of Axl’s plan. To put out a lackluster album, and follow it up with a monster hard rock disc.

Lower the bar, then raise it back up again. He says there is enough material for another album but I won’t hold my breath waiting for another one. Especially after Chinese Democracy.

By: Lou (Ducky/Dirty Duck) DeFino

Lou (Ducky/Dirty Duck) DeFino — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:54:56 +0000

What does hard rock mean to anyone anymore? I’m curious?
The reason I ask is because I dont get how anyone who is a rocker would think this album kicks ass. Now to be completely fair here I have not listened to the whole album so eiether way I know im setting myself up for a big : You’re a hypocrite”.
Maybe…maybe not. To me axl rose is dead…or at least the axl we used to remember. After hearing 4 tracks off the new album (and some rough cuts on my friends bootleg copy before the album dropped) I think this album is the biggest joke….and its on the fans. What is this boring garbage that we have been waiting 14 years for? Axl’s voice does NOT sound good. It sounds strained and void of any personality. It’s almost like he concentrated so much on how the album should sound he forgot about his vocals.
Granted the band is tight but its nothing to write home about.
The only way I’ll have own another album that axl is on is if its the orginal G n’R line up. Maybe i live in the past too much…or maybe im just not feeling a lot of these new albums that my favourite bands are releasing. You can only have lightning strike once fellas and APPETITE is it for me….not Chinese Democracy.

By: jeremy (aka) SUPERMAN

jeremy (aka) SUPERMAN — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:44:45 +0000

I finally got the CD just after X-Mas,..it’s great. Axl’s voice is as good as when he was 24. The album isn’t ” Appetite..” but then again, nothing dublicates that record…but Chinese Democracy is damn good !!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:22:18 +0000

Well, it would be good lounge music I guess. Maybe also for elevators. Buckethead has the right idea, in public without the bucket won’t get blamed for this. Where’s my Avenged album?

By: Welshman1

Welshman1 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:58:09 +0000

I think the album is great – although I have to laugh at Rob Rockitt’s commment that the album would have been better if it was released as an Axl solo record, as if the change of name would detract from all the fuss of its creation (Axl has always attracted publicity!) and magically change the songs into something they are not. Maybe it doesn’t deserve the Guns name but it is what it is and personally I am enjoying it. Here’s to another 14 years until the next one!!

By: Christine Marie

Christine Marie — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:35:12 +0000

Disappointing is an understatement for me. I didn’t set the bar very high and what I got was even less than what I had anticipated. For a GnR album, it’s crap. For an Axl Rose solo project, it’s interesting to say the least, but it’s not my cup of tea. The album could have had more potential without Buckethead. His guitar playing ruins it for me.

By: bob.vinyl

bob.vinyl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:48:57 +0000

I had so much fun poking fun at Axl that I was kind of sorry that Chinese Democracy was good. Unlike a lot the albums we’ve waited a long time for, this one at least shows that Axl was up to something other than just re-creating his own past. It doesn’t work all the way through, but it works enough to make for a good album. Was it worth the wait? Nah, but it’s still a good record if you can strip away all the hype.

I reviewed it too:
http://www.rnrnonsense.com/2008/11/review-guns-n-roses-chinese-democracy.html

By: jeremy (aka) SUPERMAN

jeremy (aka) SUPERMAN — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:19:09 +0000

So,….you didn’t like the album???? I’ve only heard a handful of tracks, off Myspace. They obviously didn’t compare to ” Appetite..”, but I thought they were good. And was impressed w/Axl’s voice, which I thought would’ve sounded a bit shot and it didn’t. Still gotta get the CD though, and play it on my stereo at home, so I can take it all in.

By: J. Edwards

J. Edwards — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:18:25 +0000

Wow, where do I start? I am about to review a record that has been 14 years in the making. That in itself makes for some pretty high expectations, I think we can all agree.

I think, considering Axls perfectionism on previous Guns records, this could be expected on some level, but 14 years? It has been a running joke in the industry for a long time, just ask Dr. Pepper, but I’m just glad to see it finally arrive. We shouldn’t let this obscure our objective of a proper review however.

Axl had a lot to prove, to his ex-band mates, and to the public at large, for his absenteeism from the musical landscape, but he did have enormous shoes to fill. This reminds me of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, after releasing the incredible 1966 “Pet Sounds”, he went certifiably nuts for many years trying to concoct the musically perfect album for the follow up “Smile” which was finally released in 2004. Axl is trying to to do the Beatles “White” album, to re-invent the wheel, unfortunately, as many before him, I think he has he failed. He has most of the artistic merit, but maybe a quarter of the talent, and I feel his artistic pain.

Chinese Democracy is an interesting album, but not 14 years interesting. It is, not surprisingly, a dramatic departure from the old “Guns” sound, and that’s not a bad thing, but it’s taken in the wrong direction as far as I’m concerned. Without Duff , Izzy, Matt, and Slash behind Axls unique vocal delivery, of course it’s going to sound different, that is to be expected.

That being said, there is too much focus on Axls vocals particularly, and Bucketheads non-conventional guitar work, which is interesting, but is not easy on the ears, like Slash is . Slash is now famous, or infamous, for his heart-wrenching, note bending and bleeding guitar work, which blended seamlessly with the G n’ R sound. This project should really be called Axl Rose and Friends, not Guns n’ Roses.

According to Slashs’ autobiography (Slash w. Anthony Bozza, 2007), Axl paid dearly to retain the rights of the name “Guns n’ Roses”, it seems to have cost the very band itself. I don’t think it was worth it, the magic is gone. It’s a shame.

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:13:50 +0000

Chinese Democracy is an amazing album. Gets better the more you listen to it. 10 stars from me!

By: Rob Rockitt

Rob Rockitt — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:39:02 +0000

Chinese Democracy is one of those albums that I don’t think you can listen to over and over again. I do think people will hear different things each time they listen to it.

Hard rock fans expecting something like their previous work, will likely be disappointed. The overall end result is less of a hard rock record, and a spacey experimental, pop, rock record. I think in time, it may grow on me. I think that this would have been better if it was issued as an Axl Rose solo album.

By: Metal Mark

Metal Mark — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:08:57 +0000

I have not heard it yet. Might be a while until I get around to hearing it. However my expectations would be that it wouldn’t be that much like Appetite or the Use your illusions. I mean no matter what the cover says this is really just Axl’s solo album and I can’t imagine him doing songs just like G-n-R’s albums from the past.

By: JT

JT — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:17:24 +0000

Man, “Sorry” is one of my favorite songs on the disc. I imagine that Axl was very serious when he wrote it, but the lyrics are at times so ridiculous it’s hard not to laugh. If a song makes me smile, or better yet laugh, then I like it a lot.