Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Guns N’ Roses
Chinese Democracy (2008)
Geffen Records

You all know the story by now. Guns N’ Roses pretty much imploded following their overblown touring cycle for their overblown double-albums released on the same day, Use Your Illusion I and II. Axl Rose began working on the follow-up album, the band’s fourth, in 1994, or so the story goes. The album’s title, Chinese Democracy, had been floating around since about 1998. I, personally, thought the joke was in the title – something that will never happen; a complete oxymoron – until the band started performing some of their new songs live at festivals circa 2000. So Axl’s actually writing music, it seemed. I still didn’t think he’d ever finish a whole album’s worth, let alone 14 songs clocking in at well over an hour on a single disc.

So, Axl proved me wrong. “Guns N’ Roses” (let’s be honest, this is not really Guns N’ Roses; it’s Axl and a bunch of hired… uh, guns…) finally got around to releasing the Best Buy-exclusive (dumb move, sales figures have proven) Chinese Democracy in November of 2008. I’d heard live versions of “Madagascar,” “Street of Dreams” and “Chinese Democracy” (the song) on bootlegs from some of their ill-fated tours in 2002 and 2006 and wasn’t terribly impressed, but the quality was pretty low, too. I still didn’t think Axl could put together an album that would actually, you know, rock. I expected overproduced garbage without limitations.

Axl proved me wrong again. Don’t get me wrong, Chinese Democracy has a LOT of extra production happening throughout; however, it also has a LOT of insanely hooky choruses and face-melting guitar work. And really, what else would you expect from an album that was recorded with 4 different people playing lead guitar at different points during the recording process? Does this album sound like a “typical” Guns N’ Roses album? Well, if you think Guns N’ Roses = Appetite for Destruction, then the answer is a resounding “no.” However, if you really think about it, how can you take a band that has released only 3 full-length albums and pigeonhole one “typical” sound in their career? Did “November Rain” sound like “Nightrain”? Did “Get in the Ring” sound like “Sweet Child O’ Mine”? No. What held together the “typical” GnR sound was, generally, Axl Rose’s vocals, and bluesy hard rock songs.

Does Chinese Democracy have some stinkers? You bet. “Shackler’s Revenge” takes a stab at Korn-esque dissonance in the riffing, and the vocals are practically inaudible from all of the extra industrial-tinged distortion. While it boasts a catchy chorus and a kick-ass guitar solo, the song sounds nothing like Guns N’ Roses because the singer sounds nothing like Axl. “Scraped,” one of the band’s attempts to rock like the GnR of old just sounds generic and soulless. However, this album also contains some true gems. “Better” is definitely a polarizing song, and I could go without some of the guitar effects, but at its heart, it’s a great tune. “There Was a Time” is an epic GnR ballad with great guitar solos and awesome vocals. There are a lot of piano-heavy ballads on this album, but surprisingly, those tend to be the better songs.

Where does this album rank in the GnR catalogue? That’s tough to say, because both UYI albums were chock full o’ filler with some amazing songs mixed in. That’s kind of how this album feels, too. Out of the 14 songs, I’d say I’ll revisit maybe 8 of them on a more-than-regular basis, and that’s a lot better than I expected from this album. People say, “It definitely wasn’t worth the 14-year wait,” but I don’t understand that logic. Were you sitting idly for 14 years, listening to no other music whatsoever, hoping that the new GnR would be some mind-blowing experience? If so, you’re an idiot. I don’t take it as a personal slight against me or any other GnR fan that Axl took his time and wanted to get the album out exactly the way he wanted it. Is the man insane? Without a doubt, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still a great songwriter, occasionally, and a great vocalist always.

B-

Matt Steele