I found this old blog I wrote in review of the latest GNR album on MySpace. I plan on deleting the account, but I didn't want to lose the blog...
YUP. CHINESE DEMOCRACY: FAIL
Well that sucks.
I've given this album almost a solid 3 weeks of listening and now I can come (rather than jump) to this conclusion. I listen to 'Appetite' more than I listen to Chinese Democracy. I can't even get thru more than 3 songs before I am skipping around (usually right to "This I Love" and even that song is getting "eh") and eventually just turning it off and opting for radio.
It is exactly what I tried to disprove. An over-produced, heavily edited, lackluster attempt to keep with the times while still trying to incorporate the raw sounding, we don't give a shit, older GNR. As a solo effort (which come on, that's what it is), it's good, but never great. To put the Guns N" Roses name on this and act like this is a complete band attempt at an album, especially when there aren't ANY solid members to the band besides Axl Rose himself, is just plain ludicrous. Chinese Democracy is a byproduct of his personal self absorbed universe. He most likely thinks he is a genius. News flash: Geniuses don't sell just 200,000 in their first week and fall 78% in their second after spending countless time and money on producing their 'masterpiece'. (Especially in comparison to their last full studio albums which sold somewhere in the 700,000's)
You want to talk creative masterpiece, Axl? You nailed it with the Use Your Illusion albums. You achieved keeping the raw edge of the band while incorporating things that most hard rock bands don't try (ie: keyboards and orchestra synths). You had "November Rain" pouring out of your soul in one hand and "You Could Be Mine" 'bitch slap rapping' in the other. Tip: You should have stopped there. Now I think you're slightly off your rocker.
I'm actually wondering if the record label found some sort of loop hole which forced him to finally put the album out, because I don't believe he wanted it to come into fruition this year. He's gone M.I.A since news about the album's release surfaced and has done next to zero promotion for it, excluding some lame MySpace bulletins. AC/DC, Motley Crue, and Metallica followed up their releases with announcements of tours. Interviews in Rolling Stone. Radio interviews. He hasn't even so much as made a peep about his thoughts on the entire thing. What an asshole.
Or perhaps it bombed because you decided to (after pressing charges on people leaking tracks) stream the entire thing for free on your MySpace page the day before it's release, leaving nothing left to desire. I (me, die hard GNR and Axl supporter) almost didn't want to buy it after hearing it. You could have probably doubled your sales if you kept it as quiet as you have for the past 16 years.
