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Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
i love the album. there's some true classics on there. alot of different styles throughout, but somehow it all comes together nicely.
at times there's a little too much going on in some of the songs, but it's balanced nicely with "easier" songs like ITW, sorry, and TIL.
overall, i like the finished versions of previously heard songs better. i was never a big fan of the Blues, but i really like it now.
great effort overall. i'd give the album at least a solid 8. i'll have to listen again to do a song by song ranking, but it probably in the 8.5 bordering on a 9 range for me.
- luckylittlelady
- Rep: 20
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
Sorry
I have very little positive comments about this song. The brooding nature of it is cool but I guess I just don't get the lyrics. It's actually the delivery of the lyrics that I don't get. Example; the "but I don't want to do it" line in the first verse. I don't care who this song might be an attack on, I care more that it could've been more effective. The pre-chorus, chorus and solo stand head and shoulders above the rest of the track.
3/5
^that's a quote from russtcb but for some reason it doesn't say so
My feelings exactly. The delivery of that line makes me cringe and ruins the song for me 
I'm only on my 5th listen and I'll never get round to reviewing each song anyway. I was initially quite disappointed but it's growing on me as I hoped it would. I don't dislike anything apart from that part of Sorry and Madagascar, which I've never been keen on anyway. Everything else is bloody good 
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
If the World is an overlooked song.... Everyone is so obsessed with TIL, but its If the World and Sorry for me right now. TIL, I don't care if I ever hear that song again.... Same with Shacklers and Scraped.
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
OK first and formost its a good album. I enjoy listening to it and its more or less been on repeat for the last few days. I have been manically following and supporting this new era of GNR since 1999, thats 2 years before I ever got access to the internet. I would browse news stands, looking through music magazines looking for any mention of Guns N Roses and a new album.
I've been a fan since 1987 when I was 7 years old and my older brother gave me a cassette of appetite and told me to turn my Slippery When Wet record the fuck off!
I can honestly say GNR provided the soundtrack to my life, my favouite band ever. As far as I knew it was all over in 94, I never heard anything about new albums or songs until Oh My God in 99, then GNR exploded back into my life after a lull of a few years.
Nearly 10 years of waiting later I have I finally own Guns N' Roses new album - Chinese Democracy.
And thats a very very nice feeling indeed.
But the more I digest the contents and reflect on everything thats surrounded it since its conception, I'm swaying more and more to the frame of mind that its an Axl solo project and is not Guns N Roses.
I'm fearing Guns N'Roses is now just a brand name being marketed purely for financial gain and also to satisfy and caress a small number of egos.
I will not be getting the new logo as a tatoo as I once considered, my GNR tatoo (if I even get one) will try to incorporate the old and new.
This incarnation of GN'R has always been a seperate beast to the old GNR in my mind anyway. But over the years I bought into the spin doctors yarn that the others guys walked away rather than GNR disbanding so GNR never ended. I look at it differently now.
Anyway, I think I'll just go back to calling them New GNR like I once used to, that somehow feels much more comfortable. But even New GNR has become near unrecognisable from the line up that first convinced me this was more than an Axl Rose solo project, although thankfully that bands body of work lies nearly intact on the new album.
I like most of the album and the highlights for me are Better, Street Of Dreams, Riad, IRS and Madagascar.
Better just rocks! Its awesome and it has some pretty cool lyrics and lovely sentiments contained within the song.
IRS is another one that I dont tire of hearing. Badass guitars, some wicked vocals and killer drums. Whenever its on I have to turn the volume up another notch.
Riad is definently one of my favourites and I'm suprised at this because I always considered it as unappealing to me. The finished article kicks like a mule. Incredible drumming and guitars carry the song but the undeniable passion in Axls singing is equally impressive. This song is a true diamond in the rough.
Scraped is still an enigma to me, I cant deside if its just ok or actually pretty great. Anyway I think its a good tune, very imaginative and I'm looking forward to giving it a few more spins.
There is a definate hint of "mutton dressed as lamb" with some of the songs though. Ultimately they are average songs with no expense spared in a attempt to mold them into something more exotic and attractive. Chinese Democracy, Prostitute and There Was A Time are particuarly guilty of this.
Street Of Dreams is very good song and worked beautifully in its naked demo form, the finished article, whilst still a highlight for me, has been tinkered with one to many times. The pasted in additional vocals at the end hit an absolute bum note.
If The World is another song that worked well its basic original format, but has been saturated with OTT strings, electronic basslines and poor mixing at that. The phased "la la la" is laughable.
Its only the fact that there is a nice little song buried underneath all of these extra trimmings, disaster is averted.
Amazingly my favourite song on the album could actually have used some more work. Madagascar is wounded by the low volume of Bucketheads solo, the samples and strings become so dominant that the solo actually goes awol for a while. Another boo-boo I have noticed is the french horn cannot be heard in the last section of the song. It suddenly reappears out of the fog once all the singing and guitars are over in the closing moments. This horn is the melody which is the driving force of the song and should be flushed out more during the mixing process. The live versions sound so much better because the horns are played by organ and are much higher in the mix.
This periodic poor production, that shows its face far too often over the course of the album, detracts from the listening experience for me. I get the impression that someone wouldnt leave it to the professionals and kept tinkering with it right up until it was turned over.
The over album artwork is ok, not very impressive or even professional looking, but the image of the bike is very evocative and theres more meaning beneath that than many people realise. I am a definate fan of the cover.
The errors contained within the booklet are unforgivable. Its completely pathetic. The mind boggles as to how this can have slipped under the radar, I just cant fathom it.
It shows a complete disrespect to the fans, some of whom are splashing out with some of what little money they can afford to part with.
It makes me wonder are Guns N Roses really such an unoragansied self indulgent ramshackle that noone noticed?
Or did they notice and say, oh fuck it, we'll let the clowns buy it and mend it later with the future batches?
In my disapointment over this I'm even beginning to wonder if they knew all about it, and know that most of the people who buy the initial release are big fans who will once again purchase the reissue, generating additional sales figures and more money.
Anyway, I could go on all night but I better stop.
Ultimately its a very good album but for me its a bittersweet experience. Unfortunately along with the good, came the bad and the ugly.
In reflection mabye it is a typical GNR record after all.
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
The day is here.... Chinese Democracy starts today!
The overall album - 4.5/5
Chinese Democracy - hearing this song on the radio or on iTunes just doesn't do it justice. This is a kick fucking ass rocker sitting in your car stereo. The intro is almost frightening. The added drums by Frank fucking own it, and makes it the heaviest it's ever sounded. I can certaintly see why they chose this now to be the first single. But it just doesn't have the power on the radio it does on CD. A great rocker, maybe not Welcome To The Jungle or Civil War, but a great album opener.
4/5
Shackler's Revenge - one of the most underrated tracks on the entire album. The CD version just kicks it up more. Great fuckin' energy in this track, catchy as hell (to me), and just a great "tear 'em up" energy. Ron does a great job redoing Bucket's parts is amazing, and if it wasn't for the liner notes - you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I don't see it taking away from the flow either, like some others have stated. Seems to work perfectly fine to me. Rockin' track.
4/5
Better - another great track. I think this song actually is hurt coming after Shackler's Revenge. You don't get a true appreciation to Better's true energy in this order. For the most part it's like the demos, there's nothing here that's going to change your opinion of the song. I think it's a great track, and the drums sound great despite being a mixture of Brain & Frank. This track is probably Robin's finest hour for a very average guitarist, that wasn't right for GN'R. My overall thoughts to this track itself, having heard it since 2006, is that I think alot of fans overrate it. Still solid.
4/5
Street of Dreams - formerly known as The Blues, this ballad is a strong effort from the band, but unfortunately becomes swallowed up by the heavy amount of ballads on the album. It comes across as a B-side. As the So Fine of Chinese Democracy. Alot of people compare this song to November Rain, but I don't hear it at all. It seems to be it's own entity. I prefer the 2002 live version to the studio version, mainly for the addition of heavier guitars by Buckethead. Not a bad song but any means, but like I said earlier - a So Fine.
3.5/5
If The World - I listened to the finished version of this track on GNR's MySpace, and it took some getting used to, but i've come around to loving it. The track is very cinematic in scope, incorporating several different little things to change the pacing of the song, including a 'false start' opening, as well as 'vocal solo' which makes you think you're radio is dying - but it works for the song. There also seems to be some more Chris Pitman synth work added in from the 2008 demo, which continues the "large" scale of the song. I still think this is the largest departure from Guns N' Roses on the album. It's very very different. Even Axl doesn't sound like Axl. A powerful track, but suffers from "Street of Dreams syndrome", where despite it's power, it gets minimalized because of the amount of other epic ballads on the album. Still very good.
4.5/5
There Was A Time - one of the true masterpieces of the album. The final version also owns all previous demos. The song is so big, it makes you feel as if you're dying listening to it. An epic listen on par with Estranged, and certaintly one of the instant Top-5 in GNR's catalog. Mother fucking Goose is kickin' ass on this, adding in some final keys which create a backing orchestra-type feel, that just blows it up to bigger than life. Truely amazing. GN'R should be proud of this one, a crowning achievement.
5/5
Catcher In The Rye - a bit of a mixed bag. The song itself is an amazing piece of work. However, having listened to the 1999 demo for a few years, I WOULDN'T SAY the demo is superior, but I think the vibe would've been benefitted by keeping May's guitar. Ron does a good job doing his own thing with the song, and creating an energy to his ability, but the song feels... feels like it's missing something. A final piece, and I think that's May. Very Queen-like track.
4.5/5
Scraped - worst mixing job - ever. This song "sounds" like shit. There's actually a section in the chorus, that sounds like you can hear it skip, like with the AIM leaks. It's disappointing, because it's majorly distracting. Maybe the good news is, it's an average track, so it doesn't ruin the whole thing. The intro is lame, with Axl doing his best Barry Gibb impression. The whole thing just strikes out at the plate. With that being said, it's still better than most rock music out there. And I still think it sounds like a Hurricane track.
2.5/5
Riad N' The Bedouins - the final version is the best, certainly. The Halloween 2007 meets Chris Pitman intro & outro give the song something special. Instrumentally, as far as the rock songs go, it's probably the strongest on the track. But my biggest gripe since 2001 on this track is - Axl himself. He's the weak link. Vocally the song, well, ain't good. I think this song might've actually be better as a mid-album instrumetal.
2.5/5
Sorry - two things to get out of the way first... 1) It's about Slash, stop lying to yourself, and 2) it ain't fuckin' doom metal. Now that that's been said, this song is an instant Top-10 song in the GN'R catalog. Fucking AMAZING. It is very Queensryche meets Pink Floyd, but in such an amazing way. This song just grabs you by the nuts and never lets you go. Axl's dishes the dirt, and you turn it louder for every lyric that's sung next. Baz's provides good backing vocals for the chorus, and Bucket's guitar solo is heavenly. Amazing track, the big "king rocker" of the album.
5/5
I.R.S. - nice little rocker, but I can say instantly as Street of Dreams sticks out as a B-side when it comes to ballads, this song sticks out as a B-side for the rockers. Very Illusion I, I.R.S., the song just never grabs you. It's one of those songs you have an overwhelming sense of - "that was pretty cool", but never does it grab you in a way like the title song, Shackler's, and especially Sorry. Above average rocker.
3/5
Madagascar - I won't be told anymore... that this song should be ignored. My own little play on the lyrics, this song is an amazing epic that just owns. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Axl's got the depressed rasp out in an almost November Rain-sense, and the song just is a soundtrack to my life, thus my closeness to it. One of my favorites on the album, and yes, for me, a GN'R Top-10. The narration, which I originally wasn't crazy about, I have true appreciation for now that it's grown on me. I love singing the backing vocals on this, with Axl on lead. It's just alot of fucking fun (and sadness). Truely a great song from Axl & Chris.
5/5 (yep, I went there 
)
This I Love - the amazing epic parade continues with truely a stunningly beautiful track. The curiousness of who this song is about, leads me to believe it's another unrequited love song in the same vein of November Rain & Estranged. Whereas TWAT I think has ties to Estranged, This I Love seems to be the little cousin of November Rain. This I Love is Axl has his emotionally rawest. He sounds like he's gonna burst into tears while singing it. You get a true feeling now, when he said before it was the heaviest song he'd ever written, what he means now. The song also seems to be a complete throwback to an older rock sound, but in such a good way. I could easily see this being a Queen song with "King Mercury" leading the way through. But we'll have to settle for "Prince Rose".
5/5
Prostitute - an amazingly underrated song, that still is amazing, but I was stunned listening to the final album, how much This I Love takes away from Prostitute. Even as a listener you are so emotionally spent at absorbing Sorry, Madagascar & This I Love in only four tracks, that it kind of ties Prostitute with one hand behind it's back. A song that will probably be better appreciated live, maybe as an encore before Paradise City. Still this is another masterpiece that I think is among the top-tier GN'R tracks ever. The outro is heavenly and stunning. So soothing, and a great album ender. The other night in chat I said Top-3 outros ever, 1) Freebird, 2) Paradise City, 3) Prostitute... that might be an exaggeration. But it's still a top-rock outro imo, even if it is keyboards.
5/5
Overall rating - 4.5/5
Summary: I was left with a very satisfied feeling listening, finally to Chinese Democracy from Guns N' Roses. It's a very very different album, that is on another fucking planet from Appetite For Destruction. Those Slash fans, those Welcome To The Jungle fans - don't bother. You'll be disappointed. You'll find it blasphemy. But to those Axl fans - you'll be in hog heaven. This is the mythic W. Axl Rose, the enigma, the man, the myth, the legend, doing what he does best. It's quite possibly the most cinematic, epic scope, HUGE album i've ever listened to. Like Chris said, it's "very rich", and it is. There's so much to absorb, so much to listen to, and on this front - Axl delivered. It is the epic album that was expected from the legend. The mixing was not an issue at all imo. It's something that has been blown far out of proportion imo by James. Maybe i'm just not hearing it. Maybe he's got a better ear for it. Maybe he listens to more albums. Minus the shit-tastic mix on Scraped, the rest sound great. Picking up this album was a surreal experience. An end game of sorts to a part of my life. And I have been left SATISFIED. I have closed it with a happy memory, and that's wonderful. With all the years, all the leaks, all the bootleg concerts, all the concerts I attended, and to finally have this album, I want to take this occasion to thank Guns N' Roses personally, thank you "Uncle" Axl Rose, Buckethead, Robin Finck, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus, Paul "Huge" Tobias, Tommy "Eugene" Stinson, Brian "Brain" Mantia, Josh Freese, Frank Ferrer, Dizzy "fucking" Reed, "Mother Goose" Chris Pitman, and all those involved in GN'R behind the scenes that made this album and experience what it is, thank you for the memories, thank you for the times, the long walk has paid off, thank you, and here's to the next chapter & the next 100 years of Guns N' Fuckin' Roses. 
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
Great reviews people. I should do a track by track soon when it all settles in.
At first I missed the May solos on catcher...but then the new stuff from Ron is almost more kickass...I think the wierd thing about it is the mix...the paino at the start is down way too quiet.
Re: GNR Evo members' Chinese Democracy reviews thread
I agree with alot of the reviews. I give it a 4/5. A peephole into a masterpiece, yet also some (as someone else put it) "What the heck is that song doing on there?".
I can't get into a song by song description right now, but the leaks I liked, I like, the ones I didn't, I still don't. The notable exception being CITR which I think is amazingly better than the old leak from years ago. Maybe it's just it's mixed, polished sound. Very good song though. I'm curious why it took so long, it would seem most of these were around in 06. Cool BH is still on it, in reading the credits I see alot of "this songs solo recorded by so & so, produced by so & so" etc.. I get the feeling there was alot of grabbing old bits from years ago & polishing it up & laying it down into the track. A bizarre way of putting an album together, very mixed & matched. Having said that, this sounds like a solo album. I don't hear a band. Alot of the solo's are just there, but have little feeling or flow with the song, just mho. CITR & one or two others being an exception.
Again, a solid album, definitely better than anything else currently out there, and an album that pushed the limits more than any other band in recent times. It's far from AFD, hints to the epics of UYI2, and is very much Axl Rose's album.
