CD Review
This review was originally written by Jose Bernardo for www.theweeklyriff.com between 2008 and 2010.
These were Jose’s first impressions of the songs and were not written after multiple spins.
Artist: Guns N’ Roses
Album: Chinese Democracy (2008 Geffen)
Tracks: 14
Artist website: http://www.gunsnroses.com
OVERVIEW:
Guns n’ Roses were important to me as a teenager. I loved GNR and Slash was my first huge guitar god. The Use Your Illusion albums are still an important part of my life. The effect that Appetite For Destruction had on me is something I can’t even put in to words.
I, just like many fans, waited … waited … waited … waited … then I stopped caring. Honestly. In my late teens I felt betrayed by my biggest heros. Guns n’ Roses had become irrelevant.
THIS RECORD TOOK TOO LONG TO MAKE
Then this album came. I couldn’t care less. Didn’t pick it up. Didn’t want to hear it. I figured it wouldn’t have the magic since the lineup had changed. The only reason I ended up picking up this album was that a friend of mine said: “It ain’t so bad. It is different though.” So I asked him if this album was like My World, and he said no. So I was like, ok, maybe I’ll give this a shot.
First off, this album took way too f-ing long to make and for what it is, I can’t understand why it took so long to get completed.
Secondly, to any naysayers, Axl’s vocals are as strong as ever.
Third, there is nothing Guns n’ Roses about this album with the exception of Axl’s vocals and the name on the album cover. The magic of what GNR was at the top of their popularity in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, is not present in this album.
(To be fair, I would also like to point out that Velvet Revolver didn’t have any of the old GNR mojo either. But VR was better than this pile of blank)
The guitar players on this album are some of the most amazing guitar players of our time. There are a lot of great guitar moments which I will not highlight in the “play by play” since I don’t wanna say stuff like listen to track so and so at 2 minutes and 40 seconds in and so on.
Over all, this is a solid rock album; however, I’d say kids should go and listen to the other three GNR albums I mentioned. That’s where all the magic is. GNR will always be the chemistry that Axl, Slash, Duff, and Izzy bring to the music together. There was something magical about those four individuals getting into a room together to make music. Axl needs to drop the Guns n’ Roses moniker and just continue to release music as himself or under another name.
UPDATE 2016:
Well, hell froze over and Axl, Slash and Duff are back together under the Gn’R banner – touring with AC/DC. Axl is in AC/DC. What the … ? Just waiting on Izzy to join up and for them to write something stellar together.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Street of Dreams, There Was a Time, Scraped
PLAY BY PLAY
Track 1 – Chinese Democracy
Solid track.
Track 2 – Shackler’s Revenge
Meh.
Track 3 – Better
Meh.
Track 4 – Street of Dreams
This is an amazing song!
Track 5 – If the World
This has it’s interesting moments.
Track 6 – There Was a Time
Very cool track.
Track 7 – Catcher in the Rye
This is sort of what I expected to hear when I hit the play button.
Track 8 – Scraped
This is very good! I really like this song.
Track 9 – Riad n’ the Bedouins
Cool rock song.
Track 10 – Sorry
Meh
Track 11 – I.R.S.
Not bad, but not great. Better than Track 10.
Track 12 – Madagascar
Not impressed with this track at all.
Track 13 – This I Love
Really bored by this track. Even the superb guitar solo could not save this track.
Track 14 – Prostitute
Nice melodies.