Ok, I gotta start by asking-following the release of the massively delayed Guns N' Roses single Chinese Democracy (and album)-does anyone actually care anymore? I mean, after a few curiosity listens and probably 100,000 record sales or so, what kinds of benefits is Axl Rose and co. actually reaping from this project, now 10 + years in the making? The 411 on Rose is that he is highly controlling and contentious with bandmates and the overarching music industry, which in the past has led to periodic breaks in the creative process as we saw with the delayed releases of Use Your Illusion 1 and Use Your Illusion 2 in 1992, 5 years after the career defining Appetite for Destruction in 1987.
20 + years down the line, it's apparent that Rose still isn't able to find compromise, with a slew of lineup changes, and production tweaks/song re-tracking delaying the release of Chinese Democracy by close to 3 years since Rose announced to Rolling Stone in 2006 that "people would hear music this year." As a music fan and consumer, Rose is legitimately turning me off from his music. I'm now armed with the knowledge that he has re-cut the single title track more than three times since 2006, which now embodies a wildly overproduced, death metal infused metallica rip-off, which is actually getting significant airplay on MODERN ROCK radio stations? I don't see much a place in the world for a song like this. Axl, I respect the decade long college try, but the result is just not up to par.
http://www.q1043.com/pages/news/gunsnroses/
I admit I'll buy it the week it comes out. I still enjoy the other albums and am willing to give the whole thing a try.
ReplyDeleteFair enough. I'm just not a fan of that single. It seems so contrived at this point. Lemme know how the rest of the album sounds.
ReplyDeleteThe single sounds bad, and really there is no excuse for that fact it took this long. Really just sad.
ReplyDeleteI am sure people will pick up the album just to have it and see that it really does exist (i will for one). I will listen to it but I get the feeling I wont listen to it more than once or twice.
Axl Rose continues to destroy anything that people once liked about him or his music.