Guns N' Roses Album "A Shipwreck" And "A Loud Last Gasp"

New York Times:

"Chinese Democracy" (Geffen) is the Titanic of rock albums: the ship, not the movie, although like the film it's a monumental studio production. It's outsize, lavish, obsessive, technologically advanced and, all too clearly, the end of an era. It's also a shipwreck, capsized by pretensions and top-heavy production. In its 14 songs there are glimpses of heartfelt ferocity and despair, along with bursts of remarkable musicianship. But they are overwhelmed by countless layers of studio diddling and a tone of curdled self-pity. The album concludes with five bombastic power ballads in a row.

"Chinese Democracy" sounds like a loud last gasp from the reign of the indulged pop star: the kind of musician whose blockbuster early success could once assure loyal audiences, bountiful royalties, escalating ambitions and dangerously open-ended deadlines. The leaner, leakier 21st-century recording business is far less likely to nurture such erratic perfectionists. (Mr. Rose did manage to outpace Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, which re-emerged on tour this year but hasn't yet released a successor to its 1991 masterpiece, "Loveless.") The new rock paradigm, a throwback to the 1950s and early 1960s, is to record faster, more cheaply and more often, then head out on tour before the next YouTube sensation distracts potential fans.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[RobinSeattle]

My assessment of the album:

The title track smokes, but it really cries out for Slash.

The next five songs are unlistenable.

"Catcher in the Rye" sounds like an over-orchestrated track McCartney left off of "Band on the Run"

"Scraped" is just a distorted take on the old G N' R sound. Should have been left on the cutting room floor.

"Sorry" was an outtake off of Kiss' "The Elder." Or so you would think.

"Riad" really begs for Slash, too.

"I.R.S." kicks truckloads of butt.

"Madagascar" is just crap. Goes absolutely nowhere.

"This I Love" is horrible. An overwrought ballad that has nothing interesting to say melodically. Axl's vocal wouldn't pass muster even on "American Idol."

"Prostitute" The sonic equivalent of stagnating pond water.

Overall, this is indeed overindulgent twaddle that has been Pro Tools'd to death. Download the title track and "I.R.S" and you are good to go.

This record only goes to prove that there is a lot to be said for band chemistry and things usually fall apart when individual members are left to their own devices. So G N' R it ain't. It is the Axl Rose Project and little more.

[mondobleu]

Sad to find out they still suck.

[DuckofDeath]

So you took the time to come in an trash a band you never liked in the first place. Brilliant!

[Big0725]

Genuflect much?

[vincefango]

Axl Rose.....q­uit diminishing my childhood!! I am one of many GnR fans out there that could care less. Is Shash there? Izzy? Duff? Adler or Sorum? No? Then neither am I. I'm sorry but you lost me with the Spaghetti Incident and everything since just seems to be a caricature of GnR or 80s- early 90-s rock in general. And am I surprised at all about the quality of this album that has been some 15 years in the making? ...Nope...­I just go around singing "My Michelle" as if Axl ALSO left the band. I do not accept the doppelganger. RIP - GnR (again)

[Titus Pullo]

Hopefully now that he's found his "serpentine" he'll go back to the jungle ...

... of Vegas. When does his stint start?

With luck, he can be the rick springfield of bad-boy rock, doing endless shows with scientology grads and hollywood hills religious choirs singing backup.

[DuckofDeath]

So you're the guy who took the nickname I wanted!

[LiberalBuzz]

Unfortunately I feel this album will sell very well which is a shame considering how bad it is. I've heard a few of the "songs" and lordamighty the album is bad.

But when you consider how well the last tour of "Guns 'n' Roses" did with just that mo ron Axle leading a lineup of easily dismissabl­e/intercha­ngeable musicians (except for Buckethead) and the screaming fans that came to see basically a cover band....we­ll I guess you really can fool all of the people most of the time.

AND the followup tour will bring in bundles of cash for Assle (yeah that's how is should be spelled) and he will believe he is the greatest singer and writer on Earth.

When the original GnR came out they were blistering and looked like the might actually become one of the great bands of our era, but Axle's attitude, and mental instability doomed the band. I saw them a bunch of times before they started doing the line up shuffle and they just blew the walls out.

But this is a sham.

And worse...a lie. This is NOT Guns 'n' Roses, but Axel with a back up band.

[DuckofDeath]

Yeah, rock criticism really isn't about the music anymore, it's about the author. People go into rock criticism as a stepping stone, they're writers first and music lovers second, or third, or fourth.

This album isn't great, but it's not too bad either. There's about 5 really strong songs here and some other interesting stuff. I guess a headline like this gets more hits than a one that indicates the fact that it's getting mixed reviews.

[rigveda]

Guns 'N' Roses always was Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steve. Velvet Revolver is the closest thing to GNR today - Chinese Democracy is just an Axl solo album.

[martinchill]

velvet revolver has no singer and was just dropped by the label. fyi.

[Cogs]

The guitar players were the most talented members of the band. I always thought the the singer sounded like Ethel Merman. She had the pipes for "Welcome to the Jungle" and I'm sure Mr. Rose would be able to mimic her with "There's No Business Like Show Business".

[Eoin45]

Never noticed it before but you're absolutely right.

[Mannock]

I shure didn't see that one comin' down the pike.

[mcarmaniac]

rolling stone declares chinese democracy "best album of 1996"

[DuckofDeath]

....actual­ly, they didn't. Did give it 4/5 starts though.

[AurigaRa]

Awwwwww too bad

[Bitsko]

Save your money and listen to NRBQ.

[pjlawrence81]

So is this like Nine Inch Nails, where a band name is used, even though it's actually just one guy and some expendable studio musicians?

[DuckofDeath]

Kinda, but Trent Reznor usually plays the lion's share of instruments in the studio. Reznor's also a hell of a lot more talented.

[Eoin45]

Rock history is replete with examples of bands not playing on their own albums.

[Richcelt]

The album title, "Chinese Democracy" almost suggests something of a concept album, like the Beetles' White Album, or The Who's Tommy, or Pink Floyd's The Wall. Nothing of the kind. It almost aspires to be like the White Album with all of the added hoots and horns and sirens and chatter, but it isn't nearly as structured, the songs don't really flow that well from one to the other, and they're not all that good, again, to begin with.

Unfortunately, it lived up to my expectations.

[Eoin45]

Beetles?

[Richcelt]

The album is up on Guns N' Roses' Myspace page. I gave it a listen to.

I'm not a fan of GNR, mainly because of Axl. I can't STAND his voice. That said, I gave this a shot. I have to agree with the reviewer; this is a shipwreck. 17 years to produce only 14 songs is too long a time for too small an output. It's TOO busy. There aren't even that many songs on it that are all that good to begin with. Certainly nothing that lives up to the standards of the old GNR (I've always suggested that they should keep the songs and song writer(s), and ditch Axl for someone who can actually SING). Even the decent songs are over produced. Too many dubs and overdubs. Axl harmonizing with himself at different levels, making the lyrics hard to hear. Guitar solos OVER Axl's singing (warning to musicians out there: this is a BIG no-no!) so that you can't even hear him. Unnecessary additional instruments (less is definitely more). And there is no real overarching theme either in musical style or lyrical context. It's completely slapdash in its construction.

[newdreams]

It's like a ham cured in salt - too much salt. The rule of thumb used in making this album - If it sounds bad, just keep overdubbing till it is unrecognizable - People will never know it's warmed over 'bad'.