Chinese Demockery: The New Record Not By Guns N' Roses
Come 11/23, we all finally get to hear Chinese Democracy. You know the new Guns N' Roses CD. The one we've been waiting to hear since the television premier of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I want to know why anyone cares, especially self-respecting Guns N' Roses fans. Axl Rose has embarrassed you and disrespected you for 17 years. 23, if you count the years he was actually in a band called Guns N' Roses. Now, we are supposed to be excited over this bogus new CD?
Shouldn't we all be more excited about the new Beatles album? I don't mean that unreleased, 14 minute psychedelic track that Sir Paul agreed to release. I mean, the new Beatles album, "Haymans Green" by Pete Best. What about The Kinks' album that came out earlier this year? You know, Working Man's Cafe by Ray Davies. Chinese Democracy is as much of a G N' R CD as these two CDs are Beatles and Kinks CDs.
It seems as if this mockery of a sham is accepted all over the music world. Thin Lizzy has been touring as Thin Lizzy since the late nineties, even though the its leader, singer, songwriter, bass player and poet Phil Lynott, died in 1986. What about Chicago? 3 horn players. That's it! All lead founding members, the singers and songwriters, nowhere to be found.
It's one thing to tour for nostalgia's sake. Or more accurately, money. There are bands on tour with no original members at all. (See: Molly Hatchet) But what really gets the agita in action is the way the media and the music industry is treating this new "project" from Axl Rose.
In fellow Huffington Post blogger Mike Ragogna's excellent piece, he says this:
Chinese Democracy, finally will be issued in a little over a week. However, this really, really long-awaited release had better turn out to be bigger than any November surprise Obama or McCain could have dropped since the weight of the music industry's future just might be resting on the shoulders of Axl Rose.
Maybe my head is in the sand, but 2008 had some of the best music released in years, and still the industry is struggling. It's a real sad state of affairs, when an entire industry is counting on some lunatic hermit and his fake band to save the fourth quarter.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
This would have been news say around 2001 latest, seems back then they were waiting for this. Now-? it's a bad extended joke. Sure I'm glad it's finally out, but whatever dude. I'll be interested in hearing it just because.
I think you're making too much of an ado over what a band calls itself. As you pointed out in your blog, if it's worth a damn, it will fly, and if not, it crashes, burns, and is quickly forgotten. It ultimately doesn't matter if the band's called "Mofongo Foxtrot" or "The Fab Five" or "The Traveling Wilburys." Nobody's going to be fooled for long, if at all. "Chinese Democracy" rocks? That's all I need to know. And, apparently, if "Thin Lizzy," such as it is, is still extant, then they can't be all that bad either.
Somebody else mentioned the work Chrissie Hynde has done since the first two Pretenders albums. The band was her before Honeyman and after him. She is the lead and her work is as good as it needs to be, consistently. "Better" and "worse" are opinions.
People absolutely trashed Bob Dylan when he went electric. What's the difference between what he did and what Axl is doing, however maladroitly? What about what Radiohead sounds like now as opposed to the early nineties with the same band members? Much ado about nothing.
I've heard the "Chinese Democracy" single. Axl Rose can't scream anymore. Slash is an awesome guitar player (or maybe was an awesome guitar player when the tracks recorded, what, 17 years ago?). Rose has apparently been twiddling dials and sliding pots for 17 years and waiting for someone to invent a box or write a software algorithm to allow to him to reproduce the spine curdling screams he recorded on "Welcome to the Jungle." Didn't happen.
According to this one Tim Dorsey novel, if you were so much as a studio musician on a single song of a single album for any given band, then promoters can claim any performance featuring you as that very band.
Guns N' Roses stopped being Guns N' Roses when Tracii Guns left to form LA Guns.
The only band worthy of the Guns N' Roses name is Velvet Revolver. Slash's solo on "Slither" nailed their place as the "real" Gn'R. Axl + band is Gn'R in name only.
I remember when Ian Hunter left Mott the Hoople in the late 70s. Anyone who knows this band, knows that Hunter was the band. After he left the remaining members changed the name of the band slightly to just "Mott," and released one instantly forgettable album before giving it up. The Pretenders stopped being a band, and became just a name under which Chrissie Hynde recorded after the death of the brilliant James Honeyman-Scott. The later albums are still good, though nowhere near as good as the first two but who is going to tell Chrissie she can't use the name?
On the other hand, some bands have changed names after the departure or death of an iconic lead singer even though the rest of the band was basically intact. Joy Division without Ian Curtis became New Order and Bauhaus without Peter Murphy became Love and Rockets.
See Sal Nunziato's Profile
There were actually 2 forgettable albums by Mott, post Ian. At least they changed the name...a bit..
I guess that just underscores how forgettable they were. LOL.
Thats a pretty broad brush you are using to paint your opinion over an album you have confessed to never hearing. If it cost twice as much and took twice as long would it cost the people who buy it any more money? No. Its a great album by itself, It actually won album of the year in 2007 from "classic rock" magazine when they could only listen to some of the demos that are currently included in the CD.
Actually 95% of music press over the past few weeks that have actually listened to the album all seem to honestly love it and rate it highly. If your grudge is just against the name Guns N' Roses being on the cover you should remember that theres most of the members in the new band have been playing together longer than the band that lasted 86-94
I don't think Axl or GN'R is the one making a mockery of themselves here or trying to cash in on a name
See Sal Nunziato's Profile
I've never once said the music was bad. That is not what this post is about. It's about the hype over something that IS NOT! Simple. The album may be excellent. Again, not the point. The teasing, the threats, the firing and rehiring, the brief tours..thi
No Slash, no GNR.
Axl incorrectly thought he was the front man.
Love ya Saul.
I've a close friend who's band had 2 double platinum albums in the 90's, and a monster single. That doesn't even include European sales. He's a high school teacher now. No he wasn't a drugged out whack-job. There just really isn't a boat load of money for the artist who don't sell 10 mill plus. Video's alone can drain the bank in no time. The music biz, while fun and exciting is very expensive. Very "here today... gone later today" - David Lee Roth.
While I'm no GandR fan to begin with, even if I were, I couldn't possibly blame Rose for cashing in on the name. I've no idea what his finances are. And it's always odd to me when fans (or former fans) behave as if they should have been consulted with first.
This is so far from Guns N Roses.. What Axl is doing is pathetic..
The music really is laughable.
Good one Sal. must keep our eyes and now ears on the Chinese. good partners should alwasy be alert - luv em or hate em Guns will still be around
keep up the good writing !
Scott
Very cool, Sal. And thanks for the shoutout and quote in your article.
Sal. You should have saved your prejudging and just listend to the music. I was never a big fan, but was sent a copy by a friend. It is brilliant. It doesnt sound dated. It might be a long time in the making, but it is as good if not better than anything I have heard released in 2008. Whatever name the package has is just marketing.
I didn't know there were any "self respecting" Guns 'N' Roses fans...
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
