In anticipation of Axl's return to the Dublin stage tomorrow, supported by Thin Lizzy (I would guess a special encore with Scott Gorham maybe on a Lizzy track, given Axl's adoration of the band) - a retro look at THE magnum opus; the album that, as the years passed from 1993 to 2008, was almost granted mythical status due to the controversy and enormous hype around it's very existence. A decade plus in the making, it was Axl Rose finally releasing the music in 2008 he began in 1996.

And as many of the reviews point out, including the one below, the astonishing thing is it almost lives up to that hype - even NME and "indie" press reviews from 2008 proclaimed surprise that Axl had just about pulled it off. The review and that great quote here:

"..I find myself impressed by how close Chinese Democracy comes to fulfilling the absurdly impossible expectation it self-generated, and I not-so-secretly wish this had actually been a triple album"

[www.avclub.com]

it was much better than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums

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keefriffhard4life
it was much better than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums

???????

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DandelionPowderman

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keefriffhard4life
it was much better than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums

???????

no question here. USE YOUR ILLUSIONS was a great 50 minute album streched into 2 ok 70 minute albums. with pointless covers, alternate versions of songs, already released soundtrack songs and of course the horrid closer "my world".

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keefriffhard4life

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DandelionPowderman

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keefriffhard4life
it was much better than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums

???????

no question here. USE YOUR ILLUSIONS was a great 50 minute album streched into 2 ok 70 minute albums. with pointless covers, alternate versions of songs, already released soundtrack songs and of course the horrid closer "my world".

Well, two covers, that is, one of them was superb.

Which alternate versions of songs? Only two versions of Don't Cry?

You Could Be Mine was the single, and they got it placed in Terminator for marketing...

Mostly there are great tracks on UYI I and II, imo. CD is a joke in comparison.

The Use Your Illusion-albums are made by a band, and has a uniqoe sound.

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civil war was already recorded and released on some compilation of anti war songs or something before that.

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keefriffhard4life
civil war was already recorded and released on some compilation of anti war songs or something before that.

Thanks, I didn't know that.

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DandelionPowderman

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keefriffhard4life
civil war was already recorded and released on some compilation of anti war songs or something before that.

Thanks, I didn't know that.

[en.wikipedia.org]

also "don't cry", "november rain" and at least 1 other tune were leftovers from the AFD era

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keefriffhard4life
it was much better than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums

it was much shorter than the USE YOUR ILLUSIONS albums



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-16 15:38 by dcba.

Let me guess:

It's still just as bad as when it came out.

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keefriffhard4life

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DandelionPowderman

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keefriffhard4life
civil war was already recorded and released on some compilation of anti war songs or something before that.

Thanks, I didn't know that.

[en.wikipedia.org]

also "don't cry", "november rain" and at least 1 other tune were leftovers from the AFD era

OK, but why does that make UYI I and II inferior to the CD-album, where the material spans from 1996?

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Quite a lot of songs on UYI were older ones, but Slash remarked at the time they wanted to record everything - older ones, latest ones, and just release everything

'Don't Cry' dates from 1985, the first song Axl and Izzy ever wrote together. I have a clip of Guns playing this track, acoustically, January '86.

Plus, 'Back of Bitch' dates from 1986 also as well as a few others - Guns' play them at a wonderful DVD bootleg from the Roxy, January 1986. By that stage even they had almost all of 'Appetite' written as they play the bulk of it in that show, alongside selected covers, including 'Jumpin Jack Flash'!

I love the Illusion albums, true they could have used some trimming but by and large, still love 'em. Ditto ChiDem, after initially feeling it was very good in places but not matching the hype generated, over the years I've begun to really love it. A few duffers, but mostly high quality stuff.

Wow, I completely disregarded CD, even though loving the UYI albums. Just can't stand Axl anymore.

Is there a general consensus that CD is a great album then? Is it worth buying?

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treaclefingers
Wow, I completely disregarded CD, even though loving the UYI albums. Just can't stand Axl anymore.

Is there a general consensus that CD is a great album then? Is it worth buying?

people with an open mind who don't care that no one else is in the band and don't mind some modern touches love it. people that want to hear the same stuff as 20 year ago hate it.
these are probably my 3 favorite tunes:

Id say the bottles will fly like @#$%& in Dublin tomorrow night......

I don't know how or even if this an accurate story....but I didn't want to open another OT thread... so here goes:

[www.guitarworld.com]


While the fallout between Axl Rose and Slash is well documented, it seems Guns N' Roses' management team has decided to take the animosity up a notch.

NME.com reports that fans wearing Slash T-shirts aren't being admitted into Guns N' Roses shows during the band's current UK tour.

During GNR's show at London's O2 Arena last night, an NME source noticed that a member of the crowd wasn't wearing a shirt under his jacket. When asked why, the fan, James Revell, 18, said he was told by security to remove his Slash T-shirt.

According to the NME.com report, the NME source asked security personnel if this was the case and was told, "We were told by management not to allow anyone into the O2 Arena who is wearing a Slash T-shirt, and we are asking anyone who is to remove it and if they refuse they will be turned away."

Revell spoke to NME today, adding, "I felt very angry because I was looking after my little brother at the time and felt as though my freedom to wear what I want had been taken away from me; however, I did not react angrily as I didn't want to spoil the show for him."

I don't think Chinese Democracy had enough overdubs on it.

Did any CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs "get known" and sell? I listened to the album when it came out, but today can't remember any of the songs off the top of my head (like I can other GnR songs). I mean, even STREETS OF LOVE—which a lot of Stones fans loath (I like it)—hit #1 in Spain, and placed in the top 5 in some other European countries' singles charts.

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Title5Take1
Did any CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs "get known" and sell? I listened to the album when it came out, but today can't remember any of the songs off the top of my head (like I can other GnR songs). I mean, even STREETS OF LOVE—which a lot of Stones fans loath (I like it)—hit #1 in Spain, and placed in the top 5 in some other European countries' singles charts.

That might be because you only listened to it once years ago - I say this in fairness to Axl. I really wanted to dislike the album - it was just too perfect: a set up to be the punchline to some good jokes. But somehow Axl put out a surprisingly good album. There is a lot of melody.

Izzy's back too! He sang "14 Years" at the London show.
And that's far more important than the post-G&R bs imo...

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dcba
Izzy's back too! He sang "14 Years" at the London show.
And that's far more important than the post-G&R bs imo...

izzy has performed close to if not more than 30 times with GNR over the last 12 years

How did one guy in the group get to use the name of that group for his solo career?

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open-g
I don't know how or even if this an accurate story....but I didn't want to open another OT thread... so here goes:

[www.guitarworld.com]


While the fallout between Axl Rose and Slash is well documented, it seems Guns N' Roses' management team has decided to take the animosity up a notch.

NME.com reports that fans wearing Slash T-shirts aren't being admitted into Guns N' Roses shows during the band's current UK tour.

During GNR's show at London's O2 Arena last night, an NME source noticed that a member of the crowd wasn't wearing a shirt under his jacket. When asked why, the fan, James Revell, 18, said he was told by security to remove his Slash T-shirt.

According to the NME.com report, the NME source asked security personnel if this was the case and was told, "We were told by management not to allow anyone into the O2 Arena who is wearing a Slash T-shirt, and we are asking anyone who is to remove it and if they refuse they will be turned away."

Revell spoke to NME today, adding, "I felt very angry because I was looking after my little brother at the time and felt as though my freedom to wear what I want had been taken away from me; however, I did not react angrily as I didn't want to spoil the show for him."

Axl is a 100% complete douchebag.

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Palace Revolution 2000

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Title5Take1
Did any CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs "get known" and sell? I listened to the album when it came out, but today can't remember any of the songs off the top of my head (like I can other GnR songs). I mean, even STREETS OF LOVE—which a lot of Stones fans loath (I like it)—hit #1 in Spain, and placed in the top 5 in some other European countries' singles charts.

That might be because you only listened to it once years ago - I say this in fairness to Axl. I really wanted to dislike the album - it was just too perfect: a set up to be the punchline to some good jokes. But somehow Axl put out a surprisingly good album. There is a lot of melody.

You said it. It's a Axl album, not a GNR album. And yes, no CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs were ever played on the radio or became hits or remembered or liked. It's just one giant FAIL.

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71Tele
How did one guy in the group get to use the name of that group for his solo career?

He bought the rights to the name. Sort of like how Nine Inch Nails was all Trent Reznor, he just gave it a "band" name. Big difference between the two "bands", of course.

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71Tele
How did one guy in the group get to use the name of that group for his solo career?

Slash said one thing he really regrets is signing over the rights of the name "Guns N Roses" to Axl. Axl just went around to each band member (as I recall, Slash said they were all hanging backstage somewhere) and asked them to sign over the band name to him. I don't know what reasoning Axl gave them. But they fell for it and each signed the document. I'd regret it, too, if I were Slash.

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Palace Revolution 2000

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Title5Take1
Did any CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs "get known" and sell? I listened to the album when it came out, but today can't remember any of the songs off the top of my head (like I can other GnR songs). I mean, even STREETS OF LOVE—which a lot of Stones fans loath (I like it)—hit #1 in Spain, and placed in the top 5 in some other European countries' singles charts.

That might be because you only listened to it once years ago - I say this in fairness to Axl. I really wanted to dislike the album - it was just too perfect: a set up to be the punchline to some good jokes. But somehow Axl put out a surprisingly good album. There is a lot of melody.

You said it. It's a Axl album, not a GNR album. And yes, no CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs were ever played on the radio or became hits or remembered or liked. It's just one giant FAIL.

you must not ever look at billboard.com. there were 2 hits. the title track hit the billboard top 40 and the top 5 on mainstream rock and "better" hit the billboard top 100 and again top 5 on mainstream rock.

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Title5Take1

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71Tele
How did one guy in the group get to use the name of that group for his solo career?

Slash said one thing he really regrets is signing over the rights of the name "Guns N Roses" to Axl. Axl just went around to each band member (as I recall, Slash said they were all hanging backstage somewhere) and asked them to sign over the band name to him. I don't know what reasoning Axl gave them. But they fell for it and each signed the document. I'd regret it, too, if I were Slash.

Well, in that case I take back everything I've ever said about Axl being stupid.

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keefriffhard4life

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Palace Revolution 2000

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Title5Take1
Did any CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs "get known" and sell? I listened to the album when it came out, but today can't remember any of the songs off the top of my head (like I can other GnR songs). I mean, even STREETS OF LOVE—which a lot of Stones fans loath (I like it)—hit #1 in Spain, and placed in the top 5 in some other European countries' singles charts.

That might be because you only listened to it once years ago - I say this in fairness to Axl. I really wanted to dislike the album - it was just too perfect: a set up to be the punchline to some good jokes. But somehow Axl put out a surprisingly good album. There is a lot of melody.

You said it. It's a Axl album, not a GNR album. And yes, no CHINESE DEMOCRACY songs were ever played on the radio or became hits or remembered or liked. It's just one giant FAIL.

you must not ever look at billboard.com. there were 2 hits. the title track hit the billboard top 40 and the top 5 on mainstream rock and "better" hit the billboard top 100 and again top 5 on mainstream rock.

Obviously a major typo on Billboard's part.

Here's a not-so-positive review from the Washington Post a few months ago:


"For three torturous hours, the guys sucked the life force from some of the most anthemic rock songs ever written".

In concert: Guns N’ Roses at Fillmore Silver Spring
By Chris Richards

[www.washingtonpost.com]


Axl Rose took the stage at midnight and it was all downhill from there.

Guns N’ Roses stepped onto the Fillmore Silver Spring stage a few ticks after midnight on Friday morning and didn’t pack it up until 3:04?a.m.

It wasn’t a rock concert. It was a hostage situation.

Where did these guys even find the gall to call themselves Guns N’ Roses? Led by the band’s only original member, frontman Axl Rose, this unfocused eight-man crew pranced and preened with the enthusiasm and talent of a tribute band. For three torturous hours, the guys sucked the life force from some of the most anthemic rock songs ever written — “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Paradise City” and “November Rain” among them.

To call it a train wreck wouldn’t be right. Train wrecks are fast and violent. This was like being stuck in gridlock traffic behind a garbage truck in August.

Since Guns N’ Roses’ beloved original lineup dissolved in the mid-’90s, Rose has become a master of this brand of showbiz sadism. In order to bask in his mediocrity, we must wait. Fans stuck around for 15 years as the man tinkered with “Chinese Democracy,” the 2008 opus that only proved how far he had fallen. Now, at age 50, Rose is touring with this version of Guns N’ Roses as the band prepares to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.

Dreamers dreamed that this warm-up tour of relatively intimate club dates might include some of the band’s early members — guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, drummer Steven Adler — that fantastic collision of characters that made Guns N’ Roses so magnetic 25 years ago when its album “Appetite For Destruction” gave rock-and-roll its last massive injection of sex and danger.

Instead, Rose has surrounded himself with sloppy, unimaginative players that make him sound dated, safe and sexless. They had no command of pace or rhythm on Friday morning. Drum fills were dashed off. Guitar leads were hurried. And anytime Rose left the stage for one of the dozens of breathers he took throughout the set, the band would wander off into instrumental dead zones, as if trying to discover the intersection of pathetic and insulting. (They found it during a three-minute guitar solo over the “Pink Panther” theme.)


Vocally, Rose sounded battered but not beaten. His indelible screeching — half bird of prey, half race car brake pad — was never expected to last for a lifetime, but his voice sounded stronger than it should.

And he made up for any botched notes with those iconic moves, furiously pacing the stage, leaning against phantom walls, doing that snakey thing with his hips. His physicality was the only thing connecting him to a more glorious past.

So why did he keep leaving the stage? It only served as a repeated reminder of the Guns N’ Roses we weren’t seeing.

The evening’s primary stench emanated from Frank Ferrer’s drum kit as he carelessly let the songs slip out of focus. It felt most egregious during the finale of “November Rain,” as he turned those riveting rat-a-tat snare hits into lazy thwickity-thwacks.

More embarrassing: the Slash pantomime performed by guitarist DJ Ashba. He seems to have been hired for his ability to wear a top hat, play a Les Paul and smoke cigarettes simultaneously.

Even the group’s most veteran members — bassist Tommy Stinson and pianist Dizzy Reed — failed to bring dignity to these songs. Back to noodling at Guitar Center, all of you!

“Ya’ hangin’ in there?” Rose asked before “Shackler’s Revenge,” a song from “Chinese Democracy” that even fans in “Chinese Democracy” T-shirts seemed annoyed by. It was 1:59?a.m. Another 65?minutes to go.

A distended version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” was followed by the evening’s only real stage banter: Rose reminiscing about the legendary Baltimore rock club Hammerjacks. “I remember Maryland,” he told the thinning crowd. Yet somehow, this non-story felt endearing, reminding us that there was human being up there trying to be great again. Stockholm syndrome had officially set in. Encore! Encore!

Exhausted applause at 2:31?a.m. earned the audience another gratuitious guitar solo interlude, two more tunes from “Chinese Democracy,” the acoustic ballad “Patience” — irony! — and the band’s signature, “Paradise City.”

Fans sang along with new zeal, perhaps realizing the song’s double-time finale meant their freedom: “Take me down the paradise city?/ Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty?/ Oh, won’t you please take me home?”

Yes, yes, yes. Let’s all get home safely and quickly. Tomorrow, we start trying to forget this night ever happened.

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Nothing to do, nowhere to go...you're talkin' to people that you don't know....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-06-03 00:10 by Hairball.