Being all old and shit, I saw GNR come up before SWEET CHILD O'MINE hit the airwaves (and live quite a few times). I saw a one great dangerous whisky rock and roll band go from losing a drummer to drugs, to gaining perhaps a technically better (but stale and generic) drummer, to losing Izzy and gaining Gilby (who I'm acquainted with) and forward.

My opinion of Use Your Illusion are, quite simply put it could have been a great single release, but the double release was sort of a jerkfest, with a bunch of shit filler.

As far as the band is concerned, without the original lineup (even with Steven Adler, I know he's a complete drugged out loser, I could tell you first hand stories about his fucked-upness) it's just not the same.

FFWD to the new "GNR" record. It's an AXL ROSE SOLO ALBUM. With that being said, is it any good? I've heard it and I think it's ok, quite generic at times. I understand the experimentation but clearly this is AXL ROSE AND FRIENDS, make no mistake. The insert whomever's lead guitar solo (here) doesn't take place of Slash, nor or is it really as good or as rock and roll really; and the whole Izzy great songwriting mixed with Axl's ideas are obviously none to be found here.

I'd hope that some 14 years later and 15 or so million down the drain that this would be a decent record. On one hand, I'm glad that crazy Axl finally released it, but on the other hand when I hear stories about how he coerced the band into signing away the GNR name to him or he wouldn't go on tour for UYI (on the night the tour was to begin) I on the other hand say, fuck Axl and him using the GNR name.

Go back in history ok, we all know that Tracii Guns is really the 1/2 of the Guns name, and rightfully so that Axl moved forward with the name; but once a band of legendary status is begot; one that changed rock and roll and really (if you saw them before Adler left) were a phenomenon of sorts; I don't know how much I can get behind the ideology of all of this. I'm not the biggest GNR fan at all, but I have to call it like it was.

A good friend of mine a couple years back asked me if I'd want to go see GNR play MSG. While I think again on one hand it's great that AXL is still doing it, on the other hand I have to think of the band that really made up the collective sound, and that band hasn't been in existence for some time (note, I didn't go to see them).

But due to the battle of the superegos, it's possible a reunion may never surface. I feel bad for the GNR fans that missed it. There are always glimpses of what might happen (Izzy playing with Axl onstage at recent GNR shows, Slash perhaps burying the hatchet with Axl, Velvet Revolver done and over, etc), I'm not going to say it'll never happen but I guess this will have to do now, this new "GNR" album.

I personally don't even think I'd go see GNR if they did a reunion anyway, but I think a new GNR album has to include Axl, Izzy, Slash, and Duff. They could get away with it with just the 3 core members without Duff, but it still wouldn't be the same.

When I saw GNR when Adler left and Matt Sorum became drummer (I saw one of their first gigs with Sorum), it was completely a bummer to me. I saw this band starting to demise and I personally think this was the beginning of the end.

The record company though made out like bandits...that is; until Axl the piranna strung these faggots along like the mouse looking for a good piece of cheeze. I guess the joke is on everyone else at this point since Axl waited so long to release this (notice, Velvet Revolver is dead, etc). Could be a coincidence, but I doubt it.

Not at all, Sebastian Bach must have had Axl's penis in his mouth when he said that.

I disagree. It has a VERY Black Sabbathy sound, and its not just the vocals, but once the song kicks in, even the music sounds Sabbathy, with the monotonous guitar tones. The only time when it loses this vibe when the they start playing the solo.

Speaking of Sebastian Bach. It's kinda funny how he sucks up to Axl Rose these days, considering how Axl fucked up his career. I mean, Skid Row went from playing dull, run of the mill glam metal, to actually releasing a good second album. But supporting GNR following that album, and Axl Rose's 'let's cancel as many shows as possible' attitude, successfully helped Skid Row turn into a comma in the history of music.

And then he went and did this:

Sebastian Bach raps (rapes) LL Cool J

Sebastian Bach is beyond all repair now.

Is anyone else having trouble with the drpepper.com? Is it an Internet Explorer only website?

I am. I'm guessing that it's just all the traffic they're getting, though.

Don't stretch the screen.

Yeah, that's what it is. Apparently the website has been down for hours, so they put a message online telling people to call the Dr. Pepper consumer hotline, but now that's completely swamped, too! People are waiting on hold for hours to get a coupon for a free soda that they won't get for another 4-6 weeks. It's insane what people will do for a free Dr Pepper

And This California Love

They now have switched it over to a text version of their website. Time to make up some names to get myself at least half a dozen drinks!

I wonder if Axl would be mad if everyone went and downloaded the album right now without buying it...

yeah he probably would.

You heard the rabbit. Start downloading.

In all honesty though, I don't feel that any cost is worth it after waiting this long for a sub-par album. If you take 17 years to make your next album and it isn't at the very least overflowing with memorable riffs that will stick with people for years to come, I demand a refund. Fuck you, Axl.

Just spent 30 min waiting on the phone and some Mexican woman finally picked up. I shall receive my free dr pepper voucher in 4-6 weeks

Dammit, I think the Dr. Pepper site crashed because of all that traffic. I haven't even gotten my voucher yet.

The album sucks though, but you all know that.

I love how the most expensive album in the history of man gets released and it gets overshadowed by Dr. Pepper giving away free drinks.

Mankind dies another small death.

Call the number, after a little wait and some of the most homosexual waiting music you can possibly imagine a kindhearted Mexican woman will get to your request.

I consider it a rebirth, not a death!

Damn...I think I kinda liked some of Chinese Democracy. I don't know if I should feel dirty.

I'm a sucker for ballads, and it's full of them...Sigh. And I thought Axl wouldn't be able to sing like in the old days; I was wrong, it's full of wails. I'll probably get tired of it in 3 listens, but the first one was actually not bad at all.

No, I actually agree with you... I think the negativity surrounding the album is a bit exaggerated. Although I do feel it's a wee bit ballad-heavy. Could have done with more "rock."

I don't understand the expectation that this would sound like Appetite For Destruction/"good ol' GnR." It's been 17+ years since the last real album(s), and the lineup has been totally replaced, in places more than others. Axl's been the only consistent member throughout the entire thing, so of COURSE it's going to sound like an Axl Rose solo album.

And what's this about accusations of tracks sounding like nu-metal? Shackler's Revenge has Buckethead's industrial-ish guitar tone, but it's definitely a hard rock song. How in the world does it sound like Slipknot, Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, or Mudvayne?

No, the album does not live up to the hype. How could it? Axl Rose would have to be a composer on the scale of Wagner to pull off such an overwrought, overwritten, and ambitious project with that time frame. But I do think some people here came in wanting to hate the album, and thus feel justified when it wasn't an audio messiah. I'd call it average (maybe slightly sub-par thanks to the overabundance of ballads), but that doesn't warrant the kind of anger usually reserved for things like St. Anger or The Unspoken King.

This being said, there is one aspect that I really like of the album: the layers. It's the one aspect of the album that is Wagnerian. Whether you want to believe that the layers were well-done or not, it's at the very least an improvement over the minimalistic-because-we-have-no-ideas shit that's been dominating radio play since the 90s.

To be honest, I believe this album is strictly modern-rock. That's what it sounds like to me, and I haven't gotten to the ballads yet thankfully. Probably won't.

Listened to two songs. Had a good laugh. Shook my head. Sipped some coffee. And proceeded with my life.

http://www.drpepper.com/text/

Time limit extended! Make sure you get your 23 flavors people!

I await the voucher for my delicious fruity drink. The only reason I've ever cared about Chinese Democracy is the promotion, to be honest.

Can you feel that cold?

That that's the chill of Hell freezing over.

One must never question Sebastian Bach. For he is a SAVAGE ANIMAL! (It'd be hilarious is that reference fell completely on deaf ears and I look like an idiot. In fact, I hope that happens - simply for the hillarity of it.)

Sebastian is apparently starting up a project with Slash, but has stated he is definately not becoming VR's new singer.

Back on topic, I think it would of been interesting if Slash and Duff, instead of signing the name over to Axl (He threatened to leave if this was not done.) they had let him go and Duff, who has shown he can sing, took over on vocals - or even if they found a new vocalist. I wonder if things would of gone in a similar direction in terms of "This isn't the real GnR!" or not...

Why is this shit coming out?!! Oh Lord, whyyyy...?!!!

Anyway, I, as many people already mentioned, hope the album is an epic disaster that causes Axl Rose to suicide in a very violent way and that the video ends up on YouTube.

I wished they chose the a different name for this album so that I can continue saying "Chinese Democracy" will never happen.

It amazes and saddens me that it took Guns N Roses 17 years to release musical diarrhea while it took Spawn of Posession only 2 years to release God in a CD format.

This is a really bad release. Enough said. Music for the rockin' 40+ who are far past their prime.

Buckethead appears on all tracks except 7 and 13. His distinct lead work is one of the only redeeming aspects of the album.

Distinct, but totally forgettable.

I never really liked Guns n Roses, but I can hear some of Slash's guitar solos in my head because at least they were memorable. Buckethead just wanks his guitar off randomly. My opinion.

The album is brilliant. Shoot me down now...

this is when everyone says:

"Why Are They Still Playing!?"

In regards to Skid Row getting fucked up by a GNR tour, I think the problem with Skid Row was that their failure was based on a timing issue and Sebbie being all on coke. By 1991 no one gave a shit about hair metal and that whole thing. Skid Row should have come out in 1985 instead of 1987 with that first album, but that's the breaks; they could have had a better run.

I saw them on the tour for SLAVE TO THE GRIND in which they did their own headlining show at the new Ritz (I believe it was; and although the pop cheeze freak in me likes the first album better than the Aerosmith groove thing all of a sudden) and it was a cool show. But the trend was passing them by, like many of those bands at the time. I knew lots of them that had deals and got dropped out of Nirvana getting signed to Geffen, and then ever major had to have their Nirvana, just like every label had to have their version of GNR before.

I can't beleive people even cared about this album. After so long, how could you think it would be anything more than a mess? As for Skid Row, well my dad's playing of them in the car when I was younger turned me into a closet fan. We are the youth gone wild!

Axl has pulled a hissy fit over the promotion thing, google "axl rose dr. pepper"

I'm with you there. Its a bizarre (not like a Boredoms or Sunn album way) album that mixes pop, hard rock, shred, electronica, orchestral pomp rock, nu metal, industrial and a slice of old GNR all on one album, some on ONE SONG. And like Helloween's Chameleon, its catchier than Malaria even if you hate it at first and think "Why am I liking this"? And then theres the whole issue of Axl being a whole fruitcake believing in past lives, crystal balls, and domestic abuse and Buckethead- and it just makes for a fun great trainwreck of an album that happens to be one of the albums of the year for me. Not quite metal, but just brilliant and weird, but not in an inaccessible way.

Also, it was mixed and mastered by Andy Wallace and Bob Ludwig, guys that aren't getting as much clientele these days, because guys like Metallica and Rush (other mainstream players) want their albums to have digital distortion and clip. But its cool Axl actually picked the most dynamic version of three masters (according to Ludwig), so he gets props for that right there as well.

[quote="Ribos"][quote="RageW"]

And what's this about accusations of tracks sounding like nu-metal? Shackler's Revenge has Buckethead's industrial-ish guitar tone, but it's definitely a hard rock song. How in the world does it sound like Slipknot, Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, or Mudvayne?

quote]


Hmm, what do I think?

i think it sounds closer to Marilyn Manson or Rob Zombie's (solo) harder tracks, meets some of Buckethead's mid-period work. With a Jonathan Davis style vocal melody on top. Its deceptively complex, its better than most "industrial hard rock" songs, but to me its sounding contemporary (for the late ninetieS) in a way makes it one of the weaker songs on the album. Of course Buckethead's solo on it slays though.