The more listens I give this album the more it absorbs. It's really a good album despite only being Axel. His voice sounds really good at times. Guns & Roses went grunge at times listening to this album.
Yup. It should also be noted that Brian's guitar track on this version was copy pasted from several takes, and is not a straight, unique one.
Brian May worked on 3 songs. Catcher in the Rye, Atlas Shrugged, and one other. Classic Rock, a UK magazine, previewed a batch of tracks in 2007, and reviewed them. Atlas Shrugged with Brian May got a good review. It's been described as "November Rain meets T-Rex"
2007 "In addition to these leaked tracks, Classic Rock has heard versions of Rhiad And The Bedouins, Prostitute, Atlas Shrugged (another track featuring the signature guitar of Brian May) and Silkworms." (Classic Rock, 07/07)
...and slightly electro-industrial. I think part of the reason it didn't connect was that it was already kind of dated-sounding before it was ever released. Often when legacy artists try to sound "contemporary", it ends up being something that sounds instantly of it's time. Going by the early leaks and 2002 live performances, much of what ended up on the final album was already in place around the turn of the millennium, which means Gn'R basically released a late-90's/early 2000's record in 2008. Sound/production-wise, it's like if the Rolling Stones had released Dirty Work in 1995.
It sounds very 1998-99 to me...that era where guitar bands were using drum loops and heavily processed guitars on everything. Which doesn't make it bad, but definitely places it in a certain timeframe.
I would take a release in that time zone as well. I'm getting a lot out out of this album after each listen. Layered immensely Chinese Democracy is.
Album hasn't aged well at all for me. They could do much better with the current band and with a more simplistic approach where they just hit the studio and have fun.
I totally agree. Get the rhythm section recording in the same room and feed off each other's musicality, write some new music and kick some ass. My greatest fear is the new record will also feature Axl vocal takes from a decade ago with copy and pasted random millionth-overdubs from random musicians throughout the years. I don't think the production on Chinese Democracy did a lot of those songs any favors
That's what Slash wanted. Axl wanted to basically make hard-rock Elton John records. I don't really see anything to indicate either has really changed their approach much in the intervening decades, which is why I don't think you're going to see another Guns album.
Although I never thought Slash and Axl would ever play in the same musical group ever again to begin with, so hey you never know! To me the fact that (according to Axl's China Exchange Interview) Slash and Duff took it upon themselves to learn the CD material and work hard at it and even dug the newer material Axl played for them to me is an indication that nothing is impossible in that sense. I could see the possibility of a happy medium being reached if the situation is right
Guns was a Grunge influence for upcoming 1990's at least that something good they accomplished besides a 30 million album seller. I like the band just wish they made albums into the at least the grunge era 1990 1995. They may have had a few more good albums left. Chinese Democracy could of fit in 1999--99 as an Axel solo album.
I'd love to be wrong about this. My prediction is just that Slash & Duff won't want to be basically session men on an album full of entirely Axl compositions, and Axl won't be all that into writing to Slash's straight-up rock riffs, much like what happened in the mid-90's. Izzy, of course, is the one who could possibly bridge this gap (and bring in some much-needed creative spark as well), but we all know (as of now) that's not happening. Again, I'd love to be wrong, but it seems to me very much like a Van Halen situation...we did get a Van Halen record, after many, many years, but it was heavily derived from outtakes and unused ideas from the 70's, and I don't think Dave and Eddie were in the studio at the same time very often. I know there's some unreleased Guns tunes from the early days, so it wouldn't surprise me to see them take a page from the VH camp and use at least one or two of those ideas.
I just picked up CD, it was cheap and I do like parts of it. It's just a bit overworked and dense, dozens of overdubs on every track, and some ugly autotune. And there's a certain sameness to the material.
That is a fair point as well, I can see it going either way. Personally I hope there is some eye opening on both sides that would make them able to put something fresh together. Like, maybe we can pray that Axl being with AC/DC has given him the reignited spark of riff-rock that Slash is great at bringing to the table, and maybe by Slash revisiting songs like November Rain and Estranged live night after night he would be totally down to contribute to more piano/ballad driven stuff as well On a side note, I hope that this new lineup does at some point find that spark to just go and do something! Like even in the case of Axl, my favorite recorded moment of his in the past 20 years comes from when he had that spark to guest on Sebastian Bach's album Angel Down and lay down some killer raspy rockin' vocals. It isn't like Axl is a stranger to heavy riffs either, after all that is the bread and butter that made GNR famous in the first place So like you I do truly hope that some middle ground can be found
Here's hoping. There's just a lot at play here, and to top it all off, no one in the band really wants to give interviews or talk about any of this, so it's all just speculation based on the last 30 years. (Side-note: I wonder if Slash wishes he could get some of those riffs back from his solo records. There was some good stuff there amidst the over-long running time of all three)
If people want the classic GNR sound, they will not get it without Izzy's involvement, which as you stated, appears to be unlikely at this point. That said, I somewhat doubt Axl is looking to regurgitate a 30 year old creative direction and approach to making music, at least in the studio. He clearly has no issue playing 30 year old songs year after year in concert, but Chinese Democracy showed he wanted to embrace new sounds, ideas and approaches in the studio.
