Very underrated album. I must say I don't hear much grunge in it. And I think that's a good thing considering how bad the second rate Nirvana imitators were in the 90s.
Because there is something there to absorb. I think it may be better than the Use Your Illusion albums (in terms of being a cohesive album without filler).
I've always really enjoyed it, but recently got a vinyl copy. Mine sounds really thin. Are the euro pressings better? I'd love this to sounds great, but mine sure doesn't.
A single album of the best of Illusion would've wiped the floor with it, but I think it's a more interesting and rewarding listen than UYI I or II separately.
If you scroll back through here some say it sounds great. I believe there is another thread on this where some say it sounds great, some say it doesn't.....unfortunately I fall in the "doesn't" camp. That's why I wondered if the Euro pressing sounds better.
Thanks for this. I pulled the CD off the shelf today for another listen and I must say that I pretty much agree with everything you've said. It's a weird record that somehow exists in a unique sonic world, but given the history, it's surprising how "normal" it actually is. Ultimately, I dig it.
This long piece was posted on the Billboard site yesterday, chronicling the history and future of Chinese Democracy. It includes the quote, "It was a sonic anomaly from the period, as it has almost no compression, with full dynamic range, which made it sound vintage, or alien to rock music fans being crushed by the loudness of records like Metallica's 2008 LP Death Magnetic." The Divisive Legacy & Surprising Future of Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy'
Indeed they are. Seek and you shall find. Some of the previously unreleased songs are incredible. Most of the rough mixes of the released songs, though, are remarkably similar to what ended up on the final album. Especially the vocal tracks. It makes you wonder what exectly Axl was doing with the album in the eight years between these mixes and the time the album was actually released. Apart from carefully placing more layers of guitars and orchestras on the top. Oh well. It's still worth seeking out. Like I said, some of it is great. And I doubt there will be a market for a legitimate, commercial release of Chinese Democracy outtakes. So get em while you can.
What it shows is that Axl lost clarity as he became consumed with the project. Zutaut said the album was essentially ready for release as far back as 2001. Axl couldn’t let it go and clearly wasted a lot of time and resources unnecessarily tweaking recordings year after year. For all the criticism Irving Azoff receives from music fans of various bands for a multitude of reasons, he has to be given partial credit for finally getting this album released.
If there's one post-1990 album I would love to see a boxset of it's this one. My favorite GNR album by far.
I have this on now. It's one of my favorite albums of all time. But I think it should have been called Use Your Illusion III. "All I've got is precious time"
I just recently picked up a sealed US vinyl pressing because they are ridiculously cheap (I got mine for $6.99). Here are my observations: 1. The vinyl is mastered beautifully. It is extremely dynamic and reveals far more than the CD IMO. How Bob Ludwig managed to do it with little to no compression and at an appropriate volume is amazing. I can enjoy the album from that perspective alone. 2. I thoroughly cleaned my LPs before I played them given what others said. It still has a little surface noise, but for $6.99 I'm not complaining and I have heard far worse. 3. Slapping the Guns n Roses name on an album containing one original member upset a lot of people and led them to expect something that sounding like the old Guns. I think that is where a lot of the hate comes from. Bottom line is you either like the songs or you don't. It is a very polarizing album. I really like about half the album and that is more than enough for me. I would be interested in hearing the euro pressing since apparently it is a much better pressing, but not unless I get a really good deal.
Great album. I wind up listening to it more than the Illusions nowadays. In my personal opinion, it's served better by some editing and rearranging of the tracks. From my post in the Chinese Democracy Song By Song thread. "My biggest issue with this album is the sequencing. This I Love is the perfect closer. It was already preceded by an overblown drag-then it goes on to some other "closing" sounding piece...which This I Love already accomplished, and finely so. Jacks my brain. So, a little snippity-doo-dah and I've got a re-sequenced, lightly truncated Chinese Democracy. 1. Chinese Democracy 2. Shackler's Revenge 3. Better 4. If The World 5. There Was A Time 6. Madagascar (edit out the speaky part which really drags the song down...much better without it) this down-tempo piece fits nicely in the middle as opposed to the end where it just made the last side a snooooore 7. Scraped 8. Prostitute (suits better on the backside of the half than at the end...gotta keep some movement and variation within this looooong album) 9.Raid N' The Bedouins 10. Sorry (might not be the best song on the album, but it's my favorite!) 11. I.R.S. 12. This I Love"
