(Repost) Chinese Democracy - The Bring Back Glam! Review
Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 12:01AM I remember being so pumped to finally own Chinese Democracy. The day of release I went to Best Buy and grabbed a copy and ripped it open to listen in the car. I've since decided the album is excellent - but man people were mad when this thing came out! Originally published on November 24, 2008 this was the biggest news in rock for the entire month.
Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy
A decade and a half in the making, Chinese Democracy is here for all the world (well, except China, but that's another story) to enjoy. The Guns n' Roses opus took nearly 15 years to produce and became the endless butt of music jokes over the years.
Today, Axl Rose is the one laughing...all the way to the bank.
A long wait usually creates controversy, and that's exactly the case with Chinese Democracy. I'll be honest: I wanted to hate the album, but I can't. I love it. I think it's basically phenomenal with amazing lyrics, great guitar work and over-the-top sonic production that just blows other modern rock releases out of the water.
Here's the track listing:
Chinese Democracy
Shackler's Revenge
Better
Street of Dreams
If the World
There Was a Time
Catcher in the Rye
Scraped
Riad n' the Bedouins
Sorry
I.R.S.
Madagascar
This I Love
Prostitute
What are my favorite tracks on Chinese Democracy?
"If the World" is easily my favorite song on the album, but I also dig the album's title track, "There Was a Time" and "This I Love." The thing about Chinese Democracy is that it is about as far from Appetite from Destruction that you can get - and I think that's a good thing. We already know and love "Sweet Child O' Mine" so maybe it's time we all grow up and learn to dig something with a modern flair. Chinese Democracy isn't an in-your-face record, either. This is the sort of album that takes several listens to really "get." There are a lot of layers here - each listen brings out a new complexity.
Now, I get the prejudice against Chinese Democracy. Quite frankly, no album should take upwards of 15 years to produce. The time wasted is one thing, the money another. Still, I think the final product is pretty damn amazing. Was it worth the wait? I'm not exactly sure. Am I glad the album is finally out and I can listen on my iPod while at work? Hell yes.
Seriously, though, Chinese Democracy is an album you need to hear for yourself. All the reviews in the world can't do it justice one way or another. This is a love it or hate it sort of situation. I love it, I already know some of you hate it - for better or worse, Guns n' Roses are back.
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