Sen
11-19-2008, 07:46 PM
Here we are, just days away from the release of the notorious Chinese Democracy, an album trapped in the recording process for so long, many had written it off as that fictitious Guns N? Roses project that seemed forever destined to remain just a dream instead of reality. Having taken thirteen years to make, the record is considered long overdue, and almost guaranteed to not live up to expectations, weighed down by an earlier body of work held so high on the rock n? roll pedestal, the idea of reaching anywhere near seems next to impossible. And with only one original member of the band still in attendance, frontman Axl Rose, many contend that the band about to put out the album is not the real Guns N? Roses, with old heavyweights like Slash or Duff McKagan not factored into the equation. Still, others maintain that Axl was the real creative force in the outfit to begin with, and without his former bandmates in the picture, he is free to take the group and its sound in whatever direction he so desires.
Regardless, about to be bestowed upon us is the next chapter in the Guns N? Roses legacy, with a release date of November 23, 2008. Now, we?ve been in this position several times before in the last decade, where Chinese Democracy was slated to be unleashed upon the public on a specific date, and then was not, Axl having dangled it above our heads only to pull it away saying it wasn?t ready yet. But the difference here is that several of the album?s tracks have already been revealed and heard by many, surfacing in a variety of ways, from the traditional means of regular radio airplay and the internet, to the more obscure method of downloadable content for the video game, Rock Band 2. This time we actually have substance to go along with the claims of a new record. So all signs point to Chinese Democracy actually coming out this time, and from what I hear, will be sold exclusively at Best Buy stores, much like how AC/DC handled distribution of their new release, Black Ice, solely through Wal-Mart.
So I guess the real question here is, does anybody care?
I?ll probably pick it up when it comes out. I don?t expect it to be mind-blowingly awesome or anywhere close to the Use Your Illusions successor I?ve always wished for, but I?ve encountered maybe five or six tracks off the album, and they weren?t bad. Ranging from pretty good to decent (which is already better than I had feared and half-expected), none seemed awful or not worth listening to again, so that?s a plus. It?s hard for a band to reclaim it?s former glory, especially when there?s been so much change, but hey, Metallica pretty much flushed themselves down the toilet only to be plunged back to the surface in fine form with Death Magnetic (which in my opinion is the best thing they?ve done in twenty years), so maybe there?s still hope for Guns N? Roses. If things go according to plan, we?ll see for sure just how Axl and his [new] buddies are faring in just under a week. Anybody else preparing themselves for Chinese Democracy?
Regardless, about to be bestowed upon us is the next chapter in the Guns N? Roses legacy, with a release date of November 23, 2008. Now, we?ve been in this position several times before in the last decade, where Chinese Democracy was slated to be unleashed upon the public on a specific date, and then was not, Axl having dangled it above our heads only to pull it away saying it wasn?t ready yet. But the difference here is that several of the album?s tracks have already been revealed and heard by many, surfacing in a variety of ways, from the traditional means of regular radio airplay and the internet, to the more obscure method of downloadable content for the video game, Rock Band 2. This time we actually have substance to go along with the claims of a new record. So all signs point to Chinese Democracy actually coming out this time, and from what I hear, will be sold exclusively at Best Buy stores, much like how AC/DC handled distribution of their new release, Black Ice, solely through Wal-Mart.
So I guess the real question here is, does anybody care?
I?ll probably pick it up when it comes out. I don?t expect it to be mind-blowingly awesome or anywhere close to the Use Your Illusions successor I?ve always wished for, but I?ve encountered maybe five or six tracks off the album, and they weren?t bad. Ranging from pretty good to decent (which is already better than I had feared and half-expected), none seemed awful or not worth listening to again, so that?s a plus. It?s hard for a band to reclaim it?s former glory, especially when there?s been so much change, but hey, Metallica pretty much flushed themselves down the toilet only to be plunged back to the surface in fine form with Death Magnetic (which in my opinion is the best thing they?ve done in twenty years), so maybe there?s still hope for Guns N? Roses. If things go according to plan, we?ll see for sure just how Axl and his [new] buddies are faring in just under a week. Anybody else preparing themselves for Chinese Democracy?