Posted in: Rock by Ristifer on January 18, 2009 | 2 Comments
If there was ever a time to give a controversial album a chance, this would be it.
Many would not consider giving accolades to an album that took a reported 14 years to make. However, this is no ordinary album. With only one man left standing, Axl Rose took it upon himself to make this the most personal piece of work he has ever, and will ever, craft. Some would say that it’s only music, and some would squawk at the 14 years that it took for the 13 songs to come to fruition. To these people, I say that if you’re thinking about the duration of time it took to create a piece of art, then you’re not focusing on the music. What a shame.
‘Chinese Democracy’, an album that has come out more than 17 years after the last Guns N’ Roses studio recordings (Use Your Illusions I and II), has controversy surrounding it. The last standing member from the original band, the aforementioned Axl Rose, no longer has the Slash’s and Duff’s by his side to record the street-dirty rock and roll that was so prevalent in the late Eighties and early Nineties. Instead, an entirely new band has strapped itself into the Axl Rose saga in order to create an album of such varying genres. This is one of those albums that has everything, and has at least one song for every kind of music lover. Receiving much criticism from critics and fans alike, Rose made it difficult to believe that any kind of album could live up to an immense amount of hype. Even the title itself, Chinese Democracy, carries a significant amount of baggage with it, but thankfully, it also provides the listener with many remarkable feelings, woven into the fabrics of this album’s musical creation.
A brooding intro sets the tone for what will be an album full of unexpected twists and turns. The sound of Axl Rose’s trademark scream introduce the listener to a pseudo-industrial guitar-powered song with layered vocals by Mr. Rose. The lack of chorus takes some getting used to and the lyrics are just shy of what the rest of the album accomplishes, but the title track is a promising rocker that sets the pace for the album.
A song that debuted with the release of Rock Band 2, ‘Shackler’s Revenge’ is similar to ‘Chinese Democracy’, as it is a pulse-pounding rocker with layered vocals. The difference this time around is that this song features an infectious chorus that grabs the listener twice before launching into a semi-chugging middle section. This section, complemented by an outrageous guitar solo by Ron Thal (a.k.a. “Bumblefoot”) brings the song to a whole new level before concluding with the great chorus once again.
The third song on the album is the catchiest thus far in the tracklisting. People have considered Axl Rose to suffer from bipolar disorder, and even though he denies it, his songs reflect that kind of personality, especially with this one. A song about how love can inspire, yet when it’s taken away from you in a cruel fashion, you feel a loathing for someone who vanishes so quickly. In ‘Better’ you get a sense that Axl is influenced greatly by one person and he’s determined to show how much they mean to him, but when he is unable to, he screams about how he should have known better now that he knows them better. A nu-metal chug in the middle gives the song an aggressive edge, before a sentimental solo by Richard Fortus leads the song to a close.
Originally titled ‘The Blues’, ‘Street of Dreams’ was renamed in order to show that the song is a positive one. Much like ‘November Rain’ from ‘Use Your Illusion I’, the song uses the piano to move the rhythm of the song, with Rose’s piercing vocals moving over top of the tune, a la Janis Joplin. The mixture of piano and guitar will become a common thing for the rest of this album, as it is a combination used frequently. This is the first major appearance of the piano, and it is most welcome after three hard-rockers. The song is a beautiful piece with a great stuttering solo in the midst of the song, performed by Robin Finck. Great song that continues into the final burst of energy from the band with Rose’s vocals reaching a very high pitch to close the song with a great sing along section.
The first “experimental” song of the album is the fifth track. Try to picture a 70’s funk-inspired song but with a twist, making it sound like something from a porno soundtrack. Once you get used to it, the funky element really takes the song over. The brilliant touches of a flamenco guitar make the song quite unique and one that will capture the attention of the listener. The lyrics of this particular track are hopeful and actually talk about love, instead of lost love: “You’re the only one I have ever loved, that has ever loved me, and now you’ve got the best of me.” Again, great vocals that take the song to a perfect level.
Cue the long song/rant of Axl Rose. Titled ‘There Was A Time’ (or TWAT for you acronym lovers), this song is another “lost soul” tune that features Axl playing guitar throughout some of the song. Using the song to say that he’s moved on while saying he also remembers, Rose says “There was a time… I would do anything for you.” Clocking in at 6:41, ‘There Was A Time’ is the most remarkable song of the album. At first listen, it is a lot to take in and may feel a bit bloated, but when you begin to listen to this song for the third and fourth time, you recognize the effort and heart that went into recording such a piece of music. Let’s face it, the song throws you all over the place. Choirs, strings, several guitars, hip-hop beats. It just doesn’t sound like it would go together, but when you can take all of that and put it together like it is here, it is truly remarkable. The solo that carries the song for more than half the way is quite possibly one of the greatest guitar solos I have ever heard, played by Buckethead. You only get musical amusement rides to enjoy like this once in a while, and this is one ride you’ll love to go on again and again.
Obviously inspired by the J.D. Salinger book of the same title, ‘Catcher in the Rye’ is another organ/piano driven mid-tempo pop rock song, if I can call it that. The interesting thing about this song, apart from the other piano-driven songs, is that this has a taste of The Beatles and Queen thrown in for good measure. In fact, Brian May of Queen performed the solo on the song’s demo, but it did not make the final cut. The background sing-along parts give the song a lilting quality, which fits the song perfectly, as it is the perfect “poppy” song for the middle of the record.
The focus tends to shift from ballads to rockers on this album quite a bit, and with ‘Scraped’, there is a return to a more hard rock sound. Beginning with an awkward intro, Axl Rose uses his screeching voice once again and boldly states in the opening line, “Don’t you try to stop us now. I’ll just refuse.” This song incorporates Axl’s attitude and ego all in just over three-and-a-half minutes. Claims of being unstoppable even in a catastrophic lifestyle give this song the edge that previous songs lacked. Some will say that this song is just Rose’s ego being put on display, and in many ways, it is. However, you all had to see it coming with Axl Rose. As for the song, it is a pretty standard rocker with another chugging riff during the verses. A good way to balance the album out at this point.
A spacey intro leads into what could be 2008’s answer to Appetite for Destruction (Guns N’ Roses’ first record, released in 1987). A ferocity that has not been heard on this record thus far, Axl gives a great vocal performance as this song goes up and down like Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’. Another straight-up rocker of a song, with two fairly interpretive solos. The most impressive part of this song is the vocal approach, and as Axl belts it out, it is clear that he still has the pipes to cause a listener to get goose bumps.
The album slows down once again with ‘Sorry’, a Pink Floyd-esque mellow attempt at a song. A very different approach for Axl and Co. as it is separate from the other sounds of the album. This song, barring the solo, did not impress me as the rest of the album did. The slow and haunting nature of the song takes away the momentum of the previous two rockers and while it is still a good song, it simply doesn’t hold up to the rest of the album. Another great Buckethead solo saves ‘Sorry’ from being a complete drag-down and halting the album.
Only Axl Rose could take a rocker, make it a love song, while incorporating lyrics about the Internal Revenue Service. The main riff, while extremely basic, is almost intoxicating, as it just makes you want to sing along with it. You can picture little kids playing air guitar and jumping up and down to this riff. Again, it’s another good rocker and an ear-piercing scream from Rose over top of Buckethead’s shredding solo takes this song from a good rock song to a great one.
Winding down the album, ‘Madagascar’ was the song that the new line-up of Guns N’ Roses debuted to viewers during the 2002 MTV Video Awards. Rumoured to be a song written as far back as the mid-nineties, ‘Madagascar’ is a keyboard-driven song that is calm, yet brooding in its approach. Rose continues his spectacular vocals with a raspier version of Tom Waits’ signature voice. The song breaks in the middle for a section used for quotations from various movies and Martin Luther King Jr. Although a little lengthy, this section includes another great Buckethead solo which is subdued beneath the speech. With lyrics about not finding a way back to shore, the song gives the listener a feeling of silent hope. Hope that you can make it back to finding your way in life. With someone like Axl Rose, the lyrics have never been more potent on an album that clearly was him finding his way.
Reportedly written back when the original line-up was still up and running, ‘This I Love’ is apparently the third in a trilogy of songs, beginning with ‘Don’t Cry’ and ‘Estranged’ on the ‘Illusion’ albums. Very stripped down and emotional, this rather theatrical ballad shows Rose at his most vulnerable. From the title, it’s obvious that it is a love song. Many speculate that it’s about Rose’s old flame, supermodel Stephanie Seymour. Either way, it’s beautiful and haunting, with faint horns and a harp in the background. It’s not without its cheese factor, but it sucks you in with how gut-wrenching it is. A perfect selection for the second last song of the album.
The final song on ‘Chinese Democracy’ features shuffling drums as this mid-tempo ballad of sorts launches into a whirlwind of a composition. Another song about the struggles of life, Rose opposes those who “prostitute” themselves and turn their backs on what they believe in. The chorus, with its pounding guitars and exciting piano playing make this song quite the closer. Rose seems to say that if you do “prostitute” yourself, you’ll lose whatever love you have and you won’t be able to get it back: “Ask yourself why I would choose to prostitute myself to live with fortune and shame? You should have turned to the hearts of the ones you would not save.” ‘Prostitute’ is probably one of the best Guns N’ Roses songs I’ve ever heard, as it sounds fresh each time you hear it. With the fading piano and orchestral parts at the end, you can almost picture watching a sunset as the music fades into nothingness. The album ends very softly, and leaves you wanting more of Mr. Rose’s crazy taste for music.
If there were an album that could leave you breathless where you’re asking yourself, “What the hell just happened?” it would be this album. Something extraordinary for 2008. The 14 years of silence before Chinese Democracy’s release made this album an almost surreal experience, but it’s always the music that should speak for itself. It doesn’t matter about the years in between albums, or who may be in or outside the band. This album is a vision and it shows on every song in one form or another (A-).
ML Sheldon January 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Very good review. It’s cute that you gave it a letter grade… hehehe.
Shannon Lynn Farlouis January 28th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Very interesting. I was in high scool in the 80’s. They were one of my favorites. I’ve seen them in concert live. I loved thier music and still do.