Chinese Democracy - The Actual Review

So I'm three listens in, and it's time for the review.

You know the story. The last, real, full length Guns N' Roses album came out in 1992, so on some level, Chinese Democracy has been 16 years in the making.

There are plenty of people who will say that this band is NOT Guns N' Roses, and this is an Axl Rose solo album. I don't really care what it's called. For what it's worth, the largest part of Guns N' Roses is Axl Rose. I don't think it matters to me whether the the album is named after GNR or Axl. I'd want to hear it exactly the same. It's more fun that it's called Guns N' Roses.

So with great anticipation, I've listened to the record 3 times since I got it on Wednesday.

Something's missing.

I don't think that something is Slash. I don't think it's Izzy. I don't think it's Duff. I mean, it's missing those things, but I don't think by and large, that's the reason for what's missing.

It's just missing feeling. It's sterile. There are good songs. Well written, impeccably performed songs. There's nothing really "wrong" with any of the songs. There are some really good songs, a couple of average songs, and on the whole, it's a really solid album.

"Street Of Dreams," used to be called "The Blues," in all of its leaked versions. It's a grand, heartfelt, mid-tempo power ballad. There's no reason why this song shouldn't live on like "Don't Cry" did. Except that it's missing whatever that thing "Don't Cry" had. I don't buy it. It doesn't make me care. "Estranged" and "November Rain" were overblown and gaudy, they were overproduced, but they somehow, beyond all of that, felt sincere. They felt like he believed in them. They weren't just well written songs.

I like "Better," and I've liked it since I heard it what, almost 2 years ago. It seems to have 2 minutes of waste at the end of it, but it's a good song. There's something that keeps it from being great though. It doesn't have the chorus of "Sweet Child O' Mine," and it doesn't really have the feeling either. Again, it's a good song, and I'll listen to it a lot, but it doesn't really connect for me.

"Chinese Democracy," and "Scraped" are ass kickers. They sound good loud. They do not however, kick ass like "Welcome To The Jungle," "Garden Of Eden," or "Get In The Ring." Good songs, I just don't know what he's mad at. I have troulbe believing he's actually mad at anything.

"Catcher In The Rye," "IRS" and "There Was A Time," all good songs. All good songs that I like listening to, that don't make me feel anything.

Even without the comparisons of the past, I feel like the thought would be the same. I feel like the comparisons are just a good way to express the point.

I think it's a worthwhile buy, and I'd like to see the songs live. It's an album that has been slaved over for years, played on by tens of artists, and re-written and re-produced countless number of times. So technically, it sounds flawless. I guess that's the point. Rock N' Roll isn't supposed to be flawless.