Guns N’ Roses‘ most recent and last record, Chinese Democracy, leaves fans split with a distinct line down the middle. You either like the record or despise it. While the record is controversial among fans, they have their fair share of reasons. Fans like the music because it’s under the Guns N’ Roses name and has some bright spots. Others hate the album because only Axl Rose is the remaining original member.
By this point in the band’s career, 11 years had passed since Slash and Duff McKagan left. It wouldn’t be for another eight years until the “Not in This Lifetime…” reunion tour between the three. So, nestled comfortably between two historic moments sat Chinese Democracy, a record that has become one of the most expensive records to make that still, to this day, leaves fans arguing with one another.
The entire album has a run time of one hour and 11 minutes spread across 14 different songs. There are 12 different musicians who received credit on the record. From members of the “Not in This Lifetime…” reunion tour like Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer to post Use Your Illusion members like Buckethead and Paul Tobias, the record has a ton of musicians all on one song.
It’s only fitting that, for the record’s 16th anniversary this month, it’s featured as the November installment of the “Do You Remember” series.
The record starts with the title track. The almost five-minute song doesn’t have any real music until one minute in. This is the perfect opening song for the record. Robin Fink and Bumblefoot’s duel solos haven’t been heard on many GNR tunes up to this point. But it works – mostly because it’s different members of the band. The end of the song has a very dramatic ending that keeps the listener hooked.
Song two, “Shackler’s Revenge,” is a pretty good song but the gem early on is “Better” which is song three. This track appeared many times on their most recent tour and is an even better studio recording. It starts with a catchy opening riff at the beginning before a perfect harmonization by Rose is heard. The typical GNR hard rock is found throughout the record. But listeners can hear a swaying swagger during the chorus which makes it stand out.
“Better” ends on a softer note which is picked up by “Street of Dreams.” The song kicks off with a classic Dizzy Reed piano opening. Overall, it’s a great song and an underrated one on the album. GNR should play this song more often, it’s a “rarity” in the band’s discography. Behind Rose and his supporting cast is a beautiful orchestra arranged by Marco Beltrami and Paul Buckmaster. It’s a song that deserves more love from fans and is overall a second-tier song from the band. The song features some of Rose’s strongest vocals on the entire record.
“If The World” separates “Street of Dreams,” from song six, “There Was A Time.” The opening contains an electric drum beat which – as fans know – is not typical for a GNR song. But, the orchestra returns to this song to provide more of a punch behind the band. “There Was A Time” is, like “Street of Dreams,” one of the strongest on the record. Fink’s sound on guitar fits with Rose’s higher-pitched shrieking.
The strong songs continue on track seven, “Catcher In The Rye.” This song dances along the lines of hard rock and pop as more piano and catchy lyrics are used. I think that for a song that marks the halfway point of the record, it fits. It’s one of the last extraordinary songs on the record. You can tell that Rose re-recorded his vocals before the record’s release. The quality of his voice isn’t up to the same level that it was on other tunes.
The next four songs, “Scraped,” “Raid N’Bedouins,” “Sorry” and “I.R.S” are more fillers than anything else. If these songs were left off, it would have helped. But, since they are on the album, it bogs the record down and these songs overshadow some of the brilliance during the first half.
The complicated “Madagascar” greets listeners as the song No. 12. Suzy Katayama is on French horn on this track. What Rose and co. did well on this record was incorporating different sounds. From an orchestra to horns, Rose saw a vision of moving this record to the right of center for a typical GNR record. “Madagascar” is an extremely powerful song. It features snippets of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cool Hand Luke. The tune runs at five and a half minutes but it should have been placed higher up in the album. It has great musicianship and Rose’s vocals have great variety. This song showcases how powerful of a singer he is and was during this time of the band’s history.
The traditional ballad “This I Love,” gives way to “Prostitute” as the closing song. There’s another groovy drum beat that gives way to more pianos. The beginning of having the drums and piano be the driving force before the dramatic band and orchestra kick in was genius on producing staff’s part. “Prostitute” is a good closing song. It has all the elements from the record wrapped nicely in one song. The string and horns bring the record to a gentile close as a sigh of relief from fans and band alike that the wait is over, the record is here.
Chinese Democracy either leaves a sour taste in fans’ mouths. Sometimes, there’s a pleasant aftertaste once the record is all said and done. There are some bright spots and multiple standout tunes, but more often than not, there are only “okay” tunes. Usually, when an artist wants to do a passion project, it never is great. The fans wanted more of an Appetite For Destruction style song and unfortunately for this record, it just missed the mark.
Rating: 6.5/10
Tracklist:
1. Chinese Democracy
2. Shackler’s Revenge
3. Better
4. Street Of Dreams
5. If The World
6. There Was A Time
7. Catcher In The Rye
8. Scraped
9. Riad N’ Bedouins
10. Sorry
11. I.R.S.
12. Madagascar
13. This I Love
14. Prostitute
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
