Chinese Democracy

Thanks to the power of the world wide internet, this week I got the chance to hear nine of the songs from Guns n' Roses' (allegedly) upcoming album "Chinese Democracy". You've kind of got to use the word allegedly, since Axl has been working on the album since 1994, and over the last 14 years has (once again, allegedly) spent $13 million on the process (making it the most expensive album ever recorded). You've got to wonder if it's ever going to see an official release.

Anyway, the nine tracks that now live on my ipod all sound finished. Actually, a little too finished. As is to be expected with an album that's been worked on for more than a decade, the whole thing is extremely overproduced. It sounds rather epic, along the lines of "November Rain", and that's not necessarily a good thing. The best GNR album (and probably the best debut by any band) is "Appetite for Destruction", which is also the rawest thing they ever did. As well as being polished, it's not especially heavy, with the exception of a few songs it's kind of got a pop feel to it.

Still after a week or so, I find myself listening to this a lot, so there must be something to that. I wonder if it's my GNR fandom - whether I would be quite so keen if this was new material from say Sebastian Bach. I don't think so though, I think there's some quality here.

Anyway, if you're curious as to what the new stuff sounds like, here's a clip someone has made for one of the leaked songs, "Madagascar". My favourite part comes at the 4:17 mark, when Axl samples Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech in the guitar solo, before going into the final chorus. Although you have to think that since this is the same guy who once wrote and sang the lyrics "Police and niggers, get out of my way", the good Doctor might not have approved . . .