SOURCE WWW.MARQUEEMAG.COM

Guns N' Roses

Chinese Democracy

Geffen Records

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By: DJ HIPPIE

I am one of a minority that steadfastly believes that Axl Rose didn't bring the original Guns N' Roses to an early demise by himself. In fairness, it was just as much Slash and Duff McKagan's substance problems coupled with their closed mindedness, particularly of Slash and the monosyllabic Matt Sourum, when it came to musical exploration as it was Axl Rose's erratic behavior.

That doesn't mean I'm giving Axl (I have written about this album so much I have declared myself on a first name basis with Mr. Rose) a total pass; his domineering attitude and his probable mental illness certainly didn't help things. In fact Axl's biggest challenge with the release of Chinese Democracy is going to be winning back the fans that think his acting out was a sign of disrespect instead of understanding it as the catharsis of a man trying to wrestle his demons.

The catch is it's those very demons that made Guns N' Roses the powerhouse they were. Imagine, for instance, "Patience" without Axl's manic break down at the end or "Out ta Get Me" without his genuine paranoia and anti-social middle finger of a persona. Without him the original lineup of Guns N' Roses just wouldn't be the same by any means. Sure, Duff is one of the best bass players alive, Slash took his influences and made his own unique style, Izzy was easily the superior songwriter of the bunch and Steven Adler's drumming was the musical equivalent of reckless endangerment. Still it is this simple: AXL ROSE WAS AND IS GUNS N' ROSES.

That said the long awaited (If you don't know the drama Google it) Chinese Democracy is a great Guns N' Roses album that really is worth the wait no matter how nerve racking that wait has been. No it's not Appetite for Destruction the chemistry and gang mentality that made Appetite some of the greatest music ever made is gone but this is still a rocking album and infinitely better than the steaming pile of bollocks that AC/DC just released. I mention that since both albums are being hawked through big box retailers. If Black Ice sells more than Chinese Democracy music has truly turned into more of a commodity that an art form.   

The title track opens the disc with a guitar riff that is untouchable and once Axl starts ranting about the Falun Gong the song turns into a cross between "Civil War" and "Welcome to the Jungle."

The rest of the album follows suit mixing the best elements of Guns N' Roses. The epic songs that started with "Rocket Queen" and continued with "Estranged" and "November Rain" are continued with "Street of Dreams" and the stellar, sample filled "..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Madagascar" a song that fully justifies Axl's fight to evolve musically.

"Prostitute" and "Riad and the Bedouins" demonstrate, just like the "Get in the Ring" and "One in a Million" did, that Axl still doesn't give two shits about political correctness or what you think about him.

There are a few turds on the album the industrial tinged "Shacklers Revenge" is L-A-M-E (and I loved "Oh My God") and for the life off me I can't figure out why they are considering releasing "Better" as a single (It would have been better if the song was forgotten.)

Easily the best tracks are "I.R.S.", a beautiful, example of wordplay that recalls the acoustic side of GNR Lies and "There Was a Time" a track that holds the same majestic lyrical bizarreness of "Bad Apples" and "Breakdown" from the Illusion records.

The rest of the albums is filled with tracks that take some time to grow on you "If the World" and "Sorry" being perfect examples and one more reason that fans will keep coming back to the album long after the initial shock of "it is finally here" has faded.

There is a theory why Axl snuck a Charles Manson song on The Spaghetti Incident: he knew what he could have become (I mean a criminal not a mass murderer) if rock and roll wouldn't have saved him from himself. That's what made Guns N' Roses so vital, they reminded the world that music could change lives and not just provide a soundtrack for it. That's exactly what Axl is still trying to do with Chinese Democracy and God bless him for trying.