I (finally) got around to listening to Guns 'n Roses' Chinese Democracy today. Not being one to worry about all of Axl Rose's moods and fits (I lived through enough of that going to GNR's shows) I was never concerned about whether the album got made or finished. My wife was at a guy's job talk, he made a joke about how long it took him to finish a particular research paper and called it his Chinese Democracy. She said she was the only other person in the room to get the joke.
Listening to the record it is clear that Rose viewed GNR as the band that made Use Your Illusion I & II, not Appetite for Destruction. Which is fine, the best artists grow and change. The problem is that at least 3 songs were very BIG (think November Rain on steroids) and sounded like the closing tune. And they sample from Cool Hand Luke, again.
The playing on the record is very good, but there's just too much of it. There are many places where some silence, or at least less than 3 guitars and an orchestra, would have been welcomed. With all the re-recording, overdubs, etc., the songs completely lack sponteneity and the electricity of great musicians playing off of each other. This tells me that all of the time it took for Rose to put this together did not lead to the best result.
On the good side, the songs are complex and play off of Rose's vocal strengths. The guitar playing is great. It's just a case where a LOT less would have been a lot more.
By coincidence, Death Magnetic comes right after Chinese Democracy on my mp3. The Metallica record sounds so much fresher and intense. And it didn't take 13 years to make.
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