Guns N’ Roses Chinese ­Democracy free essay sample

It took over 14 years for  ­Ã¢â‚¬Å"Chinese Democracy,† the much-anticipated Guns N Roses album, to be publicly  ­released. There were a lot of things for singer Axl Rose to take care of as the sole original member of the band, but he took a mighty long time to make one measly album. Was it worth the wait? Its overdramatic, its overly ambitious, and over one hour long, but excess of this sort is expected from the band that caused riots and controversy while other ?s era â€Å"rock† bands teased their hair and  ­applied their makeup. GNRs first album, â€Å"Appetite for Destruction† is considered one of the greatest of its time. Raw aggression pounds out in every note. Their 1991 releases, â€Å"Use Your Illusion I† and â€Å"II† include several sweet love songs like â€Å"Dont Cry† and â€Å"November Rain† that show musical maturity. Nevertheless, GNR was still the meanest rock band in the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Guns N’ Roses: Chinese  ­Democracy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Chinese Democracy,† to put it plainly, sucks. It sounds like Rose couldnt make up his mind about what kind of record he wanted to make, so he threw together a colorful array of genres. â€Å"Shacklers Revenge† is pure heavy metal, a head-bangers anthem. And the next track, â€Å"Better,† is pop, with several corny melodies. When the album takes a sharp turn from pop to Broadway-rock in â€Å"This I Love,† theres only one logical conclusion for listeners: â€Å"I guess Axl really is bipolar.† They say a singer will find only one guitarist he has perfect musical chemistry with in his lifetime. Slash, the original GNR lead guitarist, was Axls musical soul mate. He put as much expression into his licks as Rose did in his trademark vocal flourishes – which, on a side note, are missing from this album. In the old GNR, every solo fit the mood of the song, emotion poured out of every bend and pull-off. Izzy Stradlin, the original rhythm guitar ist, dueled harmoniously with his awesome riffs and progressions. Most of the solos on this new album dont have Slash and Stradlins passion, partly because Rose couldnt even manage to keep a consistent lineup during the recording. Granted, â€Å"Sorry† has an extremely fitting guitar solo. It also has relevant lyrics that relate to the less-than-flattering image of Rose the media has created. However, once the song kicks into the chorus, it takes a turn for the worse. Roses voice sounds jaded, and the bizarre use of vibrato makes him come across like a bitter old man. Tracks four through six are basically the same, with a lot of piano and Rose singing like Justin Timberlake trying to be rock n roll. However, â€Å"I.R.S.† shows that Rose still has the ability to write butt-kicking rock tunes. The song is reminiscent of â€Å"Appetite for Destruction,† complete with gritty instrumentals and a flawless display of Axls vocal range. But no one should suffer through the endless drone that is the rest of the album. How â€Å"Chinese Democracy† ended up such a failure is a mystery when it had so much potential. But maybe its too early to put GNR in the ground. I guess well see in another 14 years.