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Artist: Guns N' Roses

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Guns N' Roses Homepage

CD Title: Chinese Democracy

 

Category: Hard Rock

Year: 2008

Label: Geffen

Catalog Number: 1790607

Personnel

Axl Rose lead vocals, backing vocals
Robin Finck lead guitar, backing vocals
Bumblefoot lead guitar
Buckethead lead guitar
Richard Fortus rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Tommy Stinson bass guitar, backing vocals
Paul Tobias rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Dizzy Reed keyboard, Piano, percussion, backing vocals
Frank Ferrer drums, percussion
Bryan Mantia drums, percussion
Chris Pitman synthesizer, programming

Tracks

1.	Chinese Democracy	4:43
2.	Shackler's Revenge	3:36
3.	Better	4:58
4.	Street of Dreams	4:46
5.	If the World	4:54
6.	There Was a Time	6:41
7.	Catcher in the Rye	5:52
8.	Scraped	3:30
9.	Riad N' the Bedouins	4:10
10.	Sorry	6:14
11.	I.R.S.	4:28
12.	Madagascar	5:37
13.	This I Love	5:34
14.	Prostitute	6:15
Total Running Time:		71:18

If you see any errors or omissions in the CD information shown above, either in the musician credits or song listings (cover song credits, live tracks, etc.), please post them in the corrections section of the Heavy Harmonies forum/message board.

The music discographies on this site are works in progress. If you notice that a particular Guns N' Roses CD release or compilation is missing from the list above, please submit that CD using the CD submission page. The ultimate goal is to make the discographies here at Heavy Harmonies as complete as possible. Even if it is an obscure greatest-hits or live compilation CD, we want to add it to the site. Please only submit official CD releases; no bootlegs or cassette-only or LP-only releases.

EPs and CD-singles from Guns N' Roses are also welcome to be added, as long as they are at least 4 songs in length.

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Existing comments about this CD

From: edwithmj	Date: November 25, 2008 at 9:44
I just got this album today via ebay and I must say the songs are even better than the demos! All songs are brilliantly produced. Favourite songs are still the title track, IRS and there was a time. Great songs. Apparently this is the first of a trilogy. I eagerly await the new albums!! 90/100

From: Doghouse Reilly

Date: November 25, 2008 at 15:42

As expected, this is a disappointment. "Better" is a good song, and "Shackler's Revenge," "Scraped," "Rhiad and the Bedouins" and "I.R.S.," are decent as well, but the rest is forgettable, melodramatic, overblown fucking GARBAGE. Pianos, fake drums, orchestras, horns and synths take the place of hooks. The lyrics are all about how the world dumps on poor, poor, misunderstood Axl. The ridiculous delay, hype and suspense contribute to this being a letdown, but seriously, songs like 'If The World," "Madagascar" and "This I Love' are just complete SHIT.

From: Refugee80

Date: November 26, 2008 at 10:11

AWAZING easily the best hard rock album of the last 15 years odd, For me its a mix of Led Zep, Queen , Alice in Chains, But most of all it really has a Guns N Roses sound , Rhiad and the Bedouins is out of this world! and that solo! Catcher in the Rye is as good if not better than November Rain, It's a perfect mix of rockers and ballads, Doghouse if you only like old 80's rock only listen to old 80's rock, For me "Madagascar" is one of the best songs of the last 20yrs its like Zepplin with Guns but recorded in a jungle or something its epic and very cool. I agree this i love is abit OTT but Axl always was. The lyrics are actually positive and inspirational not sure what your talking about there??? The most compelling and brutal and outstanding GNR album and the best record i've heard in sooooooo long. WORTH THE WAIT 10/10

From: Doghouse Reilly	Date: November 26, 2008 at 14:31
Actually, I like almost all kinds of hard rock and metal , and my taste for '80's rock has gotten a lot more selective since those days, so it's not a matter of being stuck in the past or anything like that. I hear gobs of studio tricks, but very few actual hooks. To me, the lyrics are bitter, martyrish and deluded, coming from Axl.

From: Japangea	Date: November 27, 2008 at 0:45
Is this the real band or Axl Rose with his orchestra?

From: CC	Date: November 28, 2008 at 18:27
I have to say, while there are a few tracks I could have done without, overall I really liked it. Ok, so its not on a par with previous releases, and certainly doesnt sound like an album 15 years in the making, but its far from the disapointment some people would suggest. And really, who cares who is in the band? Nobody cares that Coverdale has been using hired hands since the mid 80s!

From: metalmastermusic

Date: December 1, 2008 at 9:40

Not bad for a comeback album but it lacked that certian killer track I expect from Axel. It has a much more modern sound to it. Had it been released under another name other than G'N'R I would probably ranked it higher but it gives the false pretense of it going to be a G'N'R sound. G'N'R will not be G'N'R without Slash on guitar and contributing to the songwriting. This would be a solid Axel Rose solo album. Not for everyone but it has some bright spots. 76/100

From: s_carmel	Date: December 5, 2008 at 11:38
one of the best hard rock albums ever, very different from the old gnr albums and in my opinion even better

From: Refugee80

Date: December 7, 2008 at 13:01

Just for the record of people saying the lyrics are bitter: "No one is stoping you from doing what you want to do" Shacklers Revenge "some may convince you no one can breakthrough im here to tell you your worth more than they tell you" "Forgive them who tear down my soul bless them so they may grow old and free them so that they may know that its never too late" To quote just a few, inspiring lyrics and insightfull throughout mayeb one or two versus in songs have a negative stance but not really i love this record

From: Remastered Reason	Date: December 12, 2008 at 20:03
Must say Axel still has a killer throat. No doubt, there is a definite quirky, contemporary vibe which does sound fresh. Lots of funky, world type chants & grooves going on here & some of those guitar solos are spot on. In the end though, it may take me 17 years or so to unveil, digest & appreciate all of the musical nuances within this lyrically articulate album.

From: masmusic	Date: December 14, 2008 at 10:36
Just bought this CD and gave it a listen. Not really apealing to me. Sounds nothing like GNR. A couple listenable tracks but lots & lots of filler on this one. 4/10

From: zoomanthree	Date: December 15, 2008 at 7:35
for 15 years, just like this???? nothing special, this is not gn'r , this is axl's solo. left only great voc from axl. gnr : axl, slash, duff, adler and izzy not all member in this released. good song only street of dreams.

From: rick kerch vzla	Date: January 2, 2009 at 16:54
Nothing as many of us expected...the songs are so different one 2 another that you don't have an idea how to call this album (rock,industrial,grunge,nu metal).This album should have been called Axel Rose Project instead of named it after the name that gave us an explendid debut "Appettite...".70/100

From: Studboy	Date: January 7, 2009 at 20:08
There is just way too much going on on this album. Should have never released it as Guns N Roses...should have stuck to Axel Rose's self indulgent crappy self titled release that took long almost 2 decades to release. You would think if someone had that long to work on a record it wouldn't suck.

From: Leafsfan97	Date: January 24, 2009 at 2:29
Disliked it at first, addicted to it now. Takes a few listens for sure

From: vicious_tongue	Date: January 25, 2009 at 7:35
yeah, guns n roses...where´s the rock in this record?where´s the dirty, sleazy and delicious sound of guns n roses?. This is just an Axl solo release with decadents gnr reminiscences ; 5/10

From: True Believer	Date: March 25, 2009 at 7:56
Boring, too long... I can hear only three good songs here: the title track, "Better", and "Riad". Others are forgettable, and the last 4 are pure crap. 3,5/10

From: Metal T

Date: June 14, 2009 at 20:02

Freakin' love that title track! Geez..just some honest to goodness kick the sh*t outta ya groove on that tune and a great lyric to boot.Axl's vox are toned down and sound surprisingly good throughout as do the guitars.The dude still has the balls & attitude and can write he just needed to scrap the pianos,the synths and other assorted industrial-tinged bullsh*t noise which tend to piss on what are some pretty cool and actually good songs.He's just playing around with too many sounds.D*mn that first song rips...

From: poser forever	Date: July 13, 2009 at 18:46
I thing that this is a ''so and soo'' release. Axl hould have released it under another name and not under the GNR moniker. But i also wanna say that in this record contains by far the BEST song of 2008:''This I Love''.Axl's vocals and melodies just break your heart.Pure genious!

From: lancer2430

Date: April 27, 2010 at 1:12

This album has no right in bringing GnR name. Axl should name it as AXL ROSE first solo album as he is one of the greatest vox in Hard Rock genre. All his fans knows that he is fooling himself if he still insist keeping the name GnR. If he wants to keep GnR trademark, bring Slash, Duff and Izzy back. If not, then use AXL ROSE brand in your next album. I only like 'Better' and I will give it 5/10. I've tried a few spin and still does not like the other songs.

From: SLEEZEROCKER

Date: September 27, 2010 at 12:13

This album grows in you after a while..its an ok album with only a couple of great songs (This i love with great vocals,street of dreams etc).Its better than anything Slash has produced over the years (has a melody at least ) and i am starting to believe that what axl is accusing him for maybe has a little truth in it (that he wanted to change the GNR sound in to more alternative sounds ) and that is the reason he argued with him.Anyway it's an album that you will play again after the first listening ,its not like the illusions or the appetite of course...

From: Alexxtcatz	Date: November 2, 2010 at 12:40
On october 30th 2010 Guns & Roses secretly performed private gig and showed their shitty asses in Moscow at private party and finally got one million dollars cash for their shit. The money owner and gig promoter is well known here in Russia as thief, tax infringers and corruptionist.

From: z4roxx	Date: November 3, 2010 at 15:40
Ahahah this is terrible.Sincerely I can't understand comments longer than a line here.This band had finished after "Appetite for destruction" album and maybe some song from the "Use your illusion" discs.

From: Wardy

Date: December 16, 2010 at 19:26

Epic! Don't care if its Axl's inner demons or otherwise, don't care whether it's Guns or Rose or solo... don't care for album comparisons (although only ever being a casual fan of the previous Guns probably hasn't hurt any), and don't care whether its heavy or otherwise... after a year already Chinese Democracy has lost none of its appeal and remains nothing short of a masterpiece! From the industrial slant of the title track to the incredible groove of If The World, from the ace of spades that are Better, There Was A Time and Sorry, to the standalone craftiness of This I Love (marvelous and bewildering how such art can go unappreciated, to each their own I guess...), Chinese Democracy has it all, and that's why it works so well. The soundtrack to his own life, as creative as one could every ask for, unbridled talent with a sprinkle of madness and a dash of recklessness... everything one could ever hope for. For the first time ever I'm excited for the next GNR... Epic!

From: hair metal again	Date: May 24, 2012 at 10:30
very good release by GNR and i suggest to everybody to give it a few spins before conclusions!excellent musicianship ,passionate vocs,many hooks and great production for Axl !"better","irs" and "riad n the bedouins " are the best songs of a release that i d prefer to have another name and not GNR!

From: ShadowAngel

Date: March 2, 2013 at 18:19

I'm still on the fence about the album. It's not classic Guns n' Roses and the leaked 2006 Demos of IRS, Better and TWAT are in my oppinion better than the CD versions, there's so much crap added on top that is just unncessary. Also Catcher in the Rye...really should've used the Brian May version as Robin Finck is a horrible guitarist and butchers the song. Best songs in my oppinion are If the World, Sorry and Madagascar (even though reusing the Cool Hand Luke quotes again is lame)

From: Mattias	Date: November 16, 2015 at 17:43
I find it really hard to believe the high ratings of this disc. I thought I was generous when I gave it 50/100 'cause it really is a pretty crappy disc.

From: Palash	Date: August 15, 2017 at 3:15
Not like previous albums. The band's 1st Line-up was good.

From: titothetitan	Date: August 9, 2018 at 10:21
This and 'AFD' are the only albums I like by them. But this only album that have a decent production. Nevertheless I'm not a big fan of Axl's voice.

From: 123charpenay	Date: August 11, 2018 at 4:28
i ve never understand the fantastic succes of this very poor and very bad band.in france we are unfortunatelly not a rock nation but even now in 2018 it s not a raritie to meet people with gun and roses s tee shirt.maybe it s for the beautiful logo.for me it s totally incredible.a band like shark island with his charismatic and extraordinary singer ,richard black, is one thousand time better.

From: Doghouse Reilly

Date: August 11, 2018 at 12:11

It's interesting that you single out Shark Island, as they have a connection to GnR. In the earliest days of GnR (and Hollywood Rose before that), Axl stole somme of Richard Black's stage moves. Stephen Davis's book Watch You Bleed is full of many minor errors, but he has quotes from Vicky Hamilton and Richard Black himself confirming this. Richard admitted to being a little bitter, but basically shrugged it off and said "What can you do?" I think the worldwide GnR worship is due almost entirely to Appetite For Destruction and the mystique that surrounded the band up through the end of the touring cycle for that album. There are those contrarians who insist the Use Your Illusion albums are better (Martin Popoff is one), but they are very much in the minority. For most people, GnR were already sinking into self-parody by '91. So, Shark Island was there first, but by the time most of us heard them in '89, they came off as just another capable but forgettable L.A. band. They're a classic

From: Doghouse Reilly

Date: August 11, 2018 at 12:18

... example of a "you had to have been there" band. So did GnR get lucky? Absolutely! Especially given the way they wwere living at the time, if popular folklore is to be believed. But, at least early on, they had the songs. And while wee're on the topic, people like to make a big thing about how different GnR were from the likes of Poison, with whom they had a bitter feud going in L.A. And thirty years (!) on, we can all see that. But back then, when we weere all a lot younger, especially for kids in small towns and suburbs far away from any kind of "music scene," it wasjust like Mick Wall once wrote: the people buying Appetite and Hysteria and Look What The Cat Dragged In and Slippery When Wet were mostly the same people.

From: Wardy

Date: August 11, 2018 at 20:20

Good reading those last few posts! And reading through my own review above had me questioning my own sanity LOL but I stand by my original opinion. While there's walls of over production and little room to breathe, bottom line at its core are some wonderful songs. I too think Appetite was overrated but the appeal and subsequent success was and is still clear, some great material, a talented/unique vocal, a killer delivery and sound and an out of control Motley street image with a 'F#@& you' attitude in tact and it was well played all around. Add to that some perfect timing and it payed off handsomely! And back to Chinese Democracy my own take it or leave but much respect opinion of the band back when served in setting this record up perfectly, by going into it with no expectations payed off. It didn't matter whether it was old Guns or new Guns, or whether it was Guns at all, it was just great! Still love it but completely understand why many don't

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