New Dj interview at LegendaryRockInterviews.com (Sep 2014)

[draguns]

When CD was released, I thought it was a good album. In fact, I even stated it here when the album was out and listed the songs that I liked. I guess because I wanted to hear something from Axl that I got caught up in the hoopla  and wasn't objective about it. As the years went by, I found myself not liking the album as much. Part of it is that it sounds disjointed, which I have stated this in numerous occasions. Part of it also deals with the fact that some of the songs just seem out of place for it to be considered GNR.  "Shackler's  Revenge" would have been a great NIN song. It's ok in GNR, but not great. I just listened to " Riad N The Bedoins". I don't know what Axl was thinking on that. "Scraped" is another. "Better" and "CD" are the better rockers.

A big part of me wishes that Axl did what Slash did and that is release this album under his own name while keeping the original GNR lineup intact. Obviously, you can't change history and you just have to move forward. My opinion is that he really needs to maybe release CD II as a solo album away from the GNR name. Work on material with DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot. I would hate to see these guys leave. 

[ice cream sand pig]

Yeah, what was Axl thinking when it came to Rhiad and the Bedouins... He probably thought it was a bad ass song. I like it too so I can see where he was coming from if that was where he was coming from. It reminds me of Axl standing in the middle of a snowy field or a desert or something, then all of a sudden a magnetic field or something starts going haywire. Like some dudes from another dimension are trying to break through or something. Next thing you know these guys are charging Axl on horses and shit but they can't ever seem to get close enough to touch him. The chorus from that song is the shit!

I've heard from a few of you that CD doesn't flow or that it sounds disjointed but I'm not really sure what you mean. Can someone please explain this? Bring up an example that illustrates the point or something? I really want to know where you guys are coming from but I just don't at all.

[Ali]

^LGD, that was my point, that the criticism of the music is so connected to the break-up baggage, whereas with U2, the music was able to stand on it's own without being weighed down by all that baggage, despite the music being so different from its traditional sound.  In the case of CD, I personally feel that it is an incredibly good album and if it the music were judged on its own merits without all the bullshit (whether or not such bullshit was self-inflicted), then I think it would have been much better received. 

I don't know about that.  As the famous line goes, "The A & R man said 'I don't hear a single'."

Because that's the rub with that album.  14 songs, no singles.  And really, not even anything that could be a proper single.  Not every single can be a #1 hit, but bands can release singles that still become radio staples.

For the baggage and bullshit that came along with album, most of that could have been smoothed over if there were so much as one memorable song on the album.

Memorable?  Or, radio friendly?  Those are two different things.

I find the the album to be memorable.  Maybe not radio friendly outside "Better".  Still memorable.

Ali

If its memorable at all (and its not, except for we internet nerds) its for all the wrong reasons.

Guns N' Roses is a still a huge name.  If there was something memorable in there, we'd see some evidence of that.  But no one cared about it besides us.

I think you're oversimplifying things and I think you're conflating memorable with commercially accessible or successful.  I think part of an album's success is marketing and promotional strategy or a lack thereof.  Memorable is also a completely subjective description.  At least with commercial success, you can point to objective metrics to make an argument, so that's why I agree with the commercially successful or accessible argument, as opposed to the "memorable" argument.

Ali

[ice cream sand pig]

It sold around 4 million right? Not bad considering nobody (that I know) pays for music anymore when you can listen to everything for free on youtube and sound cloud, not to mention the complete lack of promotion and the bias so many have against Axl. I also think a wal mart exclusive may have sold better than a best buy exclusive. Found some other stats to compare it to online when trying to look up how many copies CD has sold. They are from 2011 so that is kind of halfway between now and CD's release:

01 - 4,638,000 - 21 - Adele
02 - 1,724,000 - DOO-WOPS AND HOOLIGANS - Bruno Mars
03 - 1,675,000 - LOUD - Rihanna
04 - 1,143,000 - SIGH NO MORE - Mumford & Sons
05 - 1,065,000 - GREATEST HITS?SO FAR - Pink
06 - 978,000 - MY WORLD 2.0 - Justin Bieber
07 - 886,000 - THE BEGINNING - Black Eyed Peas
08 - 858,000 - TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry
09 - 843,000 - 19 - Adele
10 - 840,000 - GOODBYE LULLABY - Avril Lavigne

Source: UWC

[LongGoneDay]

All the promotion in the world wasn?t going to make fans of SCOM, November Rain etc enjoy songs like Riad N? The Bedouins.
I?m happy for anyone that can appreciate the music on Chinese Democracy, but is it really difficult to see how it might not appeal to fans of old Guns?

Their biggest hits are songs about relatable subject mater to most, love, women, drugs etc.
Well constructed songs with catchy melodies, memorable solos.

Chinese Democracy doesn?t sound as if it was intended to be as accessible.
If hits were the objective, I can think of more radio friendly topics than democracy in China.
Who?s Shackler, why?s he need Revenge?
Was the band watching Braveheart in the studio while recording Madagascar?
How?d MLK get in here?
Who?s Riad and what the fuck is a Bedouin?

If people have to do a google search to find out what you?re talking about, it?s probably not going to be a hit.
Especially with the short attention spans people have today.

I?m not saying they should have been striving to make a hit record. I could care less if the music is popular.
I love thought provoking lyrics, and Axl has certainly written his share, but I personally don?t know what he?s talking about on a lot of CD.
Musically and lyrically it just wasn?t interesting enough to hold my attention long enough to find out. And this is a record I waited 15 years for.

None of this is to say hits equal quality, either.
In my opinion, 99% of popular music today is shit.

The point is that, name aside, the band that recorded Chinese has next to nothing to do with the band that created AFD, Lies & UYI, so it should come as no surprise that there isn?t much crossover between their respective fan bases.

[D-GenerationX]

I've heard from a few of you that CD doesn't flow or that it sounds disjointed but I'm not really sure what you mean. Can someone please explain this? Bring up an example that illustrates the point or something? I really want to know where you guys are coming from but I just don't at all.

Many of the songs were pieced together over time and sound like just that. 

For instance, Ron's additions to 'Chinese', 'Catcher', and 'I.R.S.' play louder than the rest of the song.  And that's because those songs were done YEARS before and then his stuff placed over top of it.  It sounds like it too.

I actually think his contributions help 'Chinese' and 'I.R.S.'.  But they fuck up 'Catcher' to the point I don't even listen to the album version.  Total mess, that one.  I stick with the leak, even though its of lesser sound quality.

[D-GenerationX]

All the promotion in the world wasn?t going to make fans of SCOM, November Rain etc enjoy songs like Riad N? The Bedouins.
I?m happy for anyone that can appreciate the music on Chinese Democracy, but is it really difficult to see how it might not appeal to fans of old Guns?

The point is that, name aside, the band that recorded Chinese has next to nothing to do with the band that created AFD, Lies & UYI, so it should come as no surprise that there isn?t much crossover between their respective fan bases.

Agreed.  Its Guns N' Roses in name only.  Which is what it is, and made total business sense.

But its pretty silly to expect people that liked the classic band and sound to be automatically onboard with this radically different line-up and sound, simply because it has a familiar name on the cover.

I see people that get real, real defiant about how "this band IS Guns N' Roses"  No. No, its not.  I often get the impression that's something people feel they have to say to be supportive.  Though who is keeping score of all that, I was never clear. 

[14 Yrs Of Silence]

Would be cool if in addition to a remix record we also got the "naked" version, similar to what Beatles did with Let It Be.  Strip it all back to the original stuff. Box it up with the remix and the original, with alternative cover art, etc

[JAEBALL]

Would be cool if in addition to a remix record we also got the "naked" version, similar to what Beatles did with Let It Be.  Strip it all back to the original stuff. Box it up with the remix and the original, with alternative cover art, etc

Yeah... it would be awesome if it was in ADDITION to whatever the next record is called

[D-GenerationX]

Would be cool if in addition to a remix record we also got the "naked" version, similar to what Beatles did with Let It Be.  Strip it all back to the original stuff. Box it up with the remix and the original, with alternative cover art, etc

I've heard people talk about the 1999 version of this album in downright hushed tones.

Personally...eh.  I've heard those same demos.  They just sound like unfinished songs to me.

[draguns]

Yeah, what was Axl thinking when it came to Rhiad and the Bedouins... He probably thought it was a bad ass song. I like it too so I can see where he was coming from if that was where he was coming from. It reminds me of Axl standing in the middle of a snowy field or a desert or something, then all of a sudden a magnetic field or something starts going haywire. Like some dudes from another dimension are trying to break through or something. Next thing you know these guys are charging Axl on horses and shit but they can't ever seem to get close enough to touch him. He's flashing through time and space like Goku and these mother fuckers just can't seem to lay a finger on him. The chorus from that song is the shit!

I've heard from a few of you that CD doesn't flow or that it sounds disjointed but I'm not really sure what you mean. Can someone please explain this? Bring up an example that illustrates the point or something? I really want to know where you guys are coming from but I just don't at all.

You may like it, which is cool. I don't particularly care for that song. I think Axl can write better songs than this.  I think LongDay said it best and asked the right questions. Why is Shacker getting revenge? What is Bedouins? I can't relate to songs like these or your description of it in your reply. It doesn't resonate. Songs about love or being the underdog is what I can relate to. Lyrics such as "I'm a hard case too tough to beat" or " Don't Damn Me when I speak a piece of mind", I can relate to it much more due to being an underdog as a result of my disability.

[ice cream sand pig]

Well I guess we just don't see eye to eye, and that's cool. I'm happy that I got something I'm happy with. I hope you guys get something you are happy with next time. Yeah, you mentioned some songs that wouldn't resonate with old fans and left out the ones that would (The Blues, This I love, IRS, TWAT). There was plenty of variety on there, and when you go with variety there's a good chance everyone won't like everything. And yeah, I didn't expect anyone to resonate with my image of Rhiad. I was just gushing out my love for the song.

Thanks for answering my question DX. I never noticed that part of catcher in the rye but I'd think something as simple as a volume issue would have been addressed in the mixing stages. But maybe they screwed up, hell I don't know.

As for the songs not being about topics one can relate with, I definitely don't get this one. It seems to me like anyone that's had their heart broken can relate to this I love. And Madagascar appears to be about the struggle we all go through, holding each other down, feeling alienated, being overcome by fear. It happens to everyone at some point or another. I can see people not being able to relate to Rhiad's lyrics, to me they make sense but only because I relate them to some things from some esoteric teachings I am into.

There Was a Time? Scraped? The Blues? Shackler's Revenge? You can't relate to the lyrics in those songs? You don't have a wicked demon whose hunger never fades (an ego)? This album is the story of my life! Aren't you guys humans that live on planet Earth? 

I often hear people bitch about the lyrics from This I love. Sure, they're simple, but so are sweet child o mine's. "She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky...". Are those lyrics really all that much better than the lyrics from This I love? I think they're both great songs, and sure, I like Sweet Child better, but I don't think it's because of the lyrics.

[D-GenerationX]

You may like it, which is cool. I don't particularly care for that song. I think Axl can write better songs than this.  I think LongDay said it best and asked the right questions. Why is Shacker getting revenge? What is Bedouins? I can't relate to songs like these or your description of it in your reply. It doesn't resonate. Songs about love or being the underdog is what I can relate to. Lyrics such as "I'm a hard case too tough to beat" or " Don't Damn Me when I speak a piece of mind", I can relate to it much more due to being an underdog as a result of my disability.

I find 'Bedouins' the worst song on the album by a good margin.  Its a total mess and barely a song, to me.

But 'Shackler's', I like.  ANd I thinkt he lyrics make sense.  The song title doesn't, of course.

'Scraped' is like Axl's mission statement in life, to my ears.  'Sorry', 'I.R.S.', 'Prostitute'...we know what they are about.  'Madagascar' is your standard "woe is me" tune, though I have always really liked it, even since RIR III.

[D-GenerationX]

Thanks for answering my question DX. I never noticed that part of catcher in the rye but I'd think something as simple as a volume issue would have been addressed in the mixing stages. But maybe they screwed up, hell I don't know.

Ron's solo is pretty busy and overbearing, I think.  Doesn't really fit in with the tone of the song.

This will likely buy me a lecture, but the leak with Brian May on the solo was much better.  Much crisper.  And it flowed better.  It was a catchier song. 

Even if you wanted Ron to re-do it, why such a different direction?  The song suffers because of it, in my opinion.

I often hear people bitch about the lyrics from This I love. Sure, they're simple, but so are sweet child o mine's.  Sure, they're simple, but so are sweet child o mine's. "She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories, where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky...". Are those lyrics really all that much better than the lyrics from This I love? I think they're both great songs, and sure, I like Sweet Child better, but I don't think it's because of the lyrics.

SCOM sounds like a rock song though.  TIL sounds like Andrew Lloyd Webber.  But I don't dislike the lyrics.

[mortismurphy]

Whether or not it is 'Guns N' Roses' or not is entirely subjective. It is all to do with whether or not, in your eyes, Axl is enough of a legitimising persona to carry the name. I suppose if he was your favourite member 1985-93, your favourite songs being Estranged and November Rain, you probably have less problems with it than you would if your favourite member was Slash and you preferred the rockers.

A question to those who are adamant that, this is GN'R, because it is, legally, GN'R (and the name is on Chinese Democracy and the concert tickets): would you be so zealous if Slash and Duff had claimed the name and decided to continue (with Matt and Gilby) with a new singer? It would be hypocritical not to defend Slash and Duff's legitimacy unless you accept my first argument, that basically it is entirely subjective.

[ice cream sand pig]

Yeah, Rhiad was probably the weakest link. Still loved the shit out of it though. Would rather have it over silkworms any day of the week.

I didn't know who Andrew Lloyd Webber was so I just looked him up. I got some kind of glitzy broadway song. I think whatever TIL is lacking in the Rock and Roll department it makes up for with the insane guitar parts and Axl's wail. What exactly was not Rock and Roll about it? Axl's opera voice?

I'm glad you like Madagascar DX! I love that song   The horn sound is so epic! My friend wrote his final English 102 essay on Madagascar, it was a pretty insightful little piece.

Murphy: No I wouldn't and yes, perhaps it would be a little hypocritical of me. I guess it would still objectively be GNR though whether I liked it or not.

[D-GenerationX]

A question to those who are adamant that, this is GN'R, because it is, legally, GN'R (and the name is on Chinese Democracy and the concert tickets): would you be so zealous if Slash and Duff had claimed the name and decided to continue (with Matt and Gilby) with a new singer? It would be hypocritical not to defend Slash and Duff's legitimacy unless you accept my first argument, that basically it is entirely subjective.

I make this exact argument all the time.

There is one reason "Velvet Revolver" was not called "Guns N Roses", and that's legality.  Its mighty convenient when people swear up and down that Slash and Duff would never have done this.  Yeah?  Bullshit.  They never had the chance.  But it would have made all the business sense in the world to toss Axl out and Van Hagar it up with another singer as Guns N' Roses.

As to your question, no, I would not consider that Guns N' Roses either.  I would say the exact same thing I say now.  That's its not really Guns N Roses, but its better than nothing and I could roll with it.

Although, to be fair, I never really got all that into Velvet Revolver.  Which is weird, because I liked STP and obviously liked GNR.  But I was always far more interested in whatever Axl was going to come up with.

[D-GenerationX]

I didn't know who Andrew Lloyd Webber was so I just looked him up. I got some kind of glitzy broadway song. I think whatever TIL is lacking in the Rock and Roll department it makes up for with the insane guitar parts and Axl's wail. What exactly was not Rock and Roll about it? Axl's opera voice?

It's the arrangement.  I feel like I'm listening to 'Phantom Of The Opera'.

That's why I was intrigued by that last leak that was the medley of 30 second snippets, and one of them was a version of this song with his 'Madgascar' type voice.  I thought it was a better way to go.

I'm glad you like Madagascar DX! I love that song   The horn sound is so epic! My friend wrote his final English 102 essay on Madagascar, it was a pretty insightful little piece.

That was the first "new" song I heard back in January 2001.  Downloaded it from Kazaa.  (Yes, I am old)

I was blown away by it.  It not even like its some complex song, but I loved the whole epic feel.  They had me from the opening chords.  To this day, that RIR III version is still my favorite one.

[draguns]

You may like it, which is cool. I don't particularly care for that song. I think Axl can write better songs than this.  I think LongDay said it best and asked the right questions. Why is Shacker getting revenge? What is Bedouins? I can't relate to songs like these or your description of it in your reply. It doesn't resonate. Songs about love or being the underdog is what I can relate to. Lyrics such as "I'm a hard case too tough to beat" or " Don't Damn Me when I speak a piece of mind", I can relate to it much more due to being an underdog as a result of my disability.

I find 'Bedouins' the worst song on the album by a good margin.  Its a total mess and barely a song, to me.

But 'Shackler's', I like.  ANd I thinkt he lyrics make sense.  The song title doesn't, of course.

'Scraped' is like Axl's mission statement in life, to my ears.  'Sorry', 'I.R.S.', 'Prostitute'...we know what they are about.  'Madagascar' is your standard "woe is me" tune, though I have always really liked it, even since RIR III.

Scraped does have the lyrics. It just musically doesn't appeal to me. I think "Madagascar" is a good song. "There Was a Time" is awesome as well. I prefer the live version  of "This I Love". It has more rock vibe than the Andrew lloyd Weber sound that is on the album.

[D-GenerationX]

Yeah, Rhiad was probably the weakest link. Still loved the shit out of it though. Would rather have it over silkworms any day of the week.

I'm fairly certain most of the support for 'Silkworms' is done ironically.

The only songs I didn't like on the album were:

Catcher (Ron's solo kills it, in the bad way)
Rhiad (bunch of noise, no direction)
Sorry (lyrics are so petty and juvenile, I feel like I'm watching some angsty teen TV drama)

Rest was all good.