Do you sense that the reception of Chinese Democracy has improved 3 and half years on from its release?

[Guest]

I was just going through some of the old demos and stuff from the Chinese Democracy sessions on youtube, and noticed that if you read the top comments below the songs they're all very appeciative of CD and often the top comment relates to how much "of a grower of an album" CD is. Now maybe, it's just my memory playing tricks on me but I used to remember certainly back before the album had dropped that the demos whenever they would get put up on youtube were rife with negative comments and "where's slash?". Of course, they are still there to be read, but overall now the feedback definitely seems to be a whole lot more positive.

Not only that though, but a couple of weeks back when I looked onto the GNR facebook page (before they changed it to timeline) it would show what GNR songs my friends on my facebook had listened to last on spotify, and I noticed that there were a few Chinese Democracy songs (Better and This I Love notably) popping up as recently played. Now, these people who were listening to them weren't hardcore GNR fans, nor would I even describe them as big fans of the band. Just your type of casual listener, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had listened to the new stuff and clearly did like it.

I remember when I saw GNR in London '10, that the crowd weren't all digging the new tracks, but it was certainly an improvement over '06 gigs (but that was probably due to most not being aware of the leaks). I'm very interested to see what the reception will be like in May when they return. To any of those that have seen GNR in concert recently, did you feel the crowd on the whole were more receptive of the CD era songs than in previous years? Have you yourself found that in 3 and a half years since the release, you don't find the album is as villified so much by those outside of the 'fanbase'?

[Georgy Zhukov]

From what I've heard the reaction to the new songs in North America weren't that great. Most of them probably haven't even heard them.

[maynard]

I love CD, but I've heard it too much. If it was a double album, I'm sure I would be still enjoying it, but 14 songs in almost 4 years is enough to get old.

I can't really tell about reception. I've never been to any concert. But there was no promotion on the release date and the tour promoting it hardly has songs off the album. So I guess you can't have a reception with such an obscure and unknown album. I know ONE person who bought Chinese Democracy.

[sweetness]

When CD came out, the only people I knew who really dug it were me, my girlfriend, and her sister. We listened to it quite a lot, my girlfriend eventually stole my copy so she could listen to it in her car, it warmed my heart how enthusiastic she was about it. My circle of friends, who are mostly GNR fans, all bought it but never really cared for it. Since then I've met one person who comes close to being as huge of a GNR fan as me, and he described Chinese Democracy as "fucking awful".

If its reception has changed at all, I don't think it's grown more positive. Outside of this forum I never hear it mentioned.

[One.In.A.Million]

I think the album has gained alot of support since it's release, and we've seen songs used in various ways in the media over the last 3 years. But I have to say it has not made the progress that I would have liked it too, or it deserves.

It all comes down for me to the same old issue, which was GN'R missed a few golden opportunities to release CD.......first in 2002, then 2004, and lastly the fall of 2006. I think it came out way too late, and by the time it came out online music downloading and platforms to get music for free (e.g myspace, youtube) had gained a considerable following.

So while it has made progress, it has been far few inbetween.....and I feel it has done the best it's going to do, in todays climate at least.

Wish I was wrong though...

Edited April 4, 2012 by One.In.A.Million

[The Wicked Hand]

The forums are the only place I've ever heard anyone even say the words Chinese democracy.

Doesn't mean it's not a good record. I really enjoy it.

It is amazing how little people know about NuGNR.

[Flayer]

I'd say it's had an increasingly positive reception among those who pay attention to GNR.

[SunnyDRE]

no. it still sucks.

[tkarmy]

should have never re-recorded the album after 99... should have just put it out in 2000,2001.... WAY too much expectation and WAY to much wait... still one of my favorite disks but just took way too long to come out, the general public doesn't respect 15 mil and more than a decade to come out

[The Wicked Hand]

Totally agree, and it a FUCKING SHAME, that it seems it is once again, gonna take Axl forever to put out another record.

[Apollo]

Still one of my favorite albums of all time.

I can get friends to like certain songs, but rarely did I get somebody who liked the entire album.

[uzeurilluzion]

I agree with what people have said in the music industry.

The album is no more! Its about singles now. People talk about how good singles are. The general pop doesn't listen to albums anymore.

I can't even recall the last time someone told me about an amazing album!...........Song? ya people tell me to check out songs all the time. Albums not so much.....those days are over.

Chinese is actually the last full album I myself have listened to fully.

It lacks that radio appeal but I enjoy it! Every bit of it! No use worrying what others think! People slam it without even hearing it!

[KiraMPD]

I don't know as a whole how much people's opinions on CD have changed. All I can say is that anyone I know who has actually sat down and listened to some of the songs from it could not say that they were bad songs.

[sleishman drums]

In Australia.. With te people I've spoken to about it in conversation.. I've only ever found one other person who liked it.. I felt like it had ups and downs on it(like most records) but yeah.. A majority of people are still " no slash no gnr " attitude.. And that will never change :/

[Georgy Zhukov]

Everyone I know won't listen to it either because they hate GN'R or because there is no Slash.

[Chloe]

Everyone I know won't listen to it either because they hate GN'R or because there is no Slash.

This.

[Georgy Zhukov]

Everyone I know won't listen to it either because they hate GN'R or because there is no Slash.

This.

Then we will get people who refuse to listen To the next because there is no Buckethead or Finck

Edited April 4, 2012 by BirdCatcher

[Chloe]

Then we will get people who refuse to listen To the next because there is no Buckethead or Finck

There's no ending to it.

[Nosaj Thing]

Guns N' Roses for my entire country are the original line-up and the original line-up only. You can find around 100 persons that know Chinese Democracy exists and then out of that 100, 5 that really like it and are fans of it.

I remember when they played here in March, 2010. Classic songs: the whole stadium were singing along and screaming, but as soon as they played "Better" and "Sorry" nobody was singing, it was very odd because nobody was singing, it was like all of the sudden everyone left. Then when the show ended, and I was walking out of the building with my friends, you could hear some "This is NOT Guns N' Roses" "Where those awful songs came from?" "I wasted my time and money for this shit!".

As far as the reception of the last album? I thought it was shit back in 2009 but I gave it a try and it wasn't that bad. It started growing on me and that's pretty cool. My Gn'R fan friends? They are as hardcore as me and they think "Chinese Democracy is shit!", there's only one that really likes "Better", but that's pretty much it. The reason is basically the same as always: No Slash, No Gn'R.

/My 2 cents.

Edited April 4, 2012 by pi2loc

[ITW 2012]

It exists online more than anywhere else.

[ThinkAboutYou]

I don't think the reception has improved greatly time to move on to the next record

[bumblecool]

i gave 3 chineses democracys on christmas to some friends, all of them enjoy and always have the album in the car player.

[KiraMPD]

I agree that the reception of the album was marred by the stigma surrounding the band lineup and name. Most people that I come across that say CD "was shit" usually haven't even given it a chance (in RL, not people on the forums who likely have taken a listen and are entitled to their own opinion)

Example:

I have a friend who is a GnR fan (particularly a Slash fan) and she often says things like CD was shit, Axl's an asshole and calls the new band a "fake-o-band". She was there at Leeds 2010 booing and hissing the band and left half-way through.

So a few weeks ago I was messing around on her piano while she practiced on her new bass and I start playing and singing Street of Dreams and Prostitute. She turned to me and said, "Hey, that's really nice. Who's it by?"

I told her it was from Chinese Democracy and I could tell she was a little shocked. I felt a little smug after that tbh.

Edited April 4, 2012 by KiraMPD

[RocketQueen1985]

Everyone I know won't listen to it either because they hate GN'R or because there is no Slash.

Same.

One of my friends who's really into the old band never really listened to CD so one day she asked me for recommendations on what music to listen to and I told her to listen to CD so she did and later on in the day I heard back from her and she was all "It's really good!" and now she loves Catcher In The Rye (her and I always go nanananannanana along with Axl when we listen to it)

This was just one example but I've tried several times that when people just give the album a fair chance and actually listen to it they for the most part really like it

[Voodoochild]

Most of my best friends liked, even though some didnt really thought it was better than the previous one. But at least two of them told me they rather listen to the demos than the final version of some tracks.