Did Axl even try to make Chinese Democracy sound like a GNR record?

[Towelie]

When you hear Chinese, it is lacking in almost everything that defines the signature GNR sound. Obviously a big reason for the change in sound is down to the fact that it's made by an entirely different group of musicians. But you'd have thought Axl would've at least attempted to recreate some kind of essence of the old bands sound.

There's only really two proper guitar riffs on the entire record (Riad and title track). The bass may as well be non-existant and there's probably only two or three bluesy solos on the whole thing.

I actually really enjoy Chinese Democracy, but there's no denying that it sounds nothing like Guns N Roses.

So was it a lack of understanding on Axl's part about what defined the GNR sound or was it a purposeful decision to distance himself from the sound of AFD/Illusions?

[Sprite]

I thought a lot of Chinese sounded like a continuation of the Illusions style.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Sprite

[cooker]

No, I think that was the point. He was trying to (in his mind) progress the GN'R sound. If he was interested in keeping the sound of GN'R the breakup wouldn't have happened the way it did. 

[maynard]

CD has absolutely NOTHING to do with the UYI albums. Everything is completely different. It's not a natural sequel to UYI and it'is not an evlolution of the GNR sound.

It's Axl's solo attempt. It's not a GNR (the band) album. It's a GNR (Axl's NIN) album. That's pretty obvious to me.

And I think that's exactly what Axl was attempting to do. A solo record with the most talented musicians his money could hire. He sings and plays piano like he did during his time in GNR, that's the only similar part IMO. Robin can play some bluesy stuff and yet his style is completely different from Slash's, I hear very few similarities. Cool basslines which were part of GNR's sound don't exist on CD because a) Tommy is mediocre and b) It's not a GNR album, Axl wasn't trying to replicate what Duff did. Production-wise, Axl kept the trend he started on UYI to make the songs bloated and self-indulgent, difference is on UYI there was a band to decide the final versions of the songs and put a leash on Axl, on CD Axl was calling ALL THE SHOTS, because it's a SOLO RECORD.

Kudos to Axl for trying something different. I do like early versions of Better and think Madagascar at Rio 3 is a brilliant song with an amazing solo by BH. But he's an 80s hard rock singer, not Trent Reznor, not Bowie, not a leader, not a genius, not a guy able to come up with epic songs on his own. He needs Slash.

[curmudgeonrose]

UYI sounds nothing like Appetite

CD sounds nothing like UYI or Appetite

 

It's continuous evolution

[JaxTeller]

Axl didn't want another AFD nor Illusion. Those two albums have things in common because 4/5 members playing are the same.
Axl wanted a different sound on CD.Plus,the numerous musicians that passed through the CD era is a fact that clearly changed the sound of the whole album.

For me there is another question : Is Chinese Democracy what Axl EXACTLY wanted ? I highly doubt it.

[shjtjustgotreal]

jesus fucking christ axl has said so many fucking times that he doesn't want to recreate the afd sound

whats the point of being a musician if you refuse to fucking grow?? (yes give me the joke about axl being a screaming 2 year old and not growing up)

[Lies They Tell]

Well if he had made a solo record it would've sounded very different. So yes, he did try make a GNR record. But he couldn't find a blues based guitarist who would have replaced Slash in a proper way, so they ended up with a little different sound. But they did try to capture a lot of what made old GNR special. The album has beautiful melodies, interesting song structures, relatable lyrics, insane screams, cool riffs (even if not that many) and awesome guitar solos. I think they captured a lot of what made GNR great, without sounding too much like their just imitating Slash and co. The biggest complaints I have is that I would have preferred a rawer sound, more rockers and a little less ballads. But overall I like the end result.

To Axl GNR has always been a melting pot of all the music that he likes. Old GNR was influenced by Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, AC/DC, Hanoi Rocks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Elvis Presley, The Sex Pistols etc... Pretty much everything before them had an influence on them. And I think that's the GNR spirit that Axl was trying to recapture on CD. Just like Appetite and UYI-records before it, Chinese Democracy too was a melting pot of all music before it. Only this time it had influences from grunge, industrial and numetal bands too.

So I don't think they were trying to capture the exact sound of the old records. But they were trying to capture, what Axl thinks is the spirit of GNR.

[Silent Jay]

It souds like Guns N' Roses. It actually has guitars all over it, with obviously more than just two riffs.

An Axl solo atempt would have been more instrumental.

[dalsh327]

Is it right to compare someone's new album to the back catalog? 

[Eric Cantona]

Chinese Democracy is on the same level as Appetite, maybe even higher if DJ was included in recording the album.

[cooker]

4 minutes ago, AslatIE said:

Chinese Democracy is on the same level as Appetite, maybe even higher if DJ was included in recording the album.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Honestly, I don't think of AFD, Lies, or UYIs when I listen to CD (or vice versa).

I for one am glad GNR isn't AC/DC.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy me some AC/DC, but let's be honest, everything they do sounds verrry similar, don't ya think?

 

[Eric Cantona]

7 minutes ago, cooker said:

I am super 100 purcent sirios. Axelell is the Gnus And Russtcb bands and the Slash with Myles Cattedy and the COnstipators will nevver evver be on saem level as the legendery strong Axol Rese.
DJ is old one. Slash is not better with goitar than the almighty holy Aexl Rose onn gnr worst song because have slash: Dead Horse.

Axl is Mad At Nascar because Nascar is sponsor slash and slash is bad man.
Cinese Domocrazy is best album in rock and roll history.

glory to ashbaswag

Edited February 5, 2016 by AslatIE

[cooker]

1 minute ago, AslatIE said:

I am super 100 purcent sirios. Axelell is the Gnus And Russes bands and the Slash with Myles Cattedy and the COnstipators will nevver evver be on saem level as the legendery strong Axol Rese.
DJ is old one. Slash is not better with goitar than the almighty holy Aexl Rose onn gnr worst song because have slash: Dead Horse.

Axl is Mad At Nascar because Nascar is sponsor slash and slash is bad man.
Cinese Domocrazy is best album in rock and roll history.

glory to ashbaswag

K. 

[Eric Cantona]

1 minute ago, cooker said:

K. 

LMNOP

[sonofnazareth]

32 minutes ago, Lies They Tell said:

Well if he had made a solo record it would've sounded very different. So yes, he did try make a GNR record. But he couldn't find a blues based guitarist who would have replaced Slash in a proper way, so they ended up with a little different sound. But they did try to capture a lot of what made old GNR special. The album has beautiful melodies, interesting song structures, relatable lyrics, insane screams, cool riffs (even if not that many) and awesome guitar solos. I think they captured a lot of what made GNR great, without sounding too much like their just imitating Slash and co. The biggest complaints I have is that I would have preferred a rawer sound, more rockers and a little less ballads. But overall I like the end result.

To Axl GNR has always been a melting pot of all the music that he likes. Old GNR was influenced by Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, AC/DC, Hanoi Rocks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Elvis Presley, The Sex Pistols etc... Pretty much everything before them had an influence on them. And I think that's the GNR spirit that Axl was trying to recapture on CD. Just like Appetite and UYI-records before it, Chinese Democracy too was a melting pot of all music before it. Only this time it had influences from grunge, industrial and numetal bands too.

So I don't think they were trying to capture the exact sound of the old records. But they were trying to capture, what Axl thinks is the spirit of GNR.

Old GNR's main influence was Nazareth whether they admit it or not. Listen to the Razamanaz, Loud N' Proud, Expect No Mercy and No Mean City albums. Dan Mccafferty's vocals and Manny Charlton's guitar work HEAVILY influenced GNR. 

Edited February 5, 2016 by sonofnazareth

[sonofnazareth]

Listen to this and tell me you don't hear the 'father' of Axl Rose on vocals. 

 

[Eric Cantona]

1 minute ago, sonofnazareth said:

Listen to this and tell me you don't hear the 'father' of Axl Rose on vocals. 

 

I don't hear Axl's vocal daddy here.

[maxpax]

Axl is a difficult Person with a twisted mind. Its still funny that "my world" on the UYI Album was the first musical hint for axls new direction. Axls biggest mistake was to release CD under the Name of gnr. His project with newgnr was interesting but it was never the real gnr deal. 

[ManuARG]

I dont think that CD sound like UYI's.

I like most of the songs, but it has a different sound. And I think that that was what Axl wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bobbo]

To be fair, Street of Dreams does sound like something that could fit on the Illusions. Maybe This I Love as well. But that's it. And even those songs sound like poor man versions of what Axl has already done before, and better. They're the twonkies to November Rain's and Estranged's twinkies.

Everything else was so drastically different from what Guns N' Roses already established itself to be. There's nothing that you can connect the dots to. And that's because it was missing essential ingredients. Izzy and Slash were just as important to the song structure and the sound of the band as Axl was. Without at least those two, Axl never even had a chance to make a proper GNR record.

[Dan H.]

I thought Axl answered this is the chats, could be wrong though.

 

He said something roughly like his ultimate 'goal' of the record was to make it embody the spirit of Guns N' Roses, while also heading into a new and innovative direction.

Whether or not you believe he accomplished that goal is up to you. I don't really think it panned out like that, it sounds a lot more credible to me if Axl had made it a solo record, because it really doesn't have a lot of the style that crossed over through the other GN'R records.

[ManuARG]

 

2 minutes ago, Bobbo said:

To be fair, Street of Dreams does sound like something that could fit on the Illusions. Maybe This I Love as well. But that's it. And even those songs sound like poor man versions of what Axl has already done before, and better. They're the twonkies to November Rain's and Estranged's twinkies.

Everything else was so drastically different from what Guns N' Roses already established itself to be. There's nothing that you can connect the dots to. And that's because it was missing essential ingredients. Izzy and Slash were just as important to the song structure and the sound of the band as Axl was. Without at least those two, Axl never even had a chance to make a proper GNR record.

Maybe he didnt want it. He just wanted to do something different. Something he never could do with Slash in the band

[Bobbo]

Which is fine as long as you're not pretending to be something you're not while doing it. That wasn't the case.