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Would some fans have reacted to CD differently if...


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...it had been marketed as an Axl solo record or something other than a GnR album. I know Axl has the legal rights to the name and all that...but it seems like a lot of the "hate" (not sure if that's the right word) for CD and even the dislike of the musicians themselves stems from the fact that people were pissed that he would have the audacity to call it GnR (imagine Robert Plant putting together a band and releasing a "Led Zeppelin" album w/o Page or JPJ). It seems like some fans never really gave the band and the music a chance because they could never get past the "it's not really GnR" debate. Also, due to the legacy of GnR, people had huge (and probably unfair and unrealistic) expectations of the album...it was setup to fail because people were expecting it to sound like GnR and would always compare it to AFD and UYI and the "classic" lineup. I just wonder if Axl had given the band a different name and an identity of it's own, or even if it had been released as a solo record...maybe some people (not all) would have approached it with a more open mind?

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Probably so.

But that blame falls on Axl's shoulders.

Keeping the GnR name gave him HUGE financial benefits - so that was the trade off that he chose to make.

But in today's climate, the excuse starts to fall off over time.

Somebody can choose to not purchase a new GnR album because they don't like Axl's attitude or that he is still using the name.

BUT over time, they eventually will hear some of the new songs. On the radio, in a movie, on a video game. They'll eventually look up a song or two on youtube and check out the band.

So opening month sales - I think your point holds water. But after that, any rock fan that would potentially purchase a GnR album, will eventually listen to songs from the album. And at that time, all that is really important is the quality of the song. I can't imagine anybody listening to the album and thinking it's the best music they've heard in years, but they choose to not buy it or listen to it ever again, because they think Axl is a jerk.

I was 100% Axl and didn't care that much for Slash. And I never liked STP and Weedland's voice. But I still gave VR a couple listens to see if I like it or not. Once you get off a forum like this, that's how the majority of people are. Not many people are physically angry about Axl-Slash splitting up.

At the end of the day, the music will do the talking. (And yes, I know there are extremes to both sides. People will love it just because it is Axl, and people will hate it because of Axl. But I'm talking about the other 99.5% of the population).

If the music is good........people will listen.

Edited by Groghan
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Definetily yes...I just don't hear "Guns N' Roses" in it :shrugs:

People criticized the illusions for not sounding like GNR. They turned out to be epic!

After over 5 years has that happened to CD?

Depends on who you ask - I think it is epic. I don't think no matter how "good" the songs were it was doomed no matter what. Now that it's out it is time for the follow-up albums (lol) to give the band their chance.

OT: you don't think songs like SOD, CITR, TWAT, and IRS sound like GNR?

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No, IMHO from the business point of view Axl did the right thing using the name as I doubt he would have sold as many copies of ChiDem or would draw as many fans if he toured as "The Axl Rose Band"...never underestimate the power of the GnR brand name..Axl doesn't which is why he fought so hard for it as he knows it = $$$............

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Definetily yes...I just don't hear "Guns N' Roses" in it :shrugs:

People criticized the illusions for not sounding like GNR. They turned out to be epic!

After over 5 years has that happened to CD?

Depends on who you ask - I think it is epic. I don't think no matter how "good" the songs were it was doomed no matter what. Now that it's out it is time for the follow-up albums (lol) to give the band their chance.

OT: you don't think songs like SOD, CITR, TWAT, and IRS sound like GNR?

I just want less ballads and more raw GnR like we had on Illusion albums..More hardrock/bluesy stuff for me thanks :lol:

Edited by gunnari
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CD was an acquired taste for me. I sampled it when it first came out and hated it, then moved on and never really gave it another thought. Then one day I was in Best Buy and they had stacks of them for $1.99. I thought what the heck...for 1.99 it's worth another listen or two. After several listens I still hated it. But I would occasionally give it another listen. I don't know...eventually something clicked...and I started liking it. There are some days when I get in the mood for CD and nothing else will do (they are few and far between but it happens). I still think it is vastly inferior to the old stuff and I still prefer Slash to any of Axl's hired guns, but it finally did grow on me. TWAT is a great song.

But if it had never been on sale for a $1.99...

Edited by foghat43
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CD is just too fucking weird album for me..As I have said before my brains don't register the sounds of CD like they do for older stuff..I find CD to be without soul <_< Most of the time I ask what the fuck was Axl thinking when he released this album..I only like Better and Shackler's and they are average at best lol

Edited by gunnari
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I think so, I mean that is what it was. It's in the same league as all of the other members solo albums, not exactly in the same league as the rest of the GNR catalog. People who support still calling the band GNR argue "Its just a name", so why not call it what it is?

Axl Rose - Chinese Democracy

Rolls off the tounge nicely. If CD would have been released as an Axl Rose album in about 2002 I think it would have been recieved MUCH better than it was in 08 as a "Guns N' Roses" album.

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Fans would have reacted differently to CD if it were actually a masterpiece. After millions and decades spent, not getting a masterpiece (and getting Scraped instead) is very disappointing.

Or Riad LOL I got headache from that song :lol:

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Calling it Axl's band doesn't change the fact that the songs are average at best.

No, IMHO from the business point of view Axl did the right thing using the name as I doubt he would have sold as many copies of ChiDem or would draw as many fans if he toured as "The Axl Rose Band"...never underestimate the power of the GnR brand name..Axl doesn't which is why he fought so hard for it as he knows it = $$$............

Nobody's debating that

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Over though, over wrought, elemently boring to a huge degree despite layers and layers of unnessessary noise ultimately the album said nothing about anything. A snapshot of a long drawn out process that simply didnt fire the imagination up ...well maybe for some of you it did and bravo for you if it does. WOuld have worked better as a solo album?... it is a solo album and was put together by a group of people that got paid to play to impliment Axls vision. It simply did not work at the same level as anything previous. Unfortunate given the huge momentum that GNR had. Key word HAD

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Calling it Axl's band doesn't change the fact that the songs are average at best.

No, IMHO from the business point of view Axl did the right thing using the name as I doubt he would have sold as many copies of ChiDem or would draw as many fans if he toured as "The Axl Rose Band"...never underestimate the power of the GnR brand name..Axl doesn't which is why he fought so hard for it as he knows it = $$$............

Nobody's debating that

Actually there are members on this forum who would disagree with that opinion and believe that ChiDem and Axl would be just as successful if he had not used the GnR name to sell albums and concert tickets..... :shrugs:

Edited by classicrawker
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