List of excuses/common myths trotted out to explain ChineseD's lack of success

[Facekicker]

1: It didn't have a competent audience

2: It received no promotion from the record company

3: Myspace streaming/torrents

4: Slash wasn't on it so people didn't listen/care

5: The Best Buy deal hampered it

6: Nobody buys CD's anymore

7: There is a radio conspiracy against Axl Rose

8: The economy is to blame

9: The wind was blowing in the wrong direction

Does anyone else love reading all the theories put out there by NuGNR fans in an effort to explain the lack of success of Chinese Democracy? They just can't accept that the public rejected the album because it is average at best so instead they like to pin the blame on an assortment of other things.

Maybe we can gather all these theories here so we can read them all in one place. They are becoming more abundant and creative as the years go by. Very entertaining.

[Coma16]

Whoever says it wasn't successful is talking shit...

Chart positions Album Year Chart Peak position 2008 European Top 100 1^[88] Argentina Albums Chart 1^[89]Canadian Albums Chart 1^[90] Finnish Albums Chart 1^[91] New Zealand Albums Chart 1^[92] Polish Albums Chart 1^[93] Slovene Albums Chart 1^[94] Swiss Albums Chart 1^[95] Taiwanese G-music Western Chart 1^[96]UK Albums Chart 2^[64] German Albums Chart 2^[95] Norwegian Albums Chart 2^[95] U.S. Billboard 200 3^[62]Australian Albums Chart 3^[97] Austrian Albums Chart 3^[95]Irish Albums Chart 3^[98] Israeli Albums Chart 3^[99]Italian Albums Chart 3^[100] Japanese Oricon Albums Chart 3^[101] Belgian Albums Chart 2^[102] Dutch Albums Chart 4^[103] Hungarian Albums Chart 4^[95] Mexican Albums Chart 3^[104] Russian Albums Chart 4^[105] Swedish Albums Chart 4^[95] Danish Albums Chart 7^[106] Portuguese Albums Chart 9^[95] French Albums Chart 5^[95] Greek Albums Chart 10^[107]

[Damn_Smooth]

3 is the correct answer. It was the number 2 selling album that year. Should it have been #1? Don't know, don't care.

[gunnari]

I would add to that list one thing: "It was not made entirely by the old GnR"

Yes I listened to it like any record and not thinking there is only Axl...the whole album is just too damn weird..Axl tried too hard to make it better than the previous records and only god knows what he even tries with CD..It's like eating a pizza..yeah its good but eating it too much gives you stomache ache...

Whoever says it wasn't successful is talking shit...

Chart positions Album Year Chart Peak position 2008 European Top 100 1^[88] Argentina Albums Chart 1^[89]Canadian Albums Chart 1^[90] Finnish Albums Chart 1^[91] New Zealand Albums Chart 1^[92] Polish Albums Chart 1^[93] Slovene Albums Chart 1^[94] Swiss Albums Chart 1^[95] Taiwanese G-music Western Chart 1^[96]UK Albums Chart 2^[64] German Albums Chart 2^[95] Norwegian Albums Chart 2^[95] U.S. Billboard 200 3^[62]Australian Albums Chart 3^[97] Austrian Albums Chart 3^[95]Irish Albums Chart 3^[98] Israeli Albums Chart 3^[99]Italian Albums Chart 3^[100] Japanese Oricon Albums Chart 3^[101] Belgian Albums Chart 2^[102] Dutch Albums Chart 4^[103] Hungarian Albums Chart 4^[95] Mexican Albums Chart 3^[104] Russian Albums Chart 4^[105] Swedish Albums Chart 4^[95] Danish Albums Chart 7^[106] Portuguese Albums Chart 9^[95] French Albums Chart 5^[95] Greek Albums Chart 10^[107]

Would it have made topcharts if Axl used different name than GnR? Is it still popular after people listened to it? Didn't think so

[Coma16]

I would add to that list one thing: "It was not made entirely by the old GnR"

Yes I listened to it like any record and not thinking there is only Axl...the whole album is just too damn weird..Axl tried too hard to make it better than the previous records and only god knows what he even tries with CD..It's like eating a pizza..yeah its good but eating it too much gives you stomache ache...

Whoever says it wasn't successful is talking shit...

Chart positions Album Year Chart Peak position 2008 European Top 100 1^[88] Argentina Albums Chart 1^[89]Canadian Albums Chart 1^[90] Finnish Albums Chart 1^[91] New Zealand Albums Chart 1^[92] Polish Albums Chart 1^[93] Slovene Albums Chart 1^[94] Swiss Albums Chart 1^[95] Taiwanese G-music Western Chart 1^[96]UK Albums Chart 2^[64] German Albums Chart 2^[95] Norwegian Albums Chart 2^[95] U.S. Billboard 200 3^[62]Australian Albums Chart 3^[97] Austrian Albums Chart 3^[95]Irish Albums Chart 3^[98] Israeli Albums Chart 3^[99]Italian Albums Chart 3^[100] Japanese Oricon Albums Chart 3^[101] Belgian Albums Chart 2^[102] Dutch Albums Chart 4^[103] Hungarian Albums Chart 4^[95] Mexican Albums Chart 3^[104] Russian Albums Chart 4^[105] Swedish Albums Chart 4^[95] Danish Albums Chart 7^[106] Portuguese Albums Chart 9^[95] French Albums Chart 5^[95] Greek Albums Chart 10^[107]

Would it have made topcharts if Axl used different name than GnR? Is it still popular after people listened to it? Didn't think so

Have you been to Brazil?

[Gia]

One word:

SLASH

[Facekicker]

Sales were lower than expected but that is not really the point I was making. Outside of these forums, most people either don't care about the album or hate it. There is certainly a stark contrast between the popularity of CD and the popularity of the rest of the GNR catalogue.

It is the black sheep of the family and the list of excuses trotted out to explain this is hilarious.

[gunnari]

Axl and Slash..what a great rock n roll "couple" they were..when they were on stage together it was pure magic..Slash's riffs fits perfectly with Axl's lyrics and sound

[Coma16]

Axl and Slash..what a great rock n roll "couple" they were..when they were on stage together it was pure magic..Slash's riffs fits perfectly with Axl's lyrics and sound

You'd let them sandwich you, wouldn't you. PH>Slash

[Randy Lahey]

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

[Facekicker]

[Coma16]

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

Sometimes when you lose, you really win.

[Guest NGOG]

Who gives a fuck? We've been listening to most of Chinese Democracy years before its release. Debates of this nature could have happened as far back as 2006.

Don't legitimize Axl by discussing the record he insists resting the GNR name on. A better question is why are we being denied any insight into the musical future of GNR?

[saber_]

1: It didn't have a competent audience

2: It received no promotion from the record company

3: Myspace streaming/torrents

4: Slash wasn't on it so people didn't listen/care

5: The Best Buy deal hampered it

6: Nobody buys CD's anymore

7: There is a radio conspiracy against Axl Rose

8: The economy is to blame

9: The wind was blowing in the wrong direction

Does anyone else love reading all the theories put out there by NuGNR fans in an effort to explain the lack of success of Chinese Democracy? They just can't accept that the public rejected the album because it is average at best so instead they like to pin the blame on an assortment of other things.

Maybe we can gather all these theories here so we can read them all in one place. They are becoming more abundant and creative as the years go by. Very entertaining.

Maybe you kicked yourself in the face too many times, but as another poster already pointed out, the album went platinum in many countries all over the world. It sold between 3 million and 5 million copies before the price cut.

Interestingly, later in the thread, one of your people says "well, would it have done as well if he hadn't used the name?" You people need to make your mind up. Either stick with your original bullshit and say it was a failure and defend that premise, or admit it enjoyed moderate success that you think is attributed to the name. You can't have it both ways.

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

So did you really PM Gunzen and say how amazing Chinese Democracy was, among other things?

[Facekicker]

1: It didn't have a competent audience

2: It received no promotion from the record company

3: Myspace streaming/torrents

4: Slash wasn't on it so people didn't listen/care

5: The Best Buy deal hampered it

6: Nobody buys CD's anymore

7: There is a radio conspiracy against Axl Rose

8: The economy is to blame

9: The wind was blowing in the wrong direction

Does anyone else love reading all the theories put out there by NuGNR fans in an effort to explain the lack of success of Chinese Democracy? They just can't accept that the public rejected the album because it is average at best so instead they like to pin the blame on an assortment of other things.

Maybe we can gather all these theories here so we can read them all in one place. They are becoming more abundant and creative as the years go by. Very entertaining.

Maybe you kicked yourself in the face too many times, but as another poster already pointed out, the album went platinum in many countries all over the world. It sold between 3 million and 5 million copies before the price cut.

Interestingly, later in the thread, one of your people says "well, would it have done as well if he hadn't used the name?" You people need to make your mind up. Either stick with your original bullshit and say it was a failure and defend that premise, or admit it enjoyed moderate success that you think is attributed to the name. You can't have it both ways.

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

So did you really PM Gunzen and say how amazing Chinese Democracy was, among other things?

Read post #7 above and take a deep breath before the vein at the side of your head pops.

[HubbaBubba]

1: It didn't have a competent audience

2: It received no promotion from the record company

3: Myspace streaming/torrents

4: Slash wasn't on it so people didn't listen/care

5: The Best Buy deal hampered it

6: Nobody buys CD's anymore

7: There is a radio conspiracy against Axl Rose

8: The economy is to blame

9: The wind was blowing in the wrong direction

Does anyone else love reading all the theories put out there by NuGNR fans in an effort to explain the lack of success of Chinese Democracy? They just can't accept that the public rejected the album because it is average at best so instead they like to pin the blame on an assortment of other things.

Maybe we can gather all these theories here so we can read them all in one place. They are becoming more abundant and creative as the years go by. Very entertaining.

Maybe you kicked yourself in the face too many times, but as another poster already pointed out, the album went platinum in many countries all over the world. It sold between 3 million and 5 million copies before the price cut.

Interestingly, later in the thread, one of your people says "well, would it have done as well if he hadn't used the name?" You people need to make your mind up. Either stick with your original bullshit and say it was a failure and defend that premise, or admit it enjoyed moderate success that you think is attributed to the name. You can't have it both ways.

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

So did you really PM Gunzen and say how amazing Chinese Democracy was, among other things?

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

[saber_]

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

Yeah, these people like OP (who by the way, is an alt account of a banned user) get on such an autopilot, they don't have a cohesive collective argument. They just attack anything nuGuns on some weird, bizarre, delusional autopilot, while acting smug the whole time. It really is comical.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head as to the root of their shit-talking: Chinese Democracy was not as successful as previous Guns' efforts. Because of that, and because they don't approve of what Axl's done with the name, and what he's done with the sound, they do all they can to smear nuGuns and Chinese Democracy while dramatically acting disgruntled.

[Gia]

1: It didn't have a competent audience

2: It received no promotion from the record company

3: Myspace streaming/torrents

4: Slash wasn't on it so people didn't listen/care

5: The Best Buy deal hampered it

6: Nobody buys CD's anymore

7: There is a radio conspiracy against Axl Rose

8: The economy is to blame

9: The wind was blowing in the wrong direction

Does anyone else love reading all the theories put out there by NuGNR fans in an effort to explain the lack of success of Chinese Democracy? They just can't accept that the public rejected the album because it is average at best so instead they like to pin the blame on an assortment of other things.

Maybe we can gather all these theories here so we can read them all in one place. They are becoming more abundant and creative as the years go by. Very entertaining.

Maybe you kicked yourself in the face too many times, but as another poster already pointed out, the album went platinum in many countries all over the world. It sold between 3 million and 5 million copies before the price cut.

Interestingly, later in the thread, one of your people says "well, would it have done as well if he hadn't used the name?" You people need to make your mind up. Either stick with your original bullshit and say it was a failure and defend that premise, or admit it enjoyed moderate success that you think is attributed to the name. You can't have it both ways.

Bumblefoot's elephant noises are too intellectually challenging for Van Halen fans.

Chinese Democracy was meant for an audience of Kanye West and Lady Gaga fans.

Van Halen fans can listen to Chinese Democracy, but they can't hear Chinese Democracy.

So did you really PM Gunzen and say how amazing Chinese Democracy was, among other things?

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

No not really... Hubba, as Facekicker said, read # 7

and what does a message to Gunzen have anything to do in this thread? Please explain how he's taking care of "business"

[Guest NGOG]

but certainly a flop by gnr standards.

Two things. Hard rock was a dead entity by 1996. By 2008... yeah. Competing with Appetite or Illusion units was an actual impossibility given the limited market.

Secondly, the people who represented GNR no longer fitted that 'sexy, cool, badass' archetype. They weren't playing about the good times and looking good in doing so; Chinese Democracy was some pretty morbid shit by GNR's standards.

[Gia]

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

Yeah, these people like OP (who by the way, is an alt account of a banned user) get on such an autopilot, they don't have a cohesive collective argument. They just attack anything nuGuns on some weird, bizarre, delusional autopilot, while acting smug the whole time. It really is comical.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head as to the root of their shit-talking: Chinese Democracy was not as successful as previous Guns' efforts. Because of that, and because they don't approve of what Axl's done with the name, and what he's done with the sound, they do all they can to smear nuGuns and Chinese Democracy while dramatically acting disgruntled.

He's asking a question, you're the one taking it personally ...

that is more comical than anything

[gunnari]

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

Yeah, these people like OP (who by the way, is an alt account of a banned user) get on such an autopilot, they don't have a cohesive collective argument. They just attack anything nuGuns on some weird, bizarre, delusional autopilot, while acting smug the whole time. It really is comical.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head as to the root of their shit-talking: Chinese Democracy was not as successful as previous Guns' efforts. Because of that, and because they don't approve of what Axl's done with the name, and what he's done with the sound, they do all they can to smear nuGuns and Chinese Democracy while dramatically acting disgruntled.

I will say to you that I don't like what Axl has done to GnR name and the direction he chose with CD..This is what you get when he is the only original member..He can't reinvent GnR on his own..that's a fucking fact!! I will say everybody in this forum that I'm a bitter what GnR has evolved and that this band is a joke..Todays GnR is a nostalgia act...one album in 20 years..no band chemistry on stage..people want to hear the old stuff more than the new ones...I wish you newGnR fans would take your fucking head out of your asses and see what the reality really is!! I apreciate that Axl and his hired hands came to my country in 2006 and 2010..but I went only to see Axl..and to sing with him those classics from Appetite and Illusion..most people don't like CD..They just don't...We wanna hear more Illusion on gigs like Back Off Bitch and Coma...Does Axl even realize how perfect GnR used to be back in the day???

Edited October 15, 2013 by gunnari

[Facekicker]

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

Yeah, these people like OP (who by the way, is an alt account of a banned user) get on such an autopilot, they don't have a cohesive collective argument. They just attack anything nuGuns on some weird, bizarre, delusional autopilot, while acting smug the whole time. It really is comical.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head as to the root of their shit-talking: Chinese Democracy was not as successful as previous Guns' efforts. Because of that, and because they don't approve of what Axl's done with the name, and what he's done with the sound, they do all they can to smear nuGuns and Chinese Democracy while dramatically acting disgruntled.

Brainsaber you never fail to amuse. I'm not an alt. account. I don't have another account here. Nor am I a banned user. I merely compiled the list of excuses trotted out on this forum in my original post. I agree with some of them, disagree with others.

Attacking me makes you look silly.

[RussTCB]

Success or failure is always in the eye of the beholder. Those looking for reasons why CD was a success will find some. Those looking for why it was a failure will do the same.

[trqster]

CD flopped because it was too little, too late.

[saber_]

Fuck, brainsaber taking care of business!

I think CD was moderately successful, but certainly a flop by gnr standards. And those are the standards it was measured against - as evidenced by the many, many manifestations of Axl's angst.

Yeah, these people like OP (who by the way, is an alt account of a banned user) get on such an autopilot, they don't have a cohesive collective argument. They just attack anything nuGuns on some weird, bizarre, delusional autopilot, while acting smug the whole time. It really is comical.

However, I think you hit the nail on the head as to the root of their shit-talking: Chinese Democracy was not as successful as previous Guns' efforts. Because of that, and because they don't approve of what Axl's done with the name, and what he's done with the sound, they do all they can to smear nuGuns and Chinese Democracy while dramatically acting disgruntled.

He's asking a question, you're the one taking it personally ...

that is more comical than anything

Keep telling yourself I'm taking it personally. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I encourage you to watch Idiocracy. You're like one of the people from the future, and I'm Luke Wilson, using normal sentences that somehow get misinterpreted by people like you.