Article-Chinese Democracy: The most underrated hair-band album of all-time

[wasted]

if by hair metal you mean female pubic hair metal, then i agree.

It's always seemed liked 70s classic rock meets 90s Alternative.

SOD

Madagascar

TWAT

Catcher

TIL

All pretty undeniable.

Better is the experiment that worked the best. Kind of like SCOM meets Head Like a Hole.

Those 6 songs would really make a great side 1

[axlsalinger]

Goddamm if I don't agree with the dude's choices for those five albums. Dog Eat Dog and These Days are extremely good LPs.

I never thought Too Fast... was underrated though.

Yeah, I had no idea whose site it was when I clicked the link, and was happy to see both of those on there. Dog Eat Dog is a great, under-appreciated album. I'd add Ugly Kid Joe's Menace to Sobriety and Enuff Z'Nuff's Strength to the list.

[TeeJay410]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

I still would love to hear the '99 version.

[SlashisGOD]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

I still would love to hear the '99 version.

Is the '99 version when it all sounded like Silkworms and Oh My God? If so, no thanks.

[TeeJay410]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

I still would love to hear the '99 version.

Is the '99 version when it all sounded like Silkworms and Oh My God? If so, no thanks.

I was more talking about a version with 9 years less of meandering background noises and layers.

[SlashisGOD]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

I still would love to hear the '99 version.

Is the '99 version when it all sounded like Silkworms and Oh My God? If so, no thanks.

I was more talking about a version with 9 years less of meandering background noises and layers.

Ah yes, sorry about that. I agree with your sentiments. When I listen to CD I realize that there is just way too many things going on to make a cohesive album. All that tinkering, contrary to what Axl probably thought, really made it worse. Sometimes simple is the best policy.

[D-GenerationX]

When I listen to CD I realize that there is just way too many things going on to make a cohesive album. All that tinkering, contrary to what Axl probably thought, really made it worse. Sometimes simple is the best policy.

I agree. Its just about the least organic sounding album, ever. And for good reason, because its not the least bit organic.

End of the day, I really, really like just over half of it. The other half, I have to be honest, I rarely play.

yes : Shackler's Revenge, Better, There Was A Time, I.R.S.

no : If The World, Rhiad & The Bedouins, Sorry, Scraped, This I Love

alternates : Madagascar-Chinese Democracy-Street Of Dreams (RIR III), Catcher In The Rye & Prostitute (leaked demos)

[axlsalinger]

I still really enjoy a large chunk of the album, and it still gets played a decent amount.

LOVE: TWAT, Better, Catcher, Prostitute, If the World, Sorry

LIKE: IRS, CD, Shackler's, Madagascar, The Blues, TIL

MEH: Riad, Scraped

[RichardNixon]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

I still would love to hear the '99 version.

Hopefully that would be part of the box set!

[Broskirose]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

[wasted]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

that was kind of point of it in a way wasn't? to kill all the 80s elements, replace them the 90s?

[RussTCB]

"Hair Band" or not, I still think it's a wildly under rated album for the most part.

[RichardNixon]

Libertad is also highly underrated.

[magisme]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

That's all I'm looking for any time I go back to the album. I think I might have sorta gotten there once, but I was high as fuck and anything would have sounded good. All I ever do is say, "Oh yeah, now I remember why I can't stand this album."

Edited May 6, 2014 by magisme

[robin2002]

Every now and again I go back to CD and listen to it in it's entirety, and come away thinking "hmm, that wasn't too bad."

That's all I'm looking for any time I go back to the album. I think I might have sorta gotten there once, but I was high as fuck and anything would have sounded good. All I ever do is say, "Oh yeah, now I remember why I can't stand this album."

When I listen to the album I get annoyed by various things, the addition of Frank and BBF, the vocals in Scrapped etc - for me I listen to the leaks more than the album and would of been happy of it was like this -

1 - Chinese Democracy (Antiquiet leak)

2 - Shacklers (album version is fine, only difference from 'Chicken Dinner' is number of times Buckets part is played at start and end)

3 - Better (Antiquiet leak)

4 - Street of Dreams (Antiquiet leak - I really like the backing vocals melody in the outro which seemed to be a lot lower/missing in the album mix)

5 - If the World (album version is ok, not much differences from leak so happy with either)

6 - TWAT (First leak 2006 is my fave version, doesn't have the bird noises as intro and I preferred the previous chorus as apposed to the heavy for the sake of being heavy chorus)

7 - Catcher (leak with Brian May - I can't stand the album version, they ruined it IMO)

8 - Scrapped (album version, was no leak)

9 - Rhiad (Antiquiet leak, don't like BBFs solo on album versions)

10 - Sorry (Album version, was no leak)

11 - IRS (Never been a huge fan of this song, but prefer any of the leaks over the album version)

12 - Madagascar (First leak - although the rest of the leaks are pretty similar I always preferred the 1st leak I heard)

13 - This I Love (Album version is fine, but I do like the instrumental versions)

14 - Prostitute (Antiquiet version, but also really enjoy the instrumental versions)

[RichardNixon]

I don't listen to Chinese Democracy all that much. I quite like it and think that it's a worthy follow-up the the UYI albums, but I just don't listen to GN'R all that much in general anymore. In Jr. High/High School I mostly listened to GN'R and Van Halen, so I kind of got my fill. Would still welcome a new album from either band.

Edited May 6, 2014 by RichardNixon

[stella]

It's a really good write up, and I'll concede that it's nitpicking, but the "hair metal" thing got to me too. I think it's perhaps because the label of hair metal usually trivializes a band with the general public. It also usually refers to a band where the members did the pretty boy teased-hair routine (which GnR grew out of pretty fast, and even when they did have teased hair, they weren't exactly looking like Poison) and that image overrode attention toward the music in some respects. It's not necessarily a fair assessment because some bands that are considered hair metal are really good...but the actual music isn't the first thing you necessarily think about with a hair band.

Anyway, though, IMHO that's not Guns N' Roses, and it's especially not GnR at the time they did Chinese Democracy.

Don't ever fucking refer to Axl Rose, Buckethead, Robin Finck, Paul Huge, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Josh Freese/Bryan Mantia, and Chris Pit(t)man as a HAIR-BAND.

Ugh ugh ugh.

The most interesting thing about my little site is that I've gotten NO complaints about any of the actual topics or selections.........the only complaint has been about the use of the world hair band or hair metal. Why that offends people is beyond me. NGOG makes complaint number three.

There is no general term that suits everybody's needs. Some people call Motley Crue and bon Jovi "metal". Some people call Warrant a hair band, but the majority of their catalog is nowhere near the same as a Poison.

Who really cares what a type of music is called.

At the end of the day, it's all rock and roll.

And I couldn't really call it www.music from my generation, mainly bands that I enjoy. I can't stand kiss so they aren't included.com

And sigh. Only on this forum would somebody complain about a blog that pretty much lists GnR as the BEST at every category and gives GnR TONS of props.

AND 3..........

It's a blog. I am a writer. I love the music of my youth. It allows me to write about one of my favorite subjects, without having to argue with people about stupid things or argue with people who carry grudges around. I'm not a professional website designer, nor a professional blog writer. You will find spelling mistakes, you will find grammar mistakes. If you like the bands that I love - GnR, Tesla, Cinderella, Motley Crue, Dangerous Toys, Ratt, Great White, etc then you might enjoy some of it. If you hate those bands or that era, it probably isn't for you.

Best hair metal song of all time? Welcome to the Jungle beat out Rock You Like Hurrican and 63 other hopefuls.

Most underrated hair metal album of all time? Chinese Democracy won that one as well.

Top power ballad of all time? Best front man of all time? Best debut album of all time? Most underrated song of all time? I'm sure you can guess who is probably going to win all of those.

Edited May 6, 2014 by stella

[Apollo]

Thanks for all the nice comments and great discussion.

********

But here goes the broken record.

It is just a label that One dude - me - picked out to use. For me, GnR is the best hair metal band ever. For you - maybe you choose to label them something else. Cool.

I don't really care about the label that one person might put on a band or type of music. At the end of the day, it's all rock n roll.

I couldn't do a "all rock n roll" site, as that would encompass millions of bands.

I couldn't call the site and reference it as "groghan's favorite bands and albums" as that would generate literally NO search results except for my close family members.

I had to use a label/title that draws searches.

Sorry to harp about, it just seems weird to me that people get caught up on the title. Why does that even matter?

THE TASTE OF THE FOOD SHOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE NAME OF THE RESTAURANT!!!!

PS - it is just my own little personal blog, written for fun, hopefully making enough to pay the hosting fee each month. Somebody in here lumped me in the with "media"......I'm not the media. I'm a GnR and rock fan, who enjoys writing.

LOL - and again. Only on this site would a blog that pretty much worships Axl and GnR, would people still find something to complain about. Best song ever, best ballad ever, most underrated album ever, best singer ever, best everything ever ---- Axl and GnR. But through all of that, people want to complain because they don't like the term hair metal?

Edited May 6, 2014 by Groghan

[Apollo]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

[Broskirose]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

Not all of it.

[Apollo]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

Not all of it.

Just the 25 songs they play live while touring?

Your comment in the other thread just made me laugh. I really don't care what people call any type of music. Buttrock. Hair metal. Metal. Rock. Dad rock. Whatever labels people want to use - more power to them. At the end of the day, it's all music and we can all call it whatever we want. What is important is how the music sounds to us personally - not whatever name random people want to label it.

[Broskirose]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

Not all of it.

Just the 25 songs they play live while touring?

Your comment in the other thread just made me laugh. I really don't care what people call any type of music. Buttrock. Hair metal. Metal. Rock. Dad rock. Whatever labels people want to use - more power to them. At the end of the day, it's all music and we can all call it whatever we want. What is important is how the music sounds to us personally - not whatever name random people want to label it.

Ok?

[TeeJay410]

I mean labeling music is useless, but when you listen to guns n roses versus poison or ratt or warrant, it's pretty clear guns wasn't that.

[Apollo]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

Not all of it.

Just the 25 songs they play live while touring?

Your comment in the other thread just made me laugh. I really don't care what people call any type of music. Buttrock. Hair metal. Metal. Rock. Dad rock. Whatever labels people want to use - more power to them. At the end of the day, it's all music and we can all call it whatever we want. What is important is how the music sounds to us personally - not whatever name random people want to label it.

Ok?

Good. I'm glad we've come to an agreement

On a side note, what other bands do you think put out "buttrock?"

[Broskirose]

I don't think of "hair bands" when I think of Chinese Democracy.

But you call GnR music "buttrock"..........

Not all of it.

Just the 25 songs they play live while touring?

Your comment in the other thread just made me laugh. I really don't care what people call any type of music. Buttrock. Hair metal. Metal. Rock. Dad rock. Whatever labels people want to use - more power to them. At the end of the day, it's all music and we can all call it whatever we want. What is important is how the music sounds to us personally - not whatever name random people want to label it.

Ok?

Good. I'm glad we've come to an agreement

On a side note, what other bands do you think put out "buttrock?"

Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Beethoven, Tommy Flanagan

You know - the usual suspects.