Contraband vs Chinese Democracy

[wkuk04]

I could agree CD features a wide range of different styles, but the songs themselves are pretty generic. The rock tunes sound like Static X/90s industrial, the ballads don't feature any different song structures or sound textures.

Contraband is also generic, but it never intended to be anything else. Chinese Democracy is too pretentious, took much more money and time and it all makes the fail much bigger and lol-worthy.

Contraband is the better album simply for sounding cohesive and more organic. Lyrics are better, Scott's voice sounds good, all the instruments work in harmony instead of the copy+paste mess of CD, etc.

Actually, I think it's a little unfair to compare a multimillion project led by a crazy dictator that took years to be released to a collaborative straight-rock album made in (probably) months.

VR were doing what they do best. Axl was playing Trent Reznor and he simply sucks (and I mean HE REALLY SUCKS) at making electronic/multilayered songs.

Loving the way you spread your negativity.

Loving the way you spread you sensitivity.

[username]

Contraband is the better album. CD had the potential to completely blow it out of the water, but it didn't. Overproduced, messy, trying to be all sorts of things and ends up being nothing. Contraband however doesn't try to be anything, it's just a kickass rock album.

CD probably has stronger individual songs as well. Especially if they weren't ruined by 83 layers of vocals on top of 161 layers of guitar recorded by way too many people. But sadly, they are.

Edited December 2, 2014 by username

[Nosaj Thing]

CD has a drive and intensity that drags you in.

Into a sea of shit. I agree.

[wkuk04]

CD has a drive and intensity that drags you in.

Into a sea of shit. I agree.

I liked it. I mean not swimming in a sea of shit but the album.

[magisme]

Axl loves the heavy-handed lost at sea metaphors so maybe the next album should be titled Sea of Shit.

[BreakDown2014]

CD has a drive and intensity that drags you in.

Into a sea of shit. I agree.

I liked it. I mean not swimming in a sea of shit but the album.

Yeah I'm with you. Actually, I think the fact of it being" non cohesive and unorganic" makes it a more interesting journey (at least for me) than listening to VR albums. Going from SOD to ITW to TWAT is something hard to find in other albums

Edited December 2, 2014 by BreakDown2014

[wkuk04]

CD has a drive and intensity that drags you in.

Into a sea of shit. I agree.

I liked it. I mean not swimming in a sea of shit but the album.

Yeah I'm with you. Actually, I think the fact of it being" non cohesive and unorganic" makes it a more interesting journey (at least for me) than listening to VR albums. Going from SOD to ITW to TWAT is something hard to find in other albums

Its the scope and grandness of it. I think if he wanted to Axl could release 4 albums worth of music. Its just when he chooses to release them and if he's satisfied that they are finished and ready to go. I'm sure he'll want to avoid the douches leaking music, so maybe a strategy will be put in place when releasing future music.

[wasted]

I can't listen to contraband as an album. It has 3/4 great singles. The rest is okay but they aren't about much.

Each CD song has its own identity. But it's not sex drugs and rock n roll hard rock. Honestly I'm surprised so many people like it. A GNR record should be produced by Mike Clink and be Slash play Izzy songs for most people. They created a cage for themselves. Axl breaking out of that was a ballsy move.

[Nosaj Thing]

I can't listen to Chinese Democracy, all the songs are utter shit. Contraband has 2 or 3 decent songs, which is cool but not cool enough to like that band.

Oh, opinions, they're so different. Weird.

[Estranged Coma]

I can't listen to Chinese Democracy, all the songs are utter shit. Contraband has 2 or 3 decent songs, which is cool but not cool enough to like that band.

Oh, opinions, they're so different. Weird.

I'm gona start a thread that counts every time you call Chinese democracy "shit" I wonder how many I can find on the front page on Alone

[Nosaj Thing]

I can't listen to Chinese Democracy, all the songs are utter shit. Contraband has 2 or 3 decent songs, which is cool but not cool enough to like that band.

Oh, opinions, they're so different. Weird.

I'm gona start a thread that counts every time you call Chinese democracy "shit" I wonder how many I can find on the front page on Alone

Whenever people have discussed that shit album I've called it shit because I consider it to be utter shit. 3 shits in a row, that's a new record.

[Estranged Coma]

I can't listen to Chinese Democracy, all the songs are utter shit. Contraband has 2 or 3 decent songs, which is cool but not cool enough to like that band.

Oh, opinions, they're so different. Weird.

I'm gona start a thread that counts every time you call Chinese democracy "shit" I wonder how many I can find on the front page on Alone

Whenever people have discussed that shit album I've called it shit because I consider it to be utter shit. 3 shits in a row, that's a new record.

hahahha

Utter Shit, new band name called it!

Edited December 3, 2014 by Estranged Coma

[Patience 4 Axl]

Contraband is much more cohesive and if given the choice between cd and cb while stuck on a deserted island I'd much rather have Contraband. CD just sounds incohesive, and half the fuckin songs are just plain shit; rhiad, scraped, sorry, prostitute and Madagascar just make me cringe when I think about how legit and just so cool the band Guns n Roses used to be and I think contraband is much more in the vein of that kick ass rock that GNR brought back to rock n roll. Seriously chinese democracy can pretty much just go fuck itaelf

Yes. I still giggle when I think of grown men on here gushing over songs like TIL and Sorry.

Agree about the cohesiveness, Contraband just flows. it's one of those albums to put on and let it play. In every song you get some of Slash's best licks and solos , Matt's ball kicking drums, Duff's always cool bass lines and Scott's magnetic voice. Despite that album being over 10 years old now (what?!)) it continues to deliver great rock music every time I listen to it.

[DieselDaisy]

Contraband is much more cohesive and if given the choice between cd and cb while stuck on a deserted island I'd much rather have Contraband. CD just sounds incohesive, and half the fuckin songs are just plain shit; rhiad, scraped, sorry, prostitute and Madagascar just make me cringe when I think about how legit and just so cool the band Guns n Roses used to be and I think contraband is much more in the vein of that kick ass rock that GNR brought back to rock n roll. Seriously chinese democracy can pretty much just go fuck itaelf

Yes. I still giggle when I think of grown men on here gushing over songs like TIL and Sorry.

Agree about the cohesiveness, Contraband just flows. it's one of those albums to put on and let it play. In every song you get some of Slash's best licks and solos , Matt's ball kicking drums, Duff's always cool bass lines and Scott's magnetic voice. Despite that album being over 10 years old now (what?!)) it continues to deliver great rock music every time I listen to it.

You have to be joking? Slash is barely on the fuckin thing!!

[wasted]

Slither, FTP are basically Slash best post Guns songs.

Slither is awesome.

[Mr. Dude]

SWIM started smoking again recently. Long story short my cat loves Chinese Democracy.

[Rovim]

SWIM started smoking again recently. Long story short my cat loves Chinese Democracy.

One of my cats is really into Scraped. I don't feed it everyday.

Edited December 3, 2014 by Rovim

[wasted]

I think CD II will be used as the soundtrack to a Warriors movie in 2018.

[Rovim]

I think CD II will be used as the soundtrack to a Warriors movie in 2018.

If The World worked great as the soundtrack for Body Of Lies. I need to know how The General sounds like.

[wasted]

CD sounds like a movie soundtrack album in a way. It would be an epic existential blockbuster. Interstellar meets Dark Knight.

[Estranged Coma]

Rhiad and the bedouins was meant for the next Star Wars. The new Sith Lord Rhiad and his minions shall change the face of the planet forever

[J Dog]

Contraband as far as overall, clear, cohesive album. But there are songs from CD that I like more than anything off Contraband. I like them both pretty damn good actually.

[wasted]

For me both are great. Both take stuff I liked on UYI and improve them. Slash was playing hard and fast on UYI but Axls lyrics were often serious. Scott brought so more junkie lyrics to it. It fits better. And Axl got to make the next level album. If your going to be honest it's hard to keep making the same album over and over. If your miserable and you want to write about it how can you in a band like ACDC for example?

Edited December 4, 2014 by wasted

[El Rezzo]

The onnly thing i like about Contraband is Duff's bass playing.

I rememer the fist time i listened to Slither i thought it was gonna be a great song, the bass sounds fucking great.

[wasted]

I agree in general but Shacklers does sound like Korn who are cited as inventing nu metal.

Scraped sounds a bit like Prodigy, the riff is kind of RATM.

Everything is so blended its not easy to pin down.

It's not easily digestible rock but I think numerous listens reveal great songs played with creativity and passion.