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Reviewing an album like Chinese Democracy


Roy79

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Hey guys, my first topic, so behave!

I was thinking about the release of Chinese Democracy (for about 4 years now), and the reviews which will follow after the release. So what is a fair way to review an album? When reviewing do you need to look at the music only? Or do you have to count in the years it took to make it? Or the expenses made to make it? All this extra information next to the actual songs, should it be accounted for when giving a proffessional review?

I think a review should be about the music, and not all the nonsence around an album. For one, how would you want to measure the actual time spend on working on an album? Kind of hard when an album takes 2 years, or even 14 years. Artists have to deal with writer-blocks, line up changes, financial stuff, personal lifes, stuff which are out of artists reach, etc.

So in order to give an album a fair review, in this case CD, I think you should look at the music only, since that is the 1 thing an artist has total controll over. What are your thoughts?

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i think it should be judged on it's musical merits alone. but there's a snowball's chance in hell that critics will have the restraint to do so. i bet most reviews will only focus on the music for 1/4 of the review. the rest will be about how long it took to make the album, Axl's weight, how long it took to make the album, Axl's hair, how long it took to make the album, the old band, how long it took to make the album, the new band, and finally, how long it took to make the album!

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Good topic. I think the critics will take the amount of money and time put into the album in consideration while reviewing it, but the most important thing is the music and what they think of it. But Im sure there will be some "Not worth the wait" from sertain assholes...

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They should spend the first three quarters and the final conclusion ripping Axl to pieces for the time this thing has taken. Never once has Axl admitted it was off, he always maintained that the band was working hard on it.

The little section of the fourth quarter he has left to write in can be filled with superlatives and comparisons with the greats from musical history, before writing them off as being an inevitable result of 14 years work with the most expensive equipment and producers money can buy.

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The background story will change the review IMO. No journalist could ignore it.

I think the reaction will be mixed like VR's album. Contraband got 4 stars in Rolling Stone and a C- in Spin.

I hope Rolling Stone gets David Fricke to review CD-he's the one Axl played some songs back in 2001 and he is a supporter of the band. The hipster and metal mags will slam it though.

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Well it's been hyped up by people as going to be the 'greatest record of all time' of which I seriously doubt. I think it will get a good review musicwise, but I can see the 'not worth the wait', 'it's nothing special', 'not a patch on Appetite' lines in the reviews already. But Axl should expect that due to the amount of time he's spent making it. If CD had been released in '94 or near to that date then the reviews would be guaranteed to be a lot more fairer towards it than they will be this year or at a later date[whenever it comes out, if ever].

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i think it should be judged on it's musical merits alone. but there's a snowball's chance in hell that critics will have the restraint to do so. i bet most reviews will only focus on the music for 1/4 of the review. the rest will be about how long it took to make the album, Axl's weight, how long it took to make the album, Axl's hair, how long it took to make the album, the old band, how long it took to make the album, the new band, and finally, how long it took to make the album!

Well put!

My guess is most critics will criticize like crazy. I'll read all of them(when the time comes), but the real answer will come from sales. Can GnR sell alot of albums against all the current hip/hop/rap and other meaningless crap out there? I hope so.

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The critics are going to pound the hell out of this!

BUT

If it's good..it's good...and the sharp critics (worth their salt) will call it if they see it.

The last thing they want is..the fact that they shit all over CD (because it's trendy to slag Axl) to come back and bite them in the ass,if it turns out that CD is eventually considered one of the all time great rock albums.

good topic by the way..

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As long as it's not just a 'yes' man to GnR or a complete basher of GnR I'll be happy with the review. I want to read a fair review, not one to biased too much towards or against it.

Edited by SlashRock
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If you want my opinion, Chinese Democracy will be reviewed the same way "The Phatom Menace" was in 1999. Commercially I think CD will do amazing. People are hungry for new G n' R much as fans were for new Star Wars. However, I think the critics will tear it apart much like they did with "The Phatom Menace". They will harp on about the time it took to get it out and focus more on the backstory and the creator than the final product. The fact is, the level of expectation has been set so high, it will be impossible to meet that. If you really think about it, the comparisons between "The Phatom Menace" and CD are eerie.

Both over a decade in the making

A strong, dedicate fan base

Created by perfectionist recluses who are never 100% happy with the final product

Both surrounded by a lot of yes men who aren't really helping the cause

Yes, my comparison is a bit off center, but dead on if you think about it.

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If you want my opinion, Chinese Democracy will be reviewed the same way "The Phatom Menace" was in 1999. Commercially I think CD will do amazing. People are hungry for new G n' R much as fans were for new Star Wars. However, I think the critics will tear it apart much like they did with "The Phatom Menace". They will harp on about the time it took to get it out and focus more on the backstory and the creator than the final product. The fact is, the level of expectation has been set so high, it will be impossible to meet that. If you really think about it, the comparisons between "The Phatom Menace" and CD are eerie.

Both over a decade in the making

A strong, dedicate fan base

Created by perfectionist recluses who are never 100% happy with the final product

Both surrounded by a lot of yes men who aren't really helping the cause

Yes, my comparison is a bit off center, but dead on if you think about it.

I wouldn't say your comparison is off center-it is right on target. Axl and Lucas are very similar, and those similarities are to their own detriment. There is no way that CD will be judged solely by what it sounds like, and no matter how much of a success it is, I don't think critics are going to be saying "It was worth the wait." As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone at all will be saying that.

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remember this: Zeppelin used to get slammed in Rolling Stone magazine every time they put out a new album. now all that stuff is considered sacred rock history. i don't think we'll know how good this album is upon listening to it the first few times. like all music, the way time treats it will tell the tale. when i was a little 14 year old idiot jammin' to AFD i knew it was really good, but i didn't know i was listening to one of the most important records of all time. just like waiting for the release, wait to judge as well.

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'Axl's doing the album for his fans'

- That's hilarious.... Yeah, he loves us so much he's been stringing us along for the past 13 years.....

Hmm must have worked or you wouldn't be here now would you? :rolleyes:

The point about 'The Phantom Menace' was a great one and I agree. It will sell in it's millions but it will be torn apart by critics. Hey I love 'The Phantom Menace' :D

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I don't care what the critics think. If I like it, thats all that matters to me. Of course they are going to be harsh. Kerrang will be obviously and their will be plenty of anti-GNR people around. There is going to be alot of negativity surrounding CD's release. If you like it what does it matter?. The problem is all these so called fans can't get over the old GNR. They look for ways to create a negative atmospere around GNR and CD. They don't take the time to appreciate what the band have given us and how tellented they are. If your a fan you will support the band no matter what instead of constantly putting them down and creating pointless threads that just tell us all the bad things going on in GNR. They exagerate thing in order to make them more valid. One E-mail from a GNR member that has something slightly bad sounding in it will be blown out of all proportion and taken for something it's not. These are the critics that have given up on CD even before it has been released.

rock4

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