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Chinese Democracy

Guns N' RosesAudio CD
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (415 customer reviews)

Price: $4.75 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Audio CD, 2010 $4.75  
Vinyl, 2008 $14.99  

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Chinese Democracy + Spaghetti Incident? + Use Your Illusion 2
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Product Details

  • Audio CD (March 3, 2010)
  • Original Release Date: 2009
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Geffen Records
  • ASIN: B0037BBKIK
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (415 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,652 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Chinese Democracy
2. Shackler's Revenge
3. Better
4. Street of Dreams
5. If the World
6. There Was a Time
7. Catcher in the Rye
8. Scraped
9. Riad N' the Bedouins
10. Sorry
11. I.R.S.
12. Madagascar
13. This I Love
14. Prostitute

Editorial Reviews

The long awaited comeback album from Guns and Roses.

Customer Reviews

Hopefully Axl won't wait 17 years to release the next CD. Xan I.  |  71 reviewers made a similar statement
1 star just for that 2 good songs. Cryptic Writings  |  14 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
133 of 153 people found the following review helpful
You can argue that Chinese Democracy isn't as good as Appetite For Destruction. But if you compare it to contemporary mainstream hard rock, it blows away the competition. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to wait until 2008 to release it. At this point, there's not even that much competition: hair metal is long gone, grunge has either gone under or degenerated beyond the point of no return. When was the last time you heard a mainstream rock band that could play guitar well enough to write a solo that actually sounded enjoyable?

The best thing about the music is how powerful it sounds -- not really "heavy," but full and invigorating. Axl's kitchen-sink approach actually benefits from the extremely loud mixing style of the 2000s. Every song, even among the less interesting ones, has at least one part that sounds satisfying. Rose's voice is in excellent shape. In the best moments, you can't even figure out the words, but it's a rush to hear the dude demonstrate his lung capacity. And even though Axl's vocal style isn't big on nuance and subtlety, he does a lot of different things within that style -- inhuman falsettos throughout the album ("If The World" and "IRS," for example), low growling on "Shackler's Revenge," a hoarse, swaggering drawl on the title track, and occasionally all of the above ("Better"). Many of the memorable moments are derived from Axl's vocal parts.

As you might expect from an album that took 17 years to record, the music contains a lot of detail.
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57 of 72 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Movie Soundtrack Inside Axl's Head June 1, 2010
Format:Audio CD
There's a reason why some people can't quite get their minds around Guns N' Roses' latest offering: Axl Rose didn't make a traditional rock n' roll album, he made a movie soundtrack. And the movie is the version of Axl's life that's playing inside his head.

Like other folks, I didn't know what to make of Chinese Democracy the first couple listens. My initial response was, "Take a familiar GNR album, Appetite for Destruction for example, dial down the guitars, drop in layers of pianos, strings, choirs and all manner of excess, splice in a kitchen sink's worth of odd background voice and sound bits, then compress the mix until it's almost unrecognizable as a GNR product." No wonder many folks' reaction upon release was, "What a disappointment." Upon the third or fourth listening, however, it dawned on me: movie soundtrack.

Approach the album in that context, listen to it a few more times, and after a while you'll conclude, "Wow, this is a pretty good album. In fact, this is a pretty good Guns N' Roses album." Listen to it eight or ten times and you might even conclude, "Wow, Axl's lyrics are much better than people gave him credit for. There's some brilliant songwriting here." That's because in the context of a movie soundtrack, songs that initially don't make sense become standouts, both musically and lyrically: "Chinese Democracy" opens the film with explosive action, a sonic and verbal kick in the teeth: "...all I got is precious time". After "Shackler's Revenge" we settle down for some serious drama: "Better" is a powerful examination of an individual's inner heartbreak, pain, and eventual self realization, Axl singing, "No one ever told me when I was alone. They just thought I'd know better, better.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Axl hits a huge BULLEYES here!!! July 19, 2012
Format:Audio CD
Personally, I could care less if this is called GNR or The Axl Rose Band..it's good! I applaud Axl for changing with the times and being creative with the music. I would have given it no stars if it sounded anything like Appetite or Illusions since it's already been done. I'm not wasting any thoughts on comparing to something that is 25yrs old, but too each their own. I think Axl is spot on here and he has some great musicians with him, which is also a huge plus. He covers a lot of territory here and that is refreshing.

My Standout tracks are...Better, If The World (Such a great song), There Was A Time (AWESOME!!!), Scraped, I.R.S and Protitute.

It may take multiple listens to get past your hesitations, but trust me...it will be well worth it. Whatever Axl may be personally, as a musician, he knows how to do it the right way.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS ALBUM! July 31, 2012
By Diane
Format:Audio CD
I absolutely love this album and every song on it. I have been addicted since the day it came out. Listen to it yourself and be your own judge. Don't compare it to Appetite or anything else of theirs... It's a great album in a class all by itself.
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78 of 105 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The Wait IS FINALLY over!!! November 23, 2008
Being a Guns N Roses fan since I was 11 years old, you would think I would have set really high expectations for a band I have known and liked most of my life, especially with a long awaited album such as Chinese Democracy. This is true to some extent, but read on and you can find out the rest of my review.

First of all, this is NO Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II and DEFINATELY no Appetite for Destruction. This is Chinese Democracy, an album that deserves to stand on its own. I have recently read posts in various discussions in various forums here on Amazon comparing the two (or three). The making of Chinese Democracy dates back to 1994. Since then countless of lineup changes,have plauged the group. One noteworthy change was the addition of shred guitarist, Buckethead, who helped compose most of the songs off here. But rather than ramble on about the history, I will just leave it at that for now.

Once you get past the fact that this no vintage lineup of the good ol' GNR AND how it has taken them 13+ years to release the album you begin to understand the direction Axl Rose has taken HIS band, Guns N Roses.

The opening track, Chinese Democracy is one of my favorites. It is also one of the heaviest. From the fade in opening shriek of Axl to the fade out of wind blowing, this song has many attributes to a great hard rock/heavy metal song in general. Excellent rhythm section by each guitarist. Great song. 5/5

Shackler's Revenge, the next track, is actually the first of the tracks officially released.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars "Chinese Democracy" is excellent!
"Chinese Democracy" is excellent! One of the most-anticipated rock albums of the year, is one of the best of the year. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Kris King
1.0 out of 5 stars Bland. Unconvincing for the hype.
There just isn't much here. Songs. Sure. Axel. The whole thing is tiring. It sounds decent and has good dynamics but any of that magic from the Illusion series or the earlier stuff... Read more
Published 26 days ago by crank
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Album!
First off, if you want to find hints of classic GNR, hear the solo in "Better", the guitar riff in "Riad N The Bedouins" (the riff would've be welcome on Appetite), I.R.S. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Isaac Mendez
5.0 out of 5 stars Second Best GNR Album
People only slam this because Slash isn't on it and it was only sold at Best Buy and Amazon so sales were not that good, which was a mistake the Record Label Made. Read more
Published 28 days ago by russ1a588
5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome!
I love this album! It is one of the best Guns and roses albums yet! Can't wait for the next one!
Published 1 month ago by sarah Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars Chinese Democracy
Long awaited album full of tricks. Layered guitars and vocals. Still though very powerful songs. Melding genres to one classic album
Published 1 month ago by Bigshark
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT AXL ROSE ALBUM!!!!!
This is a great collection of HEAVY ROCK songs!!!!If CHINESE DEMOCRACY was a solo album from AXL ROSE,i think it could be a masterpiece!!! Read more
Published 2 months ago by FLUMINENSE
5.0 out of 5 stars Clasificacion
Hello I'm telling you the order arrived and everything is in perfect condition. I'll keep buying more stuff. They are of very good quality. 100% recommended.
Published 2 months ago by Diego Cesar Maldonado Ibańez
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth The Wait
I wrote this review back in 2008 but wanted to append to it.

I have often wondered what it would be like to review Guns N' Roses mythical album Chinese Democracy (2008),... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Daniel Maltzman
5.0 out of 5 stars Axl is a genius
Say what you will about the man, but he is a musical genius. This album is epic, and I think people need to give it a fair chance.
Published 2 months ago by atomicpunk1981
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