I can't deny that I was once a huge Guns N' Roses fan. Back in the day, GNR provided many o' soundtrack to my activities and I still hold a fondness for their music. But after the releases of the undeniably epic Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II albums, something happened... Actually, a lot happened. Drugs. Drama. Management. Inability to get along ... you name it, it probably was happening. GNR was the classic example of a rock band that struggled following huge success. (A perfect recipe for a VH1 special, however ...)
Amidst the problems, the band still managed to release The Spaghetti Incident? in 1993, though the album barely evoked a "meh" from fans and the public. Problems continued to plague the band and the ties that bound GNR began to unravel. One by one, band members were either fired or left the group and by 1997, after Duff McKagan left the band, Axl Rose, the founder of the group, remained the one original member. 
Fast forward through more drama, lineup changes and waning interest in once ardent fans and you come to the "idea" of Chinese Democracy. The album supposedly had been in development since the mid-90s, but I for one (and I'm not the only one on this train) gave up long ago that it was actually going to happen. But it has. Albeit well over a decade later, the album is now being officially released this Sunday, November 23. And if you can't wait that long for a taste (a few more days is nothing in the context of the overall wait, right? ... ), the band is streaming it on their myspace page right now.
So my question to you all out there is this: was it worth the wait? So far, many are saying yes. Chuck Klosterman gave it an "A-" on the A.V. Club and Rolling Stone gave it 4 out of 5 stars. What do you think? Let us know ... And don't forget to grab your free Dr. Pepper on Sunday in honor of the release.
The GNR thread is open ...
November 22, 2008 at 11:14pm by inmemoryofjohnpeel
Sorry mate, I for one, have not been waiting, they were poor first time around. Yes there's a story but the music doesn't correlate.
Comments are now closed.