THE LEGEND (or letdown?) OF CHINESE DEMOCRACY

Guns N' Roses's hidden and massively hyped Chinese Democracy was shielded from the public for 16 years until recently when it was finally released to listeners where it received shockingly mixed reviews. A California blogger, Kevin Cogill, has been said to have contributed to Rose's stark decision to unveil after he controversially leaked nine of the tracks online causing the site to crash from excessive downloading. Cogill was quickly put in handcuffs the following morning. Fans have pleaded with Axl and his producers for distribution of the album claiming that these tracks are among the most groundbreaking work of his career-which has now been open for debate.

Despite the never-ending pressure from what seems to be everyone, (Dr. Pepper even promised the public each a free soft drink if Guns N' Roses agreed to release) Axl Rose refused press concerning Chinese Democracy. Apparently he has been missing for almost two months, refusing phone calls or any contact with anyone. Marketers say this contributed to the lower than expected sales that reached only 261,000 in the first week. The album reached an exclusive deal with Best Buy, making it the sole distributer and thus further restricting sales.

Record executives at Geffen have been upset with Axl and claimed that the chain "under advertised" and didn't display the album correctly in some outlets.
I am not a huge Guns N' Roses fan by any means, but am I still allowed to be critical of how it was received? The supposedly sacred album was expected to innovate today's music has become a disappointment to fans and a failure for Axl's career. Rolling Stone Magazine has even predicted that Rose "step outside, take a breath of fresh California air, then shut the door until 2039." Public perception of the release was generally a letdown claiming that the album lacked any melodic songs and was instead crammed with obscure excerpts including a boy's choir and ambient noise.

Some have theorized that our downward spiraling economy motivated former Guns N' Roses frontman to attempt raking in some record breaking profits. The New York Times reported in 2005 that Rose laid down 13 million creating the album, making it one of the most expensive recordings "never made." Clearly Rose predicted a massive public response but only made it to #3 on the Billboard charts. Although the album has gained some praise from critics, (Rolling Stone named it #8 on the top albums of 2008) I personally feel that the whole idea, anticipation, and excitement of Chinese Democracy have been shattered. With ridiculously high expectations, could have ever lived up to the hype?

In Cameron Crowe's autobiographical film, Almost Famous, Crowe's no apologies journalist idol, Lester Bangs, lays it out to him, "It's just a shame you missed out on Rock N' Roll. It's over. You got here just in time for the death rattle." Is it over? Is nobody excited anymore? Chinese Democracy was the first largely celebrated rock release in many years. The album wasn't widely received promotionally or critically. Admittedly I was shocked at the failure of the public to embrace a myth of Rock N' Roll. Maybe the cult of Guns N' Roses fans are dying off as they get older and are too old to perform in cover bands every weekend.