There’s no need to rehash how long it took or how much money it cost to make Chinese Democracy. The album title became a cultural metaphor one might employ to describe a drawn-out, arduous, paralyzingly unfinished project. When it finally arrived in 2008, many dismissed the album because it lacked Slash and Duff and Izzy, but mostly Slash.
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Still, if you are in the mood for the kind of hard rock originating from the 1980s Sunset Strip glam metal scene, this record is better than you might think. Axl Rose painstakingly worked and reworked a collection of songs, often at the expense of the human imperfections that make some records great. But it’s still worth giving a few of these tracks a spin. Consider this a soft defense of the near-mythological behemoth that is Chinese Democracy.
“Chinese Democracy”
On “Welcome To The Jungle”, Axl Rose asks and then answers his own question: “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby,” before adding, “You’re gonna diiieee!” The song introduced Guns N’ Roses to the world with a kind of warning. The self-titled opening track to Chinese Democracy has a similar vibe. I’m not arguing it’s as good as “Welcome To The Jungle”, but it may be one you crank when the opening riff kicks in. Slash described some of these tracks this way: “They just kick a**.” He’s not wrong.
“Better”
Robin Finck wrote “Better” with Rose. It showcases why Trent Reznor has employed Finck for decades in Nine Inch Nails. The face-melting riff gets punctuated with Buckethead’s avant-garde shredding, and Rose moves between falsetto R&B and menacing growl. On “Better”, Rose feels slighted, but that’s nothing new. He did once write a song called “Out Ta Get Me”. But it doesn’t matter, you feel the rage, bitterness, and defiance from one of the best tracks on what sometimes feels more like a war of attrition than a rock album.
“Catcher In The Rye”
This one recalls the multi-movement pieces from the Use Your Illusion albums. The opening part echoes The Rolling Stones, while the piano movement may remind listeners of “Estranged”. Finck covered Slash’s role in the band, and his bluesy solos don’t sound as jarring as some of the Passion And Warfare licks from Buckethead or Bumblefoot. Named after J. D. Salinger’s coming-of-age novel, “Catcher In The Rye” also features some of Rose’s best singing on Chinese Democracy.
“Street Of Dreams”
Like “November Rain”, this is another piano epic from Rose. However, it’s five minutes shorter than “November Rain”, and no less grand. Originally called “The Blues”, it’s full of all the earnestness one expects from Axl Rose, as he sings to an unknown romantic partner. Or he might be singing to himself or a friend. The lyrics are vague enough to attach your own meanings to, but the sentiment, nonetheless, is positive. You can hear Elton John’s fingerprints on this track, and it’s a nice break from the grievance that often accompanies Guns N’ Roses songs.
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