web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Axl Rose

  • Infatueighties: #85: “Paradise City”

    The cover of Guns 'n Roses' "Paradise City" single
    The cover of Guns

    It’s hard to believe that anyone listened to “Appetite for Destruction” without coming away with the thought that Axl Rose was riding the crazy train jusssst a little bit. Hell, check out “Paradise City”, released as the album’s third single and hitting the Top Ten nearly two years after the album’s release. It starts off with chiming guitars and an almost country feel, with the memorable and easygoing chorus and the deep-voiced “oh, won’t you please take me home”s before the music revs up, Axl sets the vocals on to screech and starts singing at about 5 times the speed. It’s a little disturbing, but it’s a lot of fun, and it helps make “Paradise City” one of the most singable hard rock songs of the entire decade, with only “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me” registering in my head as more singable.

    I’m not gonna go through the history of G’N R here-I’m sure the majority of you reading (all ten of you) are well aware of Guns ‘n Roses. Hell, most of you are going to piss and/or jizz on yourselves when “Chinese Democracy” finally comes out. So I leave you with this scene from one of my all time favorite movies:

  • Chinese Democracy To Arrive In March

    The long awaited Chinese Democracy, one of rock’s great mystery albums now that Brian Wilson has released SMile, will arrive in stores in March, according to Axl Rose.

    Rose, who led Guns N’ Roses to prominence in the 1980s as the apparent successors to Aerosmith, saw the band blow apart much like Aerosmith itself did a decade earlier. Like Aerosmith, GNR had a world class guitarist in Slash, a tight rhythm section and a front man who could create waves through charisma — good and bad.

    The Sweet Child O’ Mine guys haven’t released a studio album in 13 years, rendering them virtually irrelevant to today’s music scene. Yet Rose, despite the occasional foray into a party debacle, has kept the band’s aura top of mind. The multi platinum Appetite for Destruction, one of rock’s seminal works, has helped.

    Now Chinese Democracy, long rumored and reportedly costing millions to produce is set to be released. Expect a huge sales push from the merely curious. The question is whether will Chinese Democracy can take root and relaunch the band.

    Spinning In The CD Player Today:
    The Genius of Ray Charles, in honor of legendary record exec Ahmet Ertegun, the best R&B and rock producer ever. His list of accomplishments, discoveries and signings is legendary and usually known by one name: Ray, Aretha, The Stones, Zeppelin, CSNY and on and on. A brilliant songwriter, he wrote classics such as Chain of Love and many other. The guy was 83 years old and fell backstage at a Stones concert. 83. How cool is that? And how strange is it that one of his earliest superstars, Ruth Brown, died in Vegas the same day he fell?

  • Chinese Democracy, i’ll belive it when i see it!

    Every once and a while a new story comes long that is only true to certain people. If you are the kind of person that believes a person’s character is what it is and have no time to give second chances, please stop reading right now. However, if you are one of those people that believe in redemption and that people can change keep reading. I offer you this one caution; don’t believe a word that Axl Rose says until there is action to support those words.

    For Guns n’ Roses fans, the term Chinese Democracy has great meaning. Broken Dreams, false hope and frustration are just a few of the meanings that come to mind when someone says Chinese Democracy to me. Chinese Democracy is the name of the next Guns n’ Roses album. However in this case, next is a timeless expression. It has been years since the album has been rumored to be released by the newest version of Guns n’ Roses. There comes a point at which people stop waiting for something and start praying for it. However, rock fans prayers may have finally been answered (before reading the rest of this blog, refer to the first paragraph’s caution statement).

    According to an AP report, on Saturday night, radio host Eddy Trunk’s weekly classic rock talk show was co-hosted by Skid Row frontman Sebastin Bach. The discussion between the two turned to Guns n’ Roses. That’s when Bach jumped into action and placed a call to fellow frontman Axl Rose’s cell phone. Axl picked up and the call went live on the air. For shits and giggles, Bach asked Rose about the long awaited Chinese Democracy album. Axl responded by saying the album will come out “Sometime this fall or late fall…It will be out this year.”

    On the surface, it would be easy to get excited over Rose’s comments. The comments should be reason to believe that the decade long rumors of Chinese Democracy being released were finally coming true. However, this is Axl Rose talking, which means lies, bullshit and more bullshit. We have been down this road again, and each time it has lead to more disappointment and frustration. If the man could only be as honest as well as he could sing and do his famous snake-like moves on stage then I might actually take his comments seriously. However, once a liar, always can be a liar.

    Upon further thought, if you think about the title of the album (Chinese Democracy), maybe this album will never come out. Will there ever be democracy in China, probably not. Is this Axl Rose’s idea of a sick joke? Possibly. What makes this new fuel on the fire worse is their are also rumors circulating that former Gn’R guitarist Slash may rejoin the band.

    I as well as many other rock fans have been jerked around too many times by Axl Rose to believe him. The boy who cried wolf eventually got eaten, and what comes around goes around, so I can’t even be angry. I’m confident that if Axl is jerking us around again, that I won’t be the chain he’s pulling. But how awesome would it be to hear a new Guns n’ Roses album?