Currently Listening: Chinese Democracy

The biggest shock, given the protracted recording time, is that it's not a self indulgent mess. It's also not as bad as some of the reviews are making out. It's obvious that it's not a master piece but it is a good record (especially if your a fan) and whilst you can't here a whole 15 years of work you can hear that it's been painstakingly put together and obsessed over.

Guns N' Roses main asset was always Axl's trademark voice and it remains in fine fettle on all the songs on this album. There's plenty of variety too. There's hints of Industrial, Nu Metal, Flamenco guitars and on at least one of the piano based songs hints of Meat Loaf too. But it's never less than exciting.

At 14 songs and 70 minutes it's probably a touch over long. The first six tracks are despatched and each one is good.. At this point your thinking the wait, while not perhaps worth it (Could any album be worth a 15 year wait? I think not), has certainly produced the goods.. A couple of songs in the middle drag but the run to the finish line produces some quite epic numbers.

The lyrics are probably the weakest part.. there's some great couplets and lines but Rose apparently still thinks everyones 'Outta to get me' just like they where during Appetite for Destruction. The rest seems to concern his epic heartbreak and he doesn't hold back.

To summarise it's a good if not great record thats better than it has a right to be really. Let's hope the next one doesn't take another fifteen years.

15 years in the making...

There's a huge weight of expectation in the Bob household about tomorrows release of the new Guns N' Roses album.. It's been a looooong wait since the simultaneous release of their last new material. The making of Chinese Democracy has been the stuff of rock myth, legend and rumour for so long that it hardly seems possible that I'll be able to buy it in my local record emporium tomorrow.

So will it be worth the wait? The general pre-release review consensus has it that no it couldn't possibly live up to 15 years expectation and the estimated £13 million pound it's cost to make. There's a hilarious review over at Guardian Unlimited if your interested.

Stay tuned, Same Bob time, Same Bob channel for my verdict

Chinese Whispers?

Excuse the terrible title.

After (For me) a 17 year wait since their last new album it seems the much fabled Chinese Democracy from Guns N' Roses may actually be close to release!

The new single (named after the album) was actually played on Sara Cox's show this morning on Radio 1.

Obviously after only one listen it's difficult to pass a judgement on whether the wait has been worth it but after the opening guitar riff as soon as Axl wades in with his trade mark caterwaul I thought it was going to be pretty awesome.

Whether an album that's been in production for that long can end up being anything over than a self indulgent mess who can say? But I'm looking forward to finding out.