"We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane." - Francis Ford Coppola.
This was Francis Ford Coppola talking about making Apocalypse Now. This could have just as easily come from Axl Rose when talking about Chinese Democracy. An album so long delayed and anticipated that it has become legendary. And now that the wait is over the only question to ask is "was it worth the wait". The simple answer is yes. This is a very balls out rock record. The songs are catchy and it's good to hear Axl's trademark voice. On the other hand the album is over produced and disjointed. The disjointed is easy to understand. He's worked over a decade on this list with enough musicians to populate a small country. Added to that Axl's own cultural sequestering it is no surprise there are times where he disappears up his own ass. As far as the overproduction... I don't mind when bands like Muse or My Chemical Romance does it, so why was it off putting on this album? Axl doesn't need all the bells and whistles . Appetite For Destruction was as straight ahead as records get. it was bare bones, hit you in the teeth and remains one of the best rock albums of all time. I'd like to hear what Axl could come up with if he didn't feel he had to hide behind all this musical clutter. Luckily though, the songs shine through that clutter and Chinese Democracy is an energizing album.
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