Avant d’être recruté par Axl Rose afin de devenir le soliste de Guns ‘n Roses, Ron Thal (aka Bumblefoot) avait déjà conquis le monde de la guitare avec une petite dizaine d’albums assez fameux. Uncool, sorti en 2002, marie des styles à priori antagonistes, peut-être même incompatibles pour le commun des musiciens : ska, lounge, crooner, heavy/urban/doom metal, world music, country, … Mais le plus impressionnant n’est pas ici le mélange des styles, mais surtout la manière avec laquelle ces styles se succèdent à l’intérieur même de chaque chanson, aussi naturellement que le couplet succèderait au refrain dans une chanson “normale”. Les changements sont brutaux mais toujours maîtrisés.

Ron Thal se montre à la hauteur dans ses compos, à la guitare, à la guitare fretless et au chant… Un pur génie !

Voici le clip de T Jonez pour vous faire une idée :

Bumblefoot the guitarist from Guns N’ Roses has made a name for himself as a virtuso guitarist, how else did Axl find him. Before Guns N’ Roses Bumblefoot released a couple of solo albums which had revolutionary guitar playing, he only became known to the mainstream when he joined Guns N’ Roses.

Bumblefoot in my opinion is an underrated guitarists, he’s not just a shredder, and he’s definetely better than Slash in knowledge and technical ability, as a musician well that comes to preference, Slash is still my favourite cause of his killer riffs and solos.

Bumblefoot uses Vigier guitars and Line6 Vetta II for the Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy album, and is now trying out the new Gibson Darkfire.

Heres some video Clips from Guitarheroesgear.blogspot.com of Bumblefoot interviews

Bumblefoot Guitar Gear Video Interviews.

Morning.  Couple of rumors for you to start your day off.  The most interesting of the two surely has to be the one involving System of A Down/Scars on Broadway drummer John Dolmayan auditioning for the vacancy in none other than the yesterday mentioned Smashing Pumpkins.  This is interesting mainly because it’s not a rumor.  You can see the photo yourself; Dolymayan did, at the very least, sit behind a drum kit in a room with Billy Corgan and some red curtains.  But why on earth would this guy take on what could only be assumed to be a side gig?  The very enjoyable Metal Sucks blog has some theory on this, which more or less amounts to a sinking feeling that there’s not going to be any new System of A Down music for a while.  I guess we’ll know soon enough.

The second rumor involves the 2nd reunion of Sunny Day Real Estate, and unfortunately I don’t have any photographic evidence of this one.  A little bit of research though has tied the rumor to a disc jockey out of Seattle named Marco Collins, who apparently let it slip that the original line up is indeed rehearsing and planning to tour.  But there’s also this guy, Brian Perkins, whose was spotted posting about the reunion on Twitter, saying a “little rainbird” told him about the reunion which would also include festival dates (one can only assume this summer).  What’s weird is that I can’t find that original post on his Twitter page now, though I did find a reply that states “Yeah Nate’s on board. Summer festival dates looks like…”, which is most certainly in reference to bassist Nate Mendel.  So, Brian Perkins.  Google yourself.  Find this blog.  And then tell us who the hell you are and how you know this.  Personally, I have mixed feelings about a reunion at this point.  I’d definitely love to see them again and with Nate back on board, but I’d almost prefer it if they don’t even think about recording new material.  Let sleeping dogs lie.  Or, you know, there’s always that band The Fire Theft you guys started and then sort of let hang out to dry.  Not to mention, singer Jeremy Enigk has a freaking solo record coming out next month.  How’s he going to support that if he’s touring with Sunny Day?  But whatever.  Hit the road and I’ll be there.  Can I make one suggestion?  Get the reunited Far to open up for you and you’ll pretty much win the hearts of old fanboys in a nano-second.

Now then, as promised in yesterday’s comments here’s Zakk Wylde playing a song he more or less wrote on the spot for his wife while hanging out and jamming with the guys from Talking Metal and Bumblefoot from GNR.  Great little ballad:

And here’s Zakk with his band Black Label Society.  This is “Blood is Thicker Than Water” from 2006’s Shot to Hell album:

I really like that song.  There’s a nice laid back approach to the performance, I think.  That’s not to imply that they didn’t work their asses off in the studio to get that sound, but listening to it feels kind of relaxing, or dare I say, chill?  I do dare.  I do.  Anyway, enjoy the day.  More tomorrow…

If you hate this album, then you were going to hate it no matter what it sounded like and your mind was made up before even hearing it. If you know anything about music, songwriting, theory and technique, then it’s impossible to hate  just based on text book music knowledge alone. Is it the greatest album of all time?…no, is it the greatest album in 17 years?…yes. There is so much depth and texture to this album it’s unreal. I’ve followed the studio leaks for years and in the past couple of years unfortunately there were 8 or 9 decent studio leaks that kind of took the element of surprise and mystery away from hearing it the first time. But, it was great to finally hear them all mixed and mastered.

I see a lot of chat on the internet saying “oh, I miss Slash…blah blah blah…” OK. Here’s the deal on that…Nothing has kept Slash from writing his amazing riffs and killer music. Slash has had solo albums and major record deals with Velvet Revolver. He’s had all the opportunity a musician would need to write his next ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ , ‘Mr.Brownstone’ or ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ riff. No offense, but I haven’t heard it yet. Slash and Axl both had the same amount of time to create music and Axl wins by 100 miles. Just because Axl didn’t plaster his face on every video game and Michael Jackson video, doesn’t mean he wasn’t doing anything important.

No one, not even Guns N’ Roses WITH Slash (Use Your Illusion) could recapture “Apetite for Destruction’ . That’s just one of those all time great albums. Chinese Democracy is not that far of a stretch from “Use Your Illusion”. So, if you were a fan of the “November Rain” era of GNR, and you haven’t picked up Chinese Democracy yet…Then you should do yourself a favor and get it.

You get all of the Axl voices, screams, tones, anger, humor and cockiness that you loved about him from the beginning. He sounds better than ever on this. Don’t let the live medley from the MTV movie awards (whatever year that was) sway you into thinking that this guy can’t sing anymore. He’s absolutely amazing and stronger than he’s ever been. The melodies are more creative and there’s a lot of amazing vocal layering.

As far as Slash’s replacements…here’s the thing. I’m an ex-shredder guitarist…and Buckethead and Bumblefoot are NOT newcomer “nobody’s” by any strectch of the imagination. The fact that Axl picked these 2 guys over all of the guitarists in the world makes me have all that more respect for him musically. Buckethead has been a name in the guitar community and has had instructional columns in guitar magazines for as far back as I can remember. He’s extremely talented, innovative and technical. Plus, anyone who claims to have been raised by chickens and wears a KFC bucket on his head has my vote. Now, onto Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal…well, I’m going got keep this brief and try not to sound like some screaming girl groupie…I’ve been listening to this guy play since ‘91 when my roommate at G.I.T. wrote to him asking for a cassette of songs because his review in the “hometown hero” section of Guitar World magazine was one of the most raving reviews an unknown could get. This guy takes the “Frank Zappa, Steve Vai” thing to a whole new level. PLUS his voice is UNBELIEVABLE. Do yourself a favor and check out his solo albums. He started as Ron Thal so make sure you pick up those albums too.

“Catcher in the Rye” and “Scraped” are not only 2 of the best GNR songs ever written they are 2 of the best Rock Songs ever written.

I do believe that Axl could have saved himself a lot of grief by just calling this an Axl Rose solo album. He would have had all the freedom in the world and no one could have compared it to anything previous. But, from what I see and hear about Axl, I think he’s just gonna do what he wants.

Jeff

Schönen Sonntag @ all,

heute möchte Ich ein Album vorstellen, das Ich schon öfters mal erwähnt habe (außerdem war Ich wirklich am überlegen, ob Ich es jetzt schon mal rezensieren sollte). Im Gegensatz zu den anderen Alben, die Ich hier bisher erwähnt habe, ist “Chinese Democracy” relativ neu, nun gut es ist auch schon älter als ein halbes Jahr, aber immer noch aktuell. Das interessante an diesem Album ist eigentlich fast schon das, was nicht auf diesem Album drauf ist. Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Steven Adler, Tracii Guns, Brian May (was der mit diesem Album zu tun, dazu gleich mehr). Jahrelang war es ein Running Gag, ob dieses Album jemals erscheinen würde und wenn es erscheinen würde, wer würde dann darauf spielen ?? Man darf aber nicht davon ausgehen, dass seit den Illusions-Alben (1991) an diesem Album gearbeitet wurde, sondern erst seit 5 oder 6 Jahren (was aber auch schon eine lange Zeit ist). Guns N’ Roses waren aber schon früher dafür bekannt, dass eine Albumproduktion bei ihnen länger dauert, als bei anderen Bands.

Die Trackliste:

1. Chinese Democracy
2. Shackler’s Revenge
3. Better
4. Street of Dreams
5. If the World
6. There Was a Time
7. Catcher in the Rye
8. Scraped
9. Riad N’ the Bedouins
10. Sorry
11. I.R.S.
12. Madagascar
13. This I Love
14. Prostitute

Und wie klingt das Album ? Nicht wie Guns N’ Roses. Allein schon weil der ganze Blueseinfluss von Slash und die punkigen Basslines von Duff fehlen. Stattdessen kann man sich über interessant strukturierte Songs von Buckethead und Bumblefoot freien. Ich bin eigentlich nicht so der Bucketheadfreund, allein schon, weil seine Soloscheiben sehr seltsam sind (es kommt mir meistens vor, dass er eine Melodie spielt, sie dann abbricht und was ganz anderes spielt). Bumblefoot muss Ich gestehen, kannte Ich gar nicht vor “Chinese Democracy”, müsste mich auch mal intensiver mit ihm beschäftigen :-\

Die Songs klingen bisweilen mehr wie NIN, als wie GnR, weiss aber nicht, ob das so beabsichtigt war. Kann auch daran liegen, dass zwei Musiker aus dem NIN-Lager an diesem Album zeitweilig mitgearbeitet haben (Freese & Finck). Was kann Ich noch zu diesem Album sagen ? Es hat interessante Songs (Shackler’s Revenge, Street of Dreams, Catcher in the Rye (wobei der letztgenannte Song eigentlich eine Kollaboration mit Brian May war, aber May’s Solo wurde dann für’s Album neu eingespielt. Wer es trotzdem hören möchte, muss sich nach den entsprechenden Bootlegs umhören)). Und natürlich eine Ballade: This I Love. Sie ist für Axl-Rose-Verhältnisse überraschend zurückhaltend gestaltet, wenn man an Songs wie “November Rain” denkt.

Bin Ich glücklich, dass Ich jetzt dieses Album abhaken kann Wenn noch Fragen offen sind, dann stellt sie.

Fa menys d’un mes que tenim al mercat el nou i tant esperat disc dels Guns, i sincerament m’ha sorprès molt positivament.

Sembla que no hàgin passat els anys i tot i que ja no hi ha l’Slash, el Duff, el Matt i l’Izzy, i molta gent diu que són un altre grup, que només conserva el nom i la complicada personalitat de l’Axl al capdavant, per a mi aquest disc és una magnífica continuitat d’on ens van deixar els Illusions, a principis dels 90, es podria haver dit perfectament Use Your Illusion III, doncs l’Axl ha sabut envoltar-se d’uns músics boníssims i mantenir el so potent i contundent dels millors Guns, en temes com aquest fantàstic Better, el tercer tall del disc.

Aquí el tenim en la versió original del disc, però superposada sobre una actuació en directe del 2.006 al Rock Am Ring, i a continuació la versió totalment en directe del mateix concert.

==================================================

Hace menos de un mes que tenemos en el mercado el nuevo y tan esperado disco de los Guns, y sinceramente me ha sorprendido muy positivamente.

Parece que no hayan pasado los años y pese a que ya no están ni Slash, ni Duff, ni Matt ni Izzy, y mucha gente opina que son otro grupo, que sólo conserva el nombre y la complicada personalidad de Axl al frente, para mi este disco es una magnífica continuación de donde nos quedáramos con los Illusions, a principios de los 90, se podría llamar perfectamente Use Your Illusion III, puesto que Axl ha sabido rodearse de unos músicos buenísimos y mantener el sonido potente y contundente de los mejores Guns, en temas como este fantástico Better, el tercer corte del disco.

Aquí lo tenemos en la versión original del disco, pero superpuesta sobre una actuación en directo del 2.006 en el Rock Am Ring, y a continuación la versión totalmente en directo del mismo concierto.

==================================================

Versió del disc

En Directe al Rock Am Ring 2.006

No one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better
No one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better

The hardest part this troubled heart has never yet been through now
We’ve healed the scars that got their start inside someone like you now
Well had I known or I’d been shown back when I longed you’d take me
To break the charge that brought me home and all that won’t erase me

I never would know that I could
No matter what you’d pay me
Replay the part, you stole my heart
I should have known you’re crazy

If all I knew was that with you
I’d want someone to save me
It’d be enough, but just my luck
I fell in love and baby all that I wanted was

Now I know you better
You know I’d know better,
Now I know you better

So bittersweet, this tragedy won’t ask for absolution
This melody inside of me still searches for solution
A twist of fate, a change of heart
Kills my infatuation
Of a broken heart
To provide the spark for my determination

No one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better
Ooh, no one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better

All that I wanted was
I know you know you know better
You know I know you know better
Now you know me better

(Guitar Solo)

I never wanted you to be so full of anger,
I never wanted you to be somebody else
I never wanted you to be someone afraid to know themselves
I only wanted you to see things for yourself

All that I wanted was
Now I know you better
Now we all know better
All that I wanted was

(Guitar Solo)

If I were you
I’d manage to abhor the invitation
Of promised love that can’t keep up
with your adoration
Just use your head and in the end
You’ll find your inspiration,
To choose your steps, I won’t regret
This kind of aggravation

No one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better
No one ever told me when I was alone
They just thought I’d know better, better

===================================================

Nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
Ellos pensaban que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor                                                               
Nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
Ellos pensaban que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor

La parte más difícil de este atribulado corazón nunca aún ha sido por ahora
 Hemos curado las cicatrices que empezaron en el interior de alguien
como tú ahora
Bueno yo había conocido o me ha demostrado cuando he anhelado
 lo que me encantaría tener
Para romper el cargo que me trajo a casa y todo lo que no
 se me borra

Nunca sabría que yo podría
No importa lo que me pagaráis
Jugando de nuevo la parte, me robaste el corazón
Yo debería haber sabido que estás loco

Si todo lo que sabía era que contigo
Quiero a alguien que me salve 
Podría ser suficiente, pero mi suerte
Me enamoré y chica todo lo que quise fué

Ahora te conozco mejor
Sabes que te conozco mejor
Ahora te conozco mejor

Por lo tanto, agridulce, esta tragedia no pedirá la absolución
Esta melodía dentro de mí sigue buscando la solución
Un giro del destino, un cambio de corazón
Mata a mi entusiasmo
De un corazón roto
Para proporcionar la chispa para mi determinación

Nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
Ellos pensaban que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor
Ooh, nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
ellos pensaban que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor

Todo lo que yo quería era
Sé que tu sabes que tu lo sabes mejor
Sabes que sé que tu lo sabes mejor
Ahora tu me conoces mejor

(Solo Guitarra)

Nunca quise que estuvieras tan lleno de ira,
Nunca quise que tu fueras alguien más
Nunca quise que tuvieras miedo a conocerte 
Yo sólo quería enseñarte a ver las cosas por ti mismo

Todo lo que yo quería era
Ahora te conozco mejor
Ahora todos nos conocemos mejor
Todo lo que yo quería era

(Solo Guitarra)

Si yo fuera usted
Lograría aborrecer la invitación
Del amor prometido que no puede seguir
con tu adoración
Simplemente usa tu cabeza y al final
Encontrarás tu inspiración,
Para elegir tus pasos, no voy a lamentar
Este tipo de provocación

Nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
Simplemente pensaron que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor
Nadie nunca me habló cuando yo estaba solo
Simplemente pensaron que yo lo sabía mejor, mejor

Okay, so I’ve seen some weird things – but wow. I didn’t even read the article… I just looked at the photos in horror. I’m really not sure what this means. I feel funny. Can someone help me?

Maybe Bumblefoot is a great player – but this is just weird.

http://guitarguitarguitar.blogspot.com/2006/09/gnr-guitarist-bumblefoot-needs.html

Come back and tell me what you think.

Eddy and I are terrible chicken parents. We didn't take pictures of Paris and Nicky when they were little. But the picture above shows Dominiques when they are chicks.

This picture shows a great brooder setup. Notice the litter on the bottom, the waterer to the right, and the feeder to the left.

So you decided to keep chickens in your backyard. Now what? Go get those fuzzballs, that’s what! Around this time of the year, many local feed stores carry a variety of day-old chicks. Farmers’ Association and Tractor Supply Company carry chicks as well as order the kind that you want. Your local classified is a great source for locating people who sell chicks around your area. You can also order them online through websites such as Murray McMurray Hatchery, Moyer’s Chicks, and Ideal Poultry. Most online chicken suppliers ask that you place a minimum order of 25 chicks, so unless you have a decent-sized yard, I recommend placing an order with several other people.

When you are in the market for those fuzzballs, you may encounter unfamiliar words such as sexed and straight run. Sexed means that newly hatched chicks have been sorted into pullets and cockerels. A pullet refers to a female chicken under one year old, and a cockerel is a male chicken under one year old. When newly hatched chicks have not been sexed, they are called straight run. It is very difficult for an average person to sex newly hatched chicks. When you purchase those fuzzballs “off the shelf” from your local feed store, you are buying them as straight run, meaning you wouldn’t know if they are male or female until they grow up. You can specify the gender when you place an order through your local feed store. When you order from online chicken suppliers, you can buy them sexed or straight run.

Now that you have baby chicks, what do you do? For the first 5-8 weeks, you should keep them indoors in a brooder until they develop their feathers. A brooder refers to the chicks’ first home. A cardboard box, kiddie pool, or rabbit cage can each be turned into an excellent  brooder. Eddy and I used our recycling bin, and it worked great! Whatever you use, be sure to cover the bottom of the brooder with newspaper and a layer of clean litter (pine shavings or similar). Newspaper help you clean the brooder easily by simply lifting them out when they become dirty. Newspaper alone, however, will make the bottom slippery, possibly causing your chicks to have bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the feet of birds. A layer of litter on top of newspaper will help protect your chicks from bumblefoot.

Change out the litter every couple of days and never allow it to remain damp – cleanliness is VERY important at this stage. Baby chicks are prone to a number of diseases, most of which can be avoided with proper sanitation.

The size of the brooder depends on how many chicks you have – the chicks should have enough room to move around and to lay down and sleep. You also need to have enough space in it for a waterer and a feeder.

Clean, fresh water must ALWAYS be available to your chicks. Get at least a medium sized waterer – chicks drink a LOT of water. We used a waterer made of plastic – it’s easy to clean, inexpensive, lightweight, and chicks can’t tip it over. They also poop everywhere, including right into their water. Clean the waterer at least once a day (depending on how crowded it is, even twice a day).

Chickens tend to scratch at their food, and chicks are no exception. Provide a feeder that (more or less) keeps the food in one place. We used a feeder made of galvanized steel, and it worked great! Cleanliness is important. Since the chicks will poop right into their own food, be prepared to clean and refill your feeder often.

Chicks start out with food called “crumbles”. It is specially formulated for their dietary needs, and it comes both medicated or not. We used non-medicated feed, and our chicks turned out extremely healthy! The feed is a complete food – no other food is necessary. Feeding your chicks treats, however, can be fun! After the first week or two, you can give them a worm or a bug from your garden to eat. Greens are not recommended because they can cause diarrhea-like symptoms.

Keep the brooder heated by using a light bulb with a reflector, available at any hardware store. A 100-watt bulb is usually fine, though some people use a heat lamp. The temperature should be 90-100 degrees for the first week or so, then can be reduced by 5 degrees each week thereafter, until the chicks have their feathers. Not sure if you have the right temperature? You can figure it out by how the chicks behave. If they are panting and/or huddling in corners farthest from the light, they are too hot. If they huddle together in a ball under the light, they are too cold. Adjust the distance of the light (or change the wattage of the bulb) until it’s right.

When the chicks are a month old, add a low roost – a stick or piece of wood dowelling about 4″ off the floor of the brooder. The chicks will jump on it and may even begin sleeping there. Don’t put the roost directly under the light; it will be too hot.

Chicks are VERY curious – after the first week or two, they can be put outside for short periods of time if the temperature is warm. They MUST be watched at this age. Chicks can move fast, squeeze into small spaces, and are helpless against a variety of predators. Be a good chicken papa or mama and keep a close watch over them when you let them play outside.

So that’s how your first 60 days with chickens will look like. In the next installment of I Heart Chickens, which will be posted tomorrow, I’ll discuss what to do after the first 60 days as well as various chicken coop designs. Stay tuned!

Bumblefoot ao vivo com o Guns N' Roses

Em 1987, mesmo ano do lançamento do histórico ‘debut’ Appetite For Destruction do Guns N’ Roses, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal estreou semiprofissionalmente no meio musical com o EP auto-intitulado do AWOL, grupo que o próprio nos descreve como “uma mistura de Manowar, Loudness e Van Halen”.

Em agosto de 1989, investindo na carreira solo, o guitarrista norte-americano apareceu pela primeira vez em uma revista especializada, na coluna “Spotlight – New Talent” da Guitar Player, assinada então por Mike Varney. “A fita Demo de Thal está entre as mais impressionantes que já recebi”, afirmou à época o colunista, dono da Shrapnel Records.

Enquanto isso, Axl Rose (vocal), Steven Adler (bateria), Duff McKagan (baixo), Slash e Izzy Stradlin (guitarras) excursionavam pelo mundo divulgando seu arrebatador disco de estréia e o EP G N’ R Lies de 1988. Sucesso que até durou muito, tendo em vista vícios, polêmicas, shows confusos, confrontos com a imprensa e brigas aterradoras que cercaram a trajetória do conjunto.

O Guns N’ Roses observava a Terra de todos os ângulos possíveis, ao passo que Thal enxergava no máximo algumas quadras próximas de sua casa no Brooklyn em Nova York. Contudo, a distância que a primeira metade da década de noventa instaurou, a segunda tratou de eliminar.

À medida que Axl e seus companheiros se separavam e passavam a figurar mais nos noticiários como celebridades do que como músicos, o virtuose embasbacava os apaixonados pelas seis cordas com – hoje – relíquias como o instrumental The Adventures Of Bumblefoot (1995), o cantado Hermit (1997) e o extraordinário Hands (1998).

Ouça qualquer um destes trabalhos e entenda por que é tão espantoso ver os planetas de Thal e Guns N’ Roses em mesmo palco ou disco. Inesperado, inusitado, mas real. Hoje, o ‘nerd’ estudioso da guitarra que viveu no underground por aproximadamente uma década é o substituto de Slash naquela que um dia fora considerada “a banda mais perigosa do mundo”.

Barefoot - The Acoustic EP (2008)

Aproveitando o bom momento e a popularidade proveniente das turnês e do questionado Chinese Democracy (2008), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal lança, menos de seis meses após Abnormal (2008) – seu último trabalho solo de estúdio -, o acústico Barefoot que inclui composições de Uncool (2000) e Normal (2005).

Uma ótima oportunidade para que os fãs de Guns conheçam um lado mais comum e serenado deste irrequieto norte-americano que definitivamente não caiu de pára-quedas na atual formação do grupo de Axl Rose. Confira a lista de músicas presentes em Barefoot – The Acoustic EP:
01. She Knows
02. Dash
03. Simple Days
04. Shadow
05. Abnormal
Extras
06. She Knows (instrumental)
07. Dash (instrumental)
08. Simple Days (instrumental)
09. Shadow (instrumental)
10. Abnormal (instrumental)
11. Delilah (acústico – gravado no dia 14 de julho de 2003
12. Abnormal (versão “limpa”)

Clique aqui, em link disponibilizado pelo próprio músico, para ouvir trechos de seu lançamento ‘desplugado’.

Por Thiago Sarkis

Site Oficial: www.bumblefoot.com

It was a long time for you
It was a long time for me – “There Was a Time”

Just shut up and sing – “Sorry”

Let’s just get this over with from the start.  This album is NOT “Appetite for Destruction.”  That perfect storm ended 20 years ago.

This album is also not “Use Your Illusion III.”

Now, can we all move along?

I made a conscious effort not to listen to any early versions of these songs.  I wanted to hear them in their final version when/if “Chinese Democracy” was ever released.  My first exposure to any of them was when I heard the title track a few weeks ago on Eddie Trunk’s XM show.  It wasn’t bad.

But really, should that be the standard for GNR?  Should we be willing to accept “not bad” from the band that, for better or worse, paved the way for grunge and ruled as the last giant metal band?  Should the mind behind “Welcome to the Jungle” be given that kind of leeway?

After several listens, I think the answer is maybe.

Its definitely not Sunset Strip Guns n’ Roses.  It has more in common with “Use Your Illusion,” but even then, this is a new beast entirely.  After more than a dozen years of edits, tweaks and remasters, what you’ve got now is a singer, a rotating cast of characters and a project that has spanned several musical movements.  As such, those styles are all evident.

Here’s your track list kids:

1. Chinese Democracy
2. Shackler’s Revenge
3. Better
4. Street of Dreams
5. If the World
6. There Was a Time
7. Catcher in the Rye
8. Scraped
9. Riad n’ the Bedouins
10. Sorry
11. I.R.S.
12. Madagascar
13. This I Love
14. Prostitute

For those of you keeping track at home, that’s one song for every year this record has been an urban myth.

I made my dutiful trip to Best Buy on release day.  I wanted to actually see the record on a rack.  I wanted to touch it to verify its actual existence.  Then I made my five year old son carry it to the checkout so if it wasn’t there when we got there I could blame its disappearance on him…or gremlins.
I took it home and put it in the laptop for a listen.  That’s how much things have changed since “Use Your Illusion.”  Back then I was DJing in a nightclub and took my first listen on the house PA.  This one was played on a laptop, in the car and, of course, on my Ipod.

Oh yeah, and I have kids now.

But I digress.

The title track is good.  It starts with a mumbling spoken word opening then launches into some classic GNR riffing.  It takes a strange turn when, though multiple tracking, Axl starts backing himself in various voices.  Its disconcerting at first, but you get used to it.

I thought the first 5 tracks were all solid.  A lot of people are gushing over “Shackler’s Revenge,” but I like “Street of Dreams” and “If the World” better.  “Street of Dreams” would be a huge hit if this was 1989.  Since its almost 2009, I have no idea.  It seems to be the closest to vintage GNR in my book.

“If the World” is probably my favorite song on the album, even though its all over the damned place.  It opens with mariachi style guitars and then segues into some funky blaxploitation groove.  Somehow these come together to create a song that would be perfectly at home in the opening credits of a James Bond movie.  Seriously.  The title also has that 007 feel.  Its almost as if Axl is trying to remind us of his kick ass cover of that Wings song.

The funny thing about most of the songs is they seem to be about Axl and his relationship to them and the album as a whole.  I would imagine after spending so much time with them, he feels married to their final outcome.  Nearly every song makes some reference to expectations, time, or pressure.

You really come to realize how the other members of the band, specifically Izzy and Slash, served to focus Axl.  Izzy was/is a helluva songwriter and helped polish up things when Axl got bogged down.  It was always Slash’s supremely bloozy guitar that kept things moving along.  They are sorely missed here.  Buckethead and Bumblefoot may good guitar players, but they’re little more than session players here.

Things drag appreciably in the home stretch.  I only song I truly dislike on the record is “This I Love.”  It seems out of place and its frankly not very good.  “Madagascar” is odd.  We once again get sound bites from “Cool Hand Luke,” as well as Martin Luther King, Jr., “Mississippi Burning,” “Braveheart,” “Casualties of War,” and “Seven.”  Gee Axl, persecuted much?

The final track, “Prostitute,” finds Axl waxing (or whining) about his life as a commercial whore?  Really?  Was it so bad to be on top of the world?  Was it really so bad to wake up next to Stephanie Seymour? 

Really?

In the end, what you’ve got here is about 6 really good songs, 5 above average ones and 3 that should have been left off.

Is it worth your time?  Depends on your predilictions.  If you’re a GNR fan, you might as well give it a listen.  You’ve waited this long.  If you’re not?  Probably not.  If you’re somehow neither, then give it a shot.  There’s some good stuff in here if you approach it with the right attitude.

Did you hear me Hinder?

As I was preparing to write this, it occurred to me that if you took “Chinese Democracy” and the 2 Velvet Revolver albums and grabbed all the best tracks, you’d probably be able to put together one helluva Guns n’ Roses album.  Maybe I’ll do that.

But it still wouldn’t be “Appetite for Destrution.”

Here we are.  The Day After.  And while Dr. Pepper struggles to come through on their promise, W. Axl Rose came through on his.  Chinese Democracy exists and is available for purchase.  Currently, it’s on my iPod, my computer, and my coffee table, yet I’m still kind of amazed to see it there, let alone hear it.  I’ll leave a traditional review for the traditional press and instead list ten entirely biased reasons why you absolutely should buy this album.

10. Because the drummer from Hinder doesn’t like it.  He said it “almost sounds too artsy.”  He then went back to playing this song, which apparently is just artsy enough to suck.

9. Because the drummer from Hinder was asked his opinon of Chinese Democracy in the first place.  You know why that is? Because there are publicists and label people out there who are desperately trying to tell us that bands like Hinder, Nickleback, Creed, Staind and 3 Doors Down are what we’re supposed to enjoy in the category of modern rock these days.  Chinese Democracy is better than anything these bands will ever do. Ever.  Those bands write singles.  Axl wrote an album.

8. Because it sounds more like Guns N’ Roses than Velvet Revolver. I know, the math doesn’t work.  Velvet has three former Gunners and Chinese only has one.  And I like those two Velvet records, but at the end of the day is there anything on them that really sounds that different from Stone Temple Pilots?  Sadly, no.

7. Because they’ll never get into the nickname hall of fame, but guitarists Buckethead and Bumblefoot (along with lame-names Robin Finck and Richard Fortus) are actually pretty good. The solos by Slash from his work in Guns can’t be touched.  That goes without saying.  But listen to the chaotic tweaky divebombs in “Shackler’s Revenge” or the smooth melodic (and “Estranged” sounding) lead in “There Was a Time.”  Some cool shreddin’ going on here, Guitar Heroes.

6. Because Axl can still hit the high notes.  Listen to “Riad N’ the Bedouins.”  Holy crap.

5. Because the one-two punch of “There Was a Time” and “Catcher in the Rye” come at the middle of the record. Anybody with half a brain knows that what seperates a good album from a really good album is the quality of the songs after the first three or four tracks.  “Paradise City” was track six on Appetite; “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was nine.  Democracy has foruteen tracks and while there’s no “Sweet Child” hiding for you in the 2nd half, there’s enough good to keep you listening and excited to the end.  Even when you first hear “This I love” and think “Oh my god, what is this? Musical theater?” you’ll still find yourself oddly amazed by what you’re hearing and probably end up later thinking, “I kind of want to hear that musical theater song again.”  It’s okay.  Nothing wrong with that…

4. Because Cool Hand Luke gets sampled again. Along with Mississippi Burning, Braveheart, Casualties of War, and Seven.  All in the same song (“Madagascar”).

3. Because nobody writes about Axl like Axl. And thank goodness the lyrics are included in the liner notes.  You can pick and choose at random and no doubt will find something that we can only assume is Axl answering some of those questions many of us have had regarding his sanity over this lengthy journey that has been the making of Chinese Democracy.  In “Catcher in the Rye” he writes “But every time I see them makes me wish I had a gun. If I thought that I was crazy, well I guess I’d have more fun.”  Intrigued, hmm? What about “Better” when he says “No one ever told me when I was alone. They just thought I’d know better.” Is he talking about us? Didn’t we all think he’d know better than to take fifteen years to make an album? Or in “I.R.S.” when he sings, “I bet you think I’m doin’ this all for my health.”  Or in “Prostitute” when Axl asks “Why would they tell me to please those that laugh in my face?”  That’s a good questions, isn’t it?

2. Because it’s way, way better than Phantom Menace.  And you waited sixteen years for that.

1. Finally, because Axl’s already won. You can sit and stew and not buy the record or make fun of it even.  You can laugh at Axl’s hair, his weight, his voice, and his decisions that make up the story behind the music. (Guilty.) You can envision some fantasy where the original lineup stayed together all these years making great album after great album that all sound like Appetite for Destruction and all those classic songs you still hear in movie trailers and at sporting events.  (Guilty again.)  You can somehow convince yourself that even after 20 years and the loss of 4/5 of a line up, that you know exactly how Guns N’ Roses should sound in 2008.  You can tell yourself that Axl should’ve just released Chinese Democracy as a solo album.  But that’s kind of missing the point.  What matters at the end of the day is what the music is, not what it could’ve been, should’ve been, or anything in between.  And the one thing you can take away from all of this with absolute certainty is that the music on Chinese Democracy is exactly what Axl wanted it to be.  The rest is up to you.