GUNS N' ROSES, 'Chinese Democracy' [re-imagined LP]

Guns N' Roses

CHINESE DEMOCRACY  (1999)

Chinese Democracy 
Better
Street of Dreams
10 Years*     [Believe in Me]
Anxious Disease*     [Anxious Disease]
There Was a Time
Madagascar
---------
Catcher in the Rye   (Brian May lead guitar mix)**
Believe in Me*    [Believe in Me]
Riad n' the Bedouins
Tijuana Jail*   [Pawnshop Guitars]
I.R.S.
Six Feet Under*    [Neurotic Outsiders]
This I Love


All tracks taken from the original 2009 LP except where indicated. I've seen the Garden City reconstruction and the similar Beggars & Hangers On; I thought I'd try one with Axl Rose singing more than one song. Yes, these are exercises in re-imagining history to make an interesting listening experience to an album I've played out, actually. I thought why not make a compromise between the less industrial tracks on said album and combine some possible contributions from the late 90's period where it all started. Slash left the group in 1996 after recording the Snakepit record with the other guys and singer Eric Dover. No offense to him, but he's not singing on this one. Slash contributes to other members' tracks I included to complete the deal. Duff sings "Believe in Me" and "10 Years" from his solo album; Gilby Clarke sings "Tijuana Jail" from his album; West Arkeen contributes the title cut ("Anxious Disease") from the album by his band The Outpatience (which includes Slash and Axl contributing musically on this track). I also included a third song by Duff called "Six Feet Under" from the album by his group the Neurotic Outsiders. 

Everyone will have a different opinion on what should be included to make this accurate for release circa 1999 or so. Don't let that get in the way of a good listen...14 tracks clocking in a little over an hour. Not quite the undertaking of hearing the original CD in one sitting. However, I did leave the heavier tracks for an E.P. release sequel to GNR Lies put together with "Oh My God" and the 'new' version of "Welcome to the Jungle" from a couple soundtrack releases around the time. The fact that Axl owned the name and was very much in control...it's arguable Duff and Gilby Clarke's material would have remained even had they been gone by the time of its release. The presence of their voices lends to the familiarity missing from this 'new GNR' record that alienated older fans. I was a casual fan, but I heard it and loved it!  Appetite is a classic while the Use Your Illusion records could use some trimming, IMHO. The loss of Slash as a songwriter could be filled by Axl and Duff's collaborator and friend West Arkeen; he had contributed in the past and was considered 'the sixth or seventh' Gun. This isn't me saying the void was filled, mind you!  I'm just saying Axl would likely bring him in and allow Duff and even Gilby (say he didn't get replaced by Axl so abruptly this time) to balance out the writing. It can be also argued that the reason the writing of the album took so long was because the lack of collaborative spirit the classic line-up(s) had brought before to the final product. Axl Rose himself was more or less quoted as saying "It has some songs that sound like Guns and some more like an Axl Rose record...but hopefully you'll like some songs on there."