CHINESE DEMOCRACY: all you need to know, by the Kibitzer

And then there is GN’R. I think it is a great album. I have had quite a bit to say about this, since everyone has an opinion about it. No shit, Axl is an asshole. Yup, it shouldn’t be called Guns N’ Roses. But compared with the other bands of his genre, I am glad he has only made one album in the past 15 years—instead of the crap the others made, trying so desperately hard to adapt to the times. It has two pages of fine print just for the musician listings. Bucket is very prominent. Axl’s voice is searing. Great songs, great album. “Shackler’s Revenge” is definitely a Bucket/Brain song, just add Axl and crew. Robin Fink’s addition is perfect too. The other guitar players are systematically placed for optimum diversity and layering. This album is solo paradise city. “If the World” and “Shackler’s” are two of my favorite songs of the year.