The way we Listen

Let me tell you the story of the most awaited rock album of all time.

1994 - Beginning of recording

Back in 1994. US rock band Guns n’Roses are slowing down from their terrific success, experienced two years before with Use Your Illusion I & II. The band members, famous for their drinking, drug and fighting problems, were in a difficult situation, mainly because of the dictatorial mood of lead singer Axl Rose. In this context began the recording sessions of the band upcoming studio album, Chinese Democracy.

1996 - Band falls apart

Two years later, nothing done. Tension between the members is at the highest : drummer Matt Sorum, bassist Duff McKagan and guitar hero Slash leave the band to found Velvet Revolver. A new Guns n’Roses line up is created (the band’s name was property of Rose), with guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer John Freese (who’ll leave right away).

2001-2002 - Live shows full of hope

January 2001, fresh new Guns give their first concerts since 7 years, including the big Rock in Rio III festival. The band announces an european tour… then cancels. Another european tour… cancelled. Then a US tour which will indeed begin in november 2002. Then blackout, the band goes on hiatus.

2006-2008 - This time it’s for real… not

Guns appears again in May 2006 with some show, followed by a world tour, ironically called "Chinese Democracy Tour". New songs are played : "Madagascar", "I.R.S.", "There Was A Time", "The Blues", "Better" et "Chinese Democracy". Several announcements made by Axl Rose seem to lead towards an upcoming release. Guest performers are quoted: Brian May, Sebastian Bach, Shaquille O’Neal (!). But… still nothing in 2006, nothing in 2007. In 2008, new rumors say the production of the album is finished, but the problem is now in the hands of record labels. In June 2008, high quality demos leaked out on the internet but were removed right away.

The release seems to be getting closer… Dr Pepper even promised to offer one can to each american people if the album comes out by the end of the year. But, after this so long waiting, we all fear that this so-called wonderful piece of rock’n'roll would be very disappointing. See you soon…

In 2007, we had the luck to make a lot of musical discoveries and to attend to memorable events. We decided to share 15 of these moments with you, through the 5 following posts.

1. Guns n’ Roses discovery (January)

Well that’s strange! But yeah, I didn’t know much about Guns n’ Roses before this beginning of year… Except for classic tunes like Knocking on heaven’s door and Live and Let Die. But my cousin and a Greatest Hits album made me aware of this overdrugged but wonderful band. Paradise City, Don’t Cry and Patience are my favorites, and I will also point to a Rolling Stones cover (Sympathy for the devil, which I think is better than the original… There is still a lot to listen to, but if you don’t know them, my advice is to try! Slash especially deserves his “guitar hero” title.

2. Pink Floyd discovery (January-March)

Another big surprise! Same thing : I didn’t know anything about Pink Floyd, except for  Another Brick in the Wall and Money. But then, I watched the Live 8 DVD and the performance by the english band : I loved it. I borrowed the Pulse DVD from a friend : I loved it. The simplicity and the precision of David Gilmour’s play blowed me away : he play notes, just where they have to be. Listen to the intro of Wish you were here and you will understand. The Dark Side of the Moon album is absolutely a masterpiece, a work that can’t be ignored if you care about rock history. I also recommend songs like Confortably Numb, Shine On You Crazy Diamond or High Hopes. What I learned is that Pink Floyd brings a whole universe of sounds, experiments and very original live shows.

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