Hey, have you heard? Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy is coming out next month, maybe! And wondering what it’ll sound like is sooo 2003. I’m more interested in what Mr. Rose’s opus will look like. Specifically, I’ve been waiting to find out whether there’s any chance I can repurpose the album’s cover art as a classy Thanksgiving greeting card for the elderly folks I know. So imagine my delight to discover (h/t) that Best Buy, which will be exclusively retailing Chinese Democracy, has a tiny little preview image up on their website… and it’s, uh, a sepia-toned photo of an old-timey bicycle with a basket. Score!
Anyway, I asked GN’R's label if this was for real, and I have yet to hear back. So I’m going to assume that it is? (Hey, it worked with Lil Wayne.) Might as well start the rampant speculation now: Do you think this can possibly be the actual cover of the most legendarily delayed hard rock album of all time? And if so, what do you make of it? Best Buy also has a tracklist up, if that’ll help you form an opinion.
More on Chinese Democracy:
A handy timeline of the long road to CD
Chinese Democracy gets an actual solid release date in November 2008…we think!
Oh, wait, it already got an actual solid release date in 2006 
Axl Rose, gentleman that he is, welcomes Dr. Pepper’s offer to buy everyone in the country a soda if he drops CD this year
addCredit(“Kevin Mazur/Getty Images”)
Well, that cover certainly is umm toned down probably to balance the huge expectations this album has.
In it’s defense, most of the leaked tracks I’ve heard are actually pretty good. I am no GNR fan but I think it’ll be a good album. Whether it will make back the money spent to record it is another issue.
I don’t like any of the tracks I’ve heard from thsi album so far. They’re not awful, but they’re, well… blah… just like that album cover.
Wow, I remember back in 1995 thinking ‘when are they going to put that record out’. And now that finally they are(?) the music business is dead. D’oh! Oh well, I’ll still be interested in hearing some tracked from it.
That is the album cover I believe. Axl talked about this cover during a gig in Hong Kong in 2002. Look forward to hearing the whole record. I think it will be a very strong record.
Ali
Do people really care about this release? I’m sure some do but the last time i saw this much hype, Boston was putting out a new cd. How did that one go?
Do we really have to call the Axl Rose Band “guns n roses”? Ugh… i hate that. “Guns n Roses” without Slash would be like Led Zep without Jimmy Page.
This record WILL flop.
The ONLY reason this record won’t flop is because Axel is smart enough to not only release it the week of Thanksgiving, so MASSIVE Black Friday sales will help, and because Best Buy is said to be shelving it two days prior to the usual Tuesday new releases, thats two more shopping days fans have to snatch it up & add to it debut numbers on the Billboard chart. Also, as many performers in the industry have gone on record saying, this is going to be the FINAL year when music releases will count during the holidays. After this, in-store sales will pretty much no longer hold a candle to digital sales, which is why a number of artists who have previously said they were releasing albums in 2009, like Britney & Eminem are now getting their music out & in the stores before X-Mas. Will “Chinese Democracy” be a hit? I doubt it will have any commercial singles that are airplay hits, but it still has to contend with the juggernaut that is Kanye West, who will have a 2nd single in play by then.
Who?
What?
You know the cover fits the name. just as spagetti incident did. He could wrap it in poo and I would buy it. The new guns rocks.
Can’t wait for this record, it’s going to put everything else out there to shame. Axl was/is the driving musical force behing GnR, so this is still a GnR record. If the leaks are any indication, Chinese Democracy is going to be, in the words of Barney Stinson, “Epic”.
Look, I just want some Dr. Pepper.
Based on the track that was included on Rock Band 2…I will not be buying this CD. Sorry, it sucks.
With only Axle left in the band, it’s a toss up whether the album will sell. I think those who (use to) like the band may find a copy off the ‘Net somewhere and decide if they’ll buy. Those who want to hear what the fuss is may just download. don’t expect it to be a big seller in China!