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Chinese Democracy

December 27th, 2008 · Posted by Skuds in Music/Technology · 2 Comments · Music, Technology

Amazon recently started an MP3 download shop, which looks like a real boon to those of us who, for various reasons, refuse to go anywhere near iTunes.  It looks like it has a lot going for it: the download files are MP3 so they work on non-Apple devices and they are DRM-free.  On top of that the prices are quite good too.  There is not a fixed price so some tracks/albums are cheaper than others, with quite a few current albums going for £3.

Over Christmas there was an offer to get £3 off – so pick one of the £3 albums and its free.  I decided to download Chinese Democracy which effectively cost me nothing.  I could have stopped there and spent nothing, but got tempted by Kraftwerk’s Expo 2000 single (one of the few things of theirs I didn’t already have) and Mike Oldfield’s Exposed album.

The process was very straightforward, although when I started listening to Guns & Roses I thought the file was corrupted or something: it turned out to just be that the first track starts with lots of quiet sound effects.  Really very naff.  The first 45 seconds are just atmospheric effects, then there are some big drums for 15 seconds before some guitars kick in.  Even then the track hasn’t really started, and doesn’t for another half a minute.  I reckon you could chop off the first 90 seconds without any problem.  As it is I fired up Audacity and chopped off the first 45 seconds to prevent the situation where it comes up on random lpay and I think everything has stopped working.

Apart from that, the album is OK, certainly for the price (nothing).  Very cinematic and epic in places ((in other words over-produced)) with a couple of very good tracks. Mind you, the start of the title track did sound a lot like the Darkness at first.  The thing is, after a 16-year wait it was always going to be a disappointment.  Nothing could live up to that amount of expectation.

I’m not a big G&R fan and have no real emotional attachment to the band, but even I don’t really think its anything other than an Axl Rose solo album.  Velvet Revolver are more Guns & Roses than Guns & Roses are, but regardless of authenticity I quite enjoyed it.  It was actually better than I expected – but then I had extraordinarily low expectations for it.

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2 Comments so far ↓

  • Hiro

    The Amazon site is very good value. Just downloaded Tales from Topographic Oceans. I have been meaning to get this for ages as I can not find my original CD!!! Brilliant less than 4 quid and two extra tracks previously unrealeased. Listening to it now….like visiting an old friend.

  • Skuds

    Don’t know if the bargains are a promotional thing to launch the Amazon downloads but I like the idea of hunting for them rather than the single-price concept of iTunes.

    I noticed that Topographic Oceans and Relayer were both going very cheap, but I got them both on CD this year. (Also cheap)