I may have been a little harsh in
my initial criticism of Chinese Democracy.
(I stand by my statement that this is not (nor should it be confused with) Guns N' Roses... more like Axl's solo project.)
On my most recent drive to South Dakota (6 hours) I forced myself to listen to Chinese Democracy the entire way. Nice and Loud. Around the 4 1/2 hour mark, something happened. I started to catch myself singing along (even with the really bad songs, which I maintain there are a couple.)
Maybe it's not so bad. Axl definitely showboats a bit too much, and there's at least one song that probably belongs in an off broadway production of something... god help me if I know what. But overall... I'm warming up to it. most of it.
There's definitely some clever humor present in the lyrics, I found myself chuckling more than once as I listened to it for the 6th or 7th time. (In fairness, it takes that long to understand the lyrics on some of the songs. liner notes are for wimps.)
So, I'm not writing the CD off as total garbage, and I suppose it's worth buying, though if you can preview it for free you definitely should... I have a feeling not everyone will feel they got their money's worth.
Still... if you're looking for what most people think of as Guns N' Roses, this ain't it.