I don't pretend to know what's going on behind the scenes regarding Chinese Democracy, but one thing's for sure - strange things are afoot at the BEST BUY.
For one, BEST BUY is advertising 3 different covers. Or was.
Now, Cover C is gone but there are even more numbers.
They've even changed the order of the tracklist and slightly altered the names of the songs ("Catcher" to "Catcher N' the Rye").
Any one else find it strange that GN'R waited until 2 days ago to search for an ad agency for this 15-years-in-the-making project?
Obviously, this behavior is nothing new for Axl Rose, a man who is most famous for showing up nearly 3 hours late for most of his live appearances.
You can even watch a new video at EQ TV where Brain talks about how his drum kit was set up for 5 years! When Brain would finish re-recording Josh Freese's drum parts he would go downstairs to find the rest of the band sitting around "watching cartoons."
And as of this morning, Interscope Records is setting up a newsfeed for GN'R on their official website. Huh?
So just when is Axl Rose going to make this thing REAL for us fans who have been burned so many times by actually confirming that the beast is coming out this year?
Well, HOPEFULLY, now that the Dodgers are out of the picture, Axl will get around to checking his email.
According to the BEST BUY website, the official tracklist for Chinese Democracy is:
1. Chinese Democracy 2. Scraped (Lies They Tell) 3. Shackler's Revenge 4. Street of Dreams (The Blues) 5. If the World 6. Better 7. This I Love 8. There Was a Time 9. Riad N' the Bedovins 10.Sorry 11.IRS 12.Catcher (in the Rye) 13.Madagascar 14.Prostitute
From what I hear, "Scraped' is to be the 1st single.
Rock band Guns N’ Roses is seeking an advertising agency to promote their long-awaited next album in a major break from music industry tradition.
Sources suggest that Universal Music has already contacted several London advertising hotshops to launch a marketing communications programme ahead of the global release of Chinese Democracy on November 25.
The move is the latest in a string of new initiatives by the music industry to encourage people to continue buying music, particularly albums, rather than illegally downloading or just buying singles for 79p.
Last summer, Prince gave away free copies of his new album with The Mail on Sunday; and Radiohead launched its own pay-what-you-like download experiment for their latest album.
Declining sales of music have prompted many bands, including Coldplay, to give away their tracks free. Last month Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher said he would “embrace” the growing free music culture by allowing fans to listen to the band’s new album on MySpace, ahead of its official release. The album was posted on the social networking site so that fans could listen free.
It will be the first Guns N’ Roses album since The Spaghetti Incident in 1993 and was initially scheduled for release in March last year.
The delay prompted Dr. Pepper in the US to announce that it will give a free can of its soft drink to “everyone in America” if the album is released anytime during 2008.
Last week, nearly every news outlet on Earth confirmed that the deal between Guns N' Roses and Best Buy was done and that Chinese Democracy will be available on or about November 23, 2008.
Even E's Chelsea Handler (the funniest woman alive) joked about Chinese Democracy on her roundtable Friday night.
In fact, she actually got a scoop from Perez Hilton.
Perez Hilton: "Best Buy bought 3 million copies"
If this is true it means that Chinese Democracy is going to ship multi-platinum and it will probably debut at #1 on the Billboard chart.
This is big news.
The album's not going to flop.
Let's hear a round of applause for Axl Rose and his management. This deal has been the smartest move this organization has made in over 15 years.
"This is how business is done. Through a series of what I believe to have been very well orchestrated media events, what I believe Axl Rose has done to market this album is pure genius. With Chinese Democracy, Rose has succeeded in making a record which otherwise might not have yielded barely a yawn, into a genuine media event."
I don't know about you, but it really seems like a slam-dunk this time to me.
In other news, former Guns N' Roses drummer Josh Freese (1997-2000) has quit Nine Inch Nails.
"We're in negotiations for the release of Chinese Democracy and things are going well. When we begin to put tour plans together, we'll see where things are."
-Axl Rose
Could Josh Freese be the answer to the Matt or Steven question?
As in: Who's going to play drums for the inevitable Guns N' Roses reunion?
I can only hope that Slash and Duff sign up next. If Axl put together a band that looked something like this he could still play his new music while quieting the naysayers who insist that "it's not Guns N' Roses without Slash."
One more thing.
This morning on the pike I got stuck in traffic behind Best Buy tractor trailer. Even though I'd come to a complete halt, I couldn't help but crack a smile wondering if the truck in front of me was full of Chinese Democracy CDs.
I was salivating thinking about all the music contained therein that I haven't heard yet. Piano ballads like "This I Love" and who knows what else.
To think that this may be a reality this time is so exciting. Through all the ups and downs and drama of this saga I really am just so happy to be able to hear the MUSIC.
Six weeks. Could we be holding the CDs in our hands in six weeks?
Maybe Axl will make an announcemnet today. Maybe today is the day.
A five-minute "super-trailer" for Season 2 of the hit reality TV series "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" can be viewed below. The series, consisting of 8 one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere Thursday, October 23 at 10pm on VH1.
Season 2 will follow Jeff Conaway as he checks back into rehab after a series of back surgeries, setbacks and subsequent reliance on pain medications.
Joining him in rehab are Rodney King, Nikki McKibbon (American Idol), Steven "Popcorn" Adler (Guns N' Roses), Tawny Kitaen, Sean Stewart (Sons of Hollywood), and Amber Smith (model/actress).
Gary Busey, who is 13 years sober from his cocaine addiction, will also be joining the cast to take the journey with the others and to share his experiences on the recovery process.
"Over the course of the first season we were inundated with positive feedback about the series from our viewers and those in the rehab community. Dr Drew is a powerful, positive force for those seeking recovery and I am quite simply amazed not only by the quality of his medical care, but for how much Drew and his team truly care about the people they are treating," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, VH1.
"This series is a deeply transformative emotional experience in front of the cameras and behind the scenes for everyone involved and I believe it resonates with the viewers because the stakes are so high and the journey is so very human."
VH1.com will launch a sneak peek of the first episode on October 17 before the on-air premiere. Subsequent episodes will be available on VH1.com following their on-air premiere.
