So, Guns n' Roses have a new album coming out at the end of this month. It's been almost 14 years since their last album.
Rolling Stone called it "the most anticipated record ever." But is it? Do people really care about Axl Rose anymore?
I'll admit, I'm intrigued, and I don't consider myself a GnR fan. I don't own a single one of their albums, and I sometimes even wince when one of their tracks come on the jukebox.
Yet Chinese Democracy is almost legendary at this point. It has its own mythos at this point. How many times did Axl say this album was going to be released? And it never came to fruition. Finally, at the end of this month, it will be available -- at Best Buy only. Another chapter to the saga of Chinese Democracy.
I enjoy following the music industry. As many of you know, music is one of my passions, especially live music. I like seeing how many albums Nickelback sells out of morbid curiosity. Same thing with the "Now That's What I Call Music Vol. XXX" CDs.
So... how many albums will Best Buy sell of Chinese Democracy? And more important... will they outsell AC/DC's new album, Black Ice?
That's more important because me and the wife have a friendly bet on it. Adro says GnR will sell less albums than AC/DC does in their respective first weeks. AC/DC sold north of 800,000 copies their first week (that CD was available at Wal-Mart only, another exclusive). I say they'll sell more than AC/DC -- I'm thinking they'll sell north of 1 million CDs.
Really, the whole thing is mostly a statement about how pathetic the music industry is right now. AC/DC and GnR are the two hot bands right now? Apparently, the youth of this generation simply does not know how to rock. We need a new rock savior. ASAP.
So, I'll have a new poll up after the completion of this current poll. (And thanks to everyone who has voted in this current poll -- I believe 20 voters is a new record for EspeciallyEvey.) The question: Will Guns 'n' Roses sell more albums their first week than AC/DC (800,000+) did?
6 comments:
Lord, don't tell Marlan about this post. Seriously, how can one even compare GnR to AC/DC? AC/DC are akin to rock demogods. GnR? Eh. I wasn't impressed with them even when they were the flavor of the month, way back when I was in junior high.
Not sayin', just sayin':
http://especiallyevey.blogspot.com/2008/02/bigfoot-poll-big-sham.html
Satan, don't tell anyone who doesn't have the brain and taste to be able to appreciate the majesty that is the legend of Guns n' Roses about this post. AC/DC might be demigods but only because they've managed to stay around for a long time. GnR are demigods because they put out a classic album that people STILL buy today. (Granted, it was only one album but still.)
Honestly, I don't have an opinion about AC/DC. They've never really been my thing. I certainly respect them but I don't have any of their albums (though I keep saying I'll get BACK IN BLACK one of these days). I don't have anything against them, I've just never been into them.
That said, GnR will destroy them in first-week sales. People might be big AC/DC fans but CHINESE DEMOCRACY has built its own legend. I've seen ads on TV for it. And both are being released exclusively through just one store, likely limiting their sales, though the fact that it will be released on iTunes as well could be a factor, especially if they count downloads as sales. (I'd say GnR fans are more likely to download it -- and more often -- than AC/DC fans.)
Yeah, I'll be at Best Buy this Sunday, bright n' early. Are you kidding?
OK, I don't want to pour gas on the Sweeten Harris fire, but...
I think that AC/DC and GnR don't hold the same steam as they once did outside the trailer park- "rocker" communities. I know they still sell and even castoff music ala Velvet Revolver did really well in the hopes that GnR could make a return, in whatever capacity. GnR will probably sell really well, but the tours will fall to some Axel trait of hurting more than helping.
I didn't know that AC/DC had a new album and I'm really curious how this Chinese Democracy will turn out. Much like Marlan, GnR was my theme album along with Living Colour's Vivid during my formative years. But I've come to appreciate the rockin' of AC/DC thru the years. That said, I'll say that GnR will win simply because I didn't know that AC/DC had a new album and the GnR marketing machine has been going on for months in anticipation.
Oh. I was wrong (about GnR outselling AC/DC). But I'll still take GnR over AC/DC any day of the week or year. And I still haven't picked up BACK IN BLACK.
AC/DC did amazingly well with their newest album. There are still some old-school rockers out there. And from what I understand, it was a good AC/DC album. The modern-day GnR marketing machine might have been going hard only because of the legend of that album. And if the album doesn’t live up to those expectations then the whole thing goes down the drain. Doesn’t help that they didn’t tour for it (at least not in the traditional sense. The relatively few shows they did didn’t seem to stir up much excitment). There might not have been a marketing machine available to save that boat. Maybe the expectations were lower for AC/DC so they were able to pull it out just doing what they’ve always done. Maybe they just had a better album for that audience that would buy it. But Axl is wiley like that: He could still pull off something genius and completely unexpected when you least expect him to. It’s why I’m still a fan. There’s no other entity on Earth like Axl Rose (for better or worse).
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