"Chinese Democracy," track by track

It's finally here.

Guns N' Roses (or what's left of it) posted its long-awaited new album, "Chinese Democracy," on MySpace ahead of the Sunday release to retail. Click here to hear it in its entirety with free, streaming audio. We don't have the liner notes, so we won't get to read which of Axl Rose's 420,000 guitar players appear on each song, but that's OK.

Let's take a listen. I confess that first listens for me are all about the overall sound, so don't expect any deep analysis of Axl's lyrics. Here we go:

1. "Chinese Democracy" -- A perfect opener with a long, atmospheric intro that leads right into harsh, over-compressed guitars. I'd imagine this will begin any concerts GN'R play in the future; it's a decent mid-tempo rocker, nothing more -- but it doesn't need to be anything more.

2. "Shackler's Revenge" -- This song is all over the place. Punctuated by laughable blasts of industrial noise and odd, twangy guitars, this sounds more like one of those bonus songs on "Guitar Hero" that you never play than something written by the guy that gave us "November Rain" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." I see the skip button in this one's future ...

3. "Better" -- This one's been making the rounds online for a few years, and has a good chance at being a radio staple. It's got one of those trademark swaggering verses, but also an uncharacteristic pair of choruses: one sung in melodic falsetto, and one shouted at us. The guitar flourishes throughout make you wonder if this incarnation of GN'R has been influenced by Avenged Sevenfold, or if Synyster Gates has been taking notes from the "Chinese Democracy" leaks over the last few years.

4. "Street Of Dreams" -- Ah, there's that piano sound I know and love from "Use Your Illusion." This one used to be called "The Blues" and has been part of GN'R's live set for a few years. Axl's epics, from "November Rain" to "Estranged," have been downbeat affairs, but "Street of Dreams" sounds hopeful from the start. (Maybe that's why "The Blues" wasn't a good title.) We hear the first evidence of Axl's sessions with composers Paul Buckmaster and Marco Beltrami here, as violins enter the mix. Just when it's peaking, though, it ends! Maybe that's evidence that Axl learned how to edit himself in the last ... 14 years.

5. "If The World" -- Here's the tune from the end credits of "Body of Lies," and its intro fit that film's Marc Streitenfeld score so well that I didn't realize it was GN'R until Axl started wailing. Here we realize how pristine the production is on the record; the music, however, feels more like an extended jam than a fully realized song. It does have a driving, film-score feel to it, though, so it will probably grow on me.

6. "There Was A Time" -- I have been enjoying this song for a few years, in at least two different incarnations. I actually prefer an early leaked version to the final one, but this still captures the over-the-top essence of "Use Your Illusion." That feeling is cemented by the solo, which is the only one so far that sounds even remotely like one of Slash's "Illusion" beauties. This one's a keeper, and could be another radio hit.

7. "Catcher In The Rye" -- Axl's Rolling Stones worship is evident at the top of this downright gorgeous song. Seven songs in, I continue to be surprised by how upbeat this album is. Maybe it took 14 years to record because that's how long it took Axl to finally be happy with himself. Fans who were hoping to hear another "Mr. Brownstone" or "Get in the Ring" are going to hate this song; I love it.

8. "Scraped" -- "Sometimes I feel like the world is on top of me / Breaking me down with an endless monotony." Well, I guess they can't all be hopeful. But that line is appropriate to this album, which certainly bucks everything we know about popular rock music right now. Multi-tracked vocals let Axl cry his frustrations out from every corner of his vocal range, but they don't make for a very good song.

9. "Riad N' The Bedouins" -- I hear at least three different songs here in the first 90 seconds, and one of them is very, very good. It's a collision at the idea factory, but a commendable failure.

10. "Sorry" -- A slow burner with bluesy guitar breaks and little Flamenco flourishes, this doesn't sound like anything in the GN'R catalog.

11. "I.R.S." -- Solid rocker with more than its share of Axl's trademark rasp.

12. "Madagascar" -- GN'R premiered this during Axl's surprise appearance at the MTV VMAs a few years ago, and he still hasn't ditched the Z-grade keyboard intro that opens it. But he has added dialogue samples, a la "Breakdown" and "Civil War." The Strother Martin monologue from "Cool Hand Luke" that Rose used in the latter shows up again here -- as does a sample from an MLK speech -- in a befuddling middle section bookended by a shuffling, agreeable song. I'm not sure what Rose is up to here; I wonder if he even knows?

13. "This I Love" -- This one would sound at home on an Evanescence record -- that's not a knock against it -- as Axl sings a mournful tune about lost love while playing the piano, accompanied by violins. I can't imagine how many takes of the vocals were recorded for this track; it might be the best singing of Rose's career.

14. "Prostitute" -- This has that end-of-the-movie feel, appropriate for the "closing credits" of Rose's would-be masterpiece. A bit toward the end sounds a little like Dream Theater, believe it or not, a band which could have inspired much of this sprawling album.

Ambitious, schizophrenic and unconventional. Was it worth waiting 14 years for? (Could anything be?) I don't know, but I do know that I'm going to be listening to it for a very long time. If Axl Rose's intention was to marry rock and roll to cinematic dramatics, he succeeded, not only in the music, but in the circus that surrounded it. People who wanted "Appetite for Destruction II" aren't going to be pleased, and many critics will blast Rose for going way, way over the top. Nothing here resembles the Sunset Strip rock of "Welcome to the Jungle" or "Nightrain."

The fact that "Chinese Democracy" even exists is reason enough for me to celebrate -- but there are also great songs here, and hope that Rose can continue to fulfill the promise of his considerable talents.

"Chinese Democracy," in my book, is a must-own.

Best tracks: "Catcher in the Rye," "There Was a Time," "Better," "This I Love," "Prostitute"