Guns N' Roses

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Guns N' Roses was formed by Tracii Guns and Axl Rose, but long ago became just a vehicle for Rose and whatever musicians he could surround himself with at any given time. To fans, guitarists Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Buckethead will always be associated with the band, but that's not acceptable to Rose, who's suing Guitar Hero makers Activision for $20M for including images of Slash in their games. The complaint filed in a Los Angeles court alleges that Activision "began spinning a web of lies and deception to conceal its true intentions... to promote the game by emphasizing and reinforcing an association between Slash and Guns N' Roses and the band's song 'Welcome to the Jungle.'" Although Slash co-wrote and performed on "Welcome to the Jungle," Rose says Activision promised that Slash wouldn't be represented in the game. Yet in fact, the cover of the game features a Slash-like image, "with his signature black top hat, long dark curly hair, dark sunglasses and nose-piercing," says the suit. "This lawsuit is about protecting Guns N' Roses and 'Welcome to the Jungle,'" Rose's lawyer Skip Miller said, "[and] holding Activision accountable for its misuse of these incredibly valuable assets."

No, you're not dreaming: Chinese Democracy is actually available now to buy, the first new material from Guns N Roses for 17 years. Although it's only available in the US from Best Buy stores, and even though bits of the album have leaked online several times in recent years, it's still expected to sell massively thanks to the pent-up demand from GNR fans. Most reviews so far have been generally positive, noting that Axl Rose has always known how to write a great hook, but many have pointed out that Axl's endless tinkering which has delayed the album for so long is also evident. But if the title was some kind of political prediction, Axl got it wrong. In the intervening years since the Use Your Illusions, the Soviet Union has collapsed, the European Union was created, South Africa rejected apartheid, but China hasn't yet embraced democracy. State-owned newspaper The Global Times has criticized the name of the album with an article titled "American band releases album venomously attacking China". If that's the harshest review Chinese Democracy gets, Axl won't be too displeased.

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