The debate about the merits of Guns N’ Roses’ comeback album continues to rage, but one fact seems undeniable at this point: the sales have been disappointing. The Killers’ Day & Age outsold Chinese Democracy in the U.K. last week, and Axl Rose is facing some stiff competition from Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak in the U.S. British tabloid The Sun is reporting that Geffen Records are unhappy with Rose’s lack of interest in promoting Chinese Democracy, with the reclusive singer declining to publicize the album in its crucial first week of release. “Everyone knows Axl is a bit of a maverick genius and won’t do anything he doesn’t want to do,” a source from Geffen told The Sun. Of course any story which relies on a “source” for information should be regarded with a skeptical eye, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Geffen will be very unhappy if they don’t get a return on the enormous amount of money they’ve invested in Chinese Democracy.
The source continues: “The label is really glad to have him back. But it is frustrating because the album would have had a much better chance of going to No1 if he had only been prepared to show his face. People have been trying to contact him for two months and he’s been completely AWOL. You would have thought after spending 15 years on an album you might do a few weeks promotion.”
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It's more than just Axl that is leading to poor sales. Numbers for the big 4 realeases last week are more horrible than anyone could have imagined. Geffen should be blaming George W. for the economy.