Shame on me, but I, like thousands of other people, have listened to leaked songs from the upcoming Guns n' Roses album Chinese Democracy. I wasn't planning to buy it and wow, now I know for sure I've made the right choice.

Back in 1987 I was sitting up at 1:30 a.m. one Saturday night when Guns n' Roses debuted on MTV. They were more interesting than most other bands on Headbanger's Ball, and the Ritz concert that MTV aired a few months later further convinced me. My high school band learned "It's So Easy," "Patience" and their version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and I bought Appetite for Destruction and G n' R Lies.

Then, something changed. Axl dumped his leather pants for thermal shorts. Two-fifths of the original members were gone by the second LP and the blues-rock swagger was replaced by bad Paul McCartney covers and the silly pretentiousness of the "November Rain" video.

Myself and a couple of friends stood in line to get the midnight release of the Use Your Illusion albums. When we listened to them, we quickly realized the albums sucked. Guns n' Roses was over.

I stopped paying attention but I heard they broke up, then Axl turned into a Howard Hughes-type and spent a decade working on an album with a guy who wore a bucket of chicken on his head. Why did anyone even care?

Now Chinese Democracy, a CD 14 years and over $10 million in the making is due out, and at least some middle-aged guys are excited.

It sounds like Axl Rose singing over a heavier version of Radiohead. Very alternative-pop radio friendly, just as that format is dying. The bluesy grit and slop of that old Ritz show is long gone, replaced by mega-produced, ultra-modern, Bjork-meets-Creed tunes. And Axl is the only original member left in the band!

Axl demolishing the Guns n' Roses brand makes me appreciate AC/DC all the more. I took a listen to the leak of their new one, Black Ice. It's not High Voltage but it's much better than Blow Up Your Video and several of their post-1983 albums -- and Chinese Democracy, for that matter.

While the AC/DC sounds really nice, I don't think either of these are going to eclipse Metallica's Death Magnetic. Either way, it's nice to see that old `70's and `80's museum pieces like Metallica and AC/DC can get out there and serve some rock that actually rocks again.

Black Ice is available exclusively at Wal-Mart on Oct. 20th.
Chinese Democracy is available exclusively at Best Buy on Nov. 20th.