Gun’n’Roses Accused of Theft by German Musician: Compare

photo credit: Denise&David

Over a decade in the making, the already disappointing 2008 Guns’n'Roses disc Chinese Democracy, just got a little worse. It seems that even with this much time to put it all together Guns’n'Roses (AKA Axl Rose and some guys who aren’t Slash) still couldn’t come up with an album on their own, so they stole one.

Ulrich Schnauss, an electronic music artist in Germany, is suing Axl and Co., charging that the band unlawfully used samples of his music on the song “Riad N’ the Bedouins.”

(Below: Compare the Guns’n'Roses track to Schnauss’s tunes)

Yeah, we don’t remember that song either. Chinese Democracy was pretty awful; we’re glad we forgot it. (Apparently, over 3 million people bought it, but we’re not sure why…)

After comparing the songs in question (below), it seems pretty clear that Axl screwed up.

The New York Times reports that Schnauss is seeking at least $1 million in damages. That’s a lot of money, but if we were Schnauss, we probably wouldn’t want to admit that our music was a part of that horrible album, intentionally or not.

Surprisingly, Rolling Stone has taken an interesting stance on the issue stating that since G’n'R worked on the album for over a decade, and Schnauss’s songs have only been out for a few years, it might be difficult to prove who stole from whom. We’re not so sure about that.

Do you think this guy has a real case, or he’s just trying to score a quick buck?

Schauss’s tracks:

Vs. Guns’n'Roses-”Riad N’ the Bedouins“

MORE Music News:
MONEY: Madonna Gets Paid for Stolen Wedding Photos
PLAGIARISM: Coldplay Accused of Plagiarizing Four Songs
POLL: Should Gov’t Regulate iPod Volume Levels?
REVIEW: Review: Kris Allen “Live Like We’re Dying” Lacks Originality
REVIEW: New Alice in Chains Black Give Way to Blue Sounds Too Familiar