Chinese Democracy

"Chinese Democracy"
Chinese Democracy
Studio album by Guns N' Roses
Released	November 23, 2008
Recorded	1997–2007
Genre	Hard rock; industrial rock; electronic rock; nu metal;
Length	71:18
Label	Black Frog; Geffen;
Producer	Axl Rose; Caram Costanzo;
Guns N' Roses chronology
Guns N' Roses studio album chronology
Singles from Chinese Democracy
	"Chinese Democracy"; Released: October 22, 2008;
Alternative cover

Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008 by Black Frog and Geffen Records. It was their first album since 1993's "The Spaghetti Incident?", and their first album of original studio material since Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, released simultaneously in 1991. The album underwent a protracted recording process, delayed by personal and legal problems and Rose's perfectionism.

In the mid-1990s, amid creative and personal differences, guitarists Slash and Gilby Clarke, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum all either quit or were fired. Only singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed remained. In 1997, they began work on the album with guitarists Robin Finck and Paul Tobias, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Josh Freese, and keyboardist Chris Pitman.

The lineup shifted several times, incorporating guitarists Buckethead, Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and drummers Bryan "Brain" Mantia and Frank Ferrer. Guitarists Brian May and Dave Navarro, vocalist Sebastian Bach, and producers including Mike Clink, Youth, Sean Beavan, Eric Caudieux, Roy Thomas Baker and Caram Costanzo worked on the album across 15 studios. Though Geffen planned to release Chinese Democracy in 1999, it was delayed and completely rerecorded in 2000. With costs reportedly exceeding $13 million, it became the most expensive rock album ever produced, and Geffen pulled their funding in 2005. After missing a release date for March 2007, it was finally released in November 2008, dogged by leaks and legal disputes.

Preceded by the title track as a lead single, Chinese Democracy debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum. However, it did not meet sales expectations in the United States. It received generally favorable reviews, achieved international chart success, and has sold over one million copies in Europe.

Background

Vocalist Axl Rose was the main creative force behind the album.

In September 1991, Guns N' Roses released the albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which went on to sell a combined eleven million copies in the United States.[1] In November 1991, during the Use Your Illusion Tour,[2] rhythm guitarist and founding member Izzy Stradlin abruptly left the band, citing exhaustion with touring and conflicts with his bandmates,[3] and was replaced by Gilby Clarke.[4] In November 1993, Guns N' Roses released "The Spaghetti Incident?", an album of covers of glam rock and punk rock songs.[5] Though it was certified platinum in 1994,[6] it sold significantly less than their previous releases.[7]

Guns N' Roses began writing and recording new music sporadically in 1994.[8] However, bassist Duff McKagan said the band "was so stoned at that point that nothing got finished".[9] Guitarist Slash accused singer Axl Rose of running the band "like a dictatorship".[10] Rose later said of the band's dysfunctional state: "We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped."[11]

In 1994, Clarke was replaced by Rose's childhood friend and Hollywood Rose collaborator Paul Tobias.[12] Slash left in 1996 following creative differences with Rose and personal problems with Tobias.[13][14] Multiple replacements were auditioned, including guitarist Zakk Wylde[15][16] and drummers Dave Abbruzzese[17] and Michael Bland.[18] Slash was replaced in January 1997 by former Nine Inch Nails touring guitarist Robin Finck.[17] In April 1997, Sorum was fired after an argument with Rose about Tobias's inclusion.[19] Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna worked with the band for a few months shortly afterward.[20][21]

In April 1997, Rolling Stone reported the lineup as Rose, McKagan, Tobias, Finck, Vrenna and keyboardist Dizzy Reed.[22] Reed's friend and roommate Sean Riggs worked with the band as a studio drummer sporadically during the mid to late 90s.[23][24] After Vrenna left, Josh Freese was hired as full-time drummer in mid-1997.[25] McKagan, who had recently become a father, left in August 1997. According to McKagan, "Guns had been paying rent on studios for three years now—from 1994 to 1997—and still did not have a single song. The whole operation was so erratic that it didn't seem to fit with my hopes for parenthood, for stability."[26]

Chris Pitman joined as second keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist in early 1998.[27] Shortly afterwards, at the recommendation of Freese, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson joined.[28] By the end of 1998, the band comprised Rose on vocals, Stinson on bass, Freese on drums, Finck on lead guitar, Tobias on rhythm guitar, and Reed and Pitman on keyboards.[29]

Recording

Early in the recording process, Geffen A&R Tom Zutaut reported that Guns N' Roses had 50–60 songs in development.[30] According to manager Doug Goldstein, Scott Litt, Steve Lillywhite, Mark Bell, and Rick Rubin were considered as producers.[17][31] In February 1997, electronic producer Moby entered talks to produce;[32] he said: "They’re writing with a lot of loops, and believe it or not, they’re doing it better than anybody I’ve heard lately."[33] Moby pulled out to focus on his solo work.[31] Longtime Guns N' Roses producer Mike Clink is also reported to have worked on the album that year.[34]

In mid-1998, Youth, who had produced U2 and the Verve, was brought in. Youth felt that Rose was not ready to record a new album: "He kind of pulled out ... He was quite isolated. There weren't very many people I think he could trust. It was very difficult to penetrate the walls he'd built up."[10] Frustrated, Youth left the project.[33] Rose later told USA Today he had stopped writing for years in the mid-1990s because of criticism from Slash and McKagan and his ex-fiancée Stephanie Seymour.[35]

Rose ordered the studio engineers to continue recording ideas the band came up with in his absence. He was sent several CDs and DATs a week, featuring different mixes of possible songs.[10] Eventually, he accumulated over 1000 CDs.[10] In 1999, Rose temporarily abandoned the album so the lineup could rerecord Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite For Destruction, with the intent of using newer recording techniques to "spruce up" Chinese Democracy; the recordings were never released.[36][lower-alpha 1]

In 1997 and 1998, sources described the album as different from previous Guns N' Roses records, with an electronic influence.[38][39] Chris Vrenna said that Rose wanted to create an album similar to U2 and Brian Eno's collaboration "Original Soundtracks 1".[40] Though it was often reported as industrial rock similar to the work of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry —of which Rose had long been a fan— in 2001 Rose said: "It is not industrial ... There will be all kinds of styles, many influences as blues, mixed in the songs."[41]

Billy Howerdel worked as Pro Tools engineer during the album's early years. He said: "I came in, to start, making sounds for Robin Finck, and that kind of turned into this two-and-a-half-year gig with the band."[42] In early 1998, the band was composed of Rose and Reed along with Finck, Stinson, Tobias, Pitman, and Freese. They began recording at Rumbo Recorders, a studio in the San Fernando Valley where Guns N' Roses had recorded parts of Appetite for Destruction. Around this time, Geffen paid Rose $1 million to finish the album and offered a further $1 million if he submitted it by March 1, 1999.[10]

By this time Guns N' Roses had recorded over 30 songs and the album was tentatively titled 2000 Intentions.[43] In May 1999, Queen guitarist Brian May recorded lead guitar for the song "Catcher in the Rye", but his performances were removed. May was not informed, and wrote on his website in 2008: "I did put quite a lot of work in, and was proud of it. But I could understand if Axl wants to have an album which reflects the work of the members of the band as it is, right now."[44]

Title announcement and "Oh My God"

Guns N' Roses at 2006's Download Festival, attending as a part of the Chinese Democracy tour.

During a 1999 interview, Rose announced the title Chinese Democracy, saying: "There's a lot of Chinese democracy movements, and it's something that there's a lot of talk about, and it's something that will be nice to see. It could also just be like an ironic statement. I don't know, I just like the sound of it."[36] Rose also said the album would feature a "melting pot" of varied sounds, including several heavy and aggressive songs.[36] In late November 1999, Rose played several tracks for Rolling Stone, who likened the new sound to "Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti remixed by Beck and Trent Reznor".[45]

Rose said in 1999 that the band had recorded enough material for two or more albums,[36] including the potential for an album more industrial and electronic than Chinese Democracy.[46] According to former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Rose told him Chinese Democracy was to be the first in a trilogy of albums.[47] Sources said the band's initial plans were to record two albums, release Chinese Democracy, tour for a year or two, then release the second album without having to return to the studio.[48] The band worked with producer Sean Beavan from 1998 to 2000.[49][50][51] Stinson said that "most of the songs on the album started and ended with what [Beavan] did".[52] Beavan worked with the band when Rose recorded most of the vocal tracks that appear on the final album in 1999.[50] Rose's vocal parts were recorded in less than a week.[53] Beavan claimed to have worked on 35 songs during his time with the band.[54]

In late 1999, Guns N' Roses released their first song in five years, the industrial metal song "Oh My God", featured in the film End of Days and released on the soundtrack.[55] The song features Rose, Tobias, Stinson, Reed, Pitman, Finck, and Freese, along with guitarists Dave Navarro (of Jane's Addiction) and Gary Sunshine.[56] "Oh My God" received mixed reviews; AllMusic described it as "a less than satisfying comeback".[10][57] Rolling Stone suggested the release was a stopgap to pacify fans and offset the mounting recording costs.[55] Beavan, who produced the track, said it was included on soundtrack at the request of Geffen head Jimmy Iovine, who had picked it for the film personally after listening to several work-in-progress songs.[50]

Lineup changes, Roy Thomas Baker joins as producer and rerecording

In late 1999, Beavan left the project.[50] Shortly afterwards, Josh Freese left to join A Perfect Circle, a band recently formed by Howerdel, who had left the project several months earlier.[58][59] Finck left to rejoin Nine Inch Nails.[55][60]

In a 2000 Rolling Stone interview, Rose said the album had been delayed partially because he was learning how to use new recording technology: "It's like from scratch, learning how to work with something, and not wanting it just to be something you did on a computer."[46] In January 2000, band manager Doug Goldstein said the album was "99% done" and was set "for a summer 2000 release".[61] However, with the album nearly complete, Rose hired Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, who persuaded Rose to rerecord it.[62][63]

In March 2000, Rose hired guitarist Buckethead to replace Finck.[64] According to Classic Rock, Buckethead's eccentric stage persona – he wore a blank white mask and a KFC bucket on his head – made him the "negative image of top-hatted, easygoing Slash", and rumors spread that Buckethead was Slash in disguise.[30] At the end of Nine Inch Nail's Fragility Tour in July 2000, Finck rejoined the band.[60][65] Rose had previously threatened to remove Finck's parts from the album after seeing Finck perform with Nine Inch Nails at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.[66]

At the recommendation of Buckethead, childhood friend and frequent collaborator Bryan "Brain" Mantia was brought in as drummer.[67][68] Baker felt Freese's drums needed to be rerecorded, as they sounded too "industrial"; Mantia described them as sounding digital and electronic: "there wasn't a lot of air moving".[67] Rose felt that the finished album should reflect the "energy" of those who worked on it, and so felt Freese's drums should be replaced. Geffen employee Tom Zutaut said that Freese's drumming "was spectacular. I would not have wanted to be in Brain’s shoes. Basically we were saying to [Brain] 'We have got a brilliant performance of this and now we need you to recreate it'."[30]

Rose had Mantia learn Freese's parts note by note; Mantia had the parts transcribed, then played them from a teleprompter before trying the songs again in his style.[67] According to Mantia, he recorded his parts in eight months[69] and the final album features a hybrid of his and Freese's styles.[67] Frank Ferrer replaced Mantia in 2006, saying: "I did a few tracks with [Mantia] and he told me to just make the songs my own. It wasn’t so much conscious writing as focusing on how the music made me feel and not overthinking it." According to Ferrer, he is the only drummer on the title track; the rest of the album features drums by Mantia and Ferrer, using Freese's arrangements.[70]

Composers Marco Beltrami and Paul Buckmaster worked on orchestral arrangements.[71][72] In 2003, Beltrami said of the experience: "I met with Axl and he played me these songs, asked me my ideas about them... I actually wrote some melodies and stuff. The music was eclectic and at the time that I was doing it there were no lyrics on the songs that I was working on."[71]

Tom Zutaut joins

In February 2001, Geffen head Jimmy Iovine asked Tom Zutaut, whom the label had fired two years previously, to help Guns N' Roses complete Chinese Democracy. Zutaut was the A&R man who had discovered the band and guided them through the recording of their previous albums.[30] After they had resolved some personal differences, Rose told Zutaut of his frustrations in finding the sounds he wanted; for example, he had instructed the production team to recreate the drum sound of Nirvana's Nevermind, but was not satisfied with the results. With Zutaut's intervention, the team recreated the sound to Rose's satisfaction.[30] After having Zutaut approved by Rose's personal psychic, whom Rose believed could assess positive and negative "energies" from photographs, Rose arranged for Geffen to pay Zutaut "whatever it takes". Zutaut's only concession was to defer some of his payment until the album was delivered, but the album missed the deadline.[30]

Buckethead in 2016, with his signature white mask and KFC bucket

By the time Zutaut joined, Buckethead had left, following disagreements with Baker and frustrations over the band's lack of progress. Zutaut persuaded him to rejoin by installing a giant chicken coop in the studio for Buckethead to work in, with furniture, straw, chicken wire, and rubber chicken parts. Zutaut described it as "part chicken coop, part horror movie ... you could almost smell the chickens".[30] Only assistant engineers were allowed to enter, to adjust microphones.[30] Rose's assistant Beta Lebeis downplayed the coop as inexpensive and fun, saying "it didn’t cost money or anything – think about it, it’s just wire ... It’s something you do in three or four hours. Just for fun, to play a joke on somebody."[30] However, the coop caused friction when Buckethead began using it to watch hardcore pornography, disturbing Rose. After one of Rose's dogs defecated in the coop, Buckethead insisted it not be cleaned up as he liked the smell. After three days, the smell had become overwhelming and the studio staff removed it, upsetting Buckethead.[30]

At Interscope's request, Zutaut investigated the project's budget. He found that the band were spending thousands of dollars a month on rented gear that went unused, and estimated he made changes that saved around $75,000 a month.[30] Additionally, Rose kept erratic hours, which meant that the salaried musicians, engineers, and assistants were often unable to work. Zutaut said: "These fucking people are getting paid shitloads of money and they're sitting on their arse doing nothing because Axl's not coming to the studio and they can't get him on the phone."[30]

Zutaut estimated that Guns N' Roses had 50 or 60 songs in development. He went through each with Rose, trying to decide which were worth finishing.[30] According to Zutaut, during his time with the band they completed versions of "The Blues", "Madagascar", "Chinese Democracy", and "Atlas Shrugged".[30] Zutaut tried to convince Rose to release the album as a solo album instead of a Guns N' Roses album, feeling it would sell better.[73] However, Rose said in 2008: "I didn’t make a solo record. A solo record would be completely different than this and probably much more instrumental. The songs were chosen by everyone involved."[74] Lebeis said in March 2001 that 48 songs had been completed, and that Geffen had begun selecting them for the album.[75]

For his 2001 film Black Hawk Down, filmmaker Ridley Scott asked to use the 1987 Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle", from their debut album Appetite for Destruction. According to Zutaut, Rose already had new band members rerecord the entirety of Appetite for Destruction as part of their induction, and so a day was spent mixing a version of the song they had already rerecorded.[30] Rose attended a screening of Black Hawk Down arranged by Zutaut; however, when he realized it was not a private screening, he fired Zutaut. Zutaut claims he was "set up", a claim disputed by Rose.[30] Zutaut claimed that, by this time, around 11 or 12 tracks were complete but for final mixes, and that the album could have been complete by September 2002.[30] Baker left the project a few months after Zutaut.[30]

Tour

On January 1, 2001, Guns N' Roses played at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada, their first concert in over seven years.[76] This was followed by their headlining performance at Rock in Rio III on January 14, 2001 to an audience of 190,000 people.[77] On August 29, 2002, they made a surprise visit to the MTV Video Music Awards in New York; their set included one new song, "Madagascar".[78] Guitarist Richard Fortus joined in 2002; he said all but his contribution, the chorus to "Better", had been written by the time he joined, and that some riffs on the final album date back to Slash's time in the band.[79]

We composed and recorded for several years and, during that time, there were changes in the band and the staff of the record company. Every time we thought we had good songs, someone said that they could still be better, so we went back to writing and recording.

Axl Rose, 2001[80]

In August 2002, Rose stated on the Guns N' Roses website: "We feel that we have clarity as to the album we're trying to make, we're wrapping it up. We've sorted it down to what songs are on the record, what the sequence of the songs is. The album art is ready."[81] Shortly afterwards, however, he told MTV News: "You'll see [the album], but I don't know if 'soon' is the word".[82] Reed said in November 2002 that the album would be released by June 2003 and that there were only "a few odds and ends left to do, a couple of finishing touches, a couple of vocals – and we need to mix it".[83] Rose also confirmed plans for multiple albums, and said the delay was a partly due to lack of support from Geffen for older bands, saying: "I've had to do way more jobs in it than I'm supposed to. I've had to be manager, A&R man, producer, sole lyric writer, and a lot of other things."[83]

In 2003, radio DJ Eddie Trunk played a demo of "I.R.S." leaked to him by New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza.[84] He likened it to "Use Your Illusion-era stuff, with some modern flairs to it. The song had a loop track in the beginning, but then, when it kicked in, it was that same dramatic Guns N' Roses hard rock."[84]

In mid-2003, Guns N' Roses reportedly started rerecording Chinese Democracy again.[85] A music journalist said Rose told him in June 2003 that "he wants to make sure it is a perfect as possible before it is released".[86] In 2004, Stinson said Chinese Democracy was "almost done" and had been delayed by "legal issues" and because Rose wanted to ensure every band member had a say in each song: "It's a lengthy process because you have to get eight people to basically write a song together that everyone likes."[87] He also said Rose was a perfectionist; an engineer working on the album said: "Axl wanted to make the best record that had ever been made. It's an impossible task. You could go on infinitely, which is what they've done."[10][87] Stinson later said:

What really happened was the record company stood back and left Axl to his own devices. He had to basically produce himself, and that's not what he (wanted to do)... the record company really dropped the ball on this one ... everything changed when Geffen merged with Interscope. Axl was told that Jimmy Iovine would play more of a role (than he did).[88]

In 2004, Buckethead quit and Guns N' Roses canceled their tour.[89] They released a statement saying that Buckethead had been "inconsistent and erratic in both his behaviour and his commitment... His transient lifestyle has made it near impossible to have nearly any form of communications with him whatsoever."[30] Shortly afterwards, Rose released a statement saying that they hoped "to announce a release date within the next few months".[90] Stinson claimed in September that the album would be in the mastering stages by November 2004.[91]

Conflict with Geffen

By 2004, Geffen had removed Chinese Democracy from its release schedule and withdrawn funding, stating: "Having exceeded all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions of dollars, it is Mr. Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's."[10] Around that time, manager Merck Mercuriadis said the album was close to complete.[10] According to a March 2005 New York Times article, production costs for the album had reached $13 million, making it probably the most expensive recording "never made".[10][lower-alpha 2] Mercuriadis dismissed the article, writing in a letter that the newspaper's sources had not been involved with the project for several years.[93] At one point, the band was using a budget of almost $250,000 a month.[62] Rose said the expense would be negated by the recording sessions yielding multiple albums.[46]

In February 2006, "I.R.S.", "The Blues", "There Was a Time", "Better" and "Catcher in the Rye" leaked online.[94][95][96] In October, "Better" was inadvertently leaked by Harley-Davidson in an online ad.[97] A "final version" was leaked in February 2007.[98] "Madagascar" was leaked in March 2007.[99] In May 2007, the title track leaked,[100] and updated versions of "Chinese Democracy," "The Blues," "I.R.S." and "There Was a Time" were leaked by professional wrestler Mister Saint Laurent.[101] The final version of "Shackler's Revenge" leaked in August 2008.[102]

Buckethead was replaced by Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and touring resumed in May 2006. Bumblefoot added guitar to the album between tour legs throughout the year.[103] Bumblefoot wrote guitar parts for every song, trying hundreds of ideas, and contributed fretless guitar.[104] Ferrer replaced Brain in July 2006 and added new drum tracks.[70][105]

Rose held listening parties in several New York bars in 2006, showcasing 10 new songs.[106] In October 2006, Rolling Stone said the album had a "firm" release date of November 21, 2006.[107] According to Rolling Stone, engineer Andy Wallace, who had worked with Nirvana, Sepultura, Slayer, and Bad Religion, was working on the album that year.[108] Stinson stated that most of the album had been recorded collaboratively in 2001, and had been "pretty much done" since then.[69]

On December 14, on the Guns N' Roses website, Rose announced the cancellation of four shows, citing the need for more time to work on Chinese Democracy. He also announced that the band had ended their relationship with Mercuriadis, and announced a tentative release date of March 6, 2007, the first time the band had publicly given a release date.[109][110] In an interview held during the launch party for Korn's 2006 tour, Rose told Rolling Stone:

It's a very complex record, I'm trying to do something different. Some of the arrangements are kind of like Queen. Some people are going to say, "It doesn't sound like Axl Rose, it doesn't sound like Guns N' Roses". But you'll like at least a few songs on there.[111]

In a 2006 Rolling Stone article, Sebastian Bach described Chinese Democracy as "epic" and "mind-blowing": "It's a very cool album—it's badass with killer screams, killer guitar riffs, but it's got a totally modern sound. The word for it is 'grand.' It's fucking epic. [Axl has] reinvented himself yet again."[112] Bach also described the album as having "the rawness and the power of Appetite for Destruction, but it also has the grandiosity of 'November Rain'."[113] Rose said in 2006 that Guns N' Roses had 32 songs in development,[111] and in 2008 confirmed the working titles of 10 songs.[114]

Final sessions

Former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach recorded vocals on the song "Sorry".

Rose recorded the final vocal tracks in January 2007.[115] On February 22, 2007, the band's road manager Del James issued a press release stating there was no official release date but that recording had ended and mixing had begun.[116] In a 2007 interview, Sebastian Bach said Rose had planned to have the album released by Christmas 2007 and that the delays might have been caused by business problems.[117] In January 2007, Bach recorded backing vocals for "Sorry" at Electric Lady Studios.[118] He described the song as "almost like doom metal with Axl singing really clean over this grinding, slow beat that is fucking mean, I cannot get it out of my head."[112] Harpist Patti Hood, who had worked with Pitman on the album Free Mars, and conductor Suzy Katayama also recorded parts.[119][120]

In January 2008, rumors arose that Chinese Democracy had been handed to Geffen but was delayed because the label and Rose could not agree on the marketing.[121] Radio host Eddie Trunk said Geffen might have the album and that delays were due to financial reasons.[122] However, in a February 2008 interview with Classic Rock, Rose's personal manager Beta Lebeis dismissed Trunk's suggestion and said they were in negotiations with the label.[123]

According to Bumblefoot, the band and producer Caram Costanzo (who joined in 2003) spent 14 hours a day working on the album.[124] Producers who worked on the album include Bob Ezrin, Eric Caudieux, Sean Beavan,[87] and Tim Palmer.[125] Rose and Caram Costanzo are the producers credited on the finished album.[33] The band used 15 studios during production, including Capitol Studios, Cherokee Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Sunset Sound Recorders, and The Village.[126]

Mastering engineer Bob Ludwig offered three versions of the album for approval. Rose and Costanzo selected the version without dynamic-range compression to avoid being involved in the ongoing loudness war.[127] Ludwig wrote: "I was floored when I heard they decided to go with my full dynamics version and the loudness-for-loudness-sake versions be damned ... the fan and press backlash against the recent heavily compressed recordings finally set the context for someone to take a stand and return to putting music and dynamics above sheer level."[127]

Release and promotion

On September 14, 2008, the track "Shackler's Revenge" was included in the music game Rock Band 2, the first official release of new Guns N' Roses material since 1999's "Oh My God".[102][128] (The entire album was made available for the game on April 14, 2009 as downloadable content)[129] It was followed by "If the World", which plays during the closing credits of the 2008 film Body of Lies.[130]

Billboard announced a firm release date for Chinese Democracy, November 23, 2008, on October 9.[131] In the US, the retail release is sold exclusively through Best Buy.[132] The first single, "Chinese Democracy", was released on October 22, 2008.[133][134] It was debuted on the Opie and Anthony show broadcast by KROQ-FM. "Better" was released as a promo single on November 17, 2008,[135] followed by "Street of Dreams" in March 2009.[136]

Several days before its release, the band streamed the album on their Myspace page.[137][138][139] It was streamed over 3 million times, breaking the Myspace record for most streamed album ever.[140] After the album's release, Rose did not appear in public for several months and did not respond to calls from the label to promote the album.[141][142] On December 12, Rose answered questions and posted statements regarding the record, former bandmates, and tour plans on several Guns N' Roses fan forums.[143][144][145] On February 9, 2009, in his first official interview since the release, Rose said he had "no information for me to believe there was any real involvement or effort from Interscope".[146] In a 2018 look back, Billboard decried the marketing for the album, stating "The most anticipated rock record in history was murdered by a thousand different jabs and body shots, including artwork the artist wasn't committed to, but the colossal marketing blunder was the Tyson-esque knockout punch."[73]

The band announced a new leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour in March 2009, which lasted from December 2009 until December 2012.[147] Finck left before the tour to rejoin Nine Inch Nails; he was replaced by DJ Ashba.[148] A guitar tab book of the album was released in December 2009.[149]

Unused tracks and follow-up album

According to Bumblefoot, one song, "Atlas Shrugged", was cut at the last second because of the CD playing-time constraints.[150] Songs mentioned by those involved in the recording that did not make the final album include "Atlas Shrugged", "Oklahoma", "Thyme", "The General", "Elvis Presley and the Monster of Soul" (also known as "The Soul Monster" and "Leave Me Alone"), "Ides of March", "Silkworms", "Down By The Ocean", "Zodiac", "Quick Song" and "We Were Lying".[46][71][150][151][152]

In 2014, Rose said that a "second part" of Chinese Democracy and a remix album were complete and pending release.[153] In August 2013, "Going Down", a song recorded during the sessions, was leaked online, as well as remixes of several songs from the album.[154] In 2018, Billboard reported that the follow-up to Chinese was supposed to be released in 2016, but was put on hold when Slash and Duff McKagan rejoined the band.[73] Guitarist Richard Fortus confirmed work on a new album in 2018.[155] In 2019, 20 discs of demos from the sessions were leaked online after a fan purchased a storage locker (believed to belong to Zutaut) that contained them.[156]

Style and composition

Chinese Democracy marked Guns N' Roses' expansion into industrial rock,[157][158][159][160][161] electronic rock[162][163] and nu metal,[68][158][164] while retaining the hard rock style of previous albums.[165] Critics noted stylistic similarities on the album to the work of Queen, Paul McCartney and Wings, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.[68][166][167][168] Rose cited the influence of Dave Grohl's drumming on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the title track.[30] The song was inspired by the movie Kundun about the Dalai Lama.[169] The lyrics "Blame it on the Falun Gong / They've seen the end and you can't hold on now" from the song caused the album to be banned in China.[169] The song starts with a delayed intro of ambient noise and guitar lines.[170] Spin likened the guitars to the work of Tom Morello.[171]

According to Rose, "Shackler's Revenge" was written in reaction to "the insanity of senseless school shootings and also the media trying desperately to make more out of one shooter's preference for the Guns song Brownstone to no avail".[172][173] Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho had written a play based on the lyrics of the Guns N' Roses song "Mr. Brownstone".[174] The song drew comparisons to the music of industrial and electronic artists such as Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson, Korn and Rob Zombie from critics.[175][176][177][170][178] The song features elements of industrial rock,[172][176] electronic rock,[177] nu metal,[172][176][179] sludge rock,[180][181] and alternative rock.[182] Multiple layers of vocals create what Rolling Stone described as "a demented choir".[102] "Better" is an electronic rock-influenced song that features Rose singing in falsetto at the beginning of the track "No one ever told me when / I was alone / They just thought I’d know better”, over a "whining guitar line that bubbles and bursts".[157][165][181] Rose mentioned the guitar parts in the bridge as among his favorite parts of the album.[173] Loudwire described the song as having an Acid house style beat,[183] while Rolling Stone described the intro as a "hip-hop voicemail".[165] "Street of Dreams", previously known as "The Blues", is a pop-influenced piano ballad similar to "November Rain" and "The Garden" with influences from Elton John.[165][181][184] The song was noted as similar to the works of Queen.[170][183] On "If The World", Buckethead played a Flamenco guitar; it was described as having "an electronic funk slither", neo soul, nu-metal, and trip hop styles.[177][185] Keyboardist Chris Pitman stated of the song "It's about environmental decay in its futurist context."[186] Rose described the writing of the song as a combination of James Bond and 70's Blaxploitation films, with an "intentionally cheesey sounding chorus" to parody James Bond music.[187]

"There Was a Time" is a heavily layered melody driven orchestral song with a mellotron, violins, choirs and multiple synthesizers.[170][181] Spin noted, "Bluesy piano and slyly cinematic passage set up the highest notes Axl’s full-health throat has ever belted."[171] "Catcher in the Rye" was written after Rose watched a documentary on Mark David Chapman and wanted to write a song in dedication to John Lennon; the song is meant to criticize the book The Catcher in the Rye.[145] The song, a power ballad[183] drew comparisons to Oasis[171] as well as Elton John, Queen and the Guns N' Roses song "Yesterdays". [188] "Scraped" takes the album back to an industrial rock style with Rose singing "Don't you try to stop us now" and "All things are possible, I am unstoppable."[165][181] The intro has been described as "highly processed and strange".[170] A vocal bridge on the song was noted as similar to "Get the Funk Out" by Extreme.[188] It also drew comparisons to Soundgarden.[171] Loudwire described the song as a "musical Frankenstein", referencing the effects on Rose's voice.[183]

Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches are sampled on "Madagascar".

Discussing the origins of "Riad N' The Bedouins", Rose stated: "Riad is the name my one-time momentary brother-in-law of Erin Everly went by when I knew him. Of part Lebanese descent and a former student of Pepperdine University, he claims to be an international arms dealer."[189] Rose's vocals on the song have been compared to Robert Plant.[170] The song starts with ambient samples of the songs "Wherever You Are" and "A Strangely Isolated Place" by Ulrich Schnauss (see below for information on the lawsuit regarding the samples).[190] Rose said "Sorry" was about "anyone talking nonsense at mine and the public's expense".[145] The song is a power ballad which features a chorus "I'm sorry for you/Not sorry for me", described as a shot at Roses former's bandmates.[170] The song drew comparisons to Pink Floyd and Metallica,[170][191] and Rose's vocals were compared to Layne Staley.[171] The A.V. Club noted Rose's "bizarre, quasi-Transylvanian accent" on the line "But I don't want to do it".[188] "I.R.S." has Rose singing "Gonna call the president / Gonna call myself a private eye / Gonna need the IRS / Gonna get the FBI" over a guitar heavy track.[165][181] The song was also noted for trip-hop influences.[171] Spin mentioned the main riff's similarities to that of Nirvana's "In Bloom".[171]

"Madagascar" has been described as having a "trip hop pulse"; its bridge features interwoven samples of quotations from the movies Mississippi Burning, Casualties of War, Cool Hand Luke, Braveheart, and Seven,[192] and also contains several excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches "I Have a Dream" and "Why Jesus Called A Man A Fool".[193] Time described it as "Axl's attempt to do Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.[194] Rose said of the quotes "Dr. King's words have been edited together from multiple speeches as to bring the sentiments of his messages into the context of this particular song and to present their importance as strongly as possible."[189] "This I Love" is a song written in 1992 that Rose called "the heaviest thing I've written".[195] The song is a piano ballad with Rose singing to a former lover.[181][188] Rose described the song stating "It's a lot more intricate than I think most realize yet as the guitar and vocals are placed as they should be so dominant. The main string melody in that section I had originally written to a hip-hop loop as well."[173] Spin compared the song to the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber.[171] "Prostitute" is another orchestral-lined power ballad that features the lyrics "Ask yourself / Why I would choose / To prostitute myself / To live with fortune and shame".[165][181] According to producer Youth, Rose "labored" over the song because past successes weighed heavily on him.[196] The song was described by Loudwire as "blending classical orchestrations and electro-beats with blistering guitar solos and some of [Rose's] highest pitched shrieking."[183] Consequence of Sound compared Rose's vocals to "Bruce Hornsby with distortion".[181]

Artwork

Guns N' Roses' logo featured on the Chinese Democracy cover

The cover art features a sepia photograph of a bicycle with a large wicker basket resting against a wall on which the band's name is graffitied;[197][198] it was photographed in Kowloon Walled City by Terry Hardin.[199] Three red communist stars are above the letters "GNR" on the side with the band name and album title, which are written vertically.[200] According to artistic director Ryan Corey, Rose conceived the bike cover at the album's inception.[201]

Rose approached Chinese artist Chen Zhuo for permission to use a painting of Tiananmen Square as an amusement park for the album cover, but Zhuo declined.[200] Shi Lifeng's painting "Controlling No. 3" was chosen by Rose and used as an alternate cover for an "art edition".[201][202] It was used for the Rock Band 2 download and released on CD in small quantities.[201] The alternate booklet opens with a short essay written by Rose titled "Fear N' Freedom: The Future of China and Western Society".[189] The album booklet features several artworks by Lifeng, including a bloodied fist holding a star covered by flailing human figures.[203] Photographs of the Hong Kong skyline and the Chinese military also appear in the booklet.[204] The booklet also includes pictures of Rose, Buckethead, Stinson, Pitman, Finck, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Reed, Brain, and Ferrer alongside lyrics to the songs.[205]

Rose stated in December 2008 that two alternate booklets were pending release, adding "the artwork has always been something I've been passionate about, and to release the album with unapproved and unseen final artwork with a 1st work only error filled draft when others more recent were readily available still has not been explained."[151] However, plans fell through and only the "art edition" was released in limited quantities.[201] Bassist Tommy Stinson stated the label "ripped away" from Rose the artwork "right at the last second, when he wasn't ready."[73]

Controversies

Leaks

By the time Chinese Democracy was released, only 3 of the 14 songs had not been leaked or played live.[206] In June 2008, five months before the album's release, music blogger Kevin Cogill streamed nine tracks on his website Antiquiet for "an hour or two".[207][208] The high volume of traffic crashed the website server and the tracks were removed. In August, the FBI arrested Cogill under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act for releasing copyrighted material.[209] According to Techdirt, Cogill's arrest resulted in a large boost in illegal downloads of the album,[210] They also revealed that UMG showed Best Buy search engine traffic results shortly after the case to capitalize on the interest and help them with the distribution deal.[211]

In November, Cogill agreed to plead guilty to one federal count of copyright infringement, later reduced to a misdemeanor.[212][213] Slash said: "I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record, and it's not fair."[214] Cogill was sentenced to two months' house arrest and was required to produce an anti-piracy video with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[215] Cogill said the video was never made as the RIAA did not want to spend money on production costs.[216]

In 2014, Cogill said he was not charged for releasing copyrighted material because the court could not prove that the album was being prepared for commercial distribution: "The US government would have to prove, in court, that Chinese Democracy was really coming. And no one at the RIAA or the label had informed the government that these songs had been lying around for 14 years. Only that they had cost $12 million."[211]

Dr Pepper promotion

On March 26, 2008, media reported that soft drinks manufacturer Dr Pepper would offer a free can of its product to everyone in America—excluding former Guns N' Roses guitarists Buckethead and Slash—if the band released Chinese Democracy in 2008.[217][218] Later that day, Rose wrote of his surprise at the company's support on the Guns N' Roses website, and said he would share his Dr Pepper with Buckethead as "some of Buckethead's performances are on Chinese Democracy".[219]

After it was announced that the album would be released in 2008, Dr Pepper confirmed that it would uphold its pledge.[220] On the album's release, however, Dr Pepper's online distribution of coupons proved inadequate. Lawyers for the band threatened Dr Pepper's parent company with a lawsuit two days after the album's release; in a letter to the company, Rose's lawyer Alan Gutman said: "The redemption scheme your company clumsily implemented for this offer was an unmitigated disaster which defrauded consumers and, in the eyes of vocal fans, ruined Chinese Democracy's release."[221] Gutman also demanded the company make a full-page apology that would appear in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.[222][223] Later, in an online interview with fans, Rose said he told his lawyers it was a "non-issue" and was surprised by their actions, and that he believed they should have focused on the record release.[224]

Copyright infringement

In October 2009, electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss's record labels Independiente and Domino sued Guns N' Roses, alleging the band had infringed copyright by using portions of Schnauss' compositions in the song "Riad 'n the Bedouins".[225] The suit alleges the portions are sampled from Schnauss' Wherever You Are (2001) and A Strangely Isolated Place (2003). Brian Caplan, attorney for Domino, stated that they first contacted Geffen on February 26. Caplan told New York Daily News the label "attempted to explain [the samples] away", and "They tried to justify it".[190]

Guns N' Roses denied the allegations; the band's manager Irving Azoff stated: "The snippets of 'ambient noise' in question were provided by a member of the album's production team who has assured us that these few seconds of sound were obtained legitimately ... While the band resents the implication that they would ever use another artist's work improperly and are assessing possible counterclaims, they are confident this situation will be satisfactorily resolved." The two labels sought $1 million in damages against Geffen for the unauthorized use of the samples.[226]

Front Line Management dispute

In May 2010, Azoff's company Front Line Management sued Rose over unpaid concert fees.[227][228][229] Shortly afterwards, Rose filed a $5 million counter-lawsuit against Azoff claiming Azoff had "sabotaged" the Chinese Democracy release[230][231] by "purposefully spoiling" the album art, "botching" a sales deal with Best Buy, and leaking songs online.[232] The lawsuit was settled in 2011.[233]

Censorship in China

Chinese Democracy is banned in the People's Republic of China because of perceived criticism in its title track of the Chinese government and a reference to Falun Gong.[234] The Communist Party of China said through media that it "turns its spear point on China".[235][236]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	5.8/10[237]
Metacritic	64/100[238]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[193]
The A.V. Club	A–[188]
Blender	[239]
Entertainment Weekly	B–[240]
The Guardian	[177]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	B+[241]
Pitchfork	5.8/10[242]
Q	[243]
Rolling Stone	[165]
Spin	7/10[160]

Chinese Democracy was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 28 reviews.[238] Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers called it "a test for contemporary ears" and "a cyborgian blend of pop expressiveness, traditional rock bravado and Brian Wilson-style beautiful weirdness".[168] Chuck Klosterman, writing for The A.V. Club, praised the vocals and guitar parts but criticized some production elements.[188] Rolling Stone writer David Fricke commended Rose's unrestrained approach and called it "a great, audacious, unhinged and uncompromising hard-rock record".[165] Rolling Stone later ranked the album number 12 on its year-end list of 2008's best albums.[244] Jon Dolan from Blender found some of the music "ludicrous" and other parts "brilliant", writing that "these aren't songs, they're suites, energetic and skittering and unpredictable hard rock hydras cut with miasmic industrial grind, stadium rattling metal solos, electronic drift and hip-hop churn."[239] Writing for MSN Music, Robert Christgau said Rose succeeds on "his own totally irrelevant terms" and added, "Since he's no longer capable of leading young white males astray, this effort isn't just pleasurable artistically. It's touching on a human level."[241] CTV News compared the production to the Wall of Sound style of Phil Spector.[245]

In a mixed review, Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot found Rose's production over-embellished.[246] The Guardian criticized the album as incohesive and "exhausting", but praised Rose's melodies.[177] Pitchfork complimented the vocals but criticized the "dated" sound.[242] Q considered the album overproduced, stating "by throwing everything at the wall and nailing up the stuff that didn't stick, [Rose has] done himself a grand disservice".[243] Kitty Empire, writing for The Observer, accused Rose of "cribbing" from the industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails.[159] The New York Times described Chinese Democracy as "a transitional album".[247] Rock biographer Stephen Davis was more vitriolic and named Chinese Democracy "the worst album ever".[248]

The album was nominated for the Juno Award for International Album of the Year in 2009, losing to Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.[249][250] The song "If the World" was nominated for Best Original Song at the 13th Satellite Awards, losing to "Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys.[251]

Former band members' opinions

Slash reacted positively to the title track, stating "That sounds cool. It's good to hear Axl's voice again, y'know?"[252] When the album was released, Slash said, "It's a really good record. It's very different from what the original Guns N' Roses sounded like, but it's a great statement by Axl ... It's a record that the original Guns N' Roses could never possibly make. And at the same time it just shows you how brilliant Axl is."[253] He subsequently stated the album was "exactly what I thought it would sound like", with many synthesizers and digital augmentations.[254] After rejoining the band for the Not in This Lifetime tour in 2016, Slash complimented Buckethead's guitar parts and spoke of the album in a 2018 interview, stating "You know, it's very different. It's really cool stuff, but it was played by guitar players that are very different from me, style-wise.... I also want to give credit where credit's due - the guitar players that played on Chinese Democracy, Buckethead being one of the main ones - are fucking amazing guitar players."[255]

Soon after its release, Stradlin said "I have listened to some tracks off the record and I enjoyed them" and "I like what I've heard".[256][257] Adler, when asked if he liked the album, said "Not one bit. I didn’t recognise Axl's voice on it. There’s occasional parts where he does his loud scream but I didn't even know it was him."[258] Clarke stated "I think it's a really good record—I honestly do ... Knowing [the] direction [in which] he wanted to take the band, I think he hit the nail on the head; I think he did a great job".[259] McKagan praised the album, saying "Axl sounds amazing" and "I think Axl's finally made the record he always wanted to".[260] Sorum called it a "toe-tapper".[261] Early Guns N' Roses guitarist Tracii Guns said he thought it was "over-indulgent, sterile and not that exciting".[262]

Legacy

Chinese Democracy's protracted recording process attracted extensive media coverage.[263] According to Spin, a cottage industry grew around covering its development; "the only way the record could have lived up to its legend would have been to never come out at all".[264] Five years after its release, Grantland journalist Steven Hyden wrote: "For years, it was widely assumed Chinese Democracy would never come out; in retrospect, the delay is all anybody cares about ... As music, Chinese Democracy is merely the second-worst GNR record; as a figure of speech, it is shorthand for the grandest of boondoggles."[263] Hyden wrote that the album had served as a lesson for acts who took years to release "comeback" albums, demonstrating the perils of allowing backstory to overshadow the work and failing to provide a familiar product. He compared Chinese Democracy to subsequent, successful comeback albums by acts including Daft Punk, David Bowie, Justin Timberlake and My Bloody Valentine, which were "more modest" and offered "well-trod musical territory associated with each artist".[263]

The New York Times saw the album as a "loud last gasp from the reign of the indulged pop star"; where Rose had once commanded "loyal audiences, bountiful royalties, escalating ambitions and dangerously open-ended deadlines", the music business in the early 21st century had become "leaner" and "leakier".[247] Jim DeRogatis compared the album to the movie The Godfather Part III, claiming it was a "late-career installment in a beloved franchise that we never thought we'd see," but lamenting that it was "nowhere near enough to stand as an equal artistic accomplishment."[265] In a 2015 review inducting the album into their "New Classic Albums" category, Artistdirect praised the album, calling it "a timeless work of art".[266] In a 2018 look back, Billboard called the album a "sonic anomaly" of the time due to the mixing and lack of compression making it sound "vintage or alien to rock music fans".[73]

Sales

Best Buy purchased 1.3 million copies of Chinese Democracy from UMG before release and pledged not to return unsold copies.[267] The album was released on November 22, 2008, in Germany,[268] Switzerland,[269] and Austria.[270] It was released the following day worldwide, except for the United Kingdom, where it was released on November 24.[271]

Chinese Democracy debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 261,000 copies in its first week, well below expectations.[272][273][274][275] It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart.[276] Second-week US sales dropped significantly and it fell from #3 to #18 on the Billboard chart: a 78% drop.[277] The programming director at KLOS-FM said the low sales were due to the holiday season release and lackluster lead single.[277] Critics also cited Rose's lack of promotional appearances as a factor.[277][278]

After selling 21,000 copies in its sixth week and charting at #30, Chinese Democracy was certified Gold, passing the 500,000-shipped mark on January 7, 2009.[279] It was certified Platinum by the RIAA on February 3, 2009, having shipped one million copies in the United States.[280][281] It placed 55th on the 2009 Billboard 200 Year End charts.[282]

Chinese Democracy won an IFPI European Platinum Award, having sold more than one million copies in Europe,[283][284] and had sold 2.6 million units worldwide by February 2009, according to Universal Music.[281] It reached triple platinum certification in Canada and was awarded platinum certifications in many countries including Finland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.[285] It was certified gold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil, and Colombia.[285] After Best Buy put the album on clearance for $2 in April 2011, it re-entered the US Billboard 200 chart in the week ending April 3, 2011 at #198, selling 3,200 copies. By then, the album had sold 614,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[286] In the UK, it had sold 365,899 copies by July 2014.[287] After the 2016 Not in This Lifetime... Tour reunion tour (during which most songs from the album were played), Billboard reported the album's digital streams jumped from 8 million streams to 24 million, as well as 7,900 additional copies sold.[73]

Track listing

Songwriting credits via ASCAP.

All lyrics are written by W. Axl Rose. "Madagascar" contains samples of speeches written by Martin Luther King, Jr.

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Chinese Democracy"	Rose Joshua Freese Paul Tobias Thomas Stinson Darren Reed Robert Finck Caram Costanzo Eric Caudieux	4:43
2.	"Shackler's Revenge"	Rose Finck Brian Carroll Costanzo Bryan Mantia Peter Scaturro	3:37
3.	"Better"	Rose Finck	4:58
4.	"Street of Dreams"	Rose Finck Reed Stinson Tobias	4:46
5.	"If the World"	Rose Chris Pitman	4:54
6.	"There Was a Time"	Rose Tobias Reed Stinson	6:41
7.	"Catcher in the Rye"	Rose Stinson Reed Finck Tobias	5:53
8.	"Scraped"	Rose Carroll Costanzo	3:30
9.	"Riad N' the Bedouins"	Rose Finck Reed Stinson Tobias	4:10
10.	"Sorry"	Rose Carroll Mantia Scaturro	6:14
11.	"I.R.S."	Rose Tobias Reed	4:28
12.	"Madagascar"	Rose Pitman	5:38
13.	"This I Love"	Rose	5:34
14.	"Prostitute"	Rose Finck Tobias	6:15
Total length:			71:18

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[126]

Guns N' Roses

Axl Rose – lead vocals (all tracks), keyboards (tracks 1, 6 and 13), synthesizers (tracks 6, 12 and 13), piano (tracks 7, 13 and 14), guitar (tracks 6 and 12), samples (track 12), arrangements and digital editing (all tracks), production, Logic Pro engineering, mixing, art direction (Alternative booklets)
Robin Finck – guitar (all tracks), keyboards (tracks 3 and 5), acoustic guitar (track 10), arrangements, editing and initial production (track 3)
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal – guitar (all tracks)
Buckethead – guitar (all tracks except 7 and 13), acoustic guitar (track 5), arrangements (tracks 2, 8 and 10)
Paul Tobias – guitar (tracks 1, 3–7, 9, 11, 12 and 14), piano (track 6), arrangements (tracks 1 and 11)
Richard Fortus – guitar (tracks 1, 3–4, 6 and 14)
Tommy Stinson – bass guitar (all tracks except 5), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9), arrangements (track 9)
Bryan "Brain" Mantia – drums (all tracks except 1), arrangements (tracks 2–4, 6, 10, 12 and 14), initial production (tracks 2 and 10), engineering (track 10), drum machine and drum programming (track 11), Logic Pro engineering
Frank Ferrer – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 and 11)
Dizzy Reed – keyboards (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11 and 14), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9), synthesizers (tracks 4, 6, 13 and 14), piano (tracks 4 and 5), arrangements (tracks 4, 6, 12 and 14), Logic Pro engineering
Chris Pitman – keyboards (tracks 1–8, 10, 12 and 13), sub-bass (all tracks), synthesizers (tracks 4, 6, 13 and 14), bass and drum programming (tracks 5, 6 and 12), backing vocals (tracks 1, 3 and 6), twelve-string guitar, drum machine and string machine (track 5), Mellotron (track 6), arrangements (tracks 5, 6, 12, 13), digital editing (tracks 5, 12 and 13), engineering (track 1), additional production, Logic Pro engineering
Josh Freese – arrangements (tracks 4, 6, 9 and 14)

Additional musicians

Marco Beltrami – orchestra and arrangements (tracks 4, 6, 12, 13 and 14)
Paul Buckmaster – orchestra and arrangements (tracks 4, 6, 12 and 14)
Suzy Katayama – arrangements (tracks 6, 12 and 13), French horn (track 12)
Sebastian Bach – backing vocals (track 10)
Patti Hood – harp (track 13)

Design

Ryan Corey – art direction, design
Somyot Hananuntasuk – illustrations
Sasha Volkova – illustration
Terry Hardin – cover photography
George Chin – photography
Shi Lifeng – artwork (Red Star; 'Controlling' alternate Red Hand cover)
Illustrations (alternate booklets): Lie Yuan, He An, Jiang Congi, Kevin Zuckerman, Lian Xue Ming, Anton S. Kandinsky, Marat Bekeev, Xiao Ping, Lou Jie, Sandra Yagi, Socar Myles, Rankin, Johnie Hurtig, Gloria Gaddis

Production

Caram Costanzo – engineering and digital editing (all tracks), arrangements (tracks 2, 3, 6, 8 and 14), initial production (track 8), sub drums (track 13), production, mixing
Roy Thomas Baker – additional production and preproduction
Engineering: Jeff "Critter" Newell, Dan Monti, Jeremy Blair
Eric Caudieux – digital editing (all tracks), drum machine and drum programming (track 5), arrangements (tracks 6), sub drums (track 13), additional production, Pro Tools engineering
Sean Beavan – recording and digital editing (tracks 1, 4–6, 9, 11, 12 and 14), arrangements (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11), initial production (tracks 4–6, 11 and 12), additional production
Youth – initial arrangement suggestions, Additional Demo Pre-production (track 12)
Pete Scaturro – arrangements and initial production (tracks 2 and 10), keyboards, digital editing and engineering (track 10)
Billy Howerdel – recording and editing (track 6), Logic Pro engineering
Stuart White – Logic Pro engineering
John O'Mahony – Pro Tools mixing
Engineering Assistance: Okhee Kim, Andy Gwynn, Brian Monteath, Dave Dominguez, Jose Borges, Joe Peluso, Christian Baker, James Musshorn, Jan Petrov, JeffRobinette, Bob Koszela, Paul Payne, Mark Gray, Xavier Albira, Dror Mohar, Eric Tabala, Shawn Berman, Donald Clark, Shinnosuke Miyazawa, Vanessa Parr, John Beene, Al Perrotta
Additional Pro Tools: Greg Morgenstein, Paul DeCarli, Billy Bowers, Justin Walden, Rail Jon Rogut, Isaac Abolin
Andy Wallace – mixing
Mixing Assistance: Mike Scielzi, Paul Suarez
Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Argentinean Albums Chart[288]	1
Australian Albums (ARIA)[289]	3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[290]	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[291]	4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[292]	19
Canadian Albums Chart[293]	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[294]	6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[295]	4
European Top 100[296]	1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[297]	1
French Albums (SNEP)[298]	10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[299]	2
Greek Albums[300]	10
Hungarian Albums Chart[301]	4
Irish Albums (IRMA)[302]	3
Israeli Albums Chart[303]	3
Italian Albums (FIMI)[304]	3
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[305]	3
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[306]	4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[307]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[308]	2
Polish Albums Chart[309]	1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[310]	9
Russian Albums Chart[311]	4
Slovene Albums Chart[312]	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[313]	8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[314]	4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[315]	1
UK Albums (OCC)[316]	2
US Billboard 200[317]	3
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[318]	1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[319]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2008)	Rank
Australian Albums (ARIA)[320]	35
Dutch Albums[321]	85
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[322]	25
UK Albums (OCC)[323]	41
Chart (2009)	Rank
Canadian Albums[324]	15
Swiss Albums[325]	89
US Billboard 200[282]	55

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[326]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
Belgium (BEA)[327]	Gold	15,000^*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[328]	Gold	15,000^{^}
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[329]	Platinum	32,610[329]
Germany (BVMI)[330]	Gold	100,000^{^}
Ireland (IRMA)[331]	Platinum	15,000
Japan (RIAJ)[332]	Gold	100,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)[333]	Platinum	15,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[334]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)[335]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
Year	Single	US [336]	US Main [337]	AUS [338]	AUT [339]	GER [340]	IRE [341]	NL [342]	NZ [343]	SWE [344]	SWI [345]	UK [346]
2008	"Chinese Democracy"	34	5	54	26	38	3	15	27	3	11	27
2008	"Better"	—	18	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
2009	"Street of Dreams"	—	—	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
"–" denotes releases that did not chart. * denotes promotional release; not eligible for international charts

References

Trust, Gary (March 19, 2010). "Ask Billboard: Battle Of The Rock Bands, Part 2". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
Luukkonen, Jarmo. "The History of Guns N' Roses: The Shocking Truth: 1993". heretodaygonetohell.com. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
"Izzy Stradlin interview with Musician Magazine". Musician. Billboard Publications Inc. 1992.
McDermott, Mark (May 26, 2010). "Gilby Clarke rides again". Easy Reader News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
Gold, Jonathan (December 9, 1993). "Rolling Stone The Spaghetti Incident? review". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
"Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018.
Hasty, Katie (December 3, 2008). "Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut". billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
"Interview with Matt Sorum". Hard Rock. France. 1996. Archived from the original on July 28, 2002. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
Condon, Dan (March 6, 2005). "Armed to the Teeth". Time Off. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
Leeds, Jeff (March 6, 2005). "The Most Expensive Album Never Made". The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
James, Del (August 14, 2002). "GN'R press release with Axl interview". GNRonline.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
"Four Bust-ups And A Single!". RAW. November 1994. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Slash; Bozza, Anthony (October 29, 2007). "12: Breakdown". Slash. HarperCollins. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-06-135142-6.
"The Guns 'N Roses Report". Addicted to Noise. January 13, 1997. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Spitz, Marc (July 1999). "What the World Needs Now is Axl Rose: The Unauthorized Saga of Rock's Greatest Recluse". Spin. Vol. 15 no. 7. New York City, NY, USA: SpinMedia. pp. 80–93. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
Hodgson, Peter (January 5, 2012). "What Could Have Been: Zakk Wylde Talks Guns N' Roses". Gibson. gibson.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014. It could have been one of the most interesting heavy music collaborations in rock history: Zakk Wylde as a member of Guns N' Roses ... And it very nearly happened in the mid-1990s
"Guns Go Clink". MTV News. Viacom. May 22, 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2015. sources say former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck will be the new primary axe-slinger. Finck is said to be replacing Slash who left the band last year over creative differences
Amendola, Billy (August 1, 2006). "Michael Bland". Modern Drummer Magazine. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
Harkness, Geoff (June 28, 2001). "Seven Questions with Matt Sorum of The Cult". Lawrence Journal-World. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
Jorgl, Steph (April 5, 2009). "July 2002 – Chris Vrenna". Audiohead.net. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
"Interview with Chris Vrenna on VampireFreaks.com". Vampirefreaks.com. 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018.
"Rolling Stone Random Daily Notes: Appetite for Deconstruction". Rolling Stone. April 4, 1997. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Elias, Paul (July 18, 1995). "Drunk-Driving Case Puts Rocker on Trial". Ross Levinsohn. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017 – via Los Angeles Times.
Kleid, Beth (July 24, 1995). "Movies: Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press". Ross Levinsohn. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017 – via Los Angeles Times.
"The History of GN'R: The Shocking Truth 1996–99". HereTodayGoneToHell.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
McKagan, Duff (2011). Stacy Creamer (ed.). It's so Easy (and other lies). Collaboration by Tim Mohr. Touchstone. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4516-0664-5.
Krgin, Borivoj (October 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Keyboardist Chris Pitman Interviewed By 'Noise Up Thursdays'; Audio Available". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
Fox, Brian (April 2009). "Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy: Tommy Stinson, The Ultimate Replacement Talks Tone & Turmoul". Bass Player. NewBay Media.
"Guns N' Roses Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide (We Think)". Ultimate Classic Rock. April 2, 2016.
Zutaut, Tom (March 2008). "GN'R Exclusive! Psychic Tests! Pet Wolves! Chicken Coops! CHINESE DEMOCRACY. The Unbelievable true story – told for the first time". Classic Rock. Future plc (116). Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
"Axl Rose takes his time". Rolling Stone. February 20, 1998.
"Moby And Axl Rose: Producing Pals?". MTV News. March 18, 1997.
"GN'R's Chinese Democracy five years on". Classic Rock. November 23, 2013. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013.
"Guns Go Clink". MTV News. May 22, 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Gundersen, Edna (October 30, 2012). "Exclusive: Axl Rose on GNR, truce and writer's block". Archived from the original on November 24, 2014.
Loder, Kurt (November 3, 1999). "Axl Rose – A conversation with Kurt Loder". MTV News. Viacom. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
"New Guns N' Roses Makes Mystery Debut; Live Album Sessions Underway". MTV News. July 9, 1999. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
Kaufman, Gil (March 19, 1997). "Guns N' Roses to go techno?". Addicted to Noise. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Strauss, Neil (July 23, 1998). "THE POP LIFE; Failure's Hard But Success Can Be Worse". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
Wake, Matt (October 23, 2018). "Why is Nine Inch Nails' ex-drummer teaching college in Alabama?". The Birmingham News. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
Di Natale, Juan (January 22, 2001). "Axl interview Rock & Pop FM Argentina". Rock & Pop FM. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
Krgin, Borivoj (November 21, 2017). "A PERFECT CIRCLE Guitarist Says He 'Became Close' With AXL ROSE During Making Of 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018.
Everley, Dave (August 21, 1999). "Guns N' Roses 2-part article". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Anthony, James (November 7, 2008). "Brian May dropped from Guns N' Roses album". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
Vanhorn, Teri (January 12, 2000). "New Guns N' Roses LP Boasts Techno, Industrial Edge". MTV News.
Wild, David (February 3, 2000). "Rolling Stone 833: Axl Speaks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
"SEBASTIAN BACH: The World's Not Prepared For What I've Heard From AXL ROSE". Metal Edge. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
Luukkonen, Jarmo (October 23, 2001). "GN'R update". htgth.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
"Sean Beavan interview (2012) / Guns N' Roses / GNR Evolution - Guns N Roses Forum". www.gnrevolution.com.
"Former Guns N' Roses Producer on Chinese Democracy Talks GNR, Nine Inch Nails & More!". GNR Central (Podcast). February 22, 2018.
Saidman, Sorrelle (September 18, 1998). "Guns n' Roses Eye Producer". Rolling Stone.
Rosen, Craig (January 23, 2017). "After Surviving the Replacements and GNR, Tommy Stinson Revives Bash & Pop". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018.
Dynasty, Dre (December 7, 2015). "Richard Fortus on Guns N' Roses, The Dead Daisies, and 2016". Social Magazine.
Firecloud, Johnny (August 13, 2008). "Antiquiet's Three-Way With 8mm". Antiquiet. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009.
Saidman, Sorelle (September 9, 1999). "Good God, Guns! Guns N' Roses cut new track "Oh My God" with Dave Navarro". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017.
Kaufman, Gil (September 22, 1999). "Best of '99: Guns N' Roses Leader Breaks Silence, Disses Former Bandmate". MTV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017.
Erlewine, Stephen. "Allmusic: End of Days — Overview". All Media Guide. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
Jones, Bill (August 21, 2014). "Josh Freese of Devo and the Vandals Is the Blue Collar Freelance Drummer to the Stars". Noisey. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.
"Guns N' Roses Lose Another Member?". NME. March 15, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.
Wilkinson, Peter (May 11, 2000). "Axl Rose: The Lost Years: The inside story of rock's most famous recluse". Rolling Stone (840).
"Where Did They Go Now?". Vice. November 30, 2000. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
Hyden, Steven (July 23, 2013). "Building a Better Democracy". Grantland. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
"Chinese Whispers: 2001: CD Mk. 2". GNR Evolution. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
Loder, Kurt (November 21, 2002). "Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead". MTV. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
Appleford, Steve (January 2, 2001). "New Guns N' Roses Gets Right Back in the Jungle". LA Times.
"Trent Reznor on Axl". heretodaygonetohell.com. December 7, 1999. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015.
Bosso, Joe (October 17, 2008). "Brain talks about making Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Macgregor, Jody (February 28, 2013). "In Defence Of: Guns N' Roses 'Chinese Democracy'". FasterLouder. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
Tommy Stinson. "GNR Evolution: Chinese Whispers: Chinese Whispers – The Secret History of the New Studio Album: 2001: Sanders' Last Stand] GNR Evolution, 2009. Stinson interview from Rhinocast, January 16, 2006.01/16/06 Brain interview from QTV, October 2008".
Blaine, Jamie (January 2017). "January 2017: Modern Drummer interviews Frank Ferrer". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018.
Spence, D. (July 18, 2003). "More With Marco". IGN.com.
"AXL ROSE Pays Tribute To Late GUNS N' ROSES Orchestral Arranger PAUL BUCKMASTER – "I Feel Very Fortunate To Have Met Him"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. November 10, 2017.
Tavana, Art (December 22, 2018). "The Divisive Legacy & Surprising Future of Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
Fitzmaurice, Larry (December 16, 2008). "Axl on 'Chinese Democracy': "It's Not a Solo Album"". Spin. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
"Beta Lebeis Interview". Brazilian Journal. March 2001.
Moss, Corey (December 4, 2001). "Guns N' Roses Ante Up For Another New Year's Eve in Vegas". MTV. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
Loder, Kurt (January 15, 2001). "Guns N' Roses Kick Out The Jams at Rock in Rio". MTV. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
Wiederhorn, Jon (August 29, 2002). "Guns N' Roses Cap Night of Spectacles From Diddy, Eminem, Timberlake". MTV. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
Krgin, Borivoj (December 4, 2014). "RICHARD FORTUS On New GUNS N' ROSES Album: AXL ROSE 'Wants To Create Stuff And Release It When It's Ready'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.
"Axl Rose pasó tres días en Buenos Aires" [Axl Rose spent three days in Buenos Aires]. La Nación (in Spanish). January 23, 2001. Archived from the original on June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Cashmere, Paul (December 16, 2002). "Guns 'n' Roses get active, Axl speaks". Under Cover Media. Undercover Music Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
Mancini, Rob (August 30, 2002). "Axl Rose Says GN'R Waiting Game Won't End Soon". MTV. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Krgin, Borivoj (November 23, 2002). "Guns N' Roses: 'Chinese Democracy' In Stores By June". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
D'Angelo, Joe (September 2, 2003). "New GN'R Tune Leaked By ... Mets Catcher Mike Piazza?!". MTV. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
"Chinese Whispers: 2003: Third Time's the Charm". GNR Evolution. 2009.
"Follow-Up: Axl Hopeful For Album Release Soon – Attends Led Zep Release Party". antimusic.com. June 16, 2003. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
Wiederhorn, Jon (June 9, 2004). "GN'R bassist works solo while awaiting Chinese Democracy". MTV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
Fox, Brian (April 2009). "Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy: Tommy Stinson, The Ultimate Replacement Talks Tone & Turmoul". Bass Player. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
Wiederhorn, Jon (March 17, 2004). "Buckethead's Hand Puppet Says Goodbye To Guns N' Roses". MTV. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Montgomery, James (June 2004). "Axl kicks the Bucket". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 29–. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
Krgin, Borivoj (September 15, 2004). "Guns N' Roses Bassist Hopes New Album Will Be Completed This Fall". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
Branigan, Tania (September 8, 2001). "Jackson spends £20m to be Invincible". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
Krgin, Borivoj (March 6, 2005). "Guns N' Roses' manager slams NY Times over 'rubbish' 'Chinese Democracy' article". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
Lapatine, Scott (February 19, 2006). "New Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
"Queen Guitarist Brian May Featured on Leaked Guns N' Roses Track". Brave Words. March 3, 2006.
Krgin, Borivoj (February 17, 2006). "GUNS N' ROSES: Another New Song Makes Its Way Online". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
Krgin, Borivoj (March 13, 2007). "GUNS N' ROSES Keyboardist Reveals 'The Truth' About The Leaked Song 'Better'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
Tom Breihan (February 21, 2007). "New Guns N Roses Song: Pretty Good!". Status Ain't Hood. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Neilsten, Vince (March 30, 2007). "Guns N' Roses "Magascar" Leak". Metalsucks. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
"GNR: FCKN AWSM!". Vulture. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016.
Neilsten, Vince (May 7, 2017). "Weekend Metal Update". Metalsucks. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010.
Steffen, Chris (August 14, 2008). "New Guns n' Roses Leak: "Shackler's Revenge"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
"In Search of ... Bumblefoot". Live-Metal.net. May 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
Klawz, H. (May 21, 2012). "Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (GUNS N'ROSES): Chinese Democracy, such a unique album". MetalFan.ro. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
Tolleson, Robin (March 2009). "Guns 'N' Roses' Bryan "Brain" Mantia". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Axl is really interested in having everybody bring what they do into the picture. I just did a remix of "Shackler's Revenge" — made it kind of more club. And I think he wants to put out a remix album of some of the other songs we did.
Lapatine, Scott (February 19, 2006). "New Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Stereogum.
"Holy Eff! Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" Out November 21st?". Rolling Stone. October 5, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Hiatt, Brian (October 18, 2006). "Exclusive: More Juicy "Chinese Democracy" Tidbits". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
Rose, W. Axl (December 14, 2006). "An open letter from Axl Rose". GunsNRoses.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
Krgin, Borivoj (December 15, 2006). "Former Guns N' Roses Manager: 'I Believe In Axl Rose'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Baltin, Steve (January 17, 2006). "Axl Rose Breaks His Silence". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
Diver, Mike (September 30, 2006). "New G'nR album: "almost like doom metal"". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
"Proof Axl Rose Does Go to the Studio: Photo With Sebastian Bach". Rolling Stone. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
Rosenberg, Axl (December 12, 2008). "Axl Rose finally promotes Chinese Democracy... sort of". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
Krgin, Borivoj (January 8, 2007). "Axl Rose Putting 'Final' Vocals Down For 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
James, Del (February 22, 2007). "Chinese Democracy update". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
"Rock My Monkey – Sebastian Bach Interview". Rock My Monkey. Archived from the original on December 2, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Krgin, Borivoj (August 20, 2007). "Sebastian Bach's new album to feature guest appearance by Axl Rose". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
"Patti Hood Resume". Patti Hood. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
Krgin, Borivoj (December 17, 2008). "Harpist Interviewed About Her Work On GN'R' 'Chinese Democracy'; Audio Available". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.
"GNR Finish CD?". antiMusic. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
Trunk, Eddie (January 11, 2008). "Eddie Trunk Blog". EddieTrunk.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Barton, Geoff (January 22, 2008). "It's a Fact". Classic Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
Timisoara, Romania (January 16, 2018). "Bumblefoot says that Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is a work of art". Rock And Roll Garage. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
"Episode 27: Tim Palmer – producer/mixer". November 30, 2011. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.
Chinese Democracy (Media notes). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records. 2008.CS1 maint: others (link)
Ludwig, Bob (November 25, 2008). "Guns 'N Roses: Dynamics and quality win the Loudness Wars". Loudness Wars. Gateway Mastering. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
Lapatine, Scott (July 13, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' "Shackler's Revenge" Set For Rock Band 2". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Kreps, Daniel (April 10, 2009). "Guns n' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" Coming To "Rock Band"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
"Guns n' Roses Premiering New Song "If the World" in "Body of Lies" movie – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
Cohen, Jonathan. "GNR's 'Chinese Democracy' Gets Release Date". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
Saba, Michael (October 2, 2008). "GNR's Chinese Democracy goes Best-Buy exclusive". Paste. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Cohen, Jonathan (October 22, 2008). "New Guns N' Roses Single Hits Radio Tomorrow". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
Harris, Chris (October 22, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' Makes Radio Debut". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
Rockitt, Rob (November 17, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Release A "Better" New Singlet". Hard Rock Hideout. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
"New Guns N' Roses Song On The Canadian Charts". Archived from the original on December 14, 2009.
"'Chinese Democracy' begins streaming on MySpace". USA Today. November 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
MacMillan, Robert (November 20, 2008). "McCartney, Guns N' Roses albums to launch on MySpace". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
"Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy streams on MySpace". Virgin.com. Virgin Media. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
Jarman, Ryan (November 21, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' breaks MySpace record". NME.COM. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
Bingham, John (December 2, 2008). "Axl Rose absence blamed for failure of Chinese Democracy to hit top spot". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Gregory, Jason (December 2, 2008). "AWOL Axl Rose Blamed For Poor Guns N' Roses Album Sales". Gigwise.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Kreps, Daniel (December 15, 2008). "Axl Rose Posts About Keeping the Gn'R Name in New Message Board Chats". Rolling STone. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Greene, Andy (December 15, 2008). "Did Axl Rose Swindle Guns n' Roses and Steal Slash's Song?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Krgin, Borivoj (December 14, 2008). "Axl Rose Takes Part in Another Online Chat, Says There Are 'No Plans' For Gn'r Tour Right Now". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
Michaels, Sean (February 9, 2009). "Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose: I have no sympathy for the record industry". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
"Guns n' Roses Planning Summer Stadium Tour". Rollingstone.com. Wenner Media LLC. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
"Guns N' Roses Names DJ Ashba as Band's Newest Axeman". GunsNRoses.com. Guns N' Roses. March 21, 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
bravewords.com (December 17, 2009). "GUNS N' ROSES – Chinese Democracy Guitar Tab Book Available This Month". Archived from the original on July 13, 2018.
GNR Evolution: Song facts: Atlas Shrugged GNR Evolution, 2009.
"Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts)". HereTodayGoneToHell. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009.
Madagascar88 (January 26, 2006). "Dizzy Reed of Guns N' Roses does marathon interview". Metal Sludge.
Bienstock, Richard (June–July 2014). "The Guns N' Roses Frontman and Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Awards Winner Tells No Lies". Revolver. No. 115. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2015. We recorded a lot of things before Chinese was out. We’ve worked more on some of those things and we’ve written a few new things. But basically, we have what I call kind of the second half of Chinese. That’s already recorded. And then we have a remix album made of the songs from Chinese
Hogan, Marc (August 20, 2013). "Alleged Guns N' Roses Leak Is 'Going Down' Less Than Smoothly". Spin.com. Spin Media. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
Winkie, Luke (December 17, 2018). "New Guns N' Roses Album Coming "Faster Than You Think"". Revolver. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
Schaffner, Lauryn. "Guns N' Roses Ban Fan From Their Shows After Alleged Song Leaks". Loudwire.
"10 Essential Guns N' Roses Songs". rockhall.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
MacGregor, Jody (March 7, 2013). "Guns N' Roses' Dizzy Reed:"I'm very proud of Chinese Democracy"". FasterLouder. Sound Alliance. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
Empire, Kitty (November 22, 2008). "CD of the week: Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". The Observer. London. Observer Review section, p. 19. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
Wood, Mikael (November 8, 2008). "Guns N' Roses, 'Chinese Democracy' (Geffen)". Spin. New York. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
de Sylvia, Dave (November 23, 2008). "Review: Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
Raub, Kevin (2001). "Guns N' Roses Use Classics, Commentary To Impress At Rock In Rio -Allstar". CDnow.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
McPadden, Mike (November 10, 2018). "11 Hard Rock + Heavy Metal Comeback Albums: 5 Hits, 5 Misses + One Lost Classic". VH1 News. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Nelson, Michael (August 19, 2013). "Guns N' Roses – "Going Down"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Fricke, David (November 27, 2008). "Review: Chinese Democracy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
Patterson, Dayal (December 23, 2008). "In Defence Of... – Guns N'Roses and Chinese Democracy". The Quietus. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
Paphides, Pete (May 25, 2008). ""In its way, it's remarkable, like Marillion's Kayleigh reimagined by a hysterical Andrew Lloyd-Webber."". Hidden Tracks. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
Powers, Ann (November 20, 2008). "Album review: Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy'". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
Flumenbaum, David (February 24, 2009). "China Bans Democracy, Declares War on Guns N' Roses". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
""Chinese Democracy" track by track analysis from a first listen in a really loud club". Metal Injection. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
"Every Guns N' Roses Song, Ranked". Spin. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
Spence D. (September 16, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – "Shackler's Revenge" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
Rose, W. Axl (December 14, 2008). "Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts) [updated Dec 14th]".
Krgin, Borivoj (April 18, 2007). "Virginia Tech Killer Named Play After Guns N' Roses Song 'Mr. Brownstone'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
Freeman, Phil. "Democracy Now:Guns N' Roses Finally Issue Their Long-delayed New Album". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
Yudt, Susan. ""Shackler's Revenge" (CD single) – Music Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
Petridis, Alexis (November 20, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
Pell, Nicholas (July 5, 2016). "Unpopular Opinion: Guns N' Roses' "My World" Was a Track Ahead of Its Time". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
Bosso, Joe (September 17, 2008). "BLOG: What are we to make of Shackler's Revenge?". Music Radar. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
Saba, Michael (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". Paste. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
Roffman, Michael (November 19, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy – Album Review". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
Rosenberg, Axl (August 14, 2008). "Another New Guns N' Roses song Leaks!". Metalsucks. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
"Every Guns N' Roses Song Ranked, Worst to Best". Loudwire. June 27, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
Sawdey, Ewan (November 23, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy review". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
Spence D. (October 9, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – If The World". IGN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
Angell, Steven (November 21, 2008). "Interview with Guns N' Roses keyboardist Chris Pitman". WickedInfo.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
Rose, W. Axl (December 16, 2009). Transcript of Axl Rose's speech about the song "If The World" during the Chinese Democracy Tour stop at the Kyocera Dome (Radio broadcast). Osaka, Japan. They heard it earlier, and they thought, 'it might work for a Bond movie or something', and that's kinda how the song happened. Basically, trying to kinda write a combination between James Bond and black exploitation films of the 70's, and then people noticed 'you know the chorus, it's stupid'. Well, I agree, it was done on purpose, because what we were doing is we were making fun of really bad Bond songs, so we decided to make our own bad Bond song, so it was kinda fun. So This was from our Bond movie "If The World Would End Today".
Klosterman, Chuck (November 18, 2008). "Chuck Klosterman reviews Chinese Democracy". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
Chinese Democracy (alternate "Art edition" booklet) (Media notes). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records. 2008.CS1 maint: others (link)
Michaels, Sean. "Guns N' Roses sued for copyright infringement". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
Kaye, Don (November 24, 2008). "CD Reviews: Chinese Democracy – GUNS N' ROSES". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
Harvilla, Rob (November 26, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Why Chinese Democracy's Fine Print Is Way More Fun Than the Record". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018.
Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Chinese Democracy. AllMusic. Retrieved on November 28, 2009.
Stein, Joel (June 26, 2008). "Chinese Democracy Review". Time. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
"This I Love". www.a-4-d.com. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
"Chinese Whispers – The Secret History of the New Studio Album: 1998". gnrevolution.com; Spin. August 1999. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
Fitzmaurice, Larry (October 16, 2008). "'Chinese Democracy' Songlist and Album Art Unveiled!". Spin. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Vozick-Levinson, Simon (October 17, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy': Is that really an old-school bicycle on the CD cover?". EW.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Wong, Chung (November 23, 2017). "Walled City of Most Expensive Album". Findery.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Moore, Malcolm (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy 'banned' in China". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Entrevista com Ryan Corey, diretor artístico do Chinese Democracy" [Interview with Ryan Corey, artistic director of Chinese Democracy]. Axl Rose Fã Clube (in Spanish). June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Shi Lifeng's "Utopia" at Green T. House". Soemo Fine Arts. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Wang, Tina (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Puts Chinese Communists In Its Sights". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Goodman, Dean (November 22, 2008). "Guns N' Roses not bringing 'Democracy' to China". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
Highkin, Sean (November 2, 2008). "Full Chinese Democracy artwork leaked". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
Cohen, Jonathan (October 21, 2008). "New Guns N' Roses Single Hits Radio Tomorrow". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008.
Cogill, Kevin "Swerl" (June 18, 2008). "We've Got Chinese Democracy, And It's Worth The Wait". antiquiet. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Neilstein, Vince (June 18, 2008). "Nine new Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy leaks". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Thatcher, Michelle (August 27, 2008). "FBI arrests blogger accused of leaking Guns N' Roses tracks". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Masnick, Mike (September 10, 2008). "Blogger's Arrest Resulted in Much More Downloading of GNR Music". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Masnick, Mike (January 7, 2014). "The full story behind the RIAA & FBI's insanely wasteful prosecution of the dude who streamed Guns N' Roses album". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
"Guns N' Roses Leaker To Plead Guilty". Billboard. November 11, 2008. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
"Guns N' Roses Uploader Guilty of Copyright Infringement". WIRED. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Quinn, Michelle; Pandey, Swati (August 29, 2008). "Blogger arrested in music leak". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Kravets, David (July 14, 2009). "Guns N' Roses Uploader Gets House Arrest, Will Make Anti-Piracy Ad". WIRED. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Masnick, Mike (June 16, 2010). "Uploader of Guns 'N Roses Album Never Forced To Do RIAA Propaganda; So He Tells The Truth Instead". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Johnson, Richard; Froelich, Paula; Hoffmann, Bill; Garvey, Marianne (March 26, 2008). "Doctor's Orders". The New York Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
Cohen, Jonathan (March 26, 2008). "Dr Pepper Sweetens Pot For 'Chinese Democracy'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
Rose, W. Axl (March 26, 2008). "Press Release from Axl Regarding Dr. Pepper". Guns N' Roses. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011.
"Drinks firm to keep Roses pledge". BBC. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
Paine, Andre (November 26, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Lawyer Blasts Dr Pepper". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
"Rose angry over drinks giveaway". BBC News. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
"Axl Rose Files Lawsuit Against Dr. Pepper; Asks For Apology, Payments". Access. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
Rose, W. Axl (December 13, 2008). "Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts)". HereTodayGoneToHell.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
Kearney, Christine. "Guns N' Roses Sued for Copying Songs" Archived May 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. billboard.com. October 6, 2009.
Luerssen, John D. (October 7, 2009). "Guns N' Roses Respond to Plagiarism Lawsuit". spinner.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
Montgomery, James (March 26, 2010). "Axl Rose Sued By Management Company For Nearly $2 Million". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
"Axl Rose Sued By Manager For Nearly $2 Million". Billboard. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Gardner, Eriq (May 19, 2010). "Axl Rose Slams Irving Azoff In $5 Million Countersuit". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 19, 2010). "Axl Rose sues former manager over alleged 'sabotage'". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Sisario, Ben (May 18, 2010). "Axl Rose Sues His Former Manager for $5 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015.
Michaels, Sean. "Axl Rose: Chinese Democracy was 'sabotaged' by former manager". the Guardian. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
"Settlements Reached In Lawsuits Between Axl Rose And Former Manager". The Beverly Hills Courier. June 14, 2011. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
"內地封殺 GN'R 唱片" [Mainland blocked GN'R album]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). China: Next Media. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
Johnston, Laura (November 24, 2008). "Chinese media calls Guns 'N Roses 'Chinese Democracy' an attack". NYDaily News. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
Bodeen, Christopher (November 25, 2008). "Rock album 'an attack on China'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
"Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses: Any Decent Music?". Archived from the original on January 3, 2018.
Chinese Democracy (2008): Reviews Archived April 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Metacritic. Retrieved on November 28, 2009.
Dolan, Jon (December 2008). "Guns N' Roses : Chinese Democracy Review". Blender. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
Greenwald, Andy (November 19, 2008). "Chinese Democracy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
Christgau, Robert (February 2009). "Inside Music: Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
Cohen, Ian (December 1, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
"Review: Chinese Democracy". Q. London (270): 110. January 2009.
"Albums of the Year: 2008". Rolling Stone. December 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
"Pigs do fly, 'Chinese Democracy' hits store shelves". CTV News. November 22, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018.
Greg, Kot (November 20, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy': Appetite for excess". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
Pareles, Jon. "Review: Chinese Democracy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
Berndtson, Chad (December 13, 2008). "Author Stephen Davis has chronicled rock royalty". The Enterprise. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
"Cancer Bats, Guns N'Roses, and Metallica for Canadian awards". Idiomag.com. February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
Hopper, Donna (March 29, 2009). "Complete list of 2009 Juno Award winners". Sootoday.com. Village Media. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
"Guns N' Roses – Recipients – International Press Academy". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
"Slash Endorses 'Chinese Democracy'". Starpulse. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
Bosso, Joe. "Slash calls Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy "a great statement"". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
Stevenson, Jane (March 12, 2010). "Banned Slash gear may be rumour: ex-GNR guitarist". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
jomatami (October 8, 2018). "Slash on GN'R's 'Chinese Democracy': Buckethead Is a Fucking Amazing Player". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
Krgin, Borivoj (November 14, 2008). "Ex Guns N' Roses Guitarist Izzy Stradlin Is A Fan Of 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
"Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin Weigh in on "Chinese Democracy"". Rolling Stone. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
Linardos, Kosta (May 20, 2009). "Beat Interview: Steven Adler". Beat.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
"Interview de Gilby Clarke, ancien guitariste de Guns N' Roses, par GN'R France et Slash France, à Savigny le Temple" [Interview of Gilby Clarke, former guitarist of Guns N 'Roses, by GN'R France and Slash France, at Savigny le Temple]. GNRFrance.net (in French). February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Krgin, Borivoj (December 12, 2008). "Duff McKagan says Axl Rose 'sounds amazing' on 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
"Former G'N'R Drummer Has Axl to Grind". TMZ. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
"Tracii Guns: 'Chinese Democracy' Not a Brilliant Guns n' Roses Release". Noisecreep. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
Hyden, Steven (July 23, 2013). "Building a Better Democracy". Grantland. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
"The Last 'Chinese Democracy' Blog Post Ever, Probably". Spin. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
Jim, DeRogatis (November 18, 2008). "Guns N' Roses, "Chinese Democracy".
"New Classic Album: Guns N' Roses – 'Chinese Democracy'". Artistdirect. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
Kreps, Daniel (December 18, 2008). "Why "Black Ice" Beat "Chinese Democracy": The Tale of Wal-Mart Vs. Best Buy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
Kiki (October 31, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy schon ab dem 22.11" [Guns N 'Roses : Chinese Democracy already from 22:11] (in German). DigiJunkies. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
"Chinese Democracy" (in German). Cede.ch. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
""Chinese Democracy": Guns n' Roses toppen iTunes-Charts" ["Chinese Democracy": Guns n' Roses topped iTunes charts]. Die Presse (in German). November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
"Guns N' Roses Management Officially Announces "Chinese Democracy" Release, Formats". Rolling Stone. October 22, 2008. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
Steffen, Chris (November 24, 2008). "Chinese Democracy hits Best Buy in New York with a yawn". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
Christman, Ed (December 1, 2008). "Kanye, Guns N' Roses Post Slow Debut-Week Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
Hasty, Katie (December 3, 2018). "Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
"Gunning for a missing Axl". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. December 3, 2008. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
Prenesti, Frank (November 30, 2008). "Take That top singles chart for 11th time". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
Lewis, Randy (December 13, 2008). "A long wait, a fast fall". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
Bingham, John (December 2, 2008). "Axl Rose absence blamed for failure of Chinese Democracy to hit top spot". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
Krgin, Borivoj (January 7, 2009). "Guns N' Roses: 'Chinese Democracy' Officially Passes 500,000 Sales Mark In U.S." Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
"Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
Cohen, Jonathan (February 6, 2009). "The Billboard Q&A: Axl Rose". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
"Year-End Charts Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
"IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – Q4 2008". IFPI. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
"IFPI Awards". IFPI. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
Krgin, Borivoj (November 26, 2009). "GUNS N' ROSES To Tour South America in March/April". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
Henne, Bruce (April 8, 2011). "Guns N' Roses: "Chinese Democracy" re-enters US charts". Henne Music. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
Forde, Eamonn (July 9, 2014). "From Robin Thicke to Mariah and Mick: five blockbuster albums that bombed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015.
"Representando a la Industria Argentina De La Musica: Ranking Semenal desde 07/12/2008 hasta 13/12/2008" [Representing Argentina's Music Industry: Semenal Ranking from December 7, 2008 to December 13, 2008] (in Spanish). CAPIF. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
"Australiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Austriancharts.at – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in German). Hung Medien.
"Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
"Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in French). Hung Medien.
"Billboard Canadian Albums – December 13, 2008". Billboard. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Danishcharts.dk – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
Sexton, Paul (December 4, 2008). "'Chinese Democracy' Fires GNR To Euro Albums Summit". Billboard. London. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
"Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
"Lescharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
"Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Aλμπουμ: Εβδομάδα 49/2008" [Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums: Week 49/2008] (in Greek). ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
"Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista" [Top 40 Album, DVD and Selection Lists: November 24, 2008 – November 30, 2008]. Zene.slagerlistak.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 48, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA.
"מצעד המכירות" [Sales March] (in Hebrew). Musicaneto.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
"Italiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"チャイニーズ・デモクラシー/ガンズ・アンド・ローゼズ" [Chinese Democracy / Guns N 'Roses] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
"Mexicancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Norwegiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Oficjalna lista sprzedaży: sales for the period 24.11.2008 – 30.11.2008" [Official sales list: sales for the period November 24, 2008 – November 30, 2008] (in Polish). OLiS. December 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Portuguesecharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Россия Top 25: Centr – Эфир в норме" [Russia Top 25: Centr – The ether is normal] (in Russian). 2m-online.ru. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
"vikend št. 837 – slo/top/30" [weekend nr. 837 – slo / top / 30] (in Slovenian). vikend.sl. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
"Spanishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Swedishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.
"Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
"Guns N Roses Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
"Guns N Roses Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
"Guns N Roses Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
"2008 ARIA Albums Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Jaaroversichten – Album 2008". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Top Selling Albums of 2008". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2008". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Canadian Albums: 2009 Year-End Charts – Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
"Schweizer hitparade: Swiss Year-end Charts 2009" [Swiss hit paradeSwiss Year-End Charts 2009]. Media Control (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
"Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
"Danish album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". IFPI Denmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2008 to obtain certification.
"Guns N'Roses" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Guns N' Roses; 'Chinese Democracy')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
"2008 Certification Awards – Platinum". The Irish Charts. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012.
"Japanese album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 10, 2019. Select 2008年11月 on the drop-down menu
"NZ Top 40 Albums Chart – 24 November 2008". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015.
"British album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Chinese Democracy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
"American album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
"Guns N' Roses Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
"Guns N' Roses Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "Australian Charts > Guns N' Roses". australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
- Peaks between 51–100, from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
"Austrian Charts > Guns N' Roses" (in German). austriancharts.at Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 7, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
"Chartverfolgung / Guns N' Roses / Single" (in German). musicline.de PhonoNet. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
"Irish Charts > Guns N' Roses". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
"Dutch Top 40 > Guns N' Roses" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
"New Zealand Charts > Guns N' Roses". charts.nz. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
"Swedish Charts > Guns N' Roses". swedishcharts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
"Swiss Charts > Guns N' Roses". swisscharts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
"UK Charts > Guns N' Roses". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2010.

Footnotes

Part of the re-recorded version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" was released on the Big Daddy soundtrack later that year.[37]
Michael Jackson's Invincible allegedly had a $30 million production.[92]

External links

Chinese Democracy at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
Chinese Democracy at Discogs (list of releases)
Chinese Democracy at Metacritic

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Trust, Gary (March 19, 2010). "Ask Billboard: Battle Of The Rock Bands, Part 2". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.

[UYI-2] Luukkonen, Jarmo. "The History of Guns N' Roses: The Shocking Truth: 1993". heretodaygonetohell.com. Retrieved April 25, 2015.

[3] "Izzy Stradlin interview with Musician Magazine". Musician. Billboard Publications Inc. 1992.

[4] McDermott, Mark (May 26, 2010). "Gilby Clarke rides again". Easy Reader News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2015.

[5] Gold, Jonathan (December 9, 1993). "Rolling Stone The Spaghetti Incident? review". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

[6] "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018.

[7] Hasty, Katie (December 3, 2008). "Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut". billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.

[Sorum96-8] "Interview with Matt Sorum". Hard Rock. France. 1996. Archived from the original on July 28, 2002. Retrieved May 8, 2018.

[time_off-9] Condon, Dan (March 6, 2005). "Armed to the Teeth". Time Off. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[NY_Times-10] Leeds, Jeff (March 6, 2005). "The Most Expensive Album Never Made". The New York Times. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

[11] James, Del (August 14, 2002). "GN'R press release with Axl interview". GNRonline.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.

[symph-12] "Four Bust-ups And A Single!". RAW. November 1994. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[slash_autobiography-13] Slash; Bozza, Anthony (October 29, 2007). "12: Breakdown". Slash. HarperCollins. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-06-135142-6.

[14] "The Guns 'N Roses Report". Addicted to Noise. January 13, 1997. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[Spin_1999-15] Spitz, Marc (July 1999). "What the World Needs Now is Axl Rose: The Unauthorized Saga of Rock's Greatest Recluse". Spin. Vol. 15 no. 7. New York City, NY, USA: SpinMedia. pp. 80–93. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved March 29, 2018.

[16] Hodgson, Peter (January 5, 2012). "What Could Have Been: Zakk Wylde Talks Guns N' Roses". Gibson. gibson.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014. It could have been one of the most interesting heavy music collaborations in rock history: Zakk Wylde as a member of Guns N' Roses ... And it very nearly happened in the mid-1990s

[GOCLINK-17] "Guns Go Clink". MTV News. Viacom. May 22, 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2015. sources say former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck will be the new primary axe-slinger. Finck is said to be replacing Slash who left the band last year over creative differences

[18] Amendola, Billy (August 1, 2006). "Michael Bland". Modern Drummer Magazine. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[19] Harkness, Geoff (June 28, 2001). "Seven Questions with Matt Sorum of The Cult". Lawrence Journal-World. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2015.

[20] Jorgl, Steph (April 5, 2009). "July 2002 – Chris Vrenna". Audiohead.net. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2011.

[21] "Interview with Chris Vrenna on VampireFreaks.com". Vampirefreaks.com. 2010. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018.

[22] "Rolling Stone Random Daily Notes: Appetite for Deconstruction". Rolling Stone. April 4, 1997. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[23] Elias, Paul (July 18, 1995). "Drunk-Driving Case Puts Rocker on Trial". Ross Levinsohn. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017 – via Los Angeles Times.

[24] Kleid, Beth (July 24, 1995). "Movies: Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press". Ross Levinsohn. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017 – via Los Angeles Times.

[99his-25] "The History of GN'R: The Shocking Truth 1996–99". HereTodayGoneToHell.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.

[26] McKagan, Duff (2011). Stacy Creamer (ed.). It's so Easy (and other lies). Collaboration by Tim Mohr. Touchstone. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-4516-0664-5.

[27] Krgin, Borivoj (October 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Keyboardist Chris Pitman Interviewed By 'Noise Up Thursdays'; Audio Available". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.

[28] Fox, Brian (April 2009). "Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy: Tommy Stinson, The Ultimate Replacement Talks Tone & Turmoul". Bass Player. NewBay Media.

[29] "Guns N' Roses Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide (We Think)". Ultimate Classic Rock. April 2, 2016.

[:2-30] Zutaut, Tom (March 2008). "GN'R Exclusive! Psychic Tests! Pet Wolves! Chicken Coops! CHINESE DEMOCRACY. The Unbelievable true story – told for the first time". Classic Rock. Future plc (116). Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2015.

[TAKESTIME-31] "Axl Rose takes his time". Rolling Stone. February 20, 1998.

[32] "Moby And Axl Rose: Producing Pals?". MTV News. March 18, 1997.

[fiveyears-33] "GN'R's Chinese Democracy five years on". Classic Rock. November 23, 2013. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013.

[Clink-34] "Guns Go Clink". MTV News. May 22, 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[USA_Today-35] Gundersen, Edna (October 30, 2012). "Exclusive: Axl Rose on GNR, truce and writer's block". Archived from the original on November 24, 2014.

[Loder99-36] Loder, Kurt (November 3, 1999). "Axl Rose – A conversation with Kurt Loder". MTV News. Viacom. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.

[37] "New Guns N' Roses Makes Mystery Debut; Live Album Sessions Underway". MTV News. July 9, 1999. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[39] Kaufman, Gil (March 19, 1997). "Guns N' Roses to go techno?". Addicted to Noise. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[40] Strauss, Neil (July 23, 1998). "THE POP LIFE; Failure's Hard But Success Can Be Worse". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[41] Wake, Matt (October 23, 2018). "Why is Nine Inch Nails' ex-drummer teaching college in Alabama?". The Birmingham News. Retrieved December 31, 2018.

[HTGTH-42] Di Natale, Juan (January 22, 2001). "Axl interview Rock & Pop FM Argentina". Rock & Pop FM. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[43] Krgin, Borivoj (November 21, 2017). "A PERFECT CIRCLE Guitarist Says He 'Became Close' With AXL ROSE During Making Of 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018.

[44] Everley, Dave (August 21, 1999). "Guns N' Roses 2-part article". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.

[45] Anthony, James (November 7, 2008). "Brian May dropped from Guns N' Roses album". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.

[46] Vanhorn, Teri (January 12, 2000). "New Guns N' Roses LP Boasts Techno, Industrial Edge". MTV News.

[Axlspeaks-47] Wild, David (February 3, 2000). "Rolling Stone 833: Axl Speaks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[Bach-48] "SEBASTIAN BACH: The World's Not Prepared For What I've Heard From AXL ROSE". Metal Edge. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2018.

[49] Luukkonen, Jarmo (October 23, 2001). "GN'R update". htgth.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.

[50] "Sean Beavan interview (2012) / Guns N' Roses / GNR Evolution - Guns N Roses Forum". www.gnrevolution.com.

[Beav-51] "Former Guns N' Roses Producer on Chinese Democracy Talks GNR, Nine Inch Nails & More!". GNR Central (Podcast). February 22, 2018.

[52] Saidman, Sorrelle (September 18, 1998). "Guns n' Roses Eye Producer". Rolling Stone.

[stins-53] Rosen, Craig (January 23, 2017). "After Surviving the Replacements and GNR, Tommy Stinson Revives Bash & Pop". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018.

[54] Dynasty, Dre (December 7, 2015). "Richard Fortus on Guns N' Roses, The Dead Daisies, and 2016". Social Magazine.

[55] Firecloud, Johnny (August 13, 2008). "Antiquiet's Three-Way With 8mm". Antiquiet. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009.

[:1-56] Saidman, Sorelle (September 9, 1999). "Good God, Guns! Guns N' Roses cut new track "Oh My God" with Dave Navarro". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017.

[57] Kaufman, Gil (September 22, 1999). "Best of '99: Guns N' Roses Leader Breaks Silence, Disses Former Bandmate". MTV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017.

[AMG-EoD-58] Erlewine, Stephen. "Allmusic: End of Days — Overview". All Media Guide. Retrieved November 17, 2006.

[59] Jones, Bill (August 21, 2014). "Josh Freese of Devo and the Vandals Is the Blue Collar Freelance Drummer to the Stars". Noisey. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.

[60] "Guns N' Roses Lose Another Member?". NME. March 15, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.

[Lost_years-61] Wilkinson, Peter (May 11, 2000). "Axl Rose: The Lost Years: The inside story of rock's most famous recluse". Rolling Stone (840).

[62] "Where Did They Go Now?". Vice. November 30, 2000. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.

[babd-63] Hyden, Steven (July 23, 2013). "Building a Better Democracy". Grantland. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.

[CDmk2-64] "Chinese Whispers: 2001: CD Mk. 2". GNR Evolution. Retrieved September 13, 2010.

[65] Loder, Kurt (November 21, 2002). "Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead". MTV. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.

[66] Appleford, Steve (January 2, 2001). "New Guns N' Roses Gets Right Back in the Jungle". LA Times.

[67] "Trent Reznor on Axl". heretodaygonetohell.com. December 7, 1999. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015.

[:0-68] Bosso, Joe (October 17, 2008). "Brain talks about making Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.

[Ido-69] Macgregor, Jody (February 28, 2013). "In Defence Of: Guns N' Roses 'Chinese Democracy'". FasterLouder. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.

[rec-70] Tommy Stinson. "GNR Evolution: Chinese Whispers: Chinese Whispers – The Secret History of the New Studio Album: 2001: Sanders' Last Stand] GNR Evolution, 2009. Stinson interview from Rhinocast, January 16, 2006.01/16/06 Brain interview from QTV, October 2008".

[moderndrum-71] Blaine, Jamie (January 2017). "January 2017: Modern Drummer interviews Frank Ferrer". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018.

[belt-72] Spence, D. (July 18, 2003). "More With Marco". IGN.com.

[73] "AXL ROSE Pays Tribute To Late GUNS N' ROSES Orchestral Arranger PAUL BUCKMASTER – "I Feel Very Fortunate To Have Met Him"". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. November 10, 2017.

[CD2018-74] Tavana, Art (December 22, 2018). "The Divisive Legacy & Surprising Future of Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

[75] Fitzmaurice, Larry (December 16, 2008). "Axl on 'Chinese Democracy': "It's Not a Solo Album"". Spin. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

[76] "Beta Lebeis Interview". Brazilian Journal. March 2001.

[77] Moss, Corey (December 4, 2001). "Guns N' Roses Ante Up For Another New Year's Eve in Vegas". MTV. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.

[Rio_review-78] Loder, Kurt (January 15, 2001). "Guns N' Roses Kick Out The Jams at Rock in Rio". MTV. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2007.

[79] Wiederhorn, Jon (August 29, 2002). "Guns N' Roses Cap Night of Spectacles From Diddy, Eminem, Timberlake". MTV. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2008.

[80] Krgin, Borivoj (December 4, 2014). "RICHARD FORTUS On New GUNS N' ROSES Album: AXL ROSE 'Wants To Create Stuff And Release It When It's Ready'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.

[81] "Axl Rose pasó tres días en Buenos Aires" [Axl Rose spent three days in Buenos Aires]. La Nación (in Spanish). January 23, 2001. Archived from the original on June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[82] Cashmere, Paul (December 16, 2002). "Guns 'n' Roses get active, Axl speaks". Under Cover Media. Undercover Music Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. Retrieved August 17, 2015.

[83] Mancini, Rob (August 30, 2002). "Axl Rose Says GN'R Waiting Game Won't End Soon". MTV. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[June-84] Krgin, Borivoj (November 23, 2002). "Guns N' Roses: 'Chinese Democracy' In Stores By June". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[MTV_Trunk-85] D'Angelo, Joe (September 2, 2003). "New GN'R Tune Leaked By ... Mets Catcher Mike Piazza?!". MTV. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2007.

[86] "Chinese Whispers: 2003: Third Time's the Charm". GNR Evolution. 2009.

[87] "Follow-Up: Axl Hopeful For Album Release Soon – Attends Led Zep Release Party". antimusic.com. June 16, 2003. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[MTV-Stinson-88] Wiederhorn, Jon (June 9, 2004). "GN'R bassist works solo while awaiting Chinese Democracy". MTV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[89] Fox, Brian (April 2009). "Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy: Tommy Stinson, The Ultimate Replacement Talks Tone & Turmoul". Bass Player. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.

[90] Wiederhorn, Jon (March 17, 2004). "Buckethead's Hand Puppet Says Goodbye To Guns N' Roses". MTV. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[91] Montgomery, James (June 2004). "Axl kicks the Bucket". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 29–. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved August 17, 2015.

[92] Krgin, Borivoj (September 15, 2004). "Guns N' Roses Bassist Hopes New Album Will Be Completed This Fall". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[93] Branigan, Tania (September 8, 2001). "Jackson spends £20m to be Invincible". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2013.

[merck_article-95] Krgin, Borivoj (March 6, 2005). "Guns N' Roses' manager slams NY Times over 'rubbish' 'Chinese Democracy' article". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[96] Lapatine, Scott (February 19, 2006). "New Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Stereogum. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.

[97] "Queen Guitarist Brian May Featured on Leaked Guns N' Roses Track". Brave Words. March 3, 2006.

[98] Krgin, Borivoj (February 17, 2006). "GUNS N' ROSES: Another New Song Makes Its Way Online". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.

[hdad-99] Krgin, Borivoj (March 13, 2007). "GUNS N' ROSES Keyboardist Reveals 'The Truth' About The Leaked Song 'Better'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.

[100] Tom Breihan (February 21, 2007). "New Guns N Roses Song: Pretty Good!". Status Ain't Hood. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[101] Neilsten, Vince (March 30, 2007). "Guns N' Roses "Magascar" Leak". Metalsucks. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.

[102] "GNR: FCKN AWSM!". Vulture. May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016.

[103] Neilsten, Vince (May 7, 2017). "Weekend Metal Update". Metalsucks. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010.

[shackler's-104] Steffen, Chris (August 14, 2008). "New Guns n' Roses Leak: "Shackler's Revenge"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2015.

[105] "In Search of ... Bumblefoot". Live-Metal.net. May 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.

[106] Klawz, H. (May 21, 2012). "Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (GUNS N'ROSES): Chinese Democracy, such a unique album". MetalFan.ro. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.

[moderndrum2-107] Tolleson, Robin (March 2009). "Guns 'N' Roses' Bryan "Brain" Mantia". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Axl is really interested in having everybody bring what they do into the picture. I just did a remix of "Shackler's Revenge" — made it kind of more club. And I think he wants to put out a remix album of some of the other songs we did.

[108] Lapatine, Scott (February 19, 2006). "New Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Stereogum.

[109] "Holy Eff! Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" Out November 21st?". Rolling Stone. October 5, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[110] Hiatt, Brian (October 18, 2006). "Exclusive: More Juicy "Chinese Democracy" Tidbits". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.

[Axl's_open_letter-111] Rose, W. Axl (December 14, 2006). "An open letter from Axl Rose". GunsNRoses.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2007.

[Merck's_letter-112] Krgin, Borivoj (December 15, 2006). "Former Guns N' Roses Manager: 'I Believe In Axl Rose'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2007.

[RS2006-01-13-113] Baltin, Steve (January 17, 2006). "Axl Rose Breaks His Silence". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2015.

[DiS-Bach-114] Diver, Mike (September 30, 2006). "New G'nR album: "almost like doom metal"". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[RS-2007-09-26-115] "Proof Axl Rose Does Go to the Studio: Photo With Sebastian Bach". Rolling Stone. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2015.

[116] Rosenberg, Axl (December 12, 2008). "Axl Rose finally promotes Chinese Democracy... sort of". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.

[117] Krgin, Borivoj (January 8, 2007). "Axl Rose Putting 'Final' Vocals Down For 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

[DelJames-118] James, Del (February 22, 2007). "Chinese Democracy update". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.

[Bach_interview_-_RMM-119] "Rock My Monkey – Sebastian Bach Interview". Rock My Monkey. Archived from the original on December 2, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.

[blabbermouth-120] Krgin, Borivoj (August 20, 2007). "Sebastian Bach's new album to feature guest appearance by Axl Rose". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2007.

[patti_hood-121] "Patti Hood Resume". Patti Hood. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2007.

[122] Krgin, Borivoj (December 17, 2008). "Harpist Interviewed About Her Work On GN'R' 'Chinese Democracy'; Audio Available". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018.

[antimusic-123] "GNR Finish CD?". antiMusic. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2008.

[Eddie_Trunk_blog-124] Trunk, Eddie (January 11, 2008). "Eddie Trunk Blog". EddieTrunk.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[Classic_Rock_article_2008-125] Barton, Geoff (January 22, 2008). "It's a Fact". Classic Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.

[126] Timisoara, Romania (January 16, 2018). "Bumblefoot says that Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is a work of art". Rock And Roll Garage. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.

[HowDidIGetHere-127] "Episode 27: Tim Palmer – producer/mixer". November 30, 2011. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.

[CDCredits-128] Chinese Democracy (Media notes). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records. 2008.CS1 maint: others (link)

[Ludwig_2008-129] Ludwig, Bob (November 25, 2008). "Guns 'N Roses: Dynamics and quality win the Loudness Wars". Loudness Wars. Gateway Mastering. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

[130] Lapatine, Scott (July 13, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' "Shackler's Revenge" Set For Rock Band 2". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[131] Kreps, Daniel (April 10, 2009). "Guns n' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" Coming To "Rock Band"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[132] "Guns n' Roses Premiering New Song "If the World" in "Body of Lies" movie – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.

[Billboard-133] Cohen, Jonathan. "GNR's 'Chinese Democracy' Gets Release Date". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2008.

[134] Saba, Michael (October 2, 2008). "GNR's Chinese Democracy goes Best-Buy exclusive". Paste. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[single_release-135] Cohen, Jonathan (October 22, 2008). "New Guns N' Roses Single Hits Radio Tomorrow". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2008.

[136] Harris, Chris (October 22, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' Makes Radio Debut". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2015.

[137] Rockitt, Rob (November 17, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Release A "Better" New Singlet". Hard Rock Hideout. Retrieved November 23, 2015.

[138] "New Guns N' Roses Song On The Canadian Charts". Archived from the original on December 14, 2009.

[139] "'Chinese Democracy' begins streaming on MySpace". USA Today. November 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2015.

[140] MacMillan, Robert (November 20, 2008). "McCartney, Guns N' Roses albums to launch on MySpace". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

[141] "Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy streams on MySpace". Virgin.com. Virgin Media. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[142] Jarman, Ryan (November 21, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' breaks MySpace record". NME.COM. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

[143] Bingham, John (December 2, 2008). "Axl Rose absence blamed for failure of Chinese Democracy to hit top spot". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[144] Gregory, Jason (December 2, 2008). "AWOL Axl Rose Blamed For Poor Guns N' Roses Album Sales". Gigwise.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[145] Kreps, Daniel (December 15, 2008). "Axl Rose Posts About Keeping the Gn'R Name in New Message Board Chats". Rolling STone. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[146] Greene, Andy (December 15, 2008). "Did Axl Rose Swindle Guns n' Roses and Steal Slash's Song?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[chat-147] Krgin, Borivoj (December 14, 2008). "Axl Rose Takes Part in Another Online Chat, Says There Are 'No Plans' For Gn'r Tour Right Now". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[148] Michaels, Sean (February 9, 2009). "Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose: I have no sympathy for the record industry". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[149] "Guns n' Roses Planning Summer Stadium Tour". Rollingstone.com. Wenner Media LLC. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[150] "Guns N' Roses Names DJ Ashba as Band's Newest Axeman". GunsNRoses.com. Guns N' Roses. March 21, 2009. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[151] ravewords.com (December 17, 2009). "GUNS N' ROSES – Chinese Democracy Guitar Tab Book Available This Month". Archived from the original on July 13, 2018.

[atlas-152] GNR Evolution: Song facts: Atlas Shrugged GNR Evolution, 2009.

[Fan-153] "Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts)". HereTodayGoneToHell. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009.

[154] Madagascar88 (January 26, 2006). "Dizzy Reed of Guns N' Roses does marathon interview". Metal Sludge.

[155] Bienstock, Richard (June–July 2014). "The Guns N' Roses Frontman and Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Awards Winner Tells No Lies". Revolver. No. 115. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2015. We recorded a lot of things before Chinese was out. We’ve worked more on some of those things and we’ve written a few new things. But basically, we have what I call kind of the second half of Chinese. That’s already recorded. And then we have a remix album made of the songs from Chinese

[Goingdown-156] Hogan, Marc (August 20, 2013). "Alleged Guns N' Roses Leak Is 'Going Down' Less Than Smoothly". Spin.com. Spin Media. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2015.

[157] Winkie, Luke (December 17, 2018). "New Guns N' Roses Album Coming "Faster Than You Think"". Revolver. Retrieved December 20, 2018.

[158] Schaffner, Lauryn. "Guns N' Roses Ban Fan From Their Shows After Alleged Song Leaks". Loudwire.

[rockhall-159] "10 Essential Guns N' Roses Songs". rockhall.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[numetal-160] MacGregor, Jody (March 7, 2013). "Guns N' Roses' Dizzy Reed:"I'm very proud of Chinese Democracy"". FasterLouder. Sound Alliance. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.

[Empire-161] Empire, Kitty (November 22, 2008). "CD of the week: Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". The Observer. London. Observer Review section, p. 19. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2013.

[Wood-162] Wood, Mikael (November 8, 2008). "Guns N' Roses, 'Chinese Democracy' (Geffen)". Spin. New York. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.

[sput-163] Sylvia, Dave (November 23, 2008). "Review: Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

[164] Raub, Kevin (2001). "Guns N' Roses Use Classics, Commentary To Impress At Rock In Rio -Allstar". CDnow.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.

[165] McPadden, Mike (November 10, 2018). "11 Hard Rock + Heavy Metal Comeback Albums: 5 Hits, 5 Misses + One Lost Classic". VH1 News. Retrieved February 10, 2016.

[166] Nelson, Michael (August 19, 2013). "Guns N' Roses – "Going Down"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2016.

[Fricke-167] Fricke, David (November 27, 2008). "Review: Chinese Democracy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2009.

[quiet-168] Patterson, Dayal (December 23, 2008). "In Defence Of... – Guns N'Roses and Chinese Democracy". The Quietus. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

[169] Paphides, Pete (May 25, 2008). ""In its way, it's remarkable, like Marillion's Kayleigh reimagined by a hysterical Andrew Lloyd-Webber."". Hidden Tracks. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

[LAt-170] Powers, Ann (November 20, 2008). "Album review: Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy'". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2018.

[ban-171] Flumenbaum, David (February 24, 2009). "China Bans Democracy, Declares War on Guns N' Roses". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[Metalinj-172] ""Chinese Democracy" track by track analysis from a first listen in a really loud club". Metal Injection. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[spin.com-173] "Every Guns N' Roses Song, Ranked". Spin. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

[IGN-174] Spence D. (September 16, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – "Shackler's Revenge" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[Chattrans-175] Rose, W. Axl (December 14, 2008). "Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts) [updated Dec 14th]".

[176] Krgin, Borivoj (April 18, 2007). "Virginia Tech Killer Named Play After Guns N' Roses Song 'Mr. Brownstone'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[177] Freeman, Phil. "Democracy Now:Guns N' Roses Finally Issue Their Long-delayed New Album". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[CS-178] Yudt, Susan. ""Shackler's Revenge" (CD single) – Music Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[Petridis-179] Petridis, Alexis (November 20, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2015.

[180] Pell, Nicholas (July 5, 2016). "Unpopular Opinion: Guns N' Roses' "My World" Was a Track Ahead of Its Time". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[MR-181] Bosso, Joe (September 17, 2008). "BLOG: What are we to make of Shackler's Revenge?". Music Radar. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[paste-182] Saba, Michael (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy". Paste. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[COS-183] Roffman, Michael (November 19, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy – Album Review". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[metalsucks.net-184] Rosenberg, Axl (August 14, 2008). "Another New Guns N' Roses song Leaks!". Metalsucks. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[LOUD-185] "Every Guns N' Roses Song Ranked, Worst to Best". Loudwire. June 27, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

[186] Sawdey, Ewan (November 23, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy review". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[187] Spence D. (October 9, 2008). "Guns N' Roses – If The World". IGN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[188] Angell, Steven (November 21, 2008). "Interview with Guns N' Roses keyboardist Chris Pitman". WickedInfo.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

[189] Rose, W. Axl (December 16, 2009). Transcript of Axl Rose's speech about the song "If The World" during the Chinese Democracy Tour stop at the Kyocera Dome (Radio broadcast). Osaka, Japan. They heard it earlier, and they thought, 'it might work for a Bond movie or something', and that's kinda how the song happened. Basically, trying to kinda write a combination between James Bond and black exploitation films of the 70's, and then people noticed 'you know the chorus, it's stupid'. Well, I agree, it was done on purpose, because what we were doing is we were making fun of really bad Bond songs, so we decided to make our own bad Bond song, so it was kinda fun. So This was from our Bond movie "If The World Would End Today".

[Klosterman-190] Klosterman, Chuck (November 18, 2008). "Chuck Klosterman reviews Chinese Democracy". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

[ART_EDITION-191] Chinese Democracy (alternate "Art edition" booklet) (Media notes). Guns N' Roses. Geffen Records. 2008.CS1 maint: others (link)

[auto-192] Michaels, Sean. "Guns N' Roses sued for copyright infringement". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.

[193] Kaye, Don (November 24, 2008). "CD Reviews: Chinese Democracy – GUNS N' ROSES". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

[194] Harvilla, Rob (November 26, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Why Chinese Democracy's Fine Print Is Way More Fun Than the Record". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018.

[Erlewine-195] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Chinese Democracy. AllMusic. Retrieved on November 28, 2009.

[196] Stein, Joel (June 26, 2008). "Chinese Democracy Review". Time. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2018.

[197] "This I Love". www.a-4-d.com. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[198] "Chinese Whispers – The Secret History of the New Studio Album: 1998". gnrevolution.com; Spin. August 1999. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[199] Fitzmaurice, Larry (October 16, 2008). "'Chinese Democracy' Songlist and Album Art Unveiled!". Spin. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[200] Vozick-Levinson, Simon (October 17, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy': Is that really an old-school bicycle on the CD cover?". EW.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[201] Wong, Chung (November 23, 2017). "Walled City of Most Expensive Album". Findery.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[cover-202] Moore, Malcolm (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy 'banned' in China". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[artwork2-203] "Entrevista com Ryan Corey, diretor artístico do Chinese Democracy" [Interview with Ryan Corey, artistic director of Chinese Democracy]. Axl Rose Fã Clube (in Spanish). June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[204] "Shi Lifeng's "Utopia" at Green T. House". Soemo Fine Arts. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[205] Wang, Tina (November 24, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Puts Chinese Communists In Its Sights". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[206] Goodman, Dean (November 22, 2008). "Guns N' Roses not bringing 'Democracy' to China". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[207] Highkin, Sean (November 2, 2008). "Full Chinese Democracy artwork leaked". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.

[208] Cohen, Jonathan (October 21, 2008). "New Guns N' Roses Single Hits Radio Tomorrow". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008.

[209] Cogill, Kevin "Swerl" (June 18, 2008). "We've Got Chinese Democracy, And It's Worth The Wait". antiquiet. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[210] Neilstein, Vince (June 18, 2008). "Nine new Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy leaks". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[211] Thatcher, Michelle (August 27, 2008). "FBI arrests blogger accused of leaking Guns N' Roses tracks". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[212] Masnick, Mike (September 10, 2008). "Blogger's Arrest Resulted in Much More Downloading of GNR Music". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[waste-213] Masnick, Mike (January 7, 2014). "The full story behind the RIAA & FBI's insanely wasteful prosecution of the dude who streamed Guns N' Roses album". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[214] "Guns N' Roses Leaker To Plead Guilty". Billboard. November 11, 2008. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[215] "Guns N' Roses Uploader Guilty of Copyright Infringement". WIRED. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[216] Quinn, Michelle; Pandey, Swati (August 29, 2008). "Blogger arrested in music leak". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[217] Kravets, David (July 14, 2009). "Guns N' Roses Uploader Gets House Arrest, Will Make Anti-Piracy Ad". WIRED. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[218] Masnick, Mike (June 16, 2010). "Uploader of Guns 'N Roses Album Never Forced To Do RIAA Propaganda; So He Tells The Truth Instead". Techdirt. Floor64, Inc. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[Dr_Pepper_-_NY_Post-219] Johnson, Richard; Froelich, Paula; Hoffmann, Bill; Garvey, Marianne (March 26, 2008). "Doctor's Orders". The New York Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.

[Dr_Pepper_-_Billboard-220] Cohen, Jonathan (March 26, 2008). "Dr Pepper Sweetens Pot For 'Chinese Democracy'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2008.

[221] Rose, W. Axl (March 26, 2008). "Press Release from Axl Regarding Dr. Pepper". Guns N' Roses. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011.

[bbc_dr_pepper-222] "Drinks firm to keep Roses pledge". BBC. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.

[223] Paine, Andre (November 26, 2008). "Guns N' Roses Lawyer Blasts Dr Pepper". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.

[224] "Rose angry over drinks giveaway". BBC News. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

[225] "Axl Rose Files Lawsuit Against Dr. Pepper; Asks For Apology, Payments". Access. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

[Axl_explains_his_stance_on_Dr._Pepper_litigation-226] Rose, W. Axl (December 13, 2008). "Axl answers fans' questions on GN'R fan sites (transcripts)". HereTodayGoneToHell.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.

[227] Kearney, Christine. "Guns N' Roses Sued for Copying Songs" Archived May 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. billboard.com. October 6, 2009.

[228] Luerssen, John D. (October 7, 2009). "Guns N' Roses Respond to Plagiarism Lawsuit". spinner.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.

[229] Montgomery, James (March 26, 2010). "Axl Rose Sued By Management Company For Nearly $2 Million". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[230] "Axl Rose Sued By Manager For Nearly $2 Million". Billboard. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[azoff-231] Gardner, Eriq (May 19, 2010). "Axl Rose Slams Irving Azoff In $5 Million Countersuit". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[EWsuit-232] Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 19, 2010). "Axl Rose sues former manager over alleged 'sabotage'". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.

[233] Sisario, Ben (May 18, 2010). "Axl Rose Sues His Former Manager for $5 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015.

[234] Michaels, Sean. "Axl Rose: Chinese Democracy was 'sabotaged' by former manager". the Guardian. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2015.

[235] "Settlements Reached In Lawsuits Between Axl Rose And Former Manager". The Beverly Hills Courier. June 14, 2011. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[236] "內地封殺 GN'R 唱片" [Mainland blocked GN'R album]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). China: Next Media. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.

[237] Johnston, Laura (November 24, 2008). "Chinese media calls Guns 'N Roses 'Chinese Democracy' an attack". NYDaily News. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2008.

[238] Bodeen, Christopher (November 25, 2008). "Rock album 'an attack on China'". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2008.

[239] "Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses: Any Decent Music?". Archived from the original on January 3, 2018.

[MC-240] Chinese Democracy (2008): Reviews Archived April 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Metacritic. Retrieved on November 28, 2009.

[Blender-241] Dolan, Jon (December 2008). "Guns N' Roses : Chinese Democracy Review". Blender. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2018.

[242] Greenwald, Andy (November 19, 2008). "Chinese Democracy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2018.

[MSN-243] Christgau, Robert (February 2009). "Inside Music: Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2013.

[Cohen-244] Cohen, Ian (December 1, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.

[Qmag-245] "Review: Chinese Democracy". Q. London (270): 110. January 2009.

[246] "Albums of the Year: 2008". Rolling Stone. December 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2018.

[247] "Pigs do fly, 'Chinese Democracy' hits store shelves". CTV News. November 22, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018.

[248] Greg, Kot (November 20, 2008). "Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy': Appetite for excess". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2018.

[Pareles-249] Pareles, Jon. "Review: Chinese Democracy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2009.

[250] Berndtson, Chad (December 13, 2008). "Author Stephen Davis has chronicled rock royalty". The Enterprise. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.

[251] "Cancer Bats, Guns N'Roses, and Metallica for Canadian awards". Idiomag.com. February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.

[252] Hopper, Donna (March 29, 2009). "Complete list of 2009 Juno Award winners". Sootoday.com. Village Media. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

[253] "Guns N' Roses – Recipients – International Press Academy". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.

[254] "Slash Endorses 'Chinese Democracy'". Starpulse. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2010.

[255] Bosso, Joe. "Slash calls Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy "a great statement"". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[256] Stevenson, Jane (March 12, 2010). "Banned Slash gear may be rumour: ex-GNR guitarist". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.

[257] tami (October 8, 2018). "Slash on GN'R's 'Chinese Democracy': Buckethead Is a Fucking Amazing Player". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.

[258] Krgin, Borivoj (November 14, 2008). "Ex Guns N' Roses Guitarist Izzy Stradlin Is A Fan Of 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[259] "Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin Weigh in on "Chinese Democracy"". Rolling Stone. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[260] Linardos, Kosta (May 20, 2009). "Beat Interview: Steven Adler". Beat.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[261] "Interview de Gilby Clarke, ancien guitariste de Guns N' Roses, par GN'R France et Slash France, à Savigny le Temple" [Interview of Gilby Clarke, former guitarist of Guns N 'Roses, by GN'R France and Slash France, at Savigny le Temple]. GNRFrance.net (in French). February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[262] Krgin, Borivoj (December 12, 2008). "Duff McKagan says Axl Rose 'sounds amazing' on 'Chinese Democracy'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2010.

[263] "Former G'N'R Drummer Has Axl to Grind". TMZ. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[264] "Tracii Guns: 'Chinese Democracy' Not a Brilliant Guns n' Roses Release". Noisecreep. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[:3-265] Hyden, Steven (July 23, 2013). "Building a Better Democracy". Grantland. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

[266] "The Last 'Chinese Democracy' Blog Post Ever, Probably". Spin. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

[267] Jim, DeRogatis (November 18, 2008). "Guns N' Roses, "Chinese Democracy".

[268] "New Classic Album: Guns N' Roses – 'Chinese Democracy'". Artistdirect. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[269] Kreps, Daniel (December 18, 2008). "Why "Black Ice" Beat "Chinese Democracy": The Tale of Wal-Mart Vs. Best Buy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

[270] Kiki (October 31, 2008). "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy schon ab dem 22.11" [Guns N 'Roses : Chinese Democracy already from 22:11] (in German). DigiJunkies. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.

[271] "Chinese Democracy" (in German). Cede.ch. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

[272] ""Chinese Democracy": Guns n' Roses toppen iTunes-Charts" ["Chinese Democracy": Guns n' Roses topped iTunes charts]. Die Presse (in German). November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

[rs_22_october-273] "Guns N' Roses Management Officially Announces "Chinese Democracy" Release, Formats". Rolling Stone. October 22, 2008. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.

[Yawn-274] Steffen, Chris (November 24, 2008). "Chinese Democracy hits Best Buy in New York with a yawn". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.

[261,000-275] Christman, Ed (December 1, 2008). "Kanye, Guns N' Roses Post Slow Debut-Week Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[billboard-276] Hasty, Katie (December 3, 2018). "Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

[The_Sun-277] "Gunning for a missing Axl". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times. December 3, 2008. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[UK_albums-278] Prenesti, Frank (November 30, 2008). "Take That top singles chart for 11th time". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

[long_wait-279] Lewis, Randy (December 13, 2008). "A long wait, a fast fall". L.A. Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[280] Bingham, John (December 2, 2008). "Axl Rose absence blamed for failure of Chinese Democracy to hit top spot". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2011.

[281] Krgin, Borivoj (January 7, 2009). "Guns N' Roses: 'Chinese Democracy' Officially Passes 500,000 Sales Mark In U.S." Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[Certification-282] "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.

[Rose_Speaks-283] Cohen, Jonathan (February 6, 2009). "The Billboard Q&A: Axl Rose". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

[2009_ye-284] "Year-End Charts Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.

[285] "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – Q4 2008". IFPI. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

[286] "IFPI Awards". IFPI. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

[net-287] Krgin, Borivoj (November 26, 2009). "GUNS N' ROSES To Tour South America in March/April". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.

[288] Henne, Bruce (April 8, 2011). "Guns N' Roses: "Chinese Democracy" re-enters US charts". Henne Music. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2018.

[289] Forde, Eamonn (July 9, 2014). "From Robin Thicke to Mariah and Mick: five blockbuster albums that bombed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015.

[290] "Representando a la Industria Argentina De La Musica: Ranking Semenal desde 07/12/2008 hasta 13/12/2008" [Representing Argentina's Music Industry: Semenal Ranking from December 7, 2008 to December 13, 2008] (in Spanish). CAPIF. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.

[ac_Australia_Guns_N'_Roses-291] "Australiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Austria_Guns_N'_Roses-292] "Austriancharts.at – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in German). Hung Medien.

[ac_Flanders_Guns_N'_Roses-293] "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.

[ac_Wallonia_Guns_N'_Roses-294] "Ultratop.be – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in French). Hung Medien.

[295] "Billboard Canadian Albums – December 13, 2008". Billboard. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[ac_Denmark_Guns_N'_Roses-296] "Danishcharts.dk – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Netherlands_Guns_N'_Roses-297] "Dutchcharts.nl – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.

[Euro-298] Sexton, Paul (December 4, 2008). "'Chinese Democracy' Fires GNR To Euro Albums Summit". Billboard. London. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2020.

[ac_Finland_Guns_N'_Roses-299] "Guns N' Roses: Chinese Democracy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[ac_France_Guns_N'_Roses-300] "Lescharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Germany_Guns_N'_Roses-301] "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.

[302] "Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Aλμπουμ: Εβδομάδα 49/2008" [Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums: Week 49/2008] (in Greek). ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.

[303] "Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista" [Top 40 Album, DVD and Selection Lists: November 24, 2008 – November 30, 2008]. Zene.slagerlistak.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[ac_Ireland_-304] "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 48, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA.

[305] "מצעד המכירות" [Sales March] (in Hebrew). Musicaneto.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.

[ac_Italy_Guns_N'_Roses-306] "Italiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[307] "チャイニーズ・デモクラシー/ガンズ・アンド・ローゼズ" [Chinese Democracy / Guns N 'Roses] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2009.

[ac_Mexico_Guns_N'_Roses-308] "Mexicancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_New_Zealand_Guns_N'_Roses-309] "Charts.nz – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Norway_Guns_N'_Roses-310] "Norwegiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[311] "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży: sales for the period 24.11.2008 – 30.11.2008" [Official sales list: sales for the period November 24, 2008 – November 30, 2008] (in Polish). OLiS. December 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[ac_Portugal_Guns_N'_Roses-312] "Portuguesecharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[313] "Россия Top 25: Centr – Эфир в норме" [Russia Top 25: Centr – The ether is normal] (in Russian). 2m-online.ru. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2008.

[314] "vikend št. 837 – slo/top/30" [weekend nr. 837 – slo / top / 30] (in Slovenian). vikend.sl. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.

[ac_Spain_Guns_N'_Roses-315] "Spanishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Sweden_Guns_N'_Roses-316] "Swedishcharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_Switzerland_Guns_N'_Roses-317] "Swisscharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Hung Medien.

[ac_UK2_-318] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 3, 2018.

[ac_Billboard200_Guns_N_Roses-319] "Guns N Roses Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.

[ac_BillboardHardRock_Guns_N_Roses-320] "Guns N Roses Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.

[ac_BillboardRock_Guns_N_Roses-321] "Guns N Roses Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.

[322] "2008 ARIA Albums Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[323] "Jaaroversichten – Album 2008". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[324] "Top Selling Albums of 2008". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[325] "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2008". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[326] "Canadian Albums: 2009 Year-End Charts – Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2015.

[327] "Schweizer hitparade: Swiss Year-end Charts 2009" [Swiss hit paradeSwiss Year-End Charts 2009]. Media Control (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2009.

[AustraliaGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-328] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

[BelgiumGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-329] "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.

[DenmarkGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-330] "Danish album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". IFPI Denmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2008 to obtain certification.

[FinlandGuns_N'RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-331] "Guns N'Roses" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.

[GermanyGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-332] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Guns N' Roses; 'Chinese Democracy')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[333] "2008 Certification Awards – Platinum". The Irish Charts. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012.

[JapanGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-334] "Japanese album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 10, 2019. Select 2008年11月 on the drop-down menu

[335] "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart – 24 November 2008". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015.

[United_KingdomGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-336] "British album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Chinese Democracy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesGuns_N'_RosesChinese_DemocracyalbumCertRef-337] "American album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.

[338] "Guns N' Roses Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.

[339] "Guns N' Roses Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.

[aus-340] Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
Top 50 peaks: "Australian Charts > Guns N' Roses". australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

Peaks between 51–100, from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.

[339] Top 50 peaks: "Australian Charts > Guns N' Roses". australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

[340] Peaks between 51–100, from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.

[aut-341] "Austrian Charts > Guns N' Roses" (in German). austriancharts.at Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 7, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

[342] "Chartverfolgung / Guns N' Roses / Single" (in German). musicline.de PhonoNet. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2010.

[ire-343] "Irish Charts > Guns N' Roses". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

[344] "Dutch Top 40 > Guns N' Roses" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2010.

[nz-345] "New Zealand Charts > Guns N' Roses". charts.nz. Retrieved April 13, 2010.

[swe-346] "Swedish Charts > Guns N' Roses". swedishcharts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

[swi-347] "Swiss Charts > Guns N' Roses". swisscharts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

[uk-348] "UK Charts > Guns N' Roses". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2010.

[38] Part of the re-recorded version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" was released on the Big Daddy soundtrack later that year.[37]

[94] Michael Jackson's Invincible allegedly had a $30 million production.[92]

Buckethead
Buckethead Bryan "Brain" Mantia Dan Monti Travis Dickerson Bill Laswell Bootsy Collins Les Claypool Bernie Worrell Serj Tankian John Zorn Pinchface Extrakd DJ Disk Maximum Bob Efrem Schulz Saul Williams Gigi Maura Davis Azam Ali Bill Moseley Melissa Reese
Studio albums	Bucketheadland (1992) Giant Robot (1994) The Day of the Robot (1996) Colma (1998) Monsters and Robots (1999) Somewhere Over the Slaughterhouse (2001) Bermuda Triangle (2002) Electric Tears (2002) Bucketheadland 2 (2003) Population Override (2004) The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (2004) Enter the Chicken (2005) Kaleidoscalp (2005) Crime Slunk Scene (2006) Electric Sea (2012)
Special releases	In Search of The (2007) Acoustic Shards (2007) From the Coop (2008)
Videos	Young Buckethead Vol. 1 (2006) Young Buckethead Vol. 2 (2006)
As Death Cube K	Dreamatorium (1994) Disembodied (1997)
Songs	"Big Sur Moon" (1998) "The Ballad of Buckethead" (1999) "Spokes for the Wheel of Torment" (2004) "Jordan" (2006) "The Landing Beacon" (2009)
Related	Buckethead discography Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Cornbugs Deli Creeps Bolt on Neck Guns N' Roses Praxis Science Faxtion Shin Terai Thanatopsis
Book Category

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Studio albums	The Adventures of Bumblefoot (1995) Hermit (1997) Hands (1998) 9.11 (2001) Uncool (2002) Normal (2005) Abnormal (2008) Little Brother Is Watching (2015)
Compilations and EP's	Forgotten Anthology (2003) Barefoot – The Acoustic EP (2008)
Collaborations	Tony Harnell & the Wildflowers featuring Bumblefoot (2013)
Member of:	Guns N' Roses (2006 - 2014) Art of Anarchy (2011 - present) Sons of Apollo (2017 - present) Asia (2019 - present)
Related	Discography