Chinese Democracy
Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, through Geffen Records and Black Frog. It was their first album of original material since Use Your Illusion I and II, it was also the first to feature none of the classic lineup members aside from vocalist Axl Rose. The album's development spanned over a decade, becoming one of the most protracted and expensive recording processes in rock history, with reported costs exceeding $13 million.
Recorded amid lineup upheavals, legal disputes, and leaks, Chinese Democracy saw Rose collaborate with a rotating cast of musicians and producers, including band members Dizzy Reed, Paul Tobias, Robin Finck, Josh Freese, Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman, Buckethead, Richard Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Brain and Frank Ferrer, and producers Youth, Sean Beavan and Roy Thomas Baker. Recording began in 1998 with the intention of producing multiple albums; although more than 50 tracks were completed, Rose’s inconsistent studio schedule and repeated re‑recordings caused substantial delays in the project’s progress. It is the first Guns N' Roses album not produced by Mike Clink; instead, Rose and Caram Costanzo handled production.
The album blends hard rock with industrial and electronic influences, a shift from the band's previous blues and punk-based music. Upon release, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. It was certified platinum, receiving generally favorable reviews for its ambition and vocal performances, though its production and lengthy recording process drew mixed reactions. In the United States, the album was released exclusively via Best Buy, and it was was banned in China due to lyrics in the lead single, the title track. The album’s release was accompanied by a widely publicized Dr Pepper promotion, with the company offering a free soda to all Americans if the album arrived in 2008. Retrospective assessments have acknowledged its complex legacy, with several critics and publications noting that the album has since developed a cult following and undergone reevaluation, praised by some for its ambition and scope despite the mythology surrounding its prolonged creation.
Background
In September 1991, Guns N' Roses released the albums Use Your Illusion I and II, selling a combined 35 million copies. That November, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin left the band, citing exhaustion with the current tour and conflicts with bandmates. He was replaced by Gilby Clarke. In 1993, they released "The Spaghetti Incident?", an album of glam and punk rock cover songs. Though certified platinum in 1994, it sold far less than their previous releases, and the band didn't tour to support it.In 1994, the band began writing new material, but McKagan said "nothing got finished" due to drug use. Slash accused Rose of running the band "like a dictatorship", while Rose claimed collaboration was impossible, leading to the material being scrapped.
In 1994, Rose replaced Clarke with his childhood friend Paul "Huge" Tobias, without consulting the band. He became "obsessed" with electronica and industrial rock, particularly Nine Inch Nails, and pushed for a more modern sound. Other members opposed Tobias and the stylistic shift, deepening tensions.
In early 1995, Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde auditioned as second guitarist. That August, Rose legally left the band and formed a new partnership under its name Slash departed in 1996, citing creative differences with Rose and issues with Tobias. McKagan described the sessions as indulgent and chaotic: "Axl brought in and said, 'This is our new guitar player'... There was no democracy... Slash started going, 'Fuck this. What, this is his band now?'. I'd show up at 10, and Axl would arrive at four or five in the morning."
In January 1997, Slash was replaced by ex-Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck. The following month, electronic musician Moby briefly worked with the band, praising their use of loops but conflicting with Rose over recording vocals. He pulled out to focus on his solo work, later admitting he was not suited to produce a rock band. Mike Clink, who had produced all previous Guns N' Roses albums, was considered as producer, as were Scott Litt, Steve Lillywhite, and Mark Bell. Producer Tim Palmer worked on the album for a few days during its early gestation.
In April 1997, drummer Matt Sorum was fired after arguing with Rose over Tobias. Sorum later said "I'm so glad I left because it was just stagnant. It didn't make any sense to be a musician to be sitting there not being able to put any of your creative energy out to the world. All my stuff was on some tapes on a shelf and four years had gone by." Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna auditioned, joining a tentative lineup of Rose, McKagan, Tobias, Finck, Vrenna and keyboardist Dizzy Reed. Vrenna recalled "When I was there, Moby was going to produce. Axl didn't come in very often." Vrenna left and multiple drummers auditioned, including Riggs, Dave Abbruzzese, Michael Bland, Joey Castillo, and Kellii Scott, before Josh Freese was hired mid-1997. Freese joined after Rose invited him to help write songs, rare for a drummer in his experience.
McKagan left in August 1997, frustrated by the band's lack of progress and erratic studio habits. Chris Pitman joined as a second keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist/producer in early 1998. On Freese's recommendation, bassist Tommy Stinson was hired. By early 1998, the lineup included Rose, Stinson, Freese, Finck, Tobias, Reed and Pitman.
Recording and production
Early sessions with producer Youth
In February 1998, manager Doug Goldstein said the band was "three to five months away from actually recording," but a release shouldn't be expected until 1999.That year, Guns N' Roses began recording at Rumbo Recorders, where parts of Appetite for Destruction had been tracked. Geffen paid Rose $1 million to finish the album, with another $1 million promised if he delivered by March 1, 1999. A&R executive James Barber was brought in to assist: "No expense was spared; they were the biggest band in the history of the label... We desperately wanted the new album for Christmas 1998 and I had a year to get it finished." Barber described the music as "pretty incredible... like GNR, but with Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails and Pink Floyd mixed in. If Axl had recorded vocals, it would have been an absolutely contemporary record in 1999."
In mid-1998, producer Youth joined to help Rose focus. Youth said "I went to his house and we started writing songs, strumming guitars in the kitchen. That was a major breakthrough because it got him singing again which he hadn't done for a long time.... He hadn’t been singing for around 18 months. I think the record had turned into a real labour. He was stuck and didn’t know how to proceed, so he was avoiding it. He had some brilliant ideas, but they really were just sketches. He really wanted to leave the past behind and make a hugely ambitious album." He later said Rose was withdrawn and not ready to record: "He kind of pulled out... There weren't very many people I think he could trust." Frustrated, Youth left. Engineer Dave Dominguez said Youth was fired after Rose found out about a $1,000,000 bonus he would receive if he got the album out by certain deadlines. Rose later said he had stopped writing in the mid-1990s because of criticism from bandmates and his ex-fiancée Stephanie Seymour.
Rose didn't attend sessions regularly. Dominguez said, "He'd be 'on' for a couple of weeks and then 'off' for a couple weeks. He called in pretty much every day, though." Rose rarely sang, occasionally played instruments, and often spent nights discussing non-musical topics. He instructed engineers to keep recording ideas in his absence and was sent multiple CDs and DATs weekly. Over time, he accumulated more than 1000 discs.
Goldstein said the band had "more than 300 hours" of material: “They each take a CD home, listen for cool parts, pick them out, and that's how they build songs." Dominguez explained:
Work with producer Sean Beavan
The band worked with producer Sean Beavan from late 1998 to early 2000. Engineer Dave Dominguez left a few days after Beavan brought in his own engineer Jeff "Critter" Newell. Beavan recorded Rose's vocals in under a week, most of which are the takes appearing on the final release. He claimed to have worked on 35 songs. Billy Howerdel, hired as a Pro Tools engineer, said "I came in making sounds for Robin Finck, and that turned into this two-and-a-half-year gig." At one point, Rose paused work to have the new lineup rerecord Appetite for Destruction using modern recording techniques. He said this helped members reach the needed quality and improved the writing process. In 1999, Queen guitarist Brian May recorded guitar for several tracks. By mid-1999, over 30 songs had been recorded, and the album was tentatively titled 2000 Intentions.In 1999, Rose said they had enough material for at least two albums, including one more industrial and electronic than Chinese Democracy. Sources said the plan was to release Chinese Democracy, tour for a year or two, then release the second album without returning to the studio.
Album title revealed and release of "Oh My God"
In a November 1999 interview, Rose announced the title Chinese Democracy, saying: "There's a lot of Chinese democracy movements... It could also just be like an ironic statement. I don't know, I just like the sound of it." He would later state, "The use of the two words "Chinese" and "Democracy" was intentional... I do not purport to know what system of government is best for the people of China. I feel that the prejudice and closed-mindedness of at least many outspoken Guns N' Roses fans seems to warrant an awareness of the realities of a constantly evolving and ever-growing world where China continues to play an ever-increasing role." He described the album as a "melting pot" of varied sounds, including heavy and aggressive tracks. Later that month, he previewed songs for Rolling Stone, who likened the sound to "Physical Graffiti remixed by Beck and Trent Reznor." In 1997–98, sources described the album as electronic influenced. Chris Vrenna said that Rose aimed for a sound like U2 and Brian Eno's Original Soundtracks 1. Though often labeled industrial rock, Rose clarified: "It is not industrial... There will be all kinds of styles, many influences as blues, mixed in the songs."That same month, Guns N' Roses released "Oh My God", their first new track in five years and first original in eight, featured in End of Days. The lineup included Rose, Tobias, Stinson, Reed, Pitman, Finck, and Freese, plus guest guitarists Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine. Navarro, briefly recruited in 1991 to replace Stradlin, recalled: "Axl called… I showed up with my gear … there were 10 people in the studio, and I was like, ‘Where's Axl?’ And they were like, ‘He's coming. But let's get started anyway’... I recorded a couple of passes... and then I hear, ‘Yeah, that sounds really good. Why don't you keep that one?’ What it was was Axl on speakerphone from his home. Very strange – but I love that it was strange."
"Oh My God" received mixed reviews; AllMusic called it "a less than satisfying comeback", while Rolling Stone saw it as a stopgap to appease fans and offset costs. Beavan said Jimmy Iovine chose the track for the film after hearing several demos. Rose, Iovine, and technicians stayed up all night finalizing the mix. Rose later called it an unfinished demo due to its rushed release.