Is Guns N’ Roses album “Chinese Democracy” ready for release?

Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy has become almost mythical to some rock fans, and to others, a complete joke. Over the course of  it’s 14 year gestation period, Slash, Duff, Gilby, and Matt Sorum have all left the band, and in their place, several new members have entered the picture. Axl has claimed many times over the years that the album only needed a few more “finishing touches” and that it’d be release during [insert season here]. After many missed opportunities, detractors and fans alike were left wondering, is this beast ever going to see the light of day?

Considering recent developments, it seems like a possibility.

It all started near the end of 2007, when various sources reported that Chinese Democracy was finished, and had been handed over to Universal. The album was already confirmed as finished in February 2007, by long time associate and friend Del James.

In March of this year, Guns N’ Roses announced that Irving Azoff (The Eagles, Van Halen) and Andy Gould (Rob Zombie) were replacing Merck Mercuriadis, the band’s previous manager. Recently, Azoff had gotten The Eagle’s latest release, Long Road out of Eden released as a Wal-Mart exclusive, the band’s first album in 28 years.

The same month, Dr. Pepper made a bold move, offering a free can of their soda to every American (With the exception of Slash and Buckethead) if Chinese Democracy saw the light of day in 2008. Axl responded with a grateful paragraph on the band’s official website (and confirmed that Buckethead will indeed be on the album – a dilemma often fought over between fans).

Then, after three months of silence, June saw nine new tracks leak through the internet, purported to be studio quality tracks from a finished Chinese Democracy. Six of the songs were new versions of previous leaks, but three were brand new studio versions, one of which had been played live during the disastrous 2002 World Tour.

Then rumor mill began rumbling once again on July 6th, when a track listing for the game Rock Band 2 leaked onto the internet. Number 28 on the list was Guns N’ Roses Shackler’s Revenge. Just over a week later, the track was confirmed as being in the game at the 2008 E3 Convention. In 1999, GN’R pulled a similar move in releasing the track Oh My God on the End of Days film soundtrack, which was followed by three more years of silence.

Just this week, a new track leaked, under the moniker of “Chicken Dinner”, and to follow it, rumors began circulating that Guns N’ Roses and Universal are negotiating to release the album as a Wal-Mart exclusive.

For the first time ever, Chinese Democracy seems on the verge of release. Recording on the album is finished, and general consensus says that the label has the finished album in their hands. There is no more room for excuses now, for it is now do or die time. Chinese Democracy HAS to be released by the end of this year or early next, or else they face total ridicule and embarrassment. No matter what happens, I support Guns and the new members.

CHINESE DEMOCRACY STARTS NOW!