Chinese Democracy  by Guns ‘n’ Roses

If an album has gone through a lot in order to be recorded and finally released, it is the Chinese Democracy by Guns 'n' Roses or Axl Rose and some other musicians. The album took ten years (!) to reach its final form, while recordings took place in fourteen different studios (!) Typically, it is the sixth album of the band - and so far, the last one.

Considering all the above, along with the fact that fifteen years had passed since the last time an official studio album by Guns 'n' Roses was released, it is easy to understand that the sound of Chinese Democracy does not resemble the band of its previous works at all. Axl Rose is behind all the compositions, also having the help of the other band members. Additionally, the production of the album is his and Caram Costanzo's. The cover photo was taken by Terry Hardin in the Walled City of Kowloon, which is an anarcho-autonomous neglected settlement in Hong Kong. This cover idea was ingrained in Axl Rose's mind from the beginning of the album's creation, as was its title.

Chinese Democracy has managed to exceed sales of 2,200,000, but obviously, it should have sold more to cover the $13,000,000 (!) it cost from 1998 to 2008 to complete. This amount makes Chinese Democracy the most expensive album ever recorded. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard.