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1991年に発売された『Use Your Illusion I & II』以来、約17年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバム。オリジナル・メンバーとして、バンドに残るただ一人となったアクセルの意向が大きく反映されたであろう作品となっている。バラード系の曲、＃4、6、7、12、13、14 等は、元々アクセルの得意とするところ。
演奏隊はほぼ一新され、アクセルが一時傾倒していたという、インダストリアル、アブストラクト・ヒップホップ等の影響により、ループやサンプリングといった要素も一部導入されている。そういった今までのアルバムとの差異が、本作の賛否を別ける一因となっている。
＃2は、バージニア工科大学銃乱射事件、＃7は、J.D.サリンジャーの小説『ライ麦畑でつかまえて(原題：The Catcher in the Rye)』に触発されたもの。
2006年にアクセルが語ったところによると、自身のお気に入りは、＃3、4、6 とのこと。

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英アルバム・チャート、2位。米ビルボード・チャート、3位。

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• W. Axl Rose (vocals, background vocals, piano, keyboards, synth orchestra, synth french horns, guitars)
• Robin Finck (guitars, keyboards, acoustic guitar)
• Buckethead (guitars, acoustic guitar)
• Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitars)
• Richard Fortus (guitars)
• Tommy Stinson (bass, background vocals)
• Dizzy Reed (keyboards, piano, background vocals, synth orchestra)
• Chris Pitman (keyboards, sub bass, bass, background vocals, synth orchestra, 12 string guitar)
• Bryan "Brain" Mantia (drums)
• Frank Ferrer (drums)
• Paul "huge" Tobias (guitars, piano)

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Produced by Axl Rose and Caram Costanzo
Mixed by Andy Wallace, Caram Costanzo and Axl Rose
Final Mixing: Caram Costanzo and Axl Rose
Engineered by Caram Costanzo
Pro Tools Engineer: Eric Caudieux
Additional Production: Eric Caudieux, Chris Pitman

Additional Production and preproduction by Roy Thomas Barker for RTB Audio Visual Productions USA.
Additional Production: Sean Beavan

Additional and/or initial Engineering: Critter, Dan Monti, Jeremy Blair
Assistant Engineers: Okhee Kim, Andy Gwynn, Brian Monteath, Dave Dominguez, Jose Borges, Joe Pelmso, Christian Baker, James Musshorn, Jan Petrov, Jeff Robinette, Bob Koszela, Paul Payne, Mark Gray, Xavier Albira, Dror Mohar, Erich Tabala, Shawn Berman, Donald Clark, Shinnosuke Miyazawa, Vanessa Parr, John Beene, Al Perrotta

Mix Assistants: Mike Scielzi, Paul Saurez
Pro Tools Mix Engineer: John O'Mahony

Additional Pro Tools: Sean Beavan, Greg Morgenstein, Paul DeCarli, Bily Bowers, Justin Walden, Rail Jon Rogut, Isaac Abolin

Logic: Chris Pitman, Stuart White, Bryan Mantia, Billy Howerdel, Dizzy Reed, Axl Rose

Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios Inc, Portland, Maine.

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Studios:
In Los Angeles, CA: The Village, Rumbo, Can Am, Woodland Ranch, IGA, Cherokee, Capitol, Sunset Sound.
In New York, NY: Battery, Soundtrack, Electric Lady, Bennett House
In Las Vegas, NV: The Palms
In London, UK: The Townhouse

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Piano Techs: Oleg Schramm, Will Jennings
Guitar Techs: Curtis Laur, Sean Paden, Chris Whitemyer, Stig, Billy Howerdel, Brian Doyle, Jimbo Barker Drum Tech: Gary Gersh (Drum Fetish)
Keyboard Tech: Stuart White

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Additional production Madagascar, If The World, There Was A Time: Chris Pitman
Initial Production Madagascar, If The World: Chris Pitman, Sean Bavan
Additional demo preproduction Madagascar: Youth
Initial production Better: Robin Finck
Initial production Shackler's Revenge: Pete Scaturro, Bryan Mantia
Initial production Scraped: Caram Costanzo
Additional engineering and initial production Sorry For You: Pete Scaturro, Bryan Mantia

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Axl's guitars on There Was A Time recorded by: Billy Howerdel

Guitar solos (Robin) Street Of Dreams, I.R.S., There Was A Time initially produced by Sean Beavan, Engineered by Critter, re-amped, edited and engineered by Caram Costanzo.

Guitar Solos (Buckethead) If The World and Madagascar initially produced by Sean Beavan, Engineered by Critter, re-amped, edited and engineered by Caram Costanzo.

Axl's main Vocals: Chinese Democracy, Prostitute, If The World, There Was A Time, Madagascar, Riad N' The Bedouins, I.R.S., Street Of Dreams recorded by Sean Beavan, engineered by Critter, re-edited, processed and engineered by Caram Costanzo (all Axl's vocals produced by Axl).

Lyrics N' Melodies by Axl Rose.

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Management: Irving Azoff and Andy Gould of Front Line Management
Legal: Laurie Soriano and Danny Hayes of Dawis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes, Alan Gutman of Law Offices of Alan S. Gutman
Business Management: Bernie Gilhuly of LL Management Group, Los Angeles
Publicity: Larry Solters and Anna Loynes for Scoop Marketing
Agency: Mitch Rose for CAA, John Jackson for K2 Agency, LTD

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Cover photo by Terry Hardin
Live band phography by George Chin
"Red Star" by Chinese artist Shi Lifeng
Painting by Somyot Hananuntasuk
Untitled red cross painting by Sasha Volkova

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• Chinese Democracy

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• none

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≫ Chinese Democracy Info | Madagascar Quotes | Chinese Democracy Alternate Artwork