Chinese Democracy 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." Zutaut estimated that Guns N' Roses were working on 50 or 60 songs; he went through each with Rose, trying to decide which were worth finishing. According to Zutaut, during his time with the band they completed versions of "The Blues", "Madagascar", "Chinese Democracy", and a "good" version of "Atlas Shrugged". When
Chinese Democracy studios. Though Geffen planned to release "Chinese Democracy" in 1999, it was delayed and completely re-recorded 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 an announced March 2007 release date, it was finally released in November 2008, dogged by online 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 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); however, it did not meet sales expectations