1998 - 2001: 2000 INTENTIONS

February 1998: Rolling Stone article. GnR manager Doug Goldstein says Axl is in an LA studio working on the new album and that the band has recorded "more than 300 hours of material." He estimates they are "three to five months away from actual recording" and not to expect a record until 1999.

April 1998: MTV reports Axl will soon be going into the studio with producer Youth and that GnR is currently writing and rehearsing songs. A Geffen spokesperson says that "while it’s possible, it’s highly unlikely a new GnR album will come out this year."

September 1998: Addicted to Noise says the new GnR lineup is: Axl Rose, Robin Finck, Paul Tobias, Dizzy Reed, drummer Josh Freese (formerly of The Vandals), bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements) and effects man Chris Pittman. GnR spokesperson Bryn Bridenthal says the band is working on an album that sounds like an "electronic-influenced progression of Guns n' Roses" and that "we're anticipating a record next summer."

November 1998: Much Music reports that the band is now working with producer Sean Beaven in a Los Angeles studio.

1998: Geffen Records promises Axl a $1 million bonus if he delivers a new Guns N Roses album by March 1 of the following year.

1999: The new lineup of GnR records an updated version of Appetite For Destruction. This was mainly to help prepare the band for future concerts. Axl later tells Kurt Loder: “I don't know what I'm going to do with it, exactly, when I would be putting that out. But you know, it has a lot of energy.”

January 1999: Seagram orchestrates a massive restructuring of its music division, firing 110 Geffen employees and folding the unit into the corporation's bigger Interscope Records division. The unfinished Guns N Roses album project is placed in the hands of Interscope's chairman, Jimmy Iovine.

July 1999: During the end credits of the film Big Daddy an updated version of the GnR classic “Sweet Child O’Mine” is heard. It starts out with a live recording from 1993 then turns into a studio version recorded by new GnR lineup.

08/01/99: Robin Finck leaves GN'R to rejoin Nine Inch Nails.

August 1999: Kerrang! magazine says GnR has been working on around 30 songs and the music is a mix of “techno-industrial rock” and “old-style Guns sleaze.” They reveal that basketball star Shaquille O’Neal rapped on one track. Rumored titles for the album are Cockroach Soup and 2000 Intentions. Polygram/Universal says the album has been on its release schedule several times but the band have consistently failed to meet deadlines.

November 1999: Guns n Roses concert album Live Era 1987-1993 is released. Axl laters tells Kurt Loder “It was something we wanted to give to the public in a way of saying farewell. It was a very difficult thing to do, as listening to it and the people involved... [it] wasn't the most emotionally pleasant thing to do.”

November 1999: The first new original Guns N Roses song since 1991, “Oh My God” is released as part of the End Of Days movie soundtrack. The track features four guitarists: Tobias, Finck, Dave Navarro (from Jane’s Addiction) and Gary Sunshine.

November 8th, 1999: GnR manager Doug Goldstein tells the LA Times a new album called Chinese Democracy will be released in 2000.

November 1999: Axl is interviewed by Kurt Loder for MTV. He talks about the problems finishing the new album. “I originally wanted to make a traditional record or try to get back to an "Appetite" thing or something, because that would have been a lot easier for me to do... but I was not really allowed to do that.” On Slash leaving the group. “We were trying to make things work with Slash for a very, very long time... about three and a half years.” On Duff and Matt leaving. “That was their choice to leave. Everybody that's gone did it by choice. Matt was fired, but Matt came in attempting to get fired and told many people so that night.”

On Chinese Democracy: “We've been working on, I don't know, 70 songs. The record will be about, anywhere from 16 to 18 songs, but we recorded at least two albums' worth of material that is solidly recorded.” On the new lineup. “To be honest, it was a long time for me since Guns N' Roses as the old lineup had been fun, and the new guys have been a breath of fresh air.” Loder asks “When do you think we will actually see this album? Is it possible to say early next year?” Axl says “We're hoping. Yes, definitely, everything seems to be going well.”

January 2000: Axl lets Rolling Stone writer David Wild listen to dozens of tracks off Chinese Democracy. Wild describes the music as "Physical Graffiti remixed by Beck and Trent Reznor." GnR manager Doug Goldsterin says: “'As far as I can tell, 'we are now 99% musically done and 80% vocals done. I see the record being done February or March for a summer release.''

January 2000: In the Rolling Stone article Axl talks about his decision to continue using the Guns n Roses name. “It is something I lived by before these guys were in it. And there were other people in Guns N` Roses before them, you know.” On the new record he says. “It's not an Axl Rose album, even if it's what I wanted it to be.”

March 2000: John Freese leaves GnR to form A Perfect Circle.

Spring 2000: Producer Roy Thomas Baker begins working on the album. A&R man Bob Ezrin is also brought onto the project.

October 2000: Drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia (formerly of Primus) and guitarist Buckethead join the band. Also, Robin Finck rejoins.

January 2001: Guns N' Roses plays it's first concerts since 1993 appearing at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas and Rock in Rio festival in Brazil. The new lineup features: Rose, Dizzy Reed, Paul Tobias, Robin Finck, Tommy Stinson, Brain, Buckethead and Chris Pitman. They play several new songs: "Chinese Democracy," "The Blues," "Silkworms," "Madagascar" "Rhiad And The Bedouins" and "Oh My God."

January 2001 O Globo Article “The expectations of the band turns now to the new album, "Chinese Democracy", which will be released in June. The leader guarantees his fans that they will be rewarded for the long wait. With 18 songs, the group's next album is a collection of songs, which in Axl's opinion are as good as "November Rain". The CD will include a tribute to John Lennon and another about child abuse.”

January 2001: Axl Radio Rock And Pop Chile interview. DJ asks when the new album is coming out. Axl: “Um, hopefully we will put out a new single umm sometime this spring and then the record gonna be done in June or shortly thereafter.”

January 22nd 2001 Axl Rock & Pop FM Argentina interview. DJ asks why the album has taken so long to be released. Axl: “We hadn't written songs or recorded for many years. There were band changes and there were many changes in the record company. People in the record company had many opinions and they wanted to make the best possible record. Every time that we thought that we had the correct songs, then somebody thought that we could make it better..”

Early 2001: The band announces a June tour of Europe.

May 2001: GnR reschedules its Europe dates for December because Buckethead is ill.

November 2001: GnR cancels the rescheduled European dates. Manager Doug Goldstein tells the press he forgot to make Axl aware of the tour. He says: "Following the euphoria of Rock In Rio, I jumped the gun and arranged a European tour, as our plan was to have the new album out this year."

2001: Tom Zutaut, the A&R man who helped get GnR signed to Geffen Records, works for 9 months to help Axl finish the album. "I really thought I could get him to deliver the record, and we got close."

December 29th-31st, 2001: The band plays two shows at The Joint in Las Vegas