It's official: The Guns N' Roses record will be out in time for the holiday shopping rush, and Best Buy stores will be the only place to get it.
The Richfield-based retail chain and GNR's label, Geffen Records, announced the exclusive deal Wednesday after a month of speculation that was the culmination of 10-plus years of gossip about "Chinese Democracy," the perennially delayed album from Axl Rose that has reportedly cost several million dollars to produce. It will be released Nov. 23 with 14 songs, three of which have not yet leaked onto the Internet or been performed in concert. Best Buy's website is already taking orders for the disc.
The title track, which is also the first single, hit the airwaves Wednesday. "This time, it's coming to stay," read a big message on the website of 93X (93.7 FM). The Twin Cities rock station heard from GNR's lawyers after spinning "Chinese Democracy" and some other leaked tracks this summer.
Guns N' Roses have not released a new album since 1993, at which time frontman Rose overhauled the band's lineup and missed many previously announced release dates.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
