Here's the joke: We have been waiting so long (13 years and counting) for Guns N' Roses to release Chinese Democracythat there will probably be democracy in China by the time the album comes out. Which will probably mean they'll have to change the title, which will probably mean another delay, etc.

However, with Chinese Democracynow available to pre-buy on Amazon, and with the first single having been leaked onto the net (you'll have to dig around a bit for it), it does appear that the album will get a 2007 release.

Not since The Beach Boys' Smilehas an unreleased music album been so mythologised. Books will be written about the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the work, and how Chinese Democracyis now, officially, the most expensive album never released.

The sessions began in 1994 for an album that was supposed to be a follow-up to Use Your Illusion. Since then Gun N' Roses have changed personnel, a small army of musicians have been through the studio's revolving door, four producers have walked out on the project, and so many different studios have been used that the sleeve notes will read like an atlas.

Axl Rose (his name is an anagram of oral sex; isn't he a caution?) was so moved by the shenanigans surrounding the recording of Chinese Democracythat he released an uncharacteristically coherent and contrite message on the band's website: "To say the making of this album has been an unbearably long and incomprehensible journey would be an understatement. Overcoming the endless and insane amount of obstacles faced by all involved, notwithstanding the emotional challenges endured by everyone has at times seemed like a bad dream in which one waked up only to find that they're still in the nightmare. Unfortunately, this time it's been played out for over a decade in real life."

From the little leaks here and there, it appears that Guns N' Roses have gone for a more Nine Inch Nailssound (which was the very reason why Slash left the band), and that the songs sound robust if not a bit (hardly surprisingly) dated.

What chance will Chinese Democracyhave when it lands in the record shops? Even if, as early indications point to, it is a very good album, will that be enough? The only comparable big-name band to have such a long gap between albums was The Stone Roses. Five years passed between their debut and follow-up Second Comingand, burdened by so much expectation, they simply couldn't deliver. The Stone Roses never really recovered from the loss of momentum and eventually broke up.

By a spooky coincidence, both Second Comingand Chinese Democracyare on the Geffen Records label. You'd think that the company would have learned their lesson first time around, but the circumstances are different here: Guns N' Roses 2007 are a completely different band than Guns N' Roses 1994. Most bands have deadlines built into their contracts as to when they have to deliver albums, but simply because Guns N' Roses (with an astonishing 90 millions album sold worldwide) turn over so much dosh for Geffen (the company would be on about $6-$7 of every Guns N' Roses album sold), the band are the one giving it the "you'll get it when you get it" line.

Even fellow bands are so intrigued by the continuing non-release that one, punk- poppers Offspring, called their 2003 album Chinese Democracy: You Snooze, You Lose. The band later said it was just an April fool joke and used the title Splinter; others will say they were scared off by Guns N' Roses' lawyers.

You can confidently expect Chinese Democracybefore the end of October. But I'm still hedging my bets on October of what year.