http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/

Rolling Stone has a story on the single's release, yet the page is blank at the moment, only giving an error message.  I was hoping for some information on the track, but no such luck for now.  Hopefully it will be fixed soon...

That's a tough one.  I see it one of two ways at this point.

And yes, my opinions are my own, and based on a lot of assumptions about Axl and the band that I ultimately know very little about.  That said:

Axl seems like a driven and meticulous perfectionist, all of which I obviously mean as a compliment.  He also seems to appreciate and thrive on the energy between  players, and has put tremendous effort into crafting a band "dynamic" that is worthy of the name Guns 'n Roses and the music they create together.

Assuming - and it's a colossal assumption - that part of the problem is that Axl is driven to recapture or recreate the dynamic or spark that existed between the original lineup and the music they made, perhaps the best way to do that is to actually try to work with the original lineup once again.  Maybe it's the only way at this point to make peace with his demons and move forward creatively and musically.  If that's the case, then I wouldn't expect to see much of the material written and recorded for CD released without some major overhauls and a prolonged wait, re-writing and re-recording parts to accommodate new (aka old) players and contributions.  If it would ever be released at all.

But that's not gonna happen.

There is simply too much to prove at this point, and way too much on the line.  Axl has been toiling over this monster for far too long (understatement, that is!) to not receive the validation of releasing CD on his own terms, when it sounds the way he wants it to sound, and when it's played by the players he chooses to surround himself with, those who can also deliver the songs live they way they are meant to be heard.   Given what we've been fortunate enough to preview, this album will be more than worth the wait (again, understatement). 

So to answer the question:  Robin or no Robin, Chinese Democracy will happen on Axl's terms, and that's exactly how it should be.  His legacy, and that of Guns n Roses, largely depends on it at this point.  Given the large rotating cast of contributors to the album, Robin - unfortunately - may ultimately be relegated to footnote status in not only Axl's story, but also that of Chinese Democracy and Guns 'n Roses.  Therefore, I don't see him as worth the "blank check" option.

That said, I sincerely hope Robin stays in the fold.  If not, give that blank check to someone who will help motivate and inspire Axl to keep writing and recording phenomenal music, and who will help make his vision into a reality.

Either that, or the people at Billboard are as anxious and eager as we are.  Hell, I'm just glad we can use "managers" and "GnR" in the same sentence again....

No kidding...this is a bit like a homecoming, isn't it?  Nice to see everyone again!

Me, I still think Mysteron = Mister Ron.  Didn't he start posting around the time Ron was/wasn't going to join GnR before things initially took a turn for the worse?  Not to mention I remember him posting about Savatage in a thread and commenting on "rock operas."  All intuition, but it seems like a good fit to me.

As for Robin, I'm glad that something official has come out.  The release seems to have far more good news buried in it than anything negative, whether Robin stays or goes in the end.  It certainly doesn't make the band sound like they're on the best of personal terms w/ Robin at the moment, but ultimately, you don't have to be friends - or even friendly - to be an active and important member in terms of writing and touring.  We'll see when the time comes...