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Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy. Yes, it's real.

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17. … and an NBA basketball star

Of all the cameos, most bizarre was Shaquille O' Neal, whose guest rap mercifully doesn't make the cut. "I saw Guns N' Roses on the bulletin board of the studio, so I stuck my head in," remembers the strapping slam-dunker. "They asked me to join them, so I started freestylin' over their track."

18. Take one chicken coop…

Logically enough, given his poultry fixation, Buckethead insisted he record his parts from a makeshift coop erected in the live room. "He's got his chair and a little sofa," recalls Zutaut, "and there's a rubber chicken with its head cut off hanging from the ceiling, and body parts. It's totally Buckethead's world."

19. … a smattering of wolf shit…

"Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title." The Offspring's Dexter Holland

The pièce de résistance, meanwhile, was a pile of faeces left in the coop by Rose's timber wolf puppy. "One of the engineers says, 'Bucket, we'll get it cleaned up' and Buckethead says, 'I love the smell of dog poop – leave it right here'," recalls Zutaut. "Three days later, the studio stinks to high heaven…"

20. … and some dubious pornography

Another winning feature of Buckethead's coop was a television streaming hardcore pornography. This crossed a line with his paymaster, according to Zutaut. "Axl sees that Bucket is running this porn, and he's really disturbed by it. He said, 'I really can't have dirty depraved porn being part of my record'."

21. It was almost gazumped by The Offspring

In 2003, the ageing skate-punks threatened to christen their seventh album Chinese Democracy. "You snooze you lose," noted singer Dexter Holland. "Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title." They relented, plumping for Splinter instead.

22. It's been released before (sort of)

Perhaps the most leaked album in history, Chinese Democracy caused another high-profile court case in August, when Kevin Cogill was arrested at his Los Angeles home for uploading nine tracks. The 27-year-old will plead guilty in the Los Angeles Federal Court in December.

23. It wasn't a 'regular' job…

David Gilmour's session men probably do a nine-to-five. That's not how it works with Rose. "He'd come to the studio once or twice a week," says Zutaut. "Or he might come at four in the afternoon and work 'til midnight the next day. That's how always GN'R operated – when they want to record, you record them."

24. And there was plenty of free time

With Axl often absent and unreachable, the band made their own fun. Bassist Tommy Stinson released his own solo album during downtime, while guitar tech Billy Howerdel managed to form A Perfect Circle.