Chinese Democracy — Guns N' Roses

Fifteen years, $13 million in production costs, and the departure of every original member except Axl Rose — all for an album that debuted at #3 and was out of the Billboard 200 within two months. Dr Pepper literally gave everyone in America a free soda because this album finally dropped. The soda was more memorable. It's the most expensive cautionary tale about perfectionism in music history.