Guns N' Roses: W. Axl Rose (vocals, synthesizer, percussion); Slash (acoustic & electric guitars); Izzy Stradlin (guitar, background vocals, percussion); Duff "Rose" McKagan (bass, background vocals); Steven Adler (drums).
Recorded at Rumbo Studios, Canoga Park, California; Take One Studio, Burbank, California; Can Am Studio, Tarzana, California.
Guns N' Roses' debut, Appetite for Destruction was a turning point for hard rock in the late '80s -- it was a dirty, dangerous, and mean record in a time when heavy metal meant nothing but a good time. On the surface, Guns N' Roses may appear to celebrate the same things as their peers -- namely, sex, liquor, drugs, and rock & roll -- but there is a nasty edge to their songs, since Axl Rose doesn't see much fun in the urban sprawl of L.A. and its parade of heavy metal thugs, cheap women, booze, and crime. The music is as nasty as the lyrics, wallowing in a bluesy, metallic hard rock borrowed from Aerosmith, AC/DC, and countless faceless hard rock bands of the early '80s. It's a primal, sleazy sound that adds grit to already grim tales. It also makes Rose's misogyny, fear, and anger hard to dismiss as merely an artistic statement; this is music that sounds lived-in. And that's exactly why Appetite for Destruction is such a powerful record -- not only does Rose have fears, but he also is vulnerable, particularly on the power ballad "Sweet Child O' Mine." He also has a talent for conveying the fears and horrors of the decaying inner city, whether it's on the charging "Welcome to the Jungle," the heroin ode "Mr. Brownstone," or "Paradise City," which simply wants out. But as good as Rose's lyrics and screeching vocals are, they wouldn't be nearly as effective without the twin-guitar interplay of Slash and Izzy Stradlin, who spit out riffs and solos better than any band since the Rolling Stones, and that's what makes Appetite for Destruction the best metal record of the late '80s. [The edited edition is censored due to profanity and is missing the inside artwork.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (11/89) - Rated #27 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey.
Spin (p.105) - "Shrieked in registers so high they never wanna come down....The greatest album ever made about how you can't run away from yourself."
Spin (p.89) - "[T]he chiming intro and druggy harmonies of 'Paradise City' reached back to the Byrds."
Q (7/01, p.86) - Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time".
Q (8/00, p.127) - Included in Q's "Best Metal Albums Of All Time" - "The sweariest rock album ever made...a riotous celebration of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll..."
Alternative Press (p.200) - "Slash's leering, boogie-rock riffs reeked of danger and the Stones..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.53) - "A genuine rock classic and one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years....It was loud, nasty, caused public outcry and sold over 25 million copies."
