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Album Review: Appetite for Destruction

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  •  
    Jeremy Wallace
    Senior Member

  • Guns N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction



    The radio waves in 1987 were littered with watered down, bubble gum, “safe” rock. Songs like “Luka” by Suzanne Vega and “Faith” by George Michael dominated radio and MTV rotations. Even the rock bands of the times were charting with the token ballad that was part of the recipe for a hit album during that era. David Coverdale's Whitesnake was hitting the charts with vanilla like “Is this Love”. 70's hard rockers Heart traded in their attitudes and Barracuda riffs for high hair and cheese ball songs like “Alone”. Gone were the days of jam bands and dirty rock. Now glam, make-up, a monster stage show and adequate playing were all the rage in the world of rock music. That was until a band from Hollywood brought back the filth, the grind, the sleaze, the sex and the drugs.

    The band was Guns N' Roses and the album that changed everything was Appetite for Destruction. Even today after selling close to 30 million records Appetite for Destruction still sounds current and relevant, a true testimony to the brilliance of its creators.

    Track Listing:
    1. Welcome to the Jungle: Featured in Dirty Harry: The Dead Pool. This song has become legendary and one of the most important hard rock songs of all time. Written by Axl and Slash.

    2. It's So Easy: Written by bass player Duff McKagan. One of the highlights of this jam is Axl saying the words, “I see you standing there. You think you're so cool. Why don't you just…FUCK OFF!” then followed immediately by a ripping solo by Slash. Yes, the lyric is juvenile but it is honest and absolutely fits the vibe of the song.

    3. Nigh Train: Written about alcohol while drowning in alcohol. Good jam with a sing a long chorus.

    4. Out ta Get Me: Written by Axl reflecting on his youth. One of the most underrated songs in the Guns catalog. The verses are sung over a killer rhythm section groove, and the chorus explodes with “I'm Fucking Innocent!”

    5. Mr. Brownstone : Obviously written about heroin addiction, the music is an aggressive haunting while the lyrics honestly tell the story of a life in the day of an addict.

    6. Paradise City: Nobody really knows where Paradise City is. But what we do know is that this is one of the greatest songs in the history of hard rock. The production brilliantly mixes vocal stylings with a march type rhythm. The verses are hard hitting followed by a chorus that is sung by every person on the planet at the top of their lungs while listening to it in their car. The song gets injected speed at the 4:50 mark as it jaunts into a speed pace that induces even the stiffest and most rigid person into a head banging trance.

    7. My Michele: Inspired by “Your Song” by Elton John, this was Axl's attempt to write a dedication song to a girl. The lyrics are brutally honest as they talk about the personal life of the subject (Michele Young). Just take a listen sometime to the first verse. Good stuff!

    8. Think About You: This was written entirely by guitarist Izzy Stradlin. The song obviously has a different vibe and feel to it. It is fast paced but has more of a straight up rock feel to it as opposed to the aggressive hard edge style of the rest of the album. The song is incredible and uplifting. It should be noted that Izzy also played the solo in the song.

    9. Sweet Child O' Mine: This is the only GNR song to reach number one on the Billboard Charts. An amazing guitar intro takes us into a beautiful and sincere vocal performance by Axl. Nothing really needs to be said about this song. In my opinion it is the greatest hard rock ballad ever recorded.

    10. You're Crazy: This song immediately grabs you by the throat and repeatedly punches you in the face. Incredibly fast and aggressive which is ironic since it was originally written as an acoustic song. The acoustic version can be found on G N' R Lies.

    11. Anything Goes: Anything Goes is a simple rock tune that is written and recorded with its finger directly on the pulse of the heartbeat of rock n' roll.

    12. Rocket Queen: The most famous story about this song is during the break you hear sex noises. This was actually a recording of Axl having sex with Steven Adler's girlfriend in the studio. Sheesh…no wonder Adler developed such a drug problem.

    All in all Appetite for Destruction is in a class by itself. Not only is it one of the greatest hard rock albums ever, it is also one of the greatest and most significant recordings in the history of music. With all original members still alive, I for one am praying to the rock Gods for a reunion.

    • agent999
      #7
      agent999
      Senior Member
      agent999 commented
      Editing a comment
      Get in the ring motherfucker!

    • Roderick
      #8
      Roderick
      Butthorn
      Roderick commented
      Editing a comment
      At least he is still okay with killing girlfriends. They do complain a lot after all.

    • Mark Tolch
      #9
      Mark Tolch
      Senior Member
      Mark Tolch commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, the double standard is impressive. I still have Appetite, and that's all of the GnR I will ever require.
    Posting comments is disabled.

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