In praise of Appetite for Destruction, a timeless album

imalrightjack

I turned 50 just a week back and just now reflected that this album was absolutely the one that drove me to learn guitar, so long ago - in fact 37 years ago. I watched their Live at the Ritz video over and over again back then and liked to dance around with a Liverpool FC scarf as a bandana!

Strangely, I’ve never bothered to learn ANY of the songs fully. Despite that, Slash’s time with Guns ‘N’ Roses on this and large amounts of Use Your Illusion I and II (maybe one good album in amongst a sea of turds) will always be some of my favourite guitar music, along with Izzy’s incredible complementary grooves and licks. It actually sounds better to me now than then, it’s so energetic, genuine and fresh. A truly great band performance (never the same post-Adler). 

I intend to learn it all now and have tuned a guitar down to Eb for it, something I’ve seldom done. 

What an inspirational album. 

tony99

I get up around seven...

Neilybob

Right with you on your statement.   

This album got me into rock music and Slash inspired me to pickup a guitar. His guitar on these albums is amazing. I remember learning to play Knocking on Heaven's Door. 

The song Breakdown on Use Your Illusion still stops me in my tracks, that outro solo is just perfect.  As does Locomotive and Coma. 

LPManic

Taught me how to play guitar. 

I don't think it's a perfect album - there are some duffers on there and it sounds very 80s. But it is brilliant.

imalrightjack

@LPManic For me, there’s not a bad song on there. It just works as an entirely coherent single piece. And I really tend to be picky (I don’t think any Bruce-era Maiden album was consistently good until Seventh Son).

I don’t think it sounds 80s, really, either - aside maybe Axl’s voice. I think the guitars sound real, live Marshalls in the room. 

stickyfiddle

I played Sweet Child of Mine at sound check last night. First time I've played it in 10+ years and first time with a band in 20. It's still fantastic. The whole record is awesome and basically killed them as they went mad trying to top it. 

Strat54

A nineteen year old me went to see them at Manchester Apollo in 1987...great gig. Classic album, a big fan of Izzy Stradlin too, think it was around 1992 when we went to see him at Leeds Town & Country Club. Still listen to AFD and Izzy's solo album.Not a huge fan of GnR's other records though. 

ryanverbena

Absolutely killer album, yes!!

I watched their live in Tokyo show last night for the first time in a long while. Man it's awesome. So much energy. 

Jonathangus

It's one of those very rare albums without a note out of place, IMO.

soma1975

If they had stopped at Appetite (and the AFD era tracks that made it onto other albums) they would have done their rep so much good. 

It's as good as a hard rock album can be. Raw as anything. Swings like crazy. 

Nothing like the absurd overblown pomposity that followed. Leather strides and nips out Axl >>> Cycling Shorts and leather jacket Axl.  

Steven Adler and his chaos was missed more than Izzy in my opinion. 

musteatbrain

Knighthood for Mr Tabs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QeY32U_A12M&pp=0gcJCZEKAYcqIYzv


Yowzer!

Philly_Q

I think it's a great album, but I've heard it so many times I'm not sure I ever need to hear it again.  And there aren't many albums I'd say that about... in fact I can't think of any others!

willo

imalrightjack said:

I don’t think it sounds 80s, really, either - aside maybe Axl’s voice. I think the guitars sound real, live Marshalls in the room. 

`it's just really raw, isn't it - this punk thing they had. it was never studio processed, mid scooped, loads of wet effects etc..

hollywoodrox

I don’t get the hate for UYI I & II   I love them & such a diverse collection of songs . It’s G n R’s Exile 

TheMarlin

Listen to ‘Appetite for Destruction’ and ‘Never mind the Bollocks’ back to back. 

A lot of the riffs Slash uses come straight from that album. 

Not that I’m complaining, I love both albums. 

skullfunkerry

I bloody love GnR, I listened to Appetite so much when it came out and the guitar playing on it blew my mind.

I'm with @hollywoodrox ;on Use Your Illusion too, i think they're both great albums (although Get in the Ring is lame).

Use Your Illusion came out when I was 18, and Chinese Democracy took until I was 35 to appear; I was literally waiting almost half my life for it... I wouldn't call it a great album, but I still like it.

(Also, in checking the release dates, I've just realised that this year is as far from Chinese Democracy as Chinese Democracy was from Use Your Illusion. That's blown my mind a little bit, tbh.)

PLOP

GNR have always been a band I can deal with for a while but I think it’s oversaturation of their main hits that puts me off everything else. They have some brilliant songs, like Civil War, Estranged, Don’t Cry (all from UYI not AFD) I can’t deny that afd will always be a bit of fun to have on at a party. 

Chinese democracy is their best album to me. It’s an Axl solo album admittedly but it brings some seriously impressive modern playing and structure. It’s not the best album ever, obviously. But it’s the only GNR album I ever put on aside from one song here and there. 

Philly_Q

I just realised Guns N' Roses weren't even in my Spotify library.  Which is probably an indicator that I haven't listened to them for a very long time indeed.

Sporky

AfD sounds very much of its time to me. 

duotone

One of my favourite albums of all time. I’ve listened to it so much over the years. 

Not a bad track on it imo, I think my favourite songs are Mr. Brownstone & Rocket Queen. Both have such a good groove, and I agree wholeheartedly with @imalrightjack that they were never the same without Steven Adler sitting behind the drum kit.

Over Christmas I learnt about the two sides of the album G & R (thanks to the Readly app).

• Side G ("Guns" side): Tracks 1–6. This side generally deals with themes of drugs, violence, and life in the big city.
• Side R ("Roses" side): Tracks 7–12. This side generally focuses on love, sex, and relationships.

A phenomenal album & one that I never get bored of listening to.

Creed_Clicks

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