Appetite for Good Music (Appetite For Destruction - Guns n' Roses)

Member Name: jamiemchale

Product:	Appetite For Destruction - Guns n' Roses
Date:	14/02/01 (694 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic Tracks, Roaring Guitar, Powerful Vocals

Disadvantages: -, -, -

Guns N' Roses - The most dangerous rock band in the world. Guns N' Roses were notorious for their lifestyles of excess, and their fantastic rock music. Guns N' Roses, at the time of Appetite for Destruction were:

Axl Rose - Vocals
Slash - Guitars
Izzy Stradlin' - Guitars
Duff McKagan - Bass
Steven Adler - Drums

This line-up is what many people consider as the original Guns N' Roses line-up, and remained unchanged for the "Lies" album, with only the drummer being replaced for the recording of their "Illusions" albums.

Appetite For Destruction was released in 1987, reaching high critical acclaim within the following years. It has given us several classic and highly memorable singles, rock anthems. The general emotion of the album is anger against the difficulty of inner city life, the turmoil, pace and trouble. It also includes some excellent pieces with sexual themes, some fantastic guitar solos, and some beautiful twists in the songs.

When the album was first released its cover-art was banned, showing the after-math of a supposed assault by a knife-wielding robot on a young woman. The cover-art was then replaced with the classic Celtic-style cross, with the five members of Gn’R each represented by a cartoon skull over the top of the cross. The controversial art-work was moved to the inside sleeve of the album, along with the lyrics, credits and a collage of Guns N' Roses photos.

The track listing is:

1. Welcome to the Jungle
2. It's So Easy
3. Nightrain
4. Out Ta Get Me
5. Mr Brownstone
6. Paradise City
7. My Michelle
8. Think About You
9. Sweet Child O' Mine
10. You're Crazy
11. Anything Goes
12. Rocket Queen

Twelve tracks of mad rock mayhem...

1. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

The rolling echoed guitar riff opens the album with the quiet vocal of "Oh my God". The
energy of the album becomes immediately apparent. The song written about the urban jungle, the pace and ferocity of inner city life. The original idea of this song was taken from a real life experience. Axl Rose, when hitch-hiking into L.A. for the first time was approached by a man as he entered the city, the man shouting "Do you know where you are? You in the jungle baby!"

The music video for this song (not included on the CD, check for "Welcome to the videos" VHS) highlights the mood for the song, indeed, a large part of the album. The band are playing in a small dingy rock-club stage, raw and dangerous. Axl Rose visits the city, obviously a country boy coming into the harsh world, in awe of it all. He feels trapped, strapped to a chair, TV and media blaze around him, showing flickering images of police and army violence and women in skimpy outfits - images of sin - At the end of the video he passes Slash, drinking on the kerb-side.

A corking opener to a great album, released several times in the UK, with a wide assortment of B-Sides, including "Whole Lotta Rosie (live)", and AC/DC cover, "Nightrain" and "It's So Easy", both from this "Appetite for Destruction" album.

2. IT'S SO EASY

"duh,duh,duh,duh,da-duh, duh, duh duh" - The bass-line kicks in from the end of WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. This is a distinctive and powerful opener (which I experienced live, with Slash's Snakepit). It is a fast paced, almost punk-like track. Axl Rose has a slightly different singing style on this song, much deeper than his normal screeching. This suits the racey style of the song, and provides interesting depth to the album, showing Axl's versatility.

It's So Easy was released as a single (Jun. '87) , with the B-Side "MR. BROWNSTONE" on the 7' vinyl, with the addition of "Shadow of Your Love", and non-album B-Side, and "
;Move to the City (live)", the studio version of which available on GnR's debut "Live ?!'@ Like A Suicide", and on their popular "Lies" album.

3. NIGHTRAIN

Nightrain is a song about going out into the night-life, drinking, having a good time, something Guns N' Roses were notorious for doing. Its slower opening guitar riff reminiscent of something AC/DC may play in a faster track. Also released as a single (Aug. '89), Nightrain came with the B-Sides of "Reckless Life", from the "Lies" / "Live ?!'@ Like A Suicide" albums, and on the 12' Vinyl with a live version of "Knocking on Heaven's door", a cover version later to appear on the popular "Use Your Illusion II" album.

4. OUT TA GET ME

This is yet another powerful, fast paced track, metal-rock at its best. This song was described by Axl as a song for those people who feel that there are people out there who want to bring you down. It deals with an angry person, hiding from society and the world, being beaten down, but screaming out against it all that they have something that no-one can touch.

"They break down the doors
And they rape my rights but
They won't touch me"

All of the songs on the album have impressive guitar solos courtesy of Slash and Izzy, however, the opening to the middle-solo on this song is one of my favorites, the first part of the solo blazes through the record, calming down in the middle, till Axl screams "Lemme hear you try!!!", and the guitar comes back in stronger, faster, and even more hair-raisingly, awe-inspiring than before. Truely great.

5. MR BROWNSTONE

"I used ta do a little but a little wouldn't do
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin' ta get a little better
Said the little better than before"

The lyrics ring-true for the lifestyl
e of Guns N' Roses as a band. Mr Brownstone, the drug heroin, taking over their lives, as it indeed did for some of the bands members. The track opens distinctively, the palm-muted guitars chugging away, then a slide down the guitar, then the main riff for the song. The song has a real rhythm to it, something that you can dance (or jump around to). A classic track, recently covered live by Slash's Snakepit (aside from "It's So Easy" the only GnR song that Slash wants to play these days).

6. PARADISE CITY

Aggh, the classic track, well known and distinctive chorus:

"Take me down to the Paradise City,
Where the grass is green,
and the girls are pretty"

This is a great feel-good track, although some of the lyrics still pained ("Captain America's been blown apart"). The simple opening guitar riff/appregio distinctive, opening to the steady drumming, and Axl's whistle to start the real beat of the song. The end of the song is a truly amazing piece of guitar work. Slash shreds up and down the fret-board, giving a tingling feeling to any listener. This song has received critical acclaim from the likes of Eddie Van Halen and other guitar greats. Released as a single (Mar '88), with "Used to Love Her" from the "Lies" album, and on some versions with "Anything Goes".

The video to this is simple, showing footage from a live stadium show (probably state-side), combined with black and white footage from a UK Guns N' Roses appearance at Donnington. Simple, feel-good stuff.

I feel this track is a turning point in the album musically, the beginning of the middle of an epic story of sex, drugs, rock and roll.

7. MY MICHELLE

This track opens almost acoustically, with a simple appregio of several chords, a slight pause and then the drumming forcibly kicks in. The chords in this song are just great, you have to listen to
it to know what I mean (which I recommend anyway). This song was written about one of the band's friends. It tells a story of a life being lived to the extreme, constant partying, wasting away. The song, according to the band, was going to be a loving-tribute to the friend, but the re-wrote the entire thing to tell the shocking truth, and "Michelle" loved it.

8. THINK ABOUT YOU

"Ooh it was the best time I can remember
Ooh and the love we shared - is lovin' that'll
last forever"

Why can all love songs be like this? Combining lyrics of love, with an upbeat rock song. This track really kicks - Good solos, fast and happy, slowing at the end for drawn out "oooooOOOOoo"'s. Just lovely (!). It may not be the most famous track on the album, and some people may be expecting some "filler" material on an album stuffed with so many classics. The quality of this track however, puts the quality of the album as a whole into perspective. It really is a masterpiece.

9. SWEET CHILD O' MINE

Who hasn't heard this song? Which aspiring guitar player hasn't tried to learn the riff (which is fairly simple), then tried the second half of the solo (which is a tad impossible, or is that just me?). Wow. Seriously (I'm in awe, can you tell?).

Opening with a few bars of guitar riff, then the bass slides in, then it all kicks off. Probably one of the Gunners most famous tracks, the image of Slash, leaning over his guitar, hammering the solo, burned into so many rock-fans memories. Beautiful and simple song. Some people say it is out of place on an album of "hard" (ish) rock, however, I think it highlights the song-writing capabilities and the artistic credibility of the band.

If you haven't listened to the album before, try this track first. Its the track that started me liking Guns N' Roses, it may start you liking it too. This track sta
rts to signal the end of the album for me, the end of the middle (from 6-9).

10. YOU'RE CRAZY

Originally intended to be an acoustic song, this track was made into a hard-metal rock track by a band practice in the studio. The acoustic version can be found on the second half of the "Lies" album. The acoustic version is chilling and harsh, qualities which the electric "Appetite" version changes to forceful, angry emotions.

This is one of the harder tracks on the album, with a memorable riff, to which the Gunners have improvised and jammed with live.

11. ANYTHING GOES

This track is another more feel-good track. Alternating guitars in the solos and, distinct separate rhythms, riffs and licks backing the vocals make an interesting effect on this track. Basically as its title says "Anything Goes" tonight! a song about raunchy sex practices etc. Great to listen to, and a great lead up to the fantastic closing...Rocket Queen.

12. ROCKET QUEEN

This track is a stunning closer to the album, sexual themes throughout, even a little bit of panting behind the slide-guitar solo in the middle. The song brings the album to close in a great way, with a great change of style at the end, from the very "rock" track, changing, climaxing to a great vocal performance,

"Don't ever leave me
Say you'll always be there
All I ever wanted
Was for you
To know that I care"

Truly fantastic, fits in excellently with the rest of the album. An inspired piece of song-writing.

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As a complete album this was a work worthy of a large place in the rock-n-roll hall of fame. It fits together well, taking the listener on a musical journey. Regarded by many as the Gunners best album, it probably is (not that the others are anything less that great). A perfect introduction to the late 80's. early 90's rock scene. In l
ater albums GnR were to show signs of stress and tension within the band – “Lies” was a short album with the 4 tracks from “Live ?!'@ Like A Suicide”, plus four additional acoustic tracks, the Illusions albums (a new drummer) showed diversity, artistic talent, and the excesses of Axl Roses’ ego. The albums that followed, without Izzy Stradlin on guitars were poor compared to these earlier ones.

Appetite is the one you want to listen to.

Jamie

*This op was completely re-written; tell your friends!!! constructive comments are appreciated, I will update again with more information.

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