Album Title: Appetite for Destruction
Artist: Guns N Roses
Year: 1987
Running Time: 53m 48s
Track listing: 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
It was the record that kick started the re-birth of hard rock in the late eighties. The orginial Guns N Roses line up of Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler only managed one actual full studio album before things started to fall apart and the personnell began to change. But what an album it was, and well over a decade since its release, it is still a bona fide classic.
Rose is not the greatest vocalist in the world, but it is clear that as a song-writer he pulls no punches. The almost-metal assualt of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘It’s So Easy’ are perfect showcases for what GnR are all about. Slash demonstrates why he was to become one of the most respected gutarists of his age while the Adler/McKagan/Stradlin combination give the lead guitarist a powerful rhythm to hang his memorable hooks on.
Even though they are raucous, there is a definite Stones/Aerosmith groove about GnR’s music. ‘Nightrain’ is bluesy, ‘Mr Brownstone’ could almost makes you dance and ‘Think About You’ is a crooning rock classic.
When they do slow it down a little, the results are equally as memorable. ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ with it’s acoustic melody and seering lead licks is an all time classic, while ‘Rocket Queen’ successfully mixes a hybrid of styles before roaring off to a rocking conclusion.
‘Out Ta Get Me’ and ‘You’re Crazy’ are fast and furious, ‘My Michelle’ and ‘Anything Goes’ fall into the more whimsical category of hard rock but are just as enjoyable as the rest of the album.
No turkeys, just twelve magical slices of rock music.
