Appetite For Destruction
Appetite for Destruction turns 37 years olde today. My very first memory of hearing about Guns N Roses came when my cousin asked my if I’d ever head of the band. When I said no, he said “oh man, skip em. They suck!” I’m glad I ignored that advice.
From the moment I saw the video for Welcome to the Jungle, I was hooked. Axl’s swagger. Slash’s coolness. Duff’s punky attitude. Steven’s swagger. Izzy’s hip indifference. It was an incendiary recipe for chaos, and I was all in.
I purchased a cassette copy of Appetite for Destruction as soon as I could, and man, did I wear it out—three of them, at least. I was into heavy music at the time, but so-called “hair music” was becoming boring to me. And while Guns N Roses did present as a “hair band” initially, they were far from the cookie-cutter bands hitting the scene.
Appetite for Destruction was something different—raw, heavy, dark, sinister. Sure, it was rooted in blues rock that came before it—think Aerosmith, AC/DC—but it was layered with glam rock tendencies and more than a dash of Finnish rockers Hanoi Rocks to round out its sound. Musically, it was much more complex and sophisticated than most of its peers but as raw and dirty as it came. This WAS sex, drugs, and rock and roll personified.
Appetite is explicit. Disgusting. And yes, unfortunately misogynistic. This was 1988 and rock and roll in Los Angeles was raw and dirty. That’s what drew Axl Rose to the city from Indiana famously inspiring the song and video for the opening track Welcome to the Jungle. Now a sports arena staple, Jungle tells the story of a newcomer to LA being wrapped up and swallowed by the seediest of lifestyles. The song is brutal and sets the entire tone for the record. Full of Axl’s highest screams, Slash’s signature riffs, and solos all built on top of a funky foundation from the rest of the band.
It’s so Easy, finds Axl singing in a lower register for part of the song. Duff’s bass kicks off the proceedings with a familiar punk-fueled rumble. Nightrain gives drummer Steven Adler the spotlight with a cowbell-filled opening and enough swagger fast enough to make you think you are along for the alcohol-filled ride.
Out ta Get Me and Mr. Brownstone build upon the drug-induced paranoia that fueled the band. While Out ta Get Me is a straightforward rocker with a filthy riff, gang vocals, and killer solo, Mr. Brownstone gives us some complexity and variety with interesting guitar work and a funky beat. Both songs are expletive-filled rants about drug culture.
Side one ends with the epic Paradise City. An anthem that demanded to be heard in stadiums. The nearly 7-minute song has become the band’s perpetual closing number for their shows. It showcased everyone’s signature style and is catchy af. Try not to sing along to the chorus or band your head at the frantic outro.
Side 2 is the umm, more “tender” side of the album—as tender as an album can be that features a song where the lead singer is having sex with the drummer’s girlfriend. Yes, really, but we’ll get to that side, which begins with love songs by Michelle: Think About You and Sweet Child O’ Mine. These are far from ballads and I use the term love songs liberally here, but each song does in fact recall a love story from Axl's life. My Michelle is a dark rocker with a dark subject matter think about you as a heavy tune, but fairly benign, and even Romantic lyrics were sweet Child of mine the biggest hit is about Axel's first love, Erin Everly, and their relationship. All three songs are incredible. I Think About You has always been among my favorite GnR songs.
If there is any filler on this album, it could be your crazy leftover from earlier sessions sped up, and anything goes, a sex-crazed romp built around a wild-sounding guitar and squeezebox. I like both of these songs a lot, but if you're going to skip a song, it might be one of these two, although I would not recommend it.
The album closes with Rocket Queen, another six-minute epic that could technically be considered two songs based on the style and signature change at the end of the tune. This song does feature the aforementioned sex scene, which features Axl Rose having sex with Stephen Adler’s girlfriend in the studio; it was 1988 again. Despite subject matter and crazy lore, Rocket Queen is an absolute banger with amazing work by everyone in the band.
Appetite for Destruction is widely considered one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. It is the best-selling debut album of all time by an artist right now. Some of the lyrics and subject matter have certainly not aged well. The music itself has and the impact that it had on the industry is undeniable. I’m not a resident of LA, but every time I visit, I'm shocked at how many Guns N' Roses shirts I still see on people in downtown LA.
Appetite For Destruction is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time and is very likely my most listened to album of all time. I'm not kidding when I say I wore out three cassettes. I moved to Compact Disk and now have several copies on vinyl. Admittedly, I don’t listen to it as much as I did in my youth as my musical taste has changed, but I still recall the album fondly and am listening to it again today on its 37th anniversary. I'm having a blast with these songs. It may certainly not be for audience destruction as a critical album and one of the most important rock albums of all time.