"Appetite for Destruction" – Guns N’ Roses

It was the height of the glam metal scene. Big hair, thick make-up, lipstick, more big hair, spandex pants, colorful costumes and … did I say big hair already? Everything was about the “image”. The music came secondary, at least that’s what my impression was.

Then came the 1987 debut of the band Guns N’ Roses.

It was raw, loud and raunchy. It’s got that in-your-face attitude that seems to taunt you from the first track to the last.

First song from this album that got my attention was “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. Although I’ve heard “Welcome To The Jungle” earlier, it didn’t caught my attention as much as “Sweet Child...” did. I loved the melodic riff that Slash did in the intro. The solos in-between stanzas provided enough tension to support the build-up going to the main solo. And the main solo itself is totally captivating.

However, I learned that Slash hated the intro riff because it was simply a technical exercise and was played only as a joke during a jam session. It turned out that the song that started out with a “joke” riff became one of their well-known songs. “Well-known” is an understatement really. In the Pinoy band scene at that time, a concert where this song won’t be played is as rare as the chemical element Astatine. Yes, it was one of the most overplayed songs then. That was before “Smells Like Teen Spirit” made its presence felt in the early 90’s and grabbed that dubious title. But that‘s a different story altogether.

The aftermath of "Appetite for Destruction" resulted in the departure of Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler for the same reason, but from different perspectives. Adler was kicked out of the group because of substance abuse, while Stradlin decided to leave to get away from substance abuse. It was quite unfortunate as these two were instrumental in achieving the sound that made their debut very successful. Another reason for Stradlin to leave was when Adler was replaced, he apparently felt that the replacement’s sound didn’t work for the band.

I agree with him.

The GNR version sans Stradlin and Adler sounded a bit lacking to me. This is not to discredit the talents of the numerous substitutes that completed the GNR lineup over the years. They are class musicians in their own right. However, I strongly believe that there are some bands that aren’t meant to be splintered. Removing one will take away essential ingredients that makes them unique.

Guns N’ Roses is one of those bands.

I been thinking about this since the group went their separate ways. Would GNR be a different band or will they tread along the hardrock path in the same fashion as “Appetite for Destruction”, if the original line-up remained intact today? I guess the fans will just be contented to these speculations and what-ifs.

Released: 1987

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

Band members:
Axl Rose - vocals
Slash - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar
Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar, lead guitar, backing vocals
Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
Steven Adler - drums