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Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Released in 1987 (see 1987 in music), it was well received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart. As of September 2008, the album has been certified diamond (plus 8x platinum) by the RIAA,[2] accumulating worldwide sales in excess of twenty-eight million as of October 2008.[3]
Origins
Axl Rose stated in 1988 that many of the songs featured on the album had been written while the band had been performing on the Los Angeles club circuit, and a number of songs that would be featured on later Guns N' Roses albums were considered for Appetite for Destruction, such as "Back Off Bitch," "You Could Be Mine," "Don't Cry" and "November Rain." [4].
While the songwriting credits are indiscriminately credited to all five band members, many of the songs began as solo tracks that individual band members wrote in the pre-Guns N' Roses era, only to be completed by the band. These songs include "It's So Easy" (McKagan), "Anything Goes", and "Think About You" (Stradlin). "Rocket Queen" was an unfinished Slash/McKagan song that was written from their earlier band Road Crew.
Other songs on the album reflect the band's reaction to the debauchery of the L.A. rock and roll underground, such as "Welcome to the Jungle" (Rose wrote the lyrics while in Seattle about an incident in New York City)[5] and "Out ta Get Me", as well as their assorted female companions, reflected in the songs "Sweet Child o' Mine," "Think About You," "My Michelle," "You're Crazy," and "Rocket Queen."
Album cover
The album's original cover, based on the Robert Williams-s painting "Appetite for Destruction", depicted a robot rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After several music retailers refused to stock the album, they compromised and put the controversial cover art inside, replacing it with a cover depicting a cross and skulls of the five original band members (designed by Billy White Jr., originally as a tattoo), each skull representing one member of the band: Izzy Stradlin, top skull; Steven Adler, left skull; Axl Rose, center skull; Duff McKagan, right skull; and Slash, bottom skull. The photographs used for the back of the album and liner notes were taken by Robert John. The cover was supposed to be on the 2008 re-pressing of the vinyl, though the record label replaced it with the skulls cover at the last minute.
Achievements
- In 1989 Rolling Stone ranked Appetite for Destruction as the 20th best album of the 1980s.
- The same magazine later ranked it at sixty-one on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]
- In 2001, Q magazine named Appetite for Destruction as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time.[7]
- In 2003, VH1 named Appetite for Destruction the 42nd Greatest Album of All Time.[8]
- In 2002, Pitchfork Media ranked Appetite for Destruction 59th on their Top 100 Albums of the 1980s[9].
- It was ranked 18 in Spin magazine's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005".[10]
- Kerrang! magazine recently compiled a 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever list of which Appetite for Destruction was ranked #1.[11]
- In 2004 the album was voted number 1 by fans in Metal Hammer magazine's greatest albums of all time list.
- Rolling Stone recently devoted their cover to the album's 20th Anniversary, July 2007.[12]
- The album was ranked 32 on Rock Hall of Fame's 'definitive 200' album list, developed by the NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. .[13]
Track listing
All songs credited to Guns N' Roses; "It's So Easy" co-credited to West Arkeen, "Anything Goes" co-credited to Chris Weber.[14]
Personnel
- Guns N' Roses
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- Additional personnel
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- Andy Udoff - engineering assistance
- Jeff Poe - engineering assistance
- Robert Williams - paintings
- Michael Hodgson - art direction, design
- Robert John - photography
- Jack Lue - photography
- Greg Freeman - photography
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Chart positions
Album
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1988 |
The Billboard 200 |
1 |
| 1989 |
Singles
| Year |
Song |
Chart |
Peak position[15] |
| 1988 |
"Sweet Child O' Mine" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
#1 |
| 1988 |
"Sweet Child O' Mine" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
#7 |
| 1988 |
"Welcome to the Jungle" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
#7 |
| 1988 |
"Welcome to the Jungle" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
#37 |
| 1988 |
"Nightrain" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
#93 |
| 1989 |
"Nightrain" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
#26 |
| 1989 |
"Paradise City" |
Billboard Hot 100 |
#5 |
| 1989 |
"Paradise City" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
#14 |
References
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