Welcome to Guns N' Roses

On this day in 1987, a raw, obnoxious album, full of attitude and kicked the door down to mainstream music. It was time the world met Guns N’ Roses and their invitation to the party was Appetite for Destruction, today’s feature on Throwback Thursday.

How did we get here? Guns N’ Roses formed in early 1985 and had planned on releasing an EP, however, original guitarist Tracii Guns left the band, replaced by Slash. The classic line-up was now set. Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin and some guy from Lafayette, Indiana named Axel Rose.

They toured the LA club scene and signed with Geffen records in 1986 and released an EP that was designed to keep interest in the band while they withdrew from playing clubs and finished up their full-length studio debut.

The album combined the best of hard rock and punk, with a side of funk, some New York Dolls and early Aerosmith. It was unlike anything I had heard in the mid- to late-80s. It was a slow mover on the charts and on radio. People didn’t know what to do with them. Geffen Records finally convinced MTV to play the video “Welcome to the Jungle” once a night for three nights. It became the most requested video on MTV. Radio was quick to follow.

There are not many other opening songs that draw you in like “Welcome to the Jungle” does - It’s powerful and scary and the perfect way to start your debut. There are a number of stories behind the lyrics - Stradlin says it’s about Hollywood streets, Rose has talked about being inspired by an encounter he had with a homeless man when Rose came out of a bus into New York City. The man yelled at him, “You know where you are? You’re in the jungle baby; you’re gonna die!”

“Paradise City” was a summer staple - you had to blast it with windows down when you were driving the mean streets of Rockville, Maryland. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” was a beautiful song with enough edge to make the band not look weak.

Those were the three most “popular” songs, but there’s so much more to digest.

“Mr. Brownstone” is a funky, badass track with plenty of swagger. Slash and Stradlin wrote it while sitting around their apartment complaining about their heroin addiction (which “brownstone” is a slang term). The classic metal sounds comes through on the track “Out Ta Get Me” while their punk roots shine on “You’re Crazy” and they throw in plenty of cowbell on the hard rocking song “Nightrain”.

Axl’s voice was like something I’d never heard before - from that scream to a melodic sound in just a few bars. The band was firing on all cylinders. Slash was like a modern day Keith Richards, playing with attitude while McKagan brought the punk scene to the band. This was and remains a great album. It still sounds good, always will. I can go back and listen and hear something new each time.