#3: Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1987)

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

With my knowledge of the band and genre being rather limited, this is perhaps not the type of album I'd expected to cover so soon (even though it was suggested to me early on). However, as Zane Lowe recently chose it as part of the second round of his 'Masterpieces' series, I figured I may as well strike while the iron was hot (if only because listening back to the show was a lazy alternative to getting hold of the album by other means). Ironically, this review is also timely for another reason: Reports emerged yesterday that Axl Rose has finally finished the forever-delayed Chinese Democracy album and handed it over to his label. I'll be honest, this review was difficult to write at first, with my first listen to the album leaving me clueless as to what the hell to say. I guess I'm not entirely happy with it, but well... you be the judge.

---

Appetite For Destruction is Guns N' Roses first, and arguably most famous work: Chances are, if you ask someone with only a casual knowledge of the band (like me) to name a Guns N' Roses song, it'd probably come from this album. Three of the bands biggest and most instantly familiar hits appear here: Namely, 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Paradise City' and 'Sweet Child Of Mine'.

Let's get those three out of the way then, shall we? 'Welcome To The Jungle' kicks off the album with that signature guitar shred, before Axl Rose screeches "Welcome to the jungle! We've got fun and games!" Not the literal jungle, of course, but the urban sprawl of LA, where Rose moved during his teenage years in search of fame and fortune. But like all these things, the high life comes at a price, and Rose warns "You can taste the bright lights, but you won't get them for free."

On the other hand, the almost country-esque twang that begins 'Paradise City' seems oddly incongruous, but after a brief synth-laden interlude it gives way to the the usual hard rock guitar. Lyrically, the song sees the search for fame in the big city weighing heavy on Rose's heart, longing for a place where "the grass is green and the girls are pretty" before begging "won't you please take me home?" - a refrain that's repeated over and over as the song spirals rapidly towards it's climax.

'Sweet Child O' Mine' needs even less introduction: Its opening guitar riff surely embedded in the memory to the point where hearing it produces either instant elation or a sigh of over-familiarity. Lyrically, it's a pretty straightforward love song and probably the album's most sentimental moment. There's even a little musical restraint shown during the "where do we go now?" breakdown, before the band bust out the obligatory massive finale.

So, what is there beyond that then? Well, musically, it's pretty much more of the same. Subtlety be damned, it's all about primal, pounding drumbeats and bombastic, heavy rock guitar riffs. Slash's guitar solos wail out in a level of self-indulgent rock n' roll excess reflected in the lyrical themes of the songs. 'Nightrain' is the sound of the band fired up on cheap booze, while 'Mr. Brownstone' depicts an escalating drug habit. 'It's So Easy' sees the band's new-found fame effortlessly attracting women, while the final two tracks seem to deal with an almost voracious sexual appetite. 'Anything Goes' is three and half minutes of unrestrained lust that's pretty much as the title suggests, while 'Rocket Queen' sees Rose proclaiming "I might be a little young, but honey I ain't naïve." And that's before the sex noises kick in: Depending on which rumours you believe, they could have come from any one of a number of sources. However, it also ends the album on an oddly tender note: As the song draws to a close, Rose tells his queen that "All I ever wanted was for you to know that I care."

It's not the album's only caring moment though - along with 'Sweet Child O' Mine', 'Think About You' also contains some oddly touching lyrics - well, as touching as they can be when set against such a weighty, frantic backdrop. Even 'My Michelle', despite its stark portrayal of a girl the band once knew, contains a little hope: "Honey don't stop tryin' and you'll get what you'll deserve."

Overall, Appetite For Destruction isn't rocket science, but it never claims to be. The manifesto is simple: Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll - and like that combination, it's fun while it lasts, but to overexpose yourself to it means you run the risk of burnout. Guns N' Roses aren't particularly the kind of band I'd go out of my way to listen to, and hearing this album in full hasn't done much to change that. But now, at least, I have a little more understanding as to why they have such a great appeal.