Appetite for Destruction - Amazon.com Exclusive [Vinyl]

First something needs to be gotten out of the way. While most people see this as a great album (a rare case of "decent album gets praise" in music), the naysayers (and there will always be those) who deride GNR and 'Appetite' for "no talent"(?!?!?!?) seem to be not so much fans of Bach, but rather Grunge and modern day bland-o-rama rock. There is no deeper insult than a follower of 3-chord latency like Crap Cobain and the highly-virtuosic Blink 182 (that is sarcasm) tearing apart the mighty gunners for not having enough of what their own heroes have none of at all.

Slash may have sloppy technique, but every now and then a fluke of a person comes along where that doesn't matter, because the person is composed of 100% soul, feel, and pure emotion. Cynics be warned: That means there's a legitimate comparison between the late jazz/bebop revolutionary Thelonious Monk and Slash. And maybe I relate to Axl so well because I'd rather speak my controversial-albeit-educated opinion, like the one in the last sentence, rather than just keep bottling up unique conceptualization for the umpteenth year in my short human lifespan.

I personally think that, although it destroyed the band, "Use Your Illusion II" is their best, and for good reason, as it is one of the best of all time. It is more diverse and on a grander scale than "Appetite," but non-haters of GNR be advised: we're all Guns fans (or whorshippers) here, so it is a minor discrepancy. Let us give praise to the highly powerful masterpiece that is "Appetite For Destruction!"

This album is EXHAUSTING. And in the best way possible. If you actually listen to it start to finish (as I do), by the time it's over, you've worked off all that violent anger and rage that might have gotten you in trouble, and you've just burned as many calories by sitting in a chair that you would have if you'd have run a marathon. There are, as most people know, the three mega-singles "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child of Mine." It's pointless to analyze them to death, as you usually can't help but hear one of them on a daily basis while going throughout your lives - from a bar, to a stadium, scrolling across the radio dial, and in the privacy of your own home. For one of the very few times in music history, a band that has taken over the world has actually left behind GOOD songs that although you would be hard pressed to avoid them through the course of your daily routine, there is no need to.
And ok, maybe Slash could have learned some more scales - but the over 6 minute epic "Paridise City" has so much passion and fire, how can you not simply be exploding with emotion at the double-time finale of his mega-solo? Isn't it great that pioneers of "alternative music" wish Slash had learned the lydian scale, while the former individuals could only fumble to even pronounce it? Sad, sad irony. And Axl's voice? He's the ONLY singer I've ever heard that can belt out a jagged-edged scream that stays scarily dead on pitch and has all of the sincere energy of an opera singer all in one breath.

Other songs on the album can be characterized as band staples, just as popular as the singles, although never marketed as such. That's when you KNOW you've got a huge album on your hands. "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone" (revealing their signature blues-metal funk), and "You're Crazy" all drill their way through your brain like a trainwreck that magically never seems to come off the tracks.

My own favorites, "Nighttrain" and "Rocket Queen" have such massive groove, you don't know whether you want to snap your fingers and dance (which I don't anyway) or bang your head into a wall (that sounds better!). Many twists, turns, solos, screeches, and smashes await the listener who dares to enter the world that is "Appetite For Destruction."

It's about an hour of heavy rock, sucking the energy out of any lifeform it encounters along the way, and yes it's 80's influenced, but it's GOOD dammit. Axl's very talented, probably the most of the whole bunch; his untirable voice combined with his decent piano chops (and I'm a piano major), coupled with his unfortunate past, all meld together to create the quintissential musical potential. All combined, the GNR albums proved to be templates for rock and roll, albeit a late entry into the rock and roll game. Nonetheless, it's some of the greatest stuff of the past 50 years. Most people have an album where they say nothing has come along since then. If I had to choose, I would say Guns N Roses in general was the last great thing about rock and roll. Every band that has come along since then (with the exception of Dream Theater) has copied and pasted one watered down note (much less a measure) from the "Appetite..." catalog, and called it a career. YES, Guns could have been EVEN BETTER, but NO, they were nothing short of MAGICAL as it was. And all this talk of past tense reminds me that there's always a wing and a prayer for a reunion before they all turn 60.

Can over 15 million people be wrong? yes
are they wrong here? nope


Appetite For Rock   December 22, 1999
W.A. Rose
14 out of 28 found this review helpful

Alright, after seeing more than a few reviews bashing Axl Rose and few telling people to by Nirvona/Rage Against The Machine. Rage is cool, but Nirvona? Come on. You people say Axl and his boys are over rated, Kurt Cobain get's artist of the Decade (90's) and he wasn't even here for half of them. How is it that a guy with two albums to his name can get artist of the decade? Anyways. Appetite is the best album Guns N' Roses ever did. Starting from Welcome to the Jungle all the way to the end there isn't one song that is just down right bad. Awesome tracks include, Welcome to The Jungle, It's So Easy, Night Train, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Sweet Child 'O Mine, and You're Crazy. So a total of 7 of the 12 songs are total classics, the other five are okay, but nothing to really cream in your pants about. Check this title out if you love '80's bands, especially Motley Crue and Rush, this album will put everything by Rush to shame, and will put everything but Girls Girls Girls by Crue to shame.


Insanely Good   July 15, 2003
Kyle Anderson (Denver, CO, USA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

In 1987 few bands sounded as raw and powerful as Guns N' Roses. While many bands took on a very polished and sometimes wussy sound, GNR came out with a very real sound. Much of the material on this album reminds me of Aerosmith around 1975-1976. Welcome to the Jungle is probably one of the greatest songs ever. Sweet Child O' Mine is an awesome ballad. Other standouts are Rocket Queen, Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone, Nighttrain, and It's So Easy. While Axl has a good voice for this record Slash is the heart and soul of this record. His guitar playing gives this record some balls. While many other hard rock and hair metal albums of this time have gone forgotten, this gem still stands out and still sells. Why? Because it was real. I read in a magazine that the tracks on the album did not take more than three takes each. It's too bad Axl went on an ego trip and sacked everybody. Now his guitarist wears a KFC bucket on his head. If he knew what was good for him, he would get Slash, Izzy, Duff, and Steven and hit the road without canceling their shows. In 1987 they had something real great. If you don't have this album, get it now.


Best rock album of all time   January 10, 2004
slash is cool (Bethesda, Maryland United States)
11 out of 22 found this review helpful

Everythings been sauid about this album, but check out this guys post:

Yo hip-hoppa's, how ya'll be?? You know, just like everyone, when I turn on the radio, I wanna hear nu rock, nu metal and hip hopp!! Yet all I keep hearing is dumb old bands that have NO prupose now and have never had any purpose at any point in their careers actually!! Why is the airwaves clogged up with this junk anyway?? "Welcome To The Jungle" has a horrible riff, dumb lyrics, and is the theme song for the Cincinnati Bengals, the wrost football team ever!! "Sweet Child Ov Mine" is a cheesy toon about remembering childhood, "Mr. Brownstone" is about a cooky neighbor, and "Paradise City" goes on for about 6 minutes too long!! Enough with all the annoiyng guitar solos, their sooo annoying!! Axl also has the most whiny voice ever. Plus the bass playa sounds like he's just tapping his bottom string and not playing, listen to the intro of "It's So Easy" and ya'll see whut I be meanin'!!! For good music, look to bands like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Disturbed, KoRn, Bubba Sparxx, Eminem, Puff Daddy, Puddle Of Mudd, Seether, Saliva, Nickleback, Drowning Pool and the new talent like Clay Aiken and Smile Empty Soul :]!! Skip this WASTE of plastic!!! Peace out G'N R dudes....

First, DO NOT take this f*g seriously. He doesn't like guitar solos, and he listens to Eminem. Paradise City is the second best song on the album, and in no way is it to long. remember, most of the 2nd half is the outro solo, which, by teh way, is AMAZING. Second, if anyone's familiar with music here, you'll know that Bass is to support the band. To add bottom. Limp bIzkit and Linkin Parks bassists are 10 times worst than Duff (bassist for GNR) Plus, the intro to It's So Easy is played on the guitar you dumbass. it sounds like the bass, but it's not. Third, Mr. Brownstone is about the bands drug addictions, not some cooky neighbor.
This guy is obviosly a p*ssy a*s teen who doesn't appreciate real music. I mean come on, look what he said: " You know, just like everyone, when I turn on the radio, I wanna hear nu rock, nu metal and hip hopp." This guy doesn't appreciate rock n roll, so he has no buisness posting a review about music he hates. i think all Gnr fans should go post crappy reviews for nu bands liek Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit. I think i speak for all true rock fans, when i say that Appetite For Destrucion is a CD of true talent, and is, in my opinion, the greatest rock album out there. Long live GNR (the originals atleast!)