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Guns N’ Roses is who we’ve decided to cover for our seventh full studio album discography analysis. Episode 71 covers GNR’s 1987 landmark debut album Appetite for Destruction. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following year that it became a massive commercial success, after the band had toured and received airplay with the singles “Welcome to the Jungle“, “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine“. It topped the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling debut album of all time, as well as the seventh best-selling album of all time in the United States. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, it is also one of the best-selling records of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of Appetite as well as share personal stories of discovering GNR’s “Appetite for Destruction.” Tune in next week for Episode 71 as we cover GNR’s second studio album, 1988’s G N’ R Lies.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark This album is everything you’d expect from one of the greatest albums of all time for the songs you know. Lacking in the songs you don’t know. Half Guns N’ Roses and half LA Guns.
Chris This has the authenticity and spirit of the best of classic rock – that’s what set them apart from a lot of their peers.
Alex Familiar with a lot of these songs, and it is obvious why they are hits. Axl may grate on me in the future, TBD.
Kevin The hits and overall strength of the songs send this album into the stratosphere. However, like Nirvana, the songs seem to be only half the appeal of this band, and the story is the other half.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to the Jungle" | 4:33 | B | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "It's So Easy" | 3:22 | L | L | L | F | |
| 3 | "Nightrain" | 4:28 | B | L | B | B | |
| 4 | "Out ta Get Me" | 4:23 | L | F | L | L | |
| 5 | "Mr. Brownstone" | 3:48 | L | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Paradise City" | 6:45 | L | L | L | L | |
| 7 | "My Michelle" | 3:39 | L | L | L | F | |
| 8 | "Think About You" | 3:51 | L | B | L | L | |
| 9 | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | 5:56 | L | L | L | L | |
| 10 | "You're Crazy" | 3:17 | T | T | T | T | |
| 11 | "Anything Goes" | 3:26 | F | F | F | F | |
| 12 | "Rocket Queen" | 6:13 | L | B | L | L |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records.
The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following year that it became a massive commercial success, after the band had toured and received airplay with the singles “Welcome to the Jungle“, “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine“. It topped the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling debut album of all time, as well as the seventh best-selling album of all time in the United States. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, it is also one of the best-selling records of all time.
Although critics were originally ambivalent toward the album, Appetite for Destruction has since received retrospective acclaim and has been viewed as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2018, it was re-released as a remastered box set to similar acclaim.
