GUNS N' ROSES
"The most dangerous band in the world."
THE STORY
Guns N' Roses formed on the Sunset Strip in 1985, five musicians from different parts of the country who created a volatile chemistry that produced one of the greatest debut albums in rock history. 'Appetite for Destruction' (1987) is the best-selling debut album of all time.
Axl Rose's unpredictable stage presence, Slash's top-hat-and-cigarette guitar style, and Duff McKagan's thundering bass gave the band a raw, dangerous energy that felt genuinely threatening in an era of polished pop metal. 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine' became instant classics.
Their 1991 double album 'Use Your Illusion I & II' debuted at #1 and #2 simultaneously — a feat matched only by The Beatles. 'November Rain', with its 9-minute runtime and orchestral arrangement, showed a band capable of genuine artistic ambition.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS
Sweet Child O' Mine
Appetite for Destruction
Welcome to the Jungle
Appetite for Destruction
Paradise City
Appetite for Destruction
Patience
Appetite for Destruction
November Rain
Use Your Illusion I
You Could Be Mine
Use Your Illusion II
'Appetite for Destruction' is the best-selling debut album in history. GN'R's reunion tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.
FAST FACTS
Appetite for Destruction
Best-selling debut album of all time — 30 million copies
Slash's guitar
The 'Sweet Child O' Mine' riff was written as a warm-up exercise
Use Your Illusion
Debuted at #1 and #2 simultaneously — only The Beatles had done it before
November Rain video
Cost $1.5 million — one of the most expensive videos ever made
Rock Hall
Inducted in 2012