Guns N' Roses
Appetite For Destruction

I will try to write a serious review, even though this is my favorite LP. William Bailey, known as Axl Rose, was born in Lafayette, Indiana, on February 6, 1962. Son of a middle-status woman and a local criminal, the infamous W. Bailey. The young Axl suffered all kinds of violence during his adolescence, and it could be said that one of the essential elements of Appetite, the wild rage, was born right here. Then, as an adult, he set off with his mischief-making partner, guitarist Jeff Isabell, aka Izzy Stradlin'. The two landed in Los Angeles without a $, unleashing their youthful and still immature rage in Hollywood Rose before joining forces with Anglo-American guitarist, Saul Hudson, aka Slash; drummer Steven Adler, nicknamed Popcorn; and Michael "Duff" McKagan, a Seattle-based, Grunge-influenced bassist.

In 1985, their fairy tale began, the Guns N' Roses, five personalities different from each other that, by blending together, would find unity in the 12 tracks of Appetite. Appetite, indeed: an album that caused a sensation for its lyrical content but became a "cult" for all the young people who wanted to start a rock band influenced by country, blues, and primordial punk. This was Appetite, the expression of many styles connected by rage. The album opens with "Welcome To The Jungle". An epochal song; the intro by Slash & co. sounds like a train about to leave. Musically, in my opinion, one of the great Hard Rock expressions. If it's true that the Guns drew some inspiration from the entire '70s rock scene, it's worth mentioning that a song like this, so disjointed yet explosive, had never been heard before. It vaguely reminds one of Aerosmith's style. Even if Slash's solo is purely blues, and after Popcorn's brief solo, Axl's voice takes command with the flashy alternating of "nananananis; my serpentine" and the ending that reeks like the dark suburbs of Los Angeles, with that "Huaaa!!".

"It's So Easy", is as worthy as the first. Axl's voice is exceptional for all the pitches it touches. Great Duff throughout the song, and then, the masterpiece: Izzy is simply perfect, his Les Paul is razor-sharp and violent. "Nightrain" is another masterpiece, inappropriately not included in the "Greatest Hits" of 2004. You can sense the smell of one of the components always present in the evenings of the 5 "Gunners", the "Nightrain", the night train. It was a low-quality wine that, however, constituted an element of rebellion, something needed to stand against everything and everyone. You find similar themes in Motley Crue before Tommy Lee became a porn star. Axl's voice in "Nightrain" is amazing, more raspy than ever. Izzy and Duff's rhythmic part is furious, but the gem in this song is Slash's various flashy solos; it really seems "on the night train", as Axl screams in the song. Then comes "Out Ta Get Me"; its intro has an AC/DC vibe. In and of itself, the song is intriguing and engaging, flows swiftly, and the flashy Les Paul incursions by Slash and Izzy's captivating riffs are pleasant. The idea of a second voice (Duff) is innovative, and overall, it's a good song but not at the level of the first three, in my opinion. "Mr. Brownstone" is the expression of a Rolling Stones-style rock, imbued with stylistic novelties. Popcorn almost plays in a tribal way. It vaguely recalls the Stones' "Satisfaction", I say recalls, not resembles. It recalls because it has a tribal music vibe, typical of the Rolling. Izzy and Duff are deadly; Axl is nothing short of fantastic with that raspy "He won’t leave me alone…". Slash is a separate entity. An exceptional song. It flows rapidly to the pearl of the LP, "Paradise City". All 5 Gunners are perfect in this song. Izzy's intriguing riff paves the way for Duff's bass rhythmic session and Slash's somewhat fast hand in this song. The song is divided into two parts: first, it's pure Hard Rock, for about 5 minutes. In the long run, it can feel a bit heavy, but luckily everything revives at minute 4:48, when Axl decides to scream for real. Punk comes into play, but especially Slash comes into play, who, perhaps with the help of some intoxicant, interprets the blues pentatonic in the cleanest, fastest, and most devastating way possible. It all closes with "babe" and "yeah". Along with "Welcome To The Jungle", it's the image of Guns N' Roses themselves. At track 7, we have "My Michelle", a little masterpiece. This is pure Hard Rock, with punk alterations. Axl starts like a cannon after the illusion of calm given by Slash's arpeggio. In the chorus, Axl's voice nearly reaches the peak of falsetto, as in the demos with the Hollywood Rose (listen to "Rocker" of the young and angry Axl). Nevertheless, defined as one of the best by Guns. Slash and Duff, perfect.

Then comes "Think About You", a bit of a style misstep. Neither the chorus nor the various Slash riffs are intriguing and end up being a bit banal. Things pick up at track 9. The so-called power ballad of Appetite, "Sweet Child O' Mine". A beautiful song, but in my opinion overvalued. I mean: if in an album for 11 out of 12 songs you talk about sex, drugs & rock n' roll, you can't suddenly place a romantic ballad, even if it's stylistically powerful. From a technical standpoint, Duff and Slash dominate the entire song, both with solos and with precise rhythmic parts. Axl's voice is purposefully distorted at the beginning, but then it finds itself toward the end. I repeat, a beautiful song, but it would have been better on one of the "Illusion". Then we have "You're Crazy", a cover of the original country ballad of the same name placed in "Lies" of '89. Nice to listen to but nothing more. "Anything Goes" is the least beautiful song of Appetite. The last one, "Rocket Queen", is another great song. Divided into two parts, it's excellent at the beginning but sublime in the outro, when Slash delivers one of the greatest solos of Appetite. During the song, Izzy is supreme, Duff plays the bass in his own way, and Axl is truly very angry. You can even hear a moan. In 1987, it was rumored that it was the girl Axl was "working" at the moment. All in all, despite some missteps, it's an exceptional LP, often accused of being commercial and flashy, but I believe it is the last cry of true Hard Rock credence. I hope I haven't been banal.