Guns N' Roses
Appetite For Destruction

Axl Rose (Born William Axl Rose), Slash (Born Saul Hudson), Duff "Rose" McKagan (Born Michael McKagan), Izzy Stradlin (Born Jeff Isabell) and Steven Adler: the Guns N' Roses. Or at least, the basic lineup, from which Izzy and Steven were removed, replaced respectively by Gilby and Matt Sorum.

The most hated and the most loved in rock, who in 1987 churned out a true milestone of the genre, the multi-platinum "Appetite for Destruction" (The best-selling debut album of all time, with sales still around 40 million copies). I am not a "hair-tearing" fan of the Guns, I don't agree with many of their choices and in general, I fully appreciate only this work. However, for a CD with at least five masterpieces of the genre out of twelve ("Welcome to the Jungle", "Nightrain", "Mr. Brownstone", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child o' Mine"), and others decidedly above average ("It's so easy", "Out ta get me", "My Michelle", "You're Crazy", "Rocket Queen"), and two that would not look out of place in many other bands' albums, it is impossible not to give five full stars.

One word summarizes this CD: Masterpiece. An energetic mix of hard rock and blues, so dear to Slash, the raspy voice of Axl Rose, the bass lines never too challenging but always spot on by Duff McKagan, every harmony placed there for a reason. A well-blended group, for an excellent album. It starts with one of Guns N' Roses' classics: "Welcome to the Jungle", where the five Los Angeles rockers scream out all their desire to let loose, their wildness in their relationships with women. Nothing groundbreaking, but perfectly redone, which sounds "real" and with that lived-in vibe that the GNR carried with them.
All this probably vanished with the first rockstar whims, but at the time I assure you that this song exploded like a bomb for those who wanted to dust off guitars, at the expense of synthesizers and dance that were so popular in the '80s. Next is "It's so easy", with a captivating bass intro. Rose's voice here surprises everyone: from the high notes of the previous song, it shifts to a decidedly low, almost warm tone. Again, the recurring theme is the same: violence and sex, summarized in one phrase: "Cars are crashin' every night, I drink n' drive everything's in sight, I make the fire, but I miss the firefight, I hit the bull's eye every night... It's so easy, easy!". An excellent hard rock-style song, short but with an engaging melody.

The third track is "Nightrain", which is nothing more than a one-dollar wine of which, according to legend, the Guns would stock up every night. It talks about their reckless life, their "smoking cigarettes with style", and as usual, violence, a recurring theme throughout the album. This is followed by "Out ta get me", a fast-paced street rock song where Axl's voice takes center stage, neither praised nor criticized. Then comes "Mr. Brownstone". A drum intro draws us into one of the best songs on the album. It talks about a drug addiction, it has never been clear if it was an actual confession of the band, but the theme is clear.
Here, too, Axl's voice is less rasping than usual but rises as the song progresses, reaching high pitches at the end, an engaging track with interesting riffs from Slash and Izzy and a perfectly suited drumbeat. The sixth track is "Paradise City", one of Guns N' Roses' masterpieces. If not THE masterpiece. Reckless, unrestrained, chaotic, with an initial arpeggio that seems to lead us into a slow melody, growing until the very long solo by Slash, overlapped by Axl Rose's raspier and more energetic voice than ever, in an explosive combination. Simply one of the best hard rock songs ever, ruthlessly honest.

The seventh track is "My Michelle", where Axl tells the story of a quite "messed up" friend of his. He would later explain that he was very worried about Michelle because he didn't know if she'd be alive the next time he saw her. A beautiful song, no doubt, with a chorus that easily gets stuck in your head. It continues with "Think about you", surely energetic, but it never particularly thrilled me. De gustibus. Then comes track eight: A clean riff, no drums or bass yet, just Slash. Then suddenly, drums, bass. An engaging rhythm, you can also hear Izzy's second guitar while the riff continues unrelentingly. Suddenly Rose's voice, melodic, high-pitched but not rasping, almost whiny in some ways, blending perfectly with the guitar of the man with the top hat.
"Sweet Child O' Mine" is the first true love song by the Guns, to be followed by "Patience", "November Rain", and "Don't Cry". Emotional, goosebumps-inducing. One of the sweetest and most intense solos in rock history, one of the crown jewels of "Appetite for Destruction". Tracks ten and eleven pass quickly. "You're Crazy" is an excellent piece, fast, cheeky. I prefer it acoustic. "Anything Goes" is more punk than hard rock. "My way, your way, anything goes tonight", without a doubt a catchy chorus. A curiosity: These two songs both last exactly 3:25. It was to add a line.

The album then closes with "Rocket Queen". Also an enveloping track, another excellent piece extracted from this CD, and surely the best way to close one of the best albums of the last twenty years, as well as one of the best albums in the history of music. To finish. A gem that should not be absent in any shelf of the best albums. No politics, no religion, just 5 rockers shouting their discontent. Fiction or reality? Truly discontent or Geffen's creation? I don't care. I only care that Guns N' Roses in '87 delivered this masterpiece, followed in '88 by "Lies", which was nothing more than "Like @ Suicide" plus four (excellent) acoustic tracks, including "You're Crazy", right from "Appetite", with equal success.
In '91, they released the multi-platinum, but far less beautiful except for some gems such as "November Rain", to name one, "Use Your Illusion 1" and "Use Your Illusion 2". Then "The Spaghetti Incident", and from there, silence, made up of greatest hits, live albums, DVDs, and arguments. Now the Guns still exist, having just finished a very successful European tour, where the new lineup has received the successes and applause it hadn't received in 2002, and is ready for a sold-out American tour. Will this be the year of "Chinese Democracy"? I don't think so, but deep down, the Guns are part of my youthful years in high school.

I was seventeen at the time of "Appetite", and they have always remained in my heart. Peace.