For me, 1987 was an awesome year. I felt like that was the year that my musical tastes really began to expand. There was music I was excited about that year. I started out excited about Deep Purple's House of Blue Light and Whitesnake's 1987 self-titled album with the deep Zeppelin overtones. The summer saw the release of the much anticipated Def Leppard's Hysteria and the Cult's Electric. That year also saw the release of R.E.M.'s Document, Prince's Sign of the Times, and Anthrax's Among the Living. I remember (through my many Dustys' visits) being introduced to John Hiatt's Bring the Family and the Replacements' Pleased to Meet Me. But, the album that should be remembered that year is Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction.
By this point in my life, I was a die-hard music fan(especially hard-rock and metal). I was reading every rock music magazine I could get my hands on. I was in Dustys Records so much that Dusty asked me to submit a "current faves" list in early Fall 87 and then in November he offered me a job.
In the Spring of 87, I remember reading an article in RIP magazine about a new band out of LA that was starting to gain a reputation as one of the hottest bands on the LA music scene. That band was Guns N' Roses. They looked dirty, unkept and different from the glam looking bands that were coming out of the scene. But, they still had a "Bad boy" image that had been cultivated on the Sunset strip. Then, a live EP titled "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide" was released with a cover of Aerosmith's Mama Kin. By this time, many bands of the LA scene had claimed Aerosmith as an influence. Ratt had covered Aerosmith's Walkin the Dog which was a Rufus Thomas cover. Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx was wearing a black and white striped outfit that looked like one of Steven Tyler's 70's hand-me-downs and the band Black N' Blue had covered Same Ole Song and Dance. So, I had written off Gn'R as yet another Aerosmith clone band.
In the Fall of 1987, I changed my major from music education to Journalism/Mass Communications. The broadcasting department seemed to be filled with a series of social misfits who (like me) had just changed their college major. There, I met my new lifelong friend-Bob Gross. Bob had a radio show on the new college radio station on Friday nights from 10p -2a. I asked Bob if I could go on the air with him one of those Friday nights. On that night, I brought a handful of my own LP's and we had a great time. But, after awhile, we came across a CD Sampler of Guns N' Roses with the song Welcome to the Jungle. I said "I've heard of these guys. Let's play this!" I remember Bob and I sitting back as we played this tune and thought that this was a really cool track. From there, my opinion of this band changed.
I think I dubbed off a cassette of the album copy from the college radio station and the more I listened to it, the more I was drawn to the rawness and the edginess. Welcome to the Jungle began to get some airplay on MTV and the station even aired a live concert from the Ritz in NYC.
By this point in my life, I was a die-hard music fan(especially hard-rock and metal). I was reading every rock music magazine I could get my hands on. I was in Dustys Records so much that Dusty asked me to submit a "current faves" list in early Fall 87 and then in November he offered me a job.
In the Spring of 87, I remember reading an article in RIP magazine about a new band out of LA that was starting to gain a reputation as one of the hottest bands on the LA music scene. That band was Guns N' Roses. They looked dirty, unkept and different from the glam looking bands that were coming out of the scene. But, they still had a "Bad boy" image that had been cultivated on the Sunset strip. Then, a live EP titled "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide" was released with a cover of Aerosmith's Mama Kin. By this time, many bands of the LA scene had claimed Aerosmith as an influence. Ratt had covered Aerosmith's Walkin the Dog which was a Rufus Thomas cover. Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx was wearing a black and white striped outfit that looked like one of Steven Tyler's 70's hand-me-downs and the band Black N' Blue had covered Same Ole Song and Dance. So, I had written off Gn'R as yet another Aerosmith clone band.
In the Fall of 1987, I changed my major from music education to Journalism/Mass Communications. The broadcasting department seemed to be filled with a series of social misfits who (like me) had just changed their college major. There, I met my new lifelong friend-Bob Gross. Bob had a radio show on the new college radio station on Friday nights from 10p -2a. I asked Bob if I could go on the air with him one of those Friday nights. On that night, I brought a handful of my own LP's and we had a great time. But, after awhile, we came across a CD Sampler of Guns N' Roses with the song Welcome to the Jungle. I said "I've heard of these guys. Let's play this!" I remember Bob and I sitting back as we played this tune and thought that this was a really cool track. From there, my opinion of this band changed.
I think I dubbed off a cassette of the album copy from the college radio station and the more I listened to it, the more I was drawn to the rawness and the edginess. Welcome to the Jungle began to get some airplay on MTV and the station even aired a live concert from the Ritz in NYC.
This was an album by a band literally from the streets of LA. I recently read guitarist Slash's autobiography. Both Slash and vocalist Axl Rose actually lived in the band's rehearsal space which was basically a storage garage. They lived on the streets, slept with the seedy underground of strippers and junkies, drank cheap booze and did LOTS of drugs. But, when it came to making music, the companionship of Slash(lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin(rhythm guitar), Duff Mckagan(bass), Steven Adler(drums) and Axl Rose(vocals) was the perfect combination for an album that's been described as (and I agree) "Lightning in a bottle".
The 2nd track is It's So Easy. The energy of this is so.....in the words of an 80's metal head....AWESOME!!...and it's filled with lyrics like
I see you standing there...You think you're so tough
....Why don't you just......FUCK OFF!!
and
You get nothing for nothing. That's what you do..
Turn around Bitch. I got a use for you.
Besides, you ain't got nothing better to do....
...and I'm bored
....very rebelious and oooohh nasty words too.....oh and cowbell too.
Track 3 is Nightrain which (according to Slash's biography) was about the band's favorite cheap wine. They apparently came up with the lyrics walking (or staggering) back to the rehearsal space .
Rock historians have said that Nirvana brought the punk attitude to the masses with the grunge movement of the early 90's. I say that Gn'R did that almost 3-4 years earlier. After all, Bassist Duff McKagan had moved to LA after playing in bands in Seattle.
Track 5 - Mr. Brownstone hooked me big time with Steven Adler starting the song with the Bo Diddley beat from the ugly underbelly of the city of angels. Axl takes his unique voice down deep and starts to tell the listener that "they've" been dancing with "Mr Brownstone". I remember thinking what a great rocking tune this was. Then, this small town Nebraska boy was educated that "Mr. Brownstone" was slang for.......(duh duh duh)...Heroin!. Looking back, I realize how naive I was.
Track 6 became another big hit for the band with Paradise City. Then again, it's obvious that it would become a hit. The chorus was catchy and easy to sing along to.
Take me down to the Paradise city
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Slash says in his book that he actually wanted the lyrics to be:
Where the Girls are Hot and they've got big titties.
Track 7..(or on vinyl) 1st track-Side 2 was My Michelle. Which was about a friend of the band and was actually autobiographical about this girl named Michelle. Yes...as the song states
Your daddy works in Porno now that Mommy's not around
she used to love her heroin. But, now she's underground.
..quite the pretty picture and I'm not sure I would've been too flattered to have my life immortalized in a song like that.
Interestingly, the next track-Sweet Child of Mine was the song that catapulted the band from underground bad boy band to international Rock superstardom and a household name. I remember my friend Mick telling me that his mom had heard the song and was now a fan of Guns N' Roses. It's been widely reported that Axl wrote the lyrics about his then girlfriend Erin Everly who is the daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers.
Slash wrote the signature riff while just messing around on his Les Paul guitar not knowing that this would be their biggest hit. He then would have to play it over and over while drunk, trashed, loaded and downright self-medicated. He said that depending on his state sometimes depended on how long it would take him to get the riff right to start the song.
You're Crazy is a sped up rocker that once again embodies the punk spirit with the swagger of the Sunset Strip. They later slowed it down and did acoustically on the album Gn'R Lies.
The Final track is Rocket Queen and starts with yet another funky groove established by the fun loving Steven Adler. As the song leads into the guitar solo, you can hear the sound of a female who seems to be ......uh....."in the throes of passion".......and enjoying it. According to Slash's biography, this is actually the sound of Axl Rose and his girlfriend...goin at it, doing the horizontal mambo on the floor of the recording studio.
In the summer of 88, with Sweet Child of Mine taking them to worldwide recognition, Gn'R became huge. I was working my summer days at Dustys and we used to write down all customer purchases on legal pads including Label, catalog number, artist and album title. I am proud to say that 22 years later I still remember this album as a GEFFEN 24148-Gn'R - Appetite.
While working at Dustys', I and my co-workers had a tendency to become local celebrities. For me, it became "HEY DUDE! You work at DUSTYS!" anywhere I went in Kearney. So much, that between the time of Appetite and Gn'R's double album follow-up Use Your Illusion I & II, I was constantly asked (at bars and parties especially) "Dude, when's the new Guns N' Roses comin' out?"
In that time between albums, the band found success overwhelming and the chemicals flowed. As I read Slash-the Autobiography, I began to understand the time between albums. The time was spent....well...on Heroin, drunk, and on Cocaine. The band wasn't talking to each other much. It's amazing they got together to write the follow-up. Drummer-Steven Adler was so far addicted that he was fired from the band...how ironic. They hired Matt Sorum(formerly of the Cult) on drums and added Dizzy Reed on Keyboards.
When Use Your Illusion I & II were released, I had an overload of Gn'R and was disillusioned by the band and stop caring. In fact, I recently listened to both Illusion CD's from start to finish for the first time...that's right almost 20 years after they were released.
My friend Mark actually invited me to see Gn'R in 1992 or 1993(can't remember...help me out Mark) in Omaha. I wish I could go back and change my attitude about them. I was a big fan of drummer Steven Adler and didn't like the sound that Matt Sorum had with the band. I probably would have enjoyed the concert much more.
Still, the rawness of sound and production of Appetite unique enough that it was definitely a great album that could never be repeated. As Tom Morello stated on MusicRadar.com, It was "Lightning in a Bottle"
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