Biography of Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses emerged from the swamp of the hard rock and heavy metal bands inhabiting L.A. during the mid-'80s to become the most successful and influential hard rock band of the '80s and early '90s. G N' R's rock & roll is hard Stones/Aerosmith guitar boogie played with honesty and a vicious punk spirit, and it often displays a surprising musical diversity. Axl Rose's vocals are unmistakable, varying from a soft murmur to a harsh, grating roar; Slash and Izzy Stradlin's guitars complemented each other better than any guitar team since Keith Richards and Mick Taylor; the rhythm section of Duff "Rose" McKagan on bass and Steven Adler on drums provided the band with a loose swing. Formed from the splinters of various L.A. bands in 1985, G N' R played numerous gigs before releasing any recordings. Their hard work eventually led to the independent release of the Live ?!&@ Like a Suicide EP in 1986. Geffen signed the band after a bidding war between major labels.The Guns N' Roses debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released in August of 1987 to little notice. Supported with a solid year of touring (including opening for Aerosmith, where G N' R frequently blew their heroes off the stage), the album began to climb the charts in 1988, hitting number one over a year after its release. (Appetite would eventually sell over five million copies.) In December of 1988, G N' R Lies, a combination of the earlier Live EP and four new recordings, was released. The four new songs, featuring country and blues musical themes centered around an acoustic guitar, were a departure from the brutal, fast rock of Appetite.Sessions for the sequel to Appetite began in 1989 but were aborted, starting in earnest the next year. Adler was fired from the band in October of 1990 because of his sub-par performance on the new material and was replaced by Matt Sorum from The Cult. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed was added to the band during recording. In no time, the new album became two new albums, Use Your Illusion I and II, scheduled for release in spring of 1991. Recording for the Illusions dragged on throughout the year, pushing the release all the way back to September. The Illusions, essentially two halves of a double album (four albums' worth of material), debuted at number one and number two, (II and I, respectively) and showed that the band had continued to grow musically. As Guns N' Roses prepared for a tour to support the albums, founding member Stradlin left the band in early 1992 amidst deep personal conflict. He was replaced by Gilby Clarke. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Biography of Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses emerged from the swamp of the hard rock and heavy metal bands inhabiting L.A. during the mid-'80s to become the most successful and influential hard rock band of the '80s and early '90s. G N' R's rock & roll is hard Stones/Aerosmith guitar boogie played with honesty and a vicious punk spirit, and it often displays a surprising musical diversity. Axl Rose's vocals are unmistakable, varying from a soft murmur to a harsh, grating roar; Slash and Izzy Stradlin's guitars complemented each other better than any guitar team since Keith Richards and Mick Taylor; the rhythm section of Duff "Rose" McKagan on bass and Steven Adler on drums provided the band with a loose swing. Formed from the splinters of various L.A. bands in 1985, G N' R played numerous gigs before releasing any recordings. Their hard work eventually led to the independent release of the Live ?!&@ Like a Suicide EP in 1986. Geffen signed the band after a bidding war between major labels.The Guns N' Roses debut album, Appetite for Destruction, was released in August of 1987 to little notice. Supported with a solid year of touring (including opening for Aerosmith, where G N' R frequently blew their heroes off the stage), the album began to climb the charts in 1988, hitting number one over a year after its release. (Appetite would eventually sell over five million copies.) In December of 1988, G N' R Lies, a combination of the earlier Live EP and four new recordings, was released. The four new songs, featuring country and blues musical themes centered around an acoustic guitar, were a departure from the brutal, fast rock of Appetite.Sessions for the sequel to Appetite began in 1989 but were aborted, starting in earnest the next year. Adler was fired from the band in October of 1990 because of his sub-par performance on the new material and was replaced by Matt Sorum from The Cult. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed was added to the band during recording. In no time, the new album became two new albums, Use Your Illusion I and II, scheduled for release in spring of 1991. Recording for the Illusions dragged on throughout the year, pushing the release all the way back to September. The Illusions, essentially two halves of a double album (four albums' worth of material), debuted at number one and number two, (II and I, respectively) and showed that the band had continued to grow musically. As Guns N' Roses prepared for a tour to support the albums, founding member Stradlin left the band in early 1992 amidst deep personal conflict. He was replaced by Gilby Clarke. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine