Review Summary: Sex, drugs & rock n' roll...
Ah, if it isn’t the infamous
Appetite for Destruction. For many, that name evokes the thought of a classic record. For some it is an association with the revival of old-fashioned rock ‘n roll in the late 80’s, a time when glam rock and hair metal was dominating the airwaves. For a smaller group, it means a banal, annoying and generic record. Opinions differ as always, but now what IS
Appetite for Destruction exactly?
In the purest sense, it is that famous expression: sex, drugs & rock n’ roll. However, the picture Guns N’ Roses’ debut creates does not only show the bright, but also the dark side of that lifestyle. Amongst the many odes to women (
My Michelle,
Sweet Child O’ Mine,
Rocket Queen), there is the depiction of the deceiving nature of a rock n’ roll life.
Welcome to the Jungle and
Paradise City are both packed with sarcasm, with famous lines such ‘You can taste the bright lights, but you won’t get them for free’ and ‘Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty’. Criminal involvement (
Out Ta Get Me) and drug addiction (
Mr. Brownstone) are not forgotten, and make
Appetite thematically whole. In fact, it could just be the perfect depiction of its subject. You might argue that this bunch of young scallywags just got lucky, and that writing what they experienced doesn’t automatically make an album classic, but maybe it is exactly them that are perfect candidates for putting this life into music and making it believable.
But hey, wait a minute. Just text don’t make songs great, do it now? When people think of the factors that define a classic album, many will want it to be bound together in a sense, for example by theme. What’s more, another vital issue to consider is how words and sounds work together. If the instrumentation suits the lyrics, or the other way around, you’ll have the basis for any great album. And you’ll all know where this is going at.
Appetite for Destruction indeed provides instrumentation that is in tremendous harmony with its lyrics. The songs are all extremely guitar-driven, Slash providing the backbone with riffs that are so purely blues-influenced it is no surprise this album is cited as a rock n’ roll revival. It’s mostly a raw, loud and straightforward assault, and the interplay with Stradlin is excellent, but Slash shows his more refined side in the blistering guitar lead that is
Sweet Child O’ Mine and the iconic riffs and solo in
Paradise City. He’s a real show-off in the solos, but his regular riffing can be quite sloppy, something that works with the no-nonsense feel. The rhythm section, consisting of Adler and McKagan, also deserves some praise, and is solid if not excellent.
The other point of musical focus is our good red friend, Mr. Axl Rose. Ever the attention-seeker, he is arrogance itself. His almost feminine wail on most of the songs can border on the annoying, but suits Guns’ style tremendously. His vocal performance on the likes of
Welcome to the Jungle and
Nightrain is a very strong force, and is without doubt that the famous
Paradise City and
Sweet Child O’ Mine would never have achieved that iconic stardom without him. Point is, as vital as the other members are, Guns N’ Roses lives or dies by Rose, and if you don’t like him, you won’t like the band.
Sure,
Appetite may not be hard rock greatness all the way through, and shares its amount of less enjoyable tracks, with especially
My Michelle and
Think About You bordering on the generic. Though generally uninteresting, they connect with the rest of Appetite’s theme. It was never Guns’ intention to release an artistic, near-perfect quality album with zero filler in the first place. Those who listen to it wanting to hear as such haven’t a clue what this record is about.
Appetite for Destruction is exactly what the music scene needed at the time: a loud, ravaging and destructive hard rock approach to wake up the ever more commercialized crowd. Going back to the roots of rock music, similar to what the punk movement did when art/progressive rock took over in the 70’s, Guns N’ Roses were there to shake things up with the old-fashioned riff- and vocal-driven brand of rock music that everyone had always loved. And at that, they have made a tremendous effort. And as good as a starting point it was, the boys have always had trouble living up to their early reputation. This album is the legacy of returning heavy music back into the mainstream, more than anything else. And it that sense, yes,
Appetite for Destruction IS a classic.
Essential listening:
Welcome to the Jungle
Mr. Brownstone
Paradise City
Sweet Child O’ Mine
- William Bruce ‘Axl’ Rose, Jr. ~ Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Synthesizers, Percussion
- Saul ‘Slash’ Hudson ~ Lead and Acoustic Guitars
- Michael Andrew ‘Duff’ McKagan ~ Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Jeffery Dean ‘Izzy Stradlin’ Isbell ~ Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals, Percussion
- Steven Adler ~ Drums
