Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Released in 1987 (see 1987 in music), it was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart. As of September 2008, the album has been certified diamond (plus 18x platinum) by the RIAA, [1] accumulating worldwide sales in excess of twenty-eight million as of October 2008. [2] The album still remains the fastest-selling debut album in history. [3]

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Origins

Axl Rose stated in 1988 that many of the songs featured on the album had been written while the band had been performing on the Los Angeles club circuit, and a number of songs that would be featured on later Guns N' Roses albums were considered for Appetite for Destruction , such as "Back Off Bitch," "You Could Be Mine" and "Don't Cry". ^[4]

While the songwriting credits are credited to all five band members, many of the songs began as solo tracks that individual band members wrote separate from the band, only to be completed later. These songs include "It's So Easy" (McKagan) and "Think About You" (Stradlin). "Rocket Queen" was an unfinished Slash/Adler song that was written from their earlier band Road Crew, whereas "Anything Goes", written by Hollywood Rose and included in their compilation album The Roots of Guns N' Roses , was later re-written for Appetite .

Other songs on the album reflect the band's reaction to the debauchery of the L.A. rock and roll underground, like "Welcome to the Jungle" (Rose wrote the lyrics while in Seattle about an incident in New York City). ^[5] Some of the songs focus on the band members' younger years, like "Out ta Get Me", which focuses on lead singer Axl Rose's constant trouble with the law as a youth in Indiana. ^[6] The band also based songs off of their assorted female companions, reflected in the songs "Sweet Child o' Mine," "Think About You," "My Michelle," "You're Crazy," and "Rocket Queen."

Album cover

The album's original cover, based on the Robert Williams’s painting "Appetite for Destruction", depicted a robot rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After several music retailers refused to stock the album, they compromised and put the controversial cover art inside, replacing it with a cover depicting a cross and skulls of the five current band members (designed by Billy White Jr., originally as a tattoo), each skull representing one member of the band: Izzy Stradlin, top skull; Steven Adler, left skull; Axl Rose, center skull; Duff McKagan, right skull; and Slash, bottom skull. The photographs used for the back of the album and liner notes were taken by Robert John. The cover was supposed to be on the 2008 re-pressing of the vinyl, though the record label replaced it with the skulls cover at the last minute. The re-pressing of the vinyl, though, is the first Guns N' Roses release to have the Parental Advisory label printed on the artwork; previously, like on the CD, this was a sticker on the cellophane wrap and later (on the CD and cassette releases) on the case itself.

Achievements

• In 1989 Rolling Stone ranked Appetite for Destruction as the 20th best album of the 1980s.
• The same magazine later ranked it at sixty-one on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. ^[7]
• In 2001, Q magazine named Appetite for Destruction as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. ^[8]
• In 2004, Q magazine also named Appetite for Destruction as one of the greatest Classic Rock Albums Ever. ^[9]
• In 2003, VH1 named Appetite for Destruction the 42nd Greatest Album of All Time. ^[10]

• In 2002, Pitchfork Media ranked Appetite for Destruction 59th on their Top 100 Albums of the 1980s . ^[11]
• It was ranked 18 in Spin magazine's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005". ^[12]
• Kerrang! magazine recently compiled a 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever list of which Appetite for Destruction was ranked #1. ^[13]
• In 2004 the album was voted number 1 by fans in Metal Hammer magazine's greatest albums of all time list.
• Rolling Stone devoted their cover to the album's 20th Anniversary, July 2007. ^[14]
• The album was ranked 32 on Rock Hall of Fame's 'definitive 200' album list, developed by the NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. ^[15]
• Nike dedicated a SB Dunk to the album

Track listing

All songs written by Guns N' Roses except "It's So Easy" co-written with West Arkeen and "Anything Goes" with Chris Weber. ^[16]

Personnel

;Guns N' Roses Axl Rose – lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizers, percussion Slash – lead and acoustic guitars Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitars, backing vocals, percussion Steven Adler – drums

;Additional personnel Mike Clink – production Steve Thompson – mixing Michael Barbiero – mixing George Marino – mastering Victor Deyglio – engineering assistance Dave Reitzas – engineering assistance Micajah Ryan – engineering assistance Julian Stoll – engineering assistance

Andy Udoff – engineering assistance Jeff Poe – engineering assistance Robert Williams – paintings Michael Hodgson – art direction, design Robert John – photography Jack Lue – photography Greg Freeman – photography

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1988	The Billboard 200	1
1989

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Peak position [17]
1988	"Sweet Child O' Mine"	Billboard Hot 100	#1
1988	"Sweet Child O' Mine"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	#7
1988	"Welcome to the Jungle"	Billboard Hot 100	#7
1988	"Welcome to the Jungle"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	#37
1988	"Nightrain"	Billboard Hot 100	#93
1989	"Nightrain"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	#26
1989	"Paradise City"	Billboard Hot 100	#5
1989	"Paradise City"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	#14

References

1. &artist=Guns%20N%20Roses&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50
2. Guns N' Roses To Release New Album - Axl Rose Is The Only Original Remaining Member
3. Guns N' Roses Debut Album "Appetite For Destruction" Fastest-Selling Debut Album In History
4. ''Axl/Slash Interview'', 1988 [1]
5. "Welcome to the Jungle"
6. Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. pp. 109
7. "''Appetite for Destruction'' - ''Rolling Stone's'' 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
8. In our Lifetime #2
9. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q_mojo_se.htm#Classic%20Rock
10. VH1 Ranks 100 Best Rock Albums
11. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36736
12. Spin magazine's 100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005
13. Guns N' Roses news:
14. How Guns N' Roses Mixed Drugs, Punk, and Classic Rock to Make 'Appetite for Destruction'
15. http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/definitive-200
16. Appetite for Destrucion > Overview
17. Artist Chart History - Guns N' Roses - Singles