Reviews (page 3 of 16)
I would put this album into the "Dad rock" category but I do like it significantly more that some of the other "dad rock" albums that I have been served so far. I like the heavy sound and the vocals. I love a guitar solo. The hits on this album are WAY over-exposed but are(were?) hits for a reason. One review I read talked about this being music you play while drinking beers in the garage after hitting on a waitress from Applebee's and yeah that's about right. I don't approve of harassing the waitress but you could catch me listening to this with older relatives on a dock on the fourth of July and I would be happy to be there.
Really not a big guns and roses fan, but when they get it right, its awesome! So for sweet child of mine, paradise city and welcome to the jungle I'll give em three stars 😆😆
there is nothing special about the average song on this album and its big hits are just decent, I can have fun listening to welcome to the jungle, paradise city or sweet child o' mine but all of them are songs I'm likely to skip halfway through tbh
This album is so annoying. Apart from a couple of songs (welcome to the jungle & paradise city) it just irritates me with its fake rebellion of the status quo. Also Axl Rose has an annoying voice
🤘💀
I used to listen to this album a ton when I was a teenager. When I think back on it I remember the major hits, but there were a surprising number of misses for me as well. Of course songs like "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" are undeniably great, but then I find "Nightrain," "Out Ta Get Me", "You're Crazy," etc. to be pretty big misses. Still, it is crazy how many hits they packed onto this debut.
I guess? Sure
Sounds like high school. The range of songs here is crazy!
I tend to like my rock ruthless, yeah, but more as a tool effectively used by the deserving hard workers, instead of the anarchistic free-for-all attitude this album encompasses. Never been crazy about this band, but I'm grateful all but two of these songs were fresh to my ears after reading that most songs on this album were unavoidable to certain people around the US. It's a really ugly album but at least it knows that, I'm sure that was goal in the first place. But honestly, I've only heard GnR's influence in Guitar Center's, high school music classes, and dive bars, so I don't really feel it pushed music in any meaningful direction.
It's hard to be cynical about this one, even if this isn't quite my style. It's an explosive rock'n'roll journey with a lot intensity and passion behind it. It's large, energetic and over the top. The overplayed songs are overplayed for a reason. The quality of some of these songs have stood the test of time. Every song sounds distinct, and feel very much like they belong on the album. I'm just sick and tired of so many of the songs on here, but I don't feel as if it's a fair criteria to rate it by. It's definitely influential, iconic and beloved by many, and in a vacuum if I've never heard those songs before I'm pretty sure I'd also like them. Good record, a charitable 4/5.
The singles are good; it's really something knowing the band never really came back after this first album
listed to this album quite a few times b4 defo one of my favourite GNR albums absolute classic :) own it on CD
This album is the truest test of the question “Is it good or do I just already know it?” Paradise City is truly an excellent song, Welcome to the Jungle is a testosterone fueled romp, but the rest of it came off pretty corny. Still fun, but for an album that was a formative part of my discovery of my own music taste, it’s not actually as good as I remember.
I admittedly have a love/hate relationship with Guns N' Roses. I actually don't mind their songs in small doses, but I absolutely cannot stand Axl's voice. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I feel like he's just screaming at me, and in this case, he screamed at me for almost an hour, which is way too long. I have to give this album credit for the amount of hits it has on it. Also, if you read up on the album, it was a bust when it first came out. It wasn't until after the band campaigned to have their music played on MTV and radio stations, and toured non-stop in small clubs everywhere, that it finally gained traction and ended up being one of the best selling albums of all time. So, it belongs on this list, but I will not be listening to it again.
fine js not really my vibe
Once again, much better than I expected. I understand why these bands are so acclaimed by the critic, several songs unknown to me were actually great. Rocket queen... Sh**, what a way to end an album. 4,5/5.
Começa com uma pedrada já. Saudades da banda. Admirei muito mais essa música quando toquei e ouvi os parceiros da banda tocarem, cada parte muito criativa. Só música foda, tinha umas que fazia tempo que não ouvia. O massa é que tu ouve eles tocando e te transporta pra uma época, um estilo de vida, tu começa imaginar eles vivendo loucamente tudo que tem pra viver. Rock n Roll puro, vida na gandaia, drogas huahhuaa. Mano, a cada música que vinha eu ficava de cara... todas as épicas no mesmo álbum... Os caras fizeram um pacto, pqp.
It completely encompasses what it was like to be a rock band of the time. There’s an element of lawlessness that completely comes through in the album.
eeee no lo mio, en mi auto no se escucha
Completely packed with hits, yet completely devoid of any character… a remarkably annoying debut… if I had to pick any album to be characterized as a product of its time exclusively, this would be the one! 2/10
I can still clearly remember hearing “Appetite for Destruction” for the first time when I was 11 or 12: that was the moment that changed my life—at least when it came to anything related to music. Guns N’ Roses sounded completely different from anything I’d heard before: complex and virtuosic, yet at the same time raw and rebellious—and in my opinion, there’s never been a combination like that, either before or since, that came anywhere close to that level. Since then, I’ve played every note of that album, and yet I still discover new details time and again. On the surface, of course, you notice Axl’s unusual voice and Slash’s solos, but it really gets interesting when you dig a little deeper: Slash impresses far more with his riffs, and the wild asynchronies with Duff’s bass create the ghost notes for a truly unique groove monster (note e.g., the different accents by bass and guitar in the "Rocket Queen" Main Riff); but in my view, what’s most underrated about this band to this day is their masterful use of harmonic complexities and key changes. There’s a lot more that could be said on this topic, but my point is: despite their enormous commercial success, Guns N’ Roses are probably one of the most underrated bands in rock history, and it’s actually a shame that the “Use Your Illusion” albums (which explore the unique harmonic ideas far beyond what's shown here) didn’t make it onto this list. Obviously off the scale, but I couldn’t find a way to rate it higher than five stars.
The opening riff is iconic then it quickly goes downhill with 52 minutes of toxic masculinity
Rocket Queen is a great closing track. I know this album quite well
I just hate it.
You could go on and on about how this and that or you could just sum it up simply. Its not a masterpiece unless it holds some emotional space in your life, it is however an incredibly solid album with only a couple of clunky moments. IMO Mr. Brownstone and Rocket Queen are better than any of the singles. About as close to 5 stars as you can get without quite getting there.
Brilliant album, listened to it too much when younger, lots of classics. 3/5
Exceptional album. Pure rock n´roll, very different from that rock era. It is the only Guns n' Roses album I enjoy.
Got some classics on here! Its fun but not something I want to listen to on the regular. 6/10
A CLASSIC FILLED WITH ABSOLUTE BANGERS!!!
I love Slash's guitar playing. I don't like Axl Rose as a singer at all. Good meat and potatoes rock'n'roll. In the words of one of the more astute reviewers, "pretty average."
fave song: Mr. Brownstone
I enjoyed this album but not as much as other rock albums I've heard. At the time, this was probably special but now there's other bands doing it better.
They were popular but never with me. Added “Sweet Child O Mine” to my playlist.
The singles are the singles for a reason. The deep cuts are deep cuts because they fucking suck
I don't particularly love these "big stadium" rock artists, cause they are very repetitive. But I'd say this album has enough bangers to get a 4
This is a classic that doesn't follow any rules and does what it wants. Classics like Rocket Queen and It's So Easy still hold up and that sound is unlike anything you've ever heard. The band has never done anything as good as this and sadly never will.
wtf is welcome to the jungle about? // Abysmal humans, apparently
Absolute shit
Everyone has heard these singles so many times that, for many, they have lost their luster. The non-singles were not enjoyable to me. I think the only song I still like on this album is Sweet Child O Mine. It's obviously a classic, but having heard it, I will not intentionally listen to any of these songs.
This album rocks. A lot. Maybe the last true rock band in the classic sense to exist. Terrible personalities, actions, and stories after the fact. The songs have endured, they’re full of young, raw, male energy and kill it. Make you want to run through a wall.
This is a super formative album for me. This is all over the map style-wise and they hit on pretty much every sound they try.
Holds up
I do not like this album. I guess no fault to them, but I hear these songs constantly at sporting events and don’t love listening to it as an album.
Note: it's more then likely a 4.5 but my personal connections bump it up since you can't have .5's Appetite For Destruction is an album that leaves an impact. It hits hard and goes fast. All the songs are absolute bangers and it has copious amounts of hits. Listen to this album numerous times over the past 5 years and it still hasn't grown stale. Fav Songs Welcome To The Jungle Paradise City Rocket Queen Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? 100% yes, one of the greatest debut albums of all time and quite possibly the best album in the 80's hair metal scene that has stood the test of time
Great album...
Classic rock album I grew up hearing all the time
5/10
Gunnareilla on hittibiisit jotka potkii, mutta muut kipaleet on vähä semmosta perusrokkia. Levy ihan ookoo.
En oo koko levyä koskaan kuunnellu, tuntu että ei-hittibiisit oli freesimpiä ja parempia - johtuen varmaan, että hittibiisejä on tullu kuunneltua neljättäkymmenettä vuotta enemmän tai vähemmän. GNR ei oo itelle se kotoisin paikka, mutta meni kertakuuntelulta aivan mukavasti, silmät pyöri vähän hittibiiseissä, lyriikat tuli kuitenki selkärangasta.
Perfff prtty solid, reminds me of megamind.
Hits are listenable otherwise this is just not my type of music - also I know this shouldn’t play into it but the album cover is ugly
Это круто, мне кажется, что я слышала много похожих ходов в более современных песнях, но всё-таки не совсем мое
Very good
lots of recognizable stuff on here. pretty fun time all around
Good
Every song was incredibly strong, couldnt pick a fave!
This album is great but all the popular songs have been overplayed to the point where I hate them.
Classic. This is the 80s hard rock album by which all others were measured for a long time (& maybe still are). It took the genre to the next level. The record was inescapable too. It was on everyone’s car stereo when I was in high school. All the time. And it’s actually held up. Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, My Michelle, and of course Sweet Child O’ Mine are highlights. But this album never lets up front to back. This is one that’s clearly deserving of status on this list.
I'm hard pressed to give Appetite For Destruction anything but a 5 for Sweet Child O Mine alone. I think the biggest criticism I can make of this album is that it all sounds pretty similar. Outside of the radio songs, I wouldn't be able to pick the rest apart. But ya know, they are fun high energy songs and every single one of them has at least one good guitar solo.
Me admira o quão variadas são as músicas do Guns, mesmo dentro do mesmo álbum. Uma banda que merece o reconhecimento.
Pure comedy. I love it
J’ai jamais accroché à Guns N’ Roses. Je trouve ça sympa, mais sans plus et j’ai jamais compris le statut culte du groupe. Cet album, je le trouve sympathique, mais rien de plus. Il est tellement neutre que je saurais même pas franchement quoi dire dessus. Voilà, j’aime pas plus que ça.
3 bangers, resten fillers.. Bangersarna går väl inte att förneka så en motvillig 3a Thinking about you = fucking annoying
All killer no filler
Det finns en sångare jag absolut inte klarar av, som är värst av dom värsta, som kan förstöra vad som helst. Det är Axl Rose! Det finns säkert en del bra rocklåtar här, mycket tyder på det. Men det spelar ingen som helst roll. Jag kan inte lyssna på Lars Roos kokainhajpade bror. Det är fysiskt omöjligt! Freddie Mercury kom tillbaka allt är förlåtet.
Ska man lyssna på en hårdrocksskiva från 80-talet är det nog den här man ska höra. Guns’n’roses plockar influenser från sleaze, punk och skitig rock’n’roll. Use your illusions-skivorna har kanske högre toppar, men är å andra sidan rätt spretig över åtta LP-sidor. Appetite är mer konsekvent och sammanhållen i sitt sound. Slash hade kunnat tagga ner lite emellanåt, men introt till Sweet child o mine är verkligen enastående gitarrmagi. I övrigt höjer jag volymen till Welcomw to the jungle, Out ta get me, Mr Brownstone, Paradise city och Rocket Queen.
Mer rock än hårdrock vilket naturligtvis är positivt. Roses sånginsatser är inget att skriva hem om. Men här finns bra låtar. Framförallt hitsen håller bra klass (även om jag hade för mig att Sweet child… var ännu bättre). Där emellan finns en del lyssningsbara men också en del transport. Hursomhelst klarar man trean. Riktigt bra för genren.
När de koncentrerar sig på gubbrock är det rätt bra, som It's so easy. Även hitsen Paradise och welcome to the Jungle håller. Det går nästan att ana något soulfullt i vissa låtar med koklocka och fina basslingor. Låtarna är överlag lite för långa och innehåller på tok för många hårdrockssolon av standardtyp.
This album is like being cut off in traffic by some obnoxious douche in a ute with tinted windows. The ute doesn’t have a speck of mud on it, because the driver has never swung a hammer or worked the land in his life.
I thought id enjoy this more than I did. Its not quite hair metal, not quite punk, not quite crunge. When its good it combines the best of those, but at its worst it combines the bad parts. Lyrics have not aged well. Guitars good but a bit over the top and repetitive in parts.
Favourite Songs: Welcome To The Jungle
Just because it was very important to me as a kid. I couldn't get through more than 4 songs this time around.
Classics but overall each song sounded the exact same
Not a fan but can't deny the quality and overall importance.
Fun to listen to the classics. Otherwise not really my kind of thing. Weirdly the production felt very flat- might be my beats earbuds!
Mid.
extra star for sweet child of mine
no me gustó
4 de 5 Uno de los mejores y más explosivos álbumes debuts de rock en la historia. Combina guitarras afiladas, riffs brutalmente potentes y ritmos vigorosos con una producción bien ejecutada. El talento individual resalta en cada pista, destacando los legendarios solos de guitarra y la intensidad vocal, las letras retratan la vida cotidiana, la juventud, los excesos y la crudeza de las calles, donde la banda vivía al límite. A destacar: Track 1 - Welcome to the Jungle Track 2 - It's So Easy Track 5 - Mr. Brownstone Track 6 - Paradise City Track 9 - Sweet Child o' Mine Track 12 - Rocket Queen
Gosh I cannot stand hair metal. Respect for having like 5 songs on your debut album still be songs 99.9% of people still know 40 years later.
For an album to get a 5, I think all the following should be present: - Display of exceptional musicianship - Long-lasting influence, memorable songs - Emotional effect This album is fit for this. While Guns N' Roses might not be my favourite band of all time, the achievement is undeniable. This debut record sounds great. It is also played very tightly and is well-arranged. The vocal performance is extraordinary. Last but not least, it has a huge selection of songs that stand the test of time.
Noisy.
Absolute banger of an album! So many great songs on this album. From Nighttrain, Sweet Child O'Mine and Paradise City. Great writing and performing from the band as well.
DONT love rock
I like some of the songs in the albulm
2- oooohhh gun n' roses! Finally an excuse to actually listen to an album from them. I downloaded the album directly. May listen to it later during lunch and omw to the library. Very liking it so far I liked welcome to the jungle and realised I already sweet child o mine I sadly didn't get more time to appreciate it better :(((
can i evaluate without prejudice what ive been calling crap my whole life? theres always a first time for everything turns out i was: right i dont fw all this want to look cool by trying so hard to be bad vibe, the music dont really help either i just dont connect with any aspect of this and everything comes too uninspired to me, i dont think i will remember any of these riffs tomorrow, i was calling the drum fills as they happened and that mfrs voice irritates tf out of me i could keep going but that would be just mean, hope i made clear that i dont like this
The singles are absolutely colossal. That guitar solo in Sweet Child is sensational. Beyond that, the waters can get pretty muddy at times, though all in all it's an awesome shot of LA hard rock pomp. Sounds like a good time. Pretty amazing that it's their debut. Came out fully-formed!
Never been a fan, although I’ll admit that the “big” songs are decent. Favourite track: Welcome to the Jungle
Rock stars being rock stars, just a classic.
Maybe because of nostalgia but there was good songs on this! It’s a cool sound in general too.
Even though I had a huge negativity biased view of this album going in (the popularity, the videos, the characters) this album was pretty consistent. Even the songs I didn't know were of decent quality. Slash is a superstar, who created leads that people still recognize today, decades later.
Much like Slippery When Wet, which I got a few days ago, Appetite For Destruction is an album that many people seem to have really mixed feelings about. Three of the songs on this album, Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City, and Sweet Child O’ Mine are overplayed on most radio stations. But just because they’re overplayed doesn’t make them worse. I regularly listen to songs off of this album and I am going to give it 5 stars.
Always was and still is an incredible powerhouse of an album. My rating is for purely sentimental reasons.
I am not a fan of Guns N' Roses, but I know and understand what important shifts in music mean in genres, and this album represents a shift in metal...and also the end of a golden era of metal. Metallica and Guns N' Roses produced their best music in the late 80s at the right time. Any later, and it would have been a wash (Metallica would be the only true survivor).
Mjög góð
Þetta var sterkari plata en ég hélt að hún yrði.
This was a pretty awesome listen, loved Slash’s guitar playing on this. I never really thought the gunners were that good so never thought about listening to any of their stuff other than the hits. Stoked I gave this a chance, great listen
does what it says on the tin. some classic tracks some forgettable tracks
I... like... Guns N' Roses? Huh.
Who am I?
still somehow know all the words to this album, the production sounds like shit but the song writing endures. good shit!!!
Almost an impossible album to rate. Because when you look at what's it's trying to be, it's flawless: it's an extordinarily fun album with slash riffs and axl rose screams all over the place that never seem to get old, despite how much they're used. It's not trying to be anything super complex lyrically or musically, and I have a lot of respect in that; knowing what you are and executing it flawlessly is always admirable. But at the same time, it doesn't really move me in any way. And certainly not all music does or even should. But for those reasons, it just can't get into the range, no matter how spectacular it is. It's physically impossible for this album. So while it's never going to make any all time lists for me, the respect I have for this album is incredibly high. Say what you will about GNR as people, as musicians, to not respect them to the highest degree shows more about any listener than it ever will about the band. Best: Paradise City Worst: Out ta get me Liked songs: 12/12, 100% High 4
Maybe it’s MTV. Maybe it’s the fact that I was basically a child when Sweet Child O’ Mine started to get played and covered and played and covered and played and covered… well, it’s happening still. But I was tempted to give this a 5. I mean, despite the fact that I thought the band as they appeared in their music videos were almost a parody of themselves when I was in middle school, this album ROCKS. If it didn’t let up at the end, I would have given it a 5. The crazy thing is, despite knowing almost every track, I don’t think I have ever listened to the album. I know my brother had it. But since I have a pussy, am not looking for pussy, and certainly not looking for dudes who look like or proclaim the sentiments of this band, it makes sense that it would take almost 40 (!) years for me to listen to it. 4 SOLID Boolean: yes, absolutely glad to have heard before I die
One hit wonder, but quite the hit
I really enjoyed this album! Four stars.
A band who’s legend looms a lot larger than their music.
So buckin' futch.
Never got around these guys. I had fun nonetheless tho
Hard hitting rock album full of energy. The guitar work is a highlight, heavy on the riffs and guitar solos! Well put together album from start to finish, overall quality makes it a stand out. I'm not much of a rock fan but still really enjoyed listening to it.
Аксель что тут сказать он маньяк он дурак
Somehow worse than what I remembered. Still a solid album, maybe I haven't had enough pussy to comprehend it's greatness.
Amazing album, one of the best intro songs to an album ever. Great first few songs, it's a perfect balance of hard guitar solos and catchy almost pop-passing choruses. I understand why Guns N Roses are considered so legendary now. Much harder lyrics than I expected. While not super explicit, I feel like the allusion to drug usage is much more pronounced than I thought it would be. I liked the vast majority, if not all the songs. 10/10 album.
Too album
Onhan tää nyt ikoninen rokkialbumi, monet biisit olin toki aiemmin kuullut jo.
nyt on musiikkia. Welcome to jungle on kyllä aivan uskomaton kappale. 100% yks kaikkien aikojen rokkibiiseistä. Melkein jokainen kappali listalla on aivan kirkkainta timanttia. Ensin albumi alkaa welcome to the jungle josta suoraan its so easy. Albumi todellakin oli entuudestaan tuttu, mutta moni biisi oli täysin uusia itselle. Tuntui, että albumi vaan parani mitä enemmän kuuntelee. Lopussa vasta sweet child of mine. Huhhuh, harva albumi ansaitsee täydet 5/5 mutta tämä on yksi niistä harvoista
Even though you can’t beat some of these classics (even if they’re overplayed) and good riffs, some of this still feels stale. Likes: Welcome To The Jungle; Nightrain; Paradise City; Sweet Child O Mine
Discazo por donde lo mires
This album has some huge singles (Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O'Mine) but I personally dislike Guns & Roses - they're almost a parody of an 80's mainstream hair metal band. The lyrics of Nightrain were dumb and the last two songs gave me invasive throughts about whether or not Axl Rose takes off his bandana during sex.
Dad type music. I am neutral on this 👍
Iconic debut album. Nightrain and Mr. Brownstone might be my favorite GnR tracks
The fact that a band with a singer with that voice makes some of the hardest rocking songs of the 80's still blows my mind. When I picture a rockstar in my head I see Slash. These guys are iconic.
3.25 - I don't like the non-singles as much as the songs I've heard a million times.
Been years since I listened to this straight through. Great rocking, and Slash can really bring it. Too bad Axl couldn’t keep it together long enough to have a longer career with these guys.
Dont like guns and roses
This will be one of my hot takes I guess... But I can't stand Guns N' Roses. I don't know if it's just because it's so overplayed or just my hate for the vocals, they are very annoying.
This album used to get played almost daily on my school bus back in the 90's. I think there is much to be said for listening to this album through a shitty cassette player and rattly bus speakers because listening now with decent headphones it is all a bit polished and hollow. It sounds manufactured. Maybe I'm just cynical. It's clearly a classic, but it sounds much better in my memory than it does 30 years later.
Now this is the music that feels like home to me. A spectacular album, no weak songs, only killers.
One of the very first albums that started my obsession with music. Obviously it's been overplayed to death but it remains an absolute classic. Rocket queen still hits as hard as it ever did.
La maggiore opera del gruppo e un disco di riferimento nella storia dell'hard rock (contiene le 3 hit del gruppo "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City" e "Sweet Child O' Mine"), ma per gusto personale non gli posso dare più di 3 stelle: troppo americano.
muy volver a los 13 años
3.8
Immediate, obvious 5.
Appetite for Self-Destruction. Pretty horrible and cliched. I hope tomorrow's album is better than this.
Bit too theatrical for me. Excellent if you’re from the USA, I bet
It would she's been wild to be at the tour for this album . Nasty rock!
It's sleazy, and over the top, but it's a brilliant album which is packed full of memorable rock n roll bombast. Killer riffs, melodic solos and ridiculous hair metal vocals. Perfect singalong with your hairbrush and air guitar stuff.
Yes. Enjoyed this album.
What a throwback! Also one of the most insane debuts of any rock band out there. It was cool listening all the way through. There are some more plain tracks in between the songs I’ve heard hundreds of thousands of times on the radio. They had a very solid style that holds up in the vocal performance and instrumentals. The lyrics fit in with the unironic mentality of sex, drugs, and rock n roll; but nothing really unexpected. It still holds up, even though I personally prefer the dramatic, piano-driven ballads on Use Your Illusion I and II. We get a taste of that on Think About You with the acoustic guitar during the chorus (shout out Izzy). It’s unfortunate that they had something special for these first three albums before crashing and burning (at least in the studio). It’s still a fun nostalgia trip. Favorite track: Think About You
Cool for two weeks when I was 14.
Not the smartest hard-rock album, not the deepest, but one of the most electrifying debuts ever made. Artistically: savage and massively effective. Historically: enormous. Pure listening pleasure: extremely high.
É talvez um 3.5 ou com jeitinho um 4 só pelos class clássicos, mas está um bocadinho gasto para mim
De longe o melhor álbum deles, alguma nostalgia à mistura mas em 2026 já não é das minhas bandas preferidas de todo
Não fazia ideia que estes bangers estavam todos no mesmo álbum
Acho que nunca tinha ouvido o álbum todo. Tem os clássicos mas depois também algumas para encher. Ainda assim é uma viagem pela nostalgia
I just don't think I'm angry enough for this music. I do remember, "Nightrain" and of course, the iconic, "Sweet Child Of Mine" from when this band was popular. The opening sequences from "Swet Child Of Mine" were instantly recognizable. Still, I'm not a fan. I wasn't one then, and I'm not one now. The one surprising song for me was, "Mr. Brownstone" as I hadn't heard it before and I didn't actually hate it.
Surprised with how much I enjoyed this, especially with Axl’s reputation… Obviously heard the hits but songs like Mr Brownstone were great.
Me gustaron varias pero no todas
felt 60 years old listening to this
Some rockers, some ham fisted clunkers, GnR were definitely a thing though. Three and a half.
First full run through. Fantastic
Tämä levy on mun alltime top3:ssa. Tätä on tullut kuunneltua tuhansia kertoja. Todella kova levy, eikä yhtään huonoa raitaa. Klassikko 6/5!
Late 80s hard rock. Debut. Needed to tour to get album sales. One of best-selling albums. Insane vocals.
4/5
Easily one of the top 10 of all time, if not top 6
It’s not bad, I like it. But I do not love it, and I do think it is a bit overrated
welcommeeee to the jungleeeeee
10 - g n mfing r!
Half the album is as 5 star as it gets. Half the album is not really all that good so it ends up at a 4. When they were clicking there was not a better band
One of the best all time.
Kinda full of bangers
Hell yea Remember this reasonably well from the AM top 100. The three classic GNR songs off this obvs slap but there’s a bunch of other great tracks here too
“Ooh hell yeah brother that’s some red-blooded badass American rock n’ roll oooooohhh yeah!!!” Nah this is actually great. Axl Rose is a prick in real life but in these songs he lends an air of vulnerability and jadedness underneath the hedonism. Sweet Child is the worst song if we’re being real though, the riff was literally a practice exercise Slash did and it sounds like it, and the band just doesn’t feel as comfortable playing this slower ballad style as they do the drug bender orgy rock. Every other song? Just pure energy and hooks.
Still a great album but a lot of the lyrics are so bad. Like if you gave a 14 year old child permission to write edgy lyrics.
I enjoyed this
It was fine
Banging tracks really.
I acknowledge the impact of this album, but I've just never enjoyed Axl's voice.
I had to listen in chunks to be able to manage Axel's screeches, but the angst is powerful
Starts strong and continues stronger. Hit after hit, banger after banger. Hard to believe this was mid-late 80s! Phenominal. Great songwriting, slash's guitar just jumps out at you, some of the best most cleanest licks you've ever heard put to track. So good.
Obviously there are some incredibly famous songs on this album (for good reason), but even the songs I had never heard of had a unique and captivating sound. Really good stuff.
It's interesting, and one wonders if it's intentional, how GnR start their huge debut with a guitar riff that could be Roth era Van Halen, before completely destroying the entirety of that style, both in the album AND in popular culture. The hair metal boys always blame Kurt Cobain for destroying them, but come on, that was just the nail in the coffin. Axl and Slash drew first blood, and if it wasn't for Axl himself, they would have likely stayed just as huge through the grunge era. The Use Your Illusion albums were bloated, but they were also huge. But today is about Appetite. And let's be real, I've never been a huge GnR fan, because even while burying hair metal, this is still over the top, often cheesy cock rock. Rose's voice easily slips between iconic and annoying. The songs that didn't get on the radio often feel like filler in a very real way. But so so much of this album was on rock radio. Like, enough of it that it's easy to forget how many were on this one album, and there is enough nostalgia to carry the day, whether that nostalgia comes from the impeccable tone of Sweet Child o Mine, or the supremely relatable “I get up around 7, get outta bed around 9,” the over the top theatrics of Welcome to the Jungle or that big sinister main riff in My Michelle. Whether intentional or not, the album middle-loads. The first song is huge, but you get three more bangers right in the center, and of course by the time Sweet Child comes in, with that riff that everyone but Slash loves and that iconic bass creeping up under it, you're almost done. Sure, there's a gap between the best stuff and the rest, but the album is balanced enough that it never really feels like a slog to cross those gaps. Realistically, this is another imperfect mid 80s metal album, but it still is leaps and bounds ahead of its peers. It's more adept, it's rougher around the edges (and edgier, at that), it feels aesthetically so different from its milieu. It's a different sort of 4* compared to most of what has gotten that, and it's probably lightly so, but it does what it aims to do.
Ughhh so so excited for this. Welcome to the jungle, a perfect opener. Always fun, such a great listen. It’s so easy just keeps the energy going. That slight drop in the middle and then straight back to it was great. Then that guitar solo, amazing. Nightrain is just genuinely so good. It’s a track I hadn’t heard before I did this listen, and it’s now going to go into my rotation. Out ta get me was a vibe. I enjoyed how Mr Brownstone takes a bit of a different approach than some of the other tracks did. Any day when I get to listen to Paradise City is a good day, nuff said. My Michelle had a way to it that just felt like it was meant to be heard live. Sweet child of mine, perfect. No notes. You’re crazy, great. Anything Goes, so much fun. Rocket Queen was a great way to close. Summed up everything this album was. 5/5 ⭐️ 137/1089
The only thing stopping this from being a 5 is the fact that some of the songs have been overplayed to death.
The classics are great, the other ones a bit less so.
Undeniable how classic the hits are, albeit overplayed. Somehow one of those albums that I'd heard 5 tracks a billion times but not sure if I've ever heard it all of the way through. Like much of this brand of music, the misogyny is on a high tier, and in this modern world, it thankfully sounds dated and inappropriate as song content. That definitely brings it down to a 3.
Excellence at its finest
Elite
Cool album. i really do love classic rock but guns n’ roses isnt my favorite so far. i would say 3/5.
5/10
Not a big fan of the guns but it’s a legendary album
Never listened to this album before. The hits really do hit but man, there's some gross tracks on here. I've got a better appreciation for Duffs bass playing now though!
insane debut
Yeah this is a killer album. The pure energy is fantastic and there are some top tier tracks on this one. No wonder this album is so recognized. By the end I did sort of get tired of his voice unfortunately but that's just me. Favourites: Out Ta Get Me Paradise City Sweet Child O' Mine
A symbol for american identity
5/5
CLASSIC im a rocker boy at heart so im excited for the legendary album Welcome to the Jungle (what i bop to kick off an album with) Paradise City Sweet Child O Mine This album is WEIRD. Its like it only exists for the popular songs. Like every other song is generic rock noise and then it leads into the popular songs. The prime example of this is Think about you into sweet child o mine. Think about you is rock song 9186 and then is leads it a song that is entirely unique and refined in its sound that is stands completely out, and then it leads back into generic. Imma give this a 4, bc legendary but there is plenty of forgettable, but it is alot better than many of the 3s ive rated
Again, for the culture
Thursday, 14 May, 2026 Genre defining. Rips your face off from the first note and Axl gutter scream (“Oh my god!”). What an album.
Insane debut album holy moly. It's the album that made GNR burn so brightly so quickly. If this album was only 4 of these songs it would still be a 5. T3: Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City
So many bangers.. Hate Axel but his voice in this is classic..
es mucho rock y nunca termina de ser muy cebado
Twelve year old me loved this album back in the day. Now that I’m approaching fifty, I can take it or leave it. Axl Rose’s screeching vocals do get irritating over the course of the album. That being said, “Paradise City” and “Welcome To The Jungle” are both great songs.
Overplayed.
Appetite For Destruction came out when I was 3 so it's been with me my whole life. It has some absolute bangers and then some very weak filler tracks.
I haven’t listened to this since I was a teenager and I really think it holds up. A little too polished but that was the 80s.
Takes me back this one. It’s just a banger
The world's greatest cliche
3 good songs
Классика, что скажешь
This album is fucking awesome.
A decent debut from Axl, Slash and co. Sweet Child O' Mine contains one of those iconic guitar riff, pretty much to the point where I can remember where I was the first time that I heard it. It introduced a band that was rawer and harder than the hair rock of Bon Jovi and Whitesnake, but still accessible enough to the mainstream that they were going to get the airplay to make them massive. The four singles on here have been listened to many times, but the standard remains high on the tracks not trusted with chart airplay. Out Ta Get Me and Think About You are high quality tracks, and I love how Rocket Queen changes half way through to bring the album to a fitting end. There are a few tracks I'm not too fussed about - You're Crazy doesn't do anything for me and It's So Easy is so different from it's original that it doesn't sound like a Guns n Roses song either! But there's enough meaty tracks here to post 4 solid stars on this album.
Actually not my taste, but I can't get away from it. This does seem like one of the best albums in this genre.
2018 remaster
Muy buen álbum. No es mi onda (capaz ahora lo sea) pero estuvo genial escucharlo. Sweet child o' mine es el himno, pero en mi opinión hay otras buenas canciones, por ejemplo Paradise City es top. Muuucha actitud, hard rock clásico, enérgico. Overall, muy bueno.
So this one came out my last year of high school. It kind of sticks for that reason. I turned up the house stereo and enjoyed the jams, but it’s not an album in my rotation. I added Mr Brownstone to my playlist. 4 for nostalgia.
“One of the best debut albums ever.” -Lonathan Quinn Teyler-James III
can be fun
Such a grimy record. I don’t think I have ever listened to it all the way through and just knew the hits. Classic and mildly cringy.
I see why they’re so fuckng famous. Good album! Vocalist was annoying at first but he fits the vibe weirdly. 4.5/5
I listened to majority of the album, I enjoyed every single song so far! I will definitely listen to it again. I felt like by the end of each song, the energy transferred onto the next song? it’s a lovely, exciting album. I will gate-keep it :p jk, I would recommend it to someone who is new to metal/rock music, like myself.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLEEE
its good
Great hits, rest was decent
A classic hard rock album from Guns N' Roses. Very catchy and has some pretty strong hooks, and plenty of iconic moments. An extremely conventional and commercial type of music but still quite enjoyable. It's a very entertaining listen, even with some misses it still keeps attention. It's more interesting than most other commercial hard rock albums from this era. It is extremely unadventurous though and many of the songs are not particularly special. Still though this album has a good energy and there is some very solid instrumentation. Slash is a pretty good guitarist and has some solid riffing and fairly impressive solos that give this album it's sound. This album has incredible amount of staying power, still being rather relevant to this day. Axl Rose's voice can get very annoying at points though and the vocals don't really add much of anything to this. My favorite song here is probably Nightrain.
Welcome To The Jungle: 8/10. fire ass opening, not in love with the adlibs though It's So Easy: 7/10. solid but i wouldn't voluntarily choose to listen to it Nightrain: 8/10. gasa Out Ta Get Me: 6/10. musically good but i'm not fond of the lyrics at all Mr. Brownstone: 8/10. quite good Paradise City: 9/10. so far the best one i believe. though it's quite long My Michelle: 9/10. WHAT am i listening to!!! Think About You: 8/10. nice but not extraordinary Sweet Child O' Mine: 10/10. besides from the fact that the intro gives me literal flashbacks, it's an absolute bop You're Crazy: 6/10. while it is definitely musically satisfying, i also don't understand anymore what i'm listening to, but it may as well be the fact that it's almost 11pm... idk it seems a bit overwhelming Anything Goes: 8/10. gasa + chill at the same time Rocket Queen: 8/10 i feel like i'm ascending to heaven lowkey
Incredible
It is a good album, but I would not call it great. There are some classic songs on there, just not a great album from front to back. 7.75/10 Top song Paradise city
Wasn't sure at first but then I pretended it was Slade and really enjoyed it 🙂
You know what, this was a genuinely rip roarin good time.
Great! Definitely not my thing but lots of classics from my childhood
I liked this more than I thought I would.
Who have I become now that I enjoy GNR?
It’s a very fun album. Every member has clear talent and the songs are very well written. As overplayed as many of these songs are, they aren’t ruined for me personally, though maybe that’s because I’ve only been alive a little more than a third of the time this album has existed. I think Sweet Child o’ Mine is one of the best songs of the 80s, but the songs between it and Rocket Queen create a bit of a slump for me. Speaking of which, Rocket Queen is a pretty good cut off the album, but I can’t listen to the moaning part. This is a personal thing, but I used to immediately turn off a song if it included moaning because it made me viscerally uncomfortable. I got over that because I realized that it was just going into the studio and making weird noises at a microphone, but knowing what was happening in the studio for that song just makes it impossible for me. 4/5
A few masterpieces on here, a couple songs sounded a tad repetitive though. That being said great album especially in regards to the guitar hooks and iconic vocals.
What an abomination of an album, and the human race that was alive in 1987 should collectively have had their heads examined for allowing this garbage to become popular. Axl Rose is a little bitch, and no matter how much posturing he does to try to convince us otherwise will never take away from the fact that he's just a little bitch. The music is cookie-cutter and formulaic, and listening to this I can't help but come away convinced that Slash might be one of the most overrated guitarists of all time. There's absolutely nothing redeeming here, even the best song is still one that I wanted to skip halfway through its runtime. God, Axl is such a little bitch.
Not for me, but I get it.
first time listening I enjoyed this album! I found Axl Rose’s vocals very weird and awesome. probably one of the beat classic rock n roll albums i can think of. 8/10 enjoyment ranking
Rated this at the time. A great debut and something a bit different in the heavy/metal genre. Some big tunes if the odd track has become a bit cringe. 4.5/5.
This was great I didn’t like all the songs but it was very good and I have been putting off listening to guns and roses so thank god I did this was great
Rock de toda la vida
Duh! One of the greatest debuts of all time and one of the most formative "forbidden" albums from my childhood.
Ok but I've never been a big Guns fan.
Nicht so mein geschmack
Hard Rock isn’t really my thing, couldn’t listen to the whole album. It’s also not my generation, so it doesn’t hit the same „rebellious” nerve for me that it might’ve hit back then. Also the Wiplash from seeing vague social criticism back to back with Axl Rose moaning in the Welcome to the jungle mv was too much for me lmao (I like the sha-na- na-na-na-na- knees part tho) Favourite Songs: Out Ta Get Me, Sweet Child O’ Mine
It’s icon selection of rock songs probably won’t be beat
Pretty good listen, I'll give it like a 4/10, not a massive rock fan but I can definitely appreciate the riffs and Axl's vocals (who doesn't), highlights are 'Sweet Child O' Mine' (obviously), 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Rocket Queen'. Low-light is probably 'My Michelle'. Was playing 'Pizza Game' same time as listening, what a good pairing (the climaxes of the song sometimes fell in sync with the game).
this has bangers but it’s a little overrated
Some nice songs but a bit repetitive and boring
3.4 3x fun album
I stayed in a place in Costa Rica that was legit in the jungle. The whole time staying there I had Welcome To The Jungle in my head. As I listened to the massive sound of the jungle itself with its symphony of noise emanating from creatures everywhere, I realized the sounds Axl makes sound like actual jungle sounds. Since then, I've wondered if this is what Axl was actually going for. Welcome To The Jungle in part legit sounds like the jungle, which is badass. It's So Easy is perfect GnR and does everything they do best. And this came out when "the F word" really struck and meant something, so the "it's so easy, so fucking easy" portion brings a certain excitement whenever I hear it like when I was a kid in the 80s hearing cuss words in music and being totally awed. My Michelle is another perfect GnR song. Sweet Child is also perfect GnR even after hearing it 4.9 billion times. Shit, Mr. Brownstone is damn-near perfect GnR as well. Rocket Queen is an excellent closer for the album. Some tracks are more typical of hard rock of the era, like Nightrain, Out To Get Me (though still pretty great), Think About You, Anything Goes all fit in with other stuff happening when this came out and are generally passable. But each of the other tracks puncture through the noise. Even Paradise City, with its white trash-ass chorus, sounds bigger and brighter and more charged than anything else at the time. I can't hear this album without shit loads of nostalgia. I love listening to it and it still does a lot for me, but I can't tell you if it's, like, actually overall good or not. If you were there, you probably have at least some fondness for it if not love it, but it you weren't, ehhh maybe not so much.
Used to have this on tape back as a kid. Been a long time since I listened. The singles are standouts, the rest standard 80s hard rock to my ears. Could have dropped a couple of tracks easily. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes: 70/280 (25%) Will I get: Already have
1. "Sweet Child o' Mine" 2. "Nightrain" 3. "Welcome to the Jungle"
A classic hard rock album. Well produced.
A classic of Hard Rock. First half of the album is all bangers. Second half has Sweet Child and Rocket Queen. Other than those the second half is nowhere near as good as first
It wouldn't be a four if it weren't for the bangers. There are so many on here, but the filler does grind a bit.
Overall an enjoyable & easy listen. Favorite track was Mr. Brownstone. It's an influential and very well-made album, but it's hard not to cringe at how 80's it is!
If this was my first time listening, I’d easily give it 4 stars. But I’ve heard these songs a million times…they are so overplayed. So I’m giving it a 3 but I don’t know if that makes sense haha
Sólido álbum debut, no es mi estilo.
Never listen to this music but still three songs i know a Vladivostok classic
When I was in middle school, there was a kid who used to urge us to listen to all these obscure metal bands that he would find, sometimes ordering them out of the back of magazines. So many of them were so bad that eventually we just started ignoring his recommendations. I distinctly remember laughing at him when he told us about this band Guns N' Roses and raved about their debut album. This would have been in 1987, before they had even hit MTV. I sometimes wish I could go back and apologize to that kid. He got this one right.
El primer disco que me compré en mi vida
¡Un álbum, variados climas! crudo de origen, hooks inolvidables y esos riff de Slash para cantarlos son de lujo! Disco que mantiene su identidad y no suena repetitivo. con esas guitarras construye tensión y release!!
It’s like Motley Crew trying to be Aerosmith or AC/DC and trying to look really hard and dangerous but failing at that.
50
A perfect encapsulation of rock and roll attitude. Lightning in a bottle. This album just has so much energy, and intensity. Wild abandon? It isn't pure chaos, but it is music on the edge of breakup and that's very exciting to hear. It's hard for me to hear Axl singing here without picturing him as a leering, eyes-bulging cartoon wolf. GNR is what happens when you take the excess and attitude of 70s Aerosmith to its logical conclusion. And it is gloriously unhinged. FOUR STARS
Iconic
Might be the most 80s album that ever 80s.
5 stars. No notes. Well….. as a rock and roll experience? As a 13 year old? A 23 year old?? An angry young man??? Yeah, 11/10 As a rock purist it is arguably one of the absolute best debuts ever. 10/10 As a 50year old feminist leaning father of 2….. ummmmm …… a little harder to hear now. There’s some stuff lyrically that is downright wrong and unacceptable. However, I’ll rate it based on historical sensibilities minus half a star for Axl and his blatant misogyny. Bonus point: I’m not sure there is another bass player in rock that is as undervalued as Duff McKagan. 9/10
I don’t know if this is just because of my age my mom, my brother and myself combined, but it’s just awesome! His voice is different than everyone’s and so many of the songs are catchy, but not in a pop way.
Classic hard rock album! Everything’s there riffs,guitar solos
This was much more fun than I want to admit to. I think it all boils down to "this sucks" with a smile on my face
Hmm...Which way should I go on this one? We've got 3 all time classics, a few total duds, and a couple alright to good tracks. I guess we're going 3.5 rounded to 4 because of how great those 3 tracks are, but nobody would fault you for going to 3
Hair Metal/Cock Rock are amongst my very least favourite genres but luckily this album is so far above the rest of that pack it just about transcends it, becoming instead just a very good rock album. Kind of glam, kind of punk, full of far too much confidence and machismo but overflowing with riffs and attitude and it quality. Lightning in a bottle that was never recaptured.
Hard to know how to rate a kind of same-y album of a genre you don't love that also features one of the best songs ever written ...
Good
Guns N' Roses wrote 'Welcome to the Jungle' and then tried to do it again 11 times more on the same album without anyone noticing. Fortunately for them, it was a banger of a song and hard to make unlistenable. Unfortunately for them, by the time the first song is over, you've heard everything this album has to offer.
Gut
ist einfach nicht so meins
Ein sehr gutes album. Meine standouts : Welcome to the jungle Nightrain Mr Brownstone Paradise City Sweet Child of Mine
The big songs from this album are classics for a reason, but again I’m running into the ‘all the songs kind of sound the same’ wall.
I mean you just can’t go wrong with some banger guitar riffs
good to discover guns’ songs that i’ve never heard to even though this album contains 3 big hits from the band good album but i aspected more
hopefully this is not public but as a non American, i honestly thought guns and roses has a fanbase full of rednecks, trump supporters, 🦅🦅🦅🦅, all that. So i just never really felt the need to give them a listen but this album was pretty lovely
Fucking legendary. Hair metal at its best. "Sweet Child O' Mine" might be overplayed, but I still think it's one of the greatest guitar solos of all time -- in the convo for #1. Slash is exceptional the whole album, and even though Axl Rose is a tool-fucker who burned out his voice in a couple years, he's exceptional and unbelievable here. 53 straight minutes of pedal-to-the-metal bangers. I have nothing bad to say. Edit: okay, maybe hair metal at its best is still pretty damn repetitive. Grr. I stand by most of everything I said.
This was a good one for the most part. The hits hit the hardest, but I was surprised how different the non hit songs were from the singles. Not that they were totally different, but a lot of this album feels like filler between masterpieces.
Something I've learned about myself through this process - I'm fine with sex talk in music (see Prince), but really don't like misogynistic lyrics. Certainly some rock 'n roll classics here, most of them overplayed, if you ask me, but I can't look past the misogyny.
Who doesn’t know at least one song from this album? Such a cool album, but maybe I’ve heard the songs too much
I liked the songs I already knew, but didn't love the songs I hadn't already heard.
Too insanely overplayed for me to really enjoy it beyond having a basic level of respect for it at this point.
Its rock, its metal, its pop and its camp as Christmas.
wether you like them or not, I think almost everybody heard this band and seen this album art. That is in it self a really good reason for it to be on this list. It has had a huge cultural impact. Personally growing up on classic rock this is a really good album to me that i never took time and listen through. The hits are legendary but even the tracks i haven't heard seems solid.
Some of their biggest hits
Some memorable songs and some weak songs.
Tiene buenas canciones y sweet child o mine así que se merece un 4 por tremenda obra de arte
Really don't care for Rose's voice. Some solid songs but mostly pretty worn out.
One of the great debut albums of all time. They transcended the awful genre of hair metal to produce one of the best ever rock/metal albums ever. Every song is a classic. If you don't like this album, you've never been a teenager (or at least a white male suburbanite teenager). My one major beef with this album though is why was the ending guitar solo in Paradise City so low in the mix? Best Tracks: Welcome to the Jungle; Nighttrain; Paradise City
Rock and roll legends. Loved listening to them in the car with my Dad growing up.
Lo escuché por partes
Great album that deserves all the accolades it has gotten over the years. It smokes from beginning to end. Too bad everything after this album pretty well sucked from them. I was 14 when this came out and it kinda bubbled under the surface for awhile. Then they went on tour opening for Mötley Crüe and stole the show. I was witness to that in Huntsville, Alabama. GnR was enough Hollywood Strip to appeal to the hair metal crowd, but grimy and heavy enough to appeal to the thrash crowd. They really had an authenticity to them that won lots of people over from diverse musical interests. 4.5/5 rounded to 5.
More like Bums N’ Hoses. BANGER AFTER BANGER. So good.
Ett poäng för wellcome to the jungle
legalzinho
I want to respect it but atp I hear some songs and they’re just too overplayed for me… anyways the first song reminds me of the time I went on a pub crawl with some friends and we ended up at this arcade bar and we went down these dark stairs which led to a door that had a sign that was like “welcome to the jungle” and we went in and there was like at least 30 middle aged guys who just stared… idk what that was all about but it was a tad creepy lol
Album #79, Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ As most young boys who loved hard rock, I loved this album. It was probably one of my first real musical obsessions. They were singing about sex and drugs and using curse words, so what wasn’t to love at that age? And at the time, they felt properly heavy. I hadn’t really gone back to it in years, so I was curious to see how it would hold up. It’s a great record, it really is. The riffs are brilliant. It’s very hooky throughout, especially the singles, which are all iconic. There are a few forgettable tracks like “Out to Get Me”, which I think is poor, and “Anything Goes” doesn’t do much for me either. I also think the chorus of “My Michelle” is a bit weak. But everything else is pretty great. The two stars of the show are obviously Slash and Axl Rose. Slash’s guitar playing is just incredible. I don’t know much about the technical side of guitar, but it sounds so precise and powerful. But the real standout is Axl Rose. His voice is unbelievable. He has to be one of the best singers of his generation. The range, the control, the multiple voices, it’s all there. Some things haven’t aged well, though. On one hand, I do think the lyrics are strong in terms of storytelling. There are loads of little vignettes about down and out characters and addicts. That side of it works really well. But it’s hard not to take some of the misogyny at face value. Unlike the Slim Shady LP, which I reviewed yesterday, where it clearly feels like a character, here it feels more like this is genuinely coming from Axl Rose. That does leave a bit of a bad taste. Also, “Rocket Queen” is one of the best songs on the album, but that sex scene in the middle is just cringey and creepy and has aged terribly. It kind of ruins what is otherwise a brilliant track. The best song on the album is “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” It’s a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the record, but it might just be the perfect rock song. The riff, the solo, the melody, the vocals, everything is absolutely spot on. I don’t find it cheesy at all, it’s just a genuinely great love song, even if it feels a bit at odds with the rest of the lyrics on the album. Was great to revisit it!
When you first hear Guns and Roses, it sounds like a series of impersonations. Axl does his best Robert Plant in “Welcome to the Jungle”. Duff channels Ozzy in “It's So Easy”. Slash brings Jimmy Page, AC/DC and others into his guitar styles. But, all of these influences blended together have sort of become the GnR sound. Full disclosure: I'm not a big GnR fan. I used to make fun of the over-the-top cheesiness of their songs (and videos, looking at you “November Rain”). I never took them fully seriously. I mean, they're one of the main offenders of hair rock. But to be completely fair to them, they can write some great songs, and obviously Slash is a class guitarist. “Welcome to the Jungle” is a great song. The intro does such a good job at building anticipation. And then straight into that fantastic riff. Let's just brush past the gall of Axl’s Robert Plant impersonation, and all of his “sha-na-na-na-na-na-na knees knees”. The breakdown in the middle of the song, building back up to the main riff is genuinely really great stuff. While Jungle still sounds quite Zeppelin, “Paradise City” is where that GnR sound starts coming out. The lyrics are cheesy and cringe as hell, but the chorus is seriously catchy. To be utterly predictable, “Sweet Child” is the third standout track on “Appetite for Destruction”. Sure it's become a trope. You can just imagine Fintan the accountant at his office Xmas party, rolling up his sleeves to show off his air guitar skills. But let's get past that. The riff is iconic for a reason and the song, underneath the parody it's become of itself, is genuinely good. The rest of the songs on the album act as filler to these three hits and, on the whole, they're pretty dull. I could happily live the rest of my life knowing I wouldn't have to listen to them again. But those three big-hitters are a different story. They’ve been so overplayed, so parodied, so absorbed into the world of “Fintan at the Christmas party” that it feels embarrassing to admit they’re good. But they are.
Guns N' Roses' debut album is carried by cool-ass guitar from Slash, awesome, harsh vocals from Axl Rose, and everything in between. Overall a really good listen.
Highlights: Welcome to the Jungle, Nightrain, Paradise City, Sweet Child O’ Mine, You’re Crazy
One of my favourite albums . Listened to a lot of GnR as a child and this is certainly their best.
Absolute banger, if you love wailing guitars you will love this album.