4.0 - This record was another staple among the cool kids at my elementary school, which made it suspect in my eyes. But like it or not, GNR has been a mainstay in the soundtrack of my life. Wherever people are having fun, "Paradise City", "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Welcome to the Jungle" are bound to be playing. As I finally give this album a fair listen, I actually think they've pulled off something heroic. They've wrested control of rock 'n' roll from the terrible and tired rock acts that were crowding the radio. I was expecting to hear big synthesizer fills, multi-layered vocal harmonics and typical cocaine-driven studio overproduction. Instead I hear a sound that is raw and stripped down. Axl Rose commands with a single, powerful voice. Slash comes through with blues-inspired licks, unfettered by studio fuckery. This is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll set against the Sunset Strip. Pretty damn classic.