Guns 'N' Roses

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Guns 'n' Roses Hair Metal Band

Guns 'N Roses was always one of those bands that seem to us to be one snort short of death.  Guns 'N Roses (or G N R) was an L.A. and that formed back in 1985.  The name of the band came from the combination of last names of two of the founding members:  Axl Rose and Tracii Guns.  As many of you know, Tracii, who later formed the band L.A. Guns,  was quickly replaced with Slash due to the fact that he did not show up at rehearsals.

In 1986, after some grueling self-promotion tours and L.A. club scene attention, the band was signed by Geffen Records.  The band released a demo, extricated themselves from the club scene, and began working in earnest on their first release,  Appetite for Destruction, which was released in 1987 (this album hit number 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in thanks to the song "Sweet Child o' Mine").  At the time of this writing, Appetite for Destruction held the USA record for the most sales for a debut album.  Interestingly enough, "Sweet Child o' Mine", written by Axl for his then Girlfriend, was Slash's least favorite song.  Other popular songs from this album include "Paradise City' and "Welcome to the Jungle".

Guns 'N Roses initially toured with bands like Motley Crue, The Cult, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, and Aerosmith before heading up their own show.  As a headlining act, Guns 'N Roses was known for wild shows that often featured some unexpected mayhem, often a result of drug use (Axl was known to attack fans and show up late).  On more than one occasion, riots were the direct result of shows being wrapped early.

Although other albums did not do as well as their original release, they still did very well.  GNR Lies, which featured the song "Patience", peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200.  Use Your Illusion I and II, both released in 1991, charted at number 2 and number 1 respectively.  The song, "November Rain", became the most requested video on MTV and received an MTV Music Video award.  After these 1991 releases, Guns 'N Roses embarked on the, to date, longest tour in rock history.    

By 1997, the only original member left in the band was Axl.  Chinese Democracy, which was released in 2008, was actually material created when the band was still together.  At the time of this writing, word had it that Axl had plenty of material ready to release new material, but whether or not the original members reunite for new material or even a reunion tour is up in the air.  Sammy Hagar has said he would be willing to give up everything to manage a Guns 'N Roses final reunion tour.

At the time of this writing, the Guns 'N Roses Discography was as follows:

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  • 1987: Appetite for Destruction
  • 1988: G N'R Lies
  • 1991: Use Your Illusion I
  • 1991: Use Your Illusion II
  • 1993: The Spaghetti Incident?
  • 2008: Chinese Democracy