On this day in 1987, hard rock band Guns N’ Roses released its debut album Appetite For Destruction (on Geffen Records).
Though initially released to little fanfare, over the next year, with touring and time on the airwaves, the album became a massive success, with multiple hit singles, including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” It topped the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling debut album of all time, as well as the 11th best-selling album of all time in the United States.
A deluxe edition came out in 2018, called Appetite for Destruction: Locked N‘Loaded, a box set that included 73 songs (49 of which were previously unreleased).
(See last week’s Sunday Sounds for a live rendition of “Used To Love Her” with English drummer Cozy Powell delivering a pizza onstage, then playing bongos with drummer Matt Sorum.)
Part of the epicness of Appetite For Destruction comes from drummer Steven Adler’s huge pocket, raucous sound, and great musicality. Plus, the rhythm section with Duff “Rose” McKagan is phenomenal.
According to Adler, the percussion for the album was done in just six days, but Rose’s vocals took much longer because he insisted on doing them one line at a time.
Let your ’80s hair down with the following Appetite For Destruction singles.