Guns N' Roses

Although sales started slowly, Guns N' Roses became one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world thanks to their debut album Appetite For Destruction.  A staggering 30 million copies were sold, 18 million of which in America. The band formed in the mid-1980s. The members had a history in groups like LA Guns and Hollywood Rose – which immediately explains the band's name. In the early years of their existence, the young group performed extensively. Guns N' Roses quickly made a name for themselves thanks to their explosive performances, in which singer Axl Rose hurtled across the stage like a loose cannon. The debut album was recorded with the classic lineup of Axl Rose, Slash (guitar), Izzy Stradlin (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Steven Adler (drums).

Appetite For Destruction was released in 1987 and was initially ignored by the press and the public. Everything changed dramatically when the singles "Welcome To The Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child O'Mine" were released. American rock radio picked them up. MTV played the videos extensively. The rest of the world soon followed. The mini-album "GN' R Lies" followed in 1988. Guns N' Roses dominated headlines during this period, partly due to their often tumultuous performances.

Yet, the band also found the time to record enough material for two complete double albums: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, both released in 1991. Once again, they were a worldwide success, peaking at number one and number two in the US album charts. "November Rain" and the Paul McCartney and Wings cover "Live and Let Die" were among the hits that spawned these epics. In response to the bombast of the diptych, Guns N' Roses released "The Spaghetti Incident?" in 1993, an album of punk covers that honored the group's roots.

Then a break occurs  A confusing period began, with band members abandoning the sinking ship one by one. With Axl Rose at the helm and a constantly changing crew, they worked for years on the album "Chinese Democracy," which was finally released in 2008. The album sold well, but Guns N' Roses didn't truly return to the general public until Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed began touring under the familiar banner in 2016. As if the '80s and '90s had never ended, stadiums were filling up again. No new music was released yet, but the fan base was treated to deluxe reissues of "Appetite For Destruction" in 2018 and the "Use Your Illusion" albums in 2022. A new single, "Perhaps," was released in 2023. It is unclear whether this heralded a new album. Guns N' Roses will be forever remembered for Appetite For Destruction, one of the most exciting debut albums of all time.