In the early eighties, Indiana transplants William Bailey and Jeff Isbell came to Los Angeles and played in local metal bands LA Guns and the Hollywood Roses. Bailey and Isbell wanted to do something different, though, than the polished glam metal of the Sunset strip. They wanted to make rock and roll dirty again. They formed a new band with guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagen, and drummer Steve Adler. Taking a part from each of their previous bands, Bailey and Isbell changed their names to Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin and dubbed their new project Guns N' Roses. After paying their dues in the gritty rock clubs of Hollywood, Guns N' Roses self-released an EP in 1985 which injected a punk vibe and spirit into their distinct hard rock sound. The album and their striking live shows landed the band a record deal with Geffen Records.
With the support of their label, Guns N' Roses hit the road. As their 1987 album Appetite for Destruction slowly gained momentum, things changed for the band. Three singles from the record hit the top ten-- "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City," and "Welcome to the Jungle" - propelling Appetite's sales to a phenomenal twenty million copies.
Besides breaking sales records, Guns also broke a chart record. In 1988, Geffen released the Lies EP which featured material from their first EP mixed in with some new acoustic material. Lies created a cacophony of controversy with the song "One in a Million," which refers to "niggers" and "faggots." Nonetheless, when Lies hit number two on the charts, Guns N' Roses became the only band in the eightties to have two albums simultaneously in the top five. Guns would repeat this feat in the nineties with Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.
As the band's success grew, its band members spun out of control. Heroin and alcohol abuse came center-stage for the band as now infamous incidents -- some funny, some tragic - kept the rockers in tabloid headlines. Izzy was arrested for urinating in public on an airplane, Slash fired off a string of obscenities on live TV at the American Music Awards, and Axl's marriage to Erin Everly lasted a mere three weeks. Finally, in 1990, the band took a break from the public chaos to enter the studio with producer Mike Clink to record their next album. One year later, Guns emerged with two records Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.
Following the release of the Use Your Illusion albums, Guns departed on a massive tour which lasted over two years. The tour, which included some double-billings with Metallica, demonstrated their position as a supergroup. With new singles like "You Could Be Mine," "Live and Let Die," and the massive "November Rain," Guns continued the monster momentum begun in 1987 with massive sales, excessive acts of rebellion, and enormous live shows. In fact, their 1992 appearance at the internationally televised Freddie Mercury (Queen) tribute concert in London had the largest music audience in history at the time.
In 1993, Guns released a collection of punk covers called The Spaghetti Incident which, surprisingly, faced lukewarm reactions from fans and critics alike. Truth be told, Guns had found their match with a new band taking over the charts and the headlines with a new sound and a whole new set of antics. When "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit the radio waves, Nirvana ended the careers of countless metal bands. Feeling the wear and tear of their seven-year rein of the music world, Guns N' Roses didn't have the strength or energy to fight. The band shrank back and took a much needed rest.
Come 1998, Axl Rose, sole proprietor of the Guns N' Roses name, has been putting the pieces together for a new incarnation of the band. Over the years, Guns has had numerous personnel changes, including Gilby Clarke replacing Izzy Stradlin and former Cult drummer Matt Sorum replacing Steve Adler. Even guitarist Slash split to work on other projects. A much-delayed album under Axl's guidance is said to be due out later in 1999.
By Dave Jenison
