On July 21, 1987, Guns N’ Roses unleashed their first studio album, Appetite for Destruction, on Geffen Records. It debuted at No. 182 on the Billboard 200 chart, and had only sold 200,000 copies by December. The record label was about to move on and let the band record a follow-up when something unexpected happened: The heavy rotation of the video for their “Welcome to the Jungle” propelled the record—and the band—to superstardom. Italiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2018. Appetite For Destruction – Super Deluxe Edition". Guns N' Roses Official Store. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018 . Retrieved May 5, 2018. Album, 2020". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021 . Retrieved January 20, 2021.

Norwegiancharts.com – Guns N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2018. ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved January 13, 2022. a b Davis, Stephen (2008). Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses. Penguin. pp. 181–82. ISBN 978-1592403776. In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked the album as the 27th best album of the 1980s. [55] In 2012, it was ranked #62 on Rolling Stone 's updated list of " The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"; [56] it maintained that rank on the 2020 update of the list.Dolan, Jon (August 2006). "How to Buy: Heavy Metal". Spin. New York. 22 (8): 78. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021 . Retrieved January 28, 2018. Sweet Child O’ Mine, a ballad loosely inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd, its lyrics written by Axl for his then-girlfriend Erin Everly, sounded to Tom Zutaut like a hit waiting to happen. As Niven puts it, indelicately: “Tom was real high on Sweet Child, and I had a major boner for Paradise City. And because we had Sweet Child we didn’t need November Rain. Axl was convinced that November Rain was his masterstroke, and that it needed even more time and attention. So it qualified as a brilliant hold-over.”

It was Tom Zutaut, the A&R man who took the band to Geffen, who did most to get Appetite For Destruction made. In his previous role at Elektra Records, Zutaut had signed Mötley Crüe, and his first choice as producer for Guns N’ Roses was Tom Werman, a hardened veteran who had worked with the Crüe on their hit albums Shout At The Devil and Theatre Of Pain. Bill Wyman (January 4, 2013). "Did "Thriller" Really Sell a Hundred Million Copies?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015 . Retrieved September 17, 2015. Italian album certifications – Guns'N' Roses – Appetite for Destruction" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved July 15, 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Appetite for Destruction" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione". The Texas Stadium show on September 17, 1988 is remembered by the band as one of their worst performances. [3] "The band completely fell apart in front of this massive audience," recalled Slash. "It was desperate on stage, trying to keep everything together. I have nightmares about it." [4] Opening acts [ edit ] Slash: It’s kinda hard to explain this so people can understand it. We were one of the most opposed bands. We had opposition from everywhere, the whole f__king time. Still. It’s not as bad now ’cause we’re signed and some people like the s__t we do. But we started out with so many people from so many different directions, trying to lash out at us. And trying to say Guns N’ Roses this and that, and don’t let them in here, and don’t let them do this, and don’t let them do that, and watch them, and this and that and the other. “Mr. Brownstone”Album – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019 . Retrieved October 30, 2020. The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Guns N' Roses; 'Appetite For Destruction ')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Daultrey, Stephen (July 20, 2012). "Classic Albums: Guns N' Roses – Appetite For Destruction". Clash. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014 . Retrieved July 8, 2014. In 2002, Pitchfork ranked the album at #59 on their list of "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". [60] It dropped to #86 on Pitchfork 's 2018 list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". [61] ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020 . Retrieved October 30, 2020.

Whole Lotta Rosie" (Live at the Marquee Club London, 1987, AC/DC cover; writers: Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott) The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2010 . Retrieved April 1, 2021. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th conciseed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.

“Welcome To The Jungle”

Niven made an equally damning assessment of Quiet Riot and their signature anthem Metal Health (Bang Your Head). “I was definitely not a fan of Quiet Riot,” he says. “ Bang Your Head was ridiculous to me. Can you imagine Axl singing that lyric?” American album certifications – Guns N' Roses – Appetite For Destruction". Recording Industry Association of America. These impressions have done nothing but become more solid and strong after more of 30 years of listening to hundreds of different bands and genres.