GUNS N' ROSES

Guns N' Roses are an influential American hard rock band founded in Los Angeles in 1985. They are often credited with bringing rock n' roll back into the mainstream during the late 1980s, resurrecting the styles of bands such as Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones during a time when hair metal and glam rock had been dominating the airwaves. They have released six studio albums, Appetite for Destruction in 1987, GN'R Lies (re-issue of the self-released 'Live Like a Suicide' EP, plus four newly recorded acoustic songs) in 1988, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II in 1991, The Spaghetti Incident? (Covers album) in 1993, and, after fifteen years and several lineup changes with only one member of the original lineup remaining, Chinese Democracy in 2008. They also released one "Live" EP in 1986, which was a collection of 5 songs that the band had been playing since their first rehearsal with an audience track added to make the demos seem live, titled Live Like A Suicide. The band is often referred to as "the world's most dangerous band" due to their volatile live shows. Stemming from the LA rock & roll underground in 1986, the band signified a shift in rock from slick hair-metal back to gritty, dirty, street-smart rock & roll. The ugly lyrics matched the sleaze of the music--driven by heavy blues licks--covering misogyny, violence, city life, sex, liquor, and hard drugs. They also, however, had a tendency to show sensitivity and a desire to break free from the city. Subsequent albums revealed an influence from bands in the vein of The Rolling Stones and Queen. Their 1987 breakthrough, Appetite for Destruction, (which is the second highest-selling debut album of all-time) 15 times platinum, coupled with the success of the hit single "Sweet Child o' Mine" in 1988, took the world by storm. "Appetite" was full of raunchy hard rock with blistering anthemic guitar riffs and snarling vocals. It was unlike anything before, it was raw and real with no flaw at all. A follow up EP was made in 1988. "GNR Lies" contained 4 songs from their debut EP Live Like A Suicide, 3 new acoustic songs, and an acoustic version of You're Crazy. The album sold well and got into the top 10 alongside Appetite For Destruction. By 1991 they were one of the most popular bands in the world. steven adler (original drummer) was kicked out of the band due to his drug abuse. Matt Sorum replaced Adler. Following the release of GNR Lies, Use Your Illusion 1 and Use Your Illusion 2 were released. It was a double album that made history by making the number 1 and 2 spots on the American Billboard Album chart. The album was filled with songs that pushed Guns into a different direction. It was far away from the Appetite era and contained more "epic" tracks featuring a wider range of instruments (pianos, brass instruments, various effects, etc). The Use Your Illusion albums surprised critics, who expected a double album loaded with hard rock songs, but found more piano-driven tracks. The main response was that instead of releasing two albums that included "filler tracks", they could have released one CD. After the release of the albums, the band started a world tour to support the albums. During this tour, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin quit the band due to a combination of being upset with Rose's management of the band and differences between Slash, Sorum, and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety. The historic tour ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. The tour set attendance records and lasted for 28 months, in which 192 shows were played. The show in Buenos Aires marked the last time original members Slash and McKagan as well as newcomers Clarke and Sorum would play a live show with Rose. Axl Rose began work on a new album of original material in 1993, but none of the material has ever been released. In 1994, Gilby Clarke left the band, and was replaced with Paul Tobias. That same year, the band recorded a cover version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" for the movie Interview with the Vampire. According to Slash's autobiography published in 2007, the first version of guitar track was rejected by Axl - he wanted Slash to copy Keith Richard's playing on the original while Slash wanted to create a 'Guns N' Roses version' of the song rather than copy Keith's style. Reluctantly Slash agreed and recorded another version closer to the original. Slash was further infuriated when he discovered Tobias' guitar copying his own solo note by note layered in the final mix of the song. This would be the last recording by the original version of the band, and five years would go by before any new material came out under the Guns N' Roses name. Slash then drifted in and out of the band for the next couple of years, beginning a side project called Slash's Snakepit. In August 1996, the band returned to the studio, even though McKagan and Sorum were simultaneously touring with their side project Neurotic Outsiders. Eventually, only Slash and Rose were left alone to continue working. During this period, Slash commented in an interview, "My relationship with Axl right now is sort of at a stand still." Additionally, during this period, Axl had approached guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) about jamming with the band and possibly joining Guns N' Roses. In 1996 and 1997 Slash, Sorum and McKagan all left the band for good, leaving Rose as the only remaining charter member of the band. Slash, McKagan and Sorum later formed rock supergroup Velvet Revolver with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and guitarist Dave Kushner. In 1998, a "clean" (i.e. profanity removed) version of Use Your Illusion was released (in the USA only), mainly so the album could be sold in Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores. Also in 1998, Axl put a new version of the band together and returned to the studio. This version of the band has been touring and recording sporadically ever since. The new band's membership has changed frequently, but its core members have included guitarist Robin Finck, effects man Chris Pitman, and bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements)— as well as Paul Tobias, drummer Josh Freese and longtime Guns N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed. In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God", which was included on the soundtrack of the film End of Days. The track featured additional guitar work by Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher. The song's release was intended to be a prelude to their new album, now officially entitled Chinese Democracy. Geffen also released Live Era: '87-'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours. Also in 1999, during an interview with Kurt Loder for MTV, Axl said that he had re-recorded Appetite for Destruction with the then-new band, apart from two songs which he had replaced with "Patience" and "You Could Be Mine". In 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed the band in order to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour. In 2000, virtuoso guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck. Josh Freese was replaced with Bryan Mantia (formerly of Primus). Robin Finck returned to Guns N' Roses in late 2000, to complement Buckethead on lead guitar. The revised lineup finally made a public appearance in January 2001, with two well-received concerts, one in Las Vegas and one at the Rock in Rio Festival in Rio de Janeiro. The band played a mixture of old hits as well as new songs from their forthcoming album. The new lineup played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001. In 2002, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band because of his frustrations with life on the road. He was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love). The band then played several shows in August 2002, headlining festivals and concerts throughout Asia and Europe. They made their way to New York for a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. In 2002, the band's first North American tour since 1993 was organized to support Chinese Democracy. However, the opening show in Vancouver was cancelled by the venue when Rose arrived late due to his plane being held up by the bad weather conditions at Los Angeles airport, and a riot ensued. This tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts did not sell well, while shows in larger markets such as New York sold out in minutes. Due to a second riot by fans in Philadelphia, tour promoter Clear Channel cancelled the remainder of the tour. The band went on hiatus until they were scheduled to play at Rock in Rio IV in May 2004. However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing the band to cancel. Also in March 2004, Geffen released Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits, since Rose had failed to deliver a new studio album in more than ten years. Rose expressed his displeasure with this album as its track listing was established without his consent and went as far as trying to block its release by suing Geffen. This failed, however, and the album went triple platinum in the USA. In February 2006, demos of the songs "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S.", and "There Was a Time" were leaked on the internet through a Guns N' Roses fan site. The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and websites. Despite this, radio stations began adding "I.R.S." to playlists, and the song actually reached #49 on the Radio & Records Active Rock National Airplay chart in the final week of February - the first time an internet leak has done so. On May 5, 2006, Axl Rose appeared on the Friday Night Rocks with Eddie Trunk radio show (during an interview with Sebastian Bach) and said that the new Guns N' Roses album would be released before the end of the year. Later in May, the band launched a European tour, headlining both the Download Festival and Rock In Rio - Lisbon. Four warm-up shows preceded the tour at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and became the band's first live concert dates since the aborted 2002 tour. The shows also marked the debut of virtuoso guitarist and composer Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, replacing Buckethead. During the tour, former bandmate Izzy Stradlin and ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach made frequent guest appearances. As of 2008, Guns N Roses are: Thomas Eugene Stinson (Bass) Robin Finck (Lead Guitar) Richard Fortus (Rhythm Guitar) Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Virtuoso Guitar) W. Axl Rose (Lead Vocals) Chris Pitman (Synth) Bryan "Brain" Mantia (Drums) Frank Ferrer (Drums, touring replacement and now member of the band) and Darren "Dizzy" Reed (Keyboard and Congas). The band toured extensively in 2006/07, playing to over 750 000 people in over 23 countries. Chinese Democracy had been given the tentative release date of March 6th, then reported September 17, 2007. However both dates passed with no sign of the album. Further release dates of February 11, 2008 and February 12, 2008 were set by HMV and Amazon, and now stand at August 25th, 2008. Acording to the official website the band is "in negotiations for the release of Chinese Democracy", as of the 20th of April 2008. Many of the other members of Guns N' Roses (Slash, Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum) now play together in the hard-rock band Velvet Revolver with Dave Kushner and until March 2008, ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland. However, Izzy Stradlin, original GN'R rhythm guitarist and co-composer of many of the band's most successful songs, has not joined them. He did however play a few dates with the new line-up of Guns N' Roses in the summer of 2006, as a guest. Keyboard player Dizzy Reed, while not a founding member of the band (joining in 1990 in the Use Your Illusion period), remains with Guns N' Roses in their current incarnation. On November 23, 2008, Chinese Democracy was released. Discography Appetite for Destruction (1987) #1 US Billboard, 18x Platinum G N' R Lies (1988) #2 US Billboard, 5x Platinum Use Your Illusion I (1991) #2 US Billboard, 7x Platinum Use Your Illusion II (1991) #1 US Billboard, 7x Platinum The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) #4 US Billboard, Platinum Live Era: '87-'93 (1999) #45 US Billboard, Gold Greatest Hits (2004) #3 US Billboard, 3x Platinum Chinese Democracy (2008) The above figures represent US sales only and do not constitute worldwide figures, which are much higher.
Similar artists Velvet Revolver, Slash's Snakepit, Izzy Stradlin, Skid Row, Mötley Crüe