Guns N' Roses
The year was 1985 and big hair and glam metal dominated the music charts and radio waves. The music scene desperately needed a big kick in the ass, and Guns N' Roses was just the band for the job. Five guys were all it took - Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, and Steven Adler. They had the look, the sound, the song writing talents, the image, the attitude and a gritty authenticity that would change rock n' roll forever.
Appetite for Destruction was released in 1987, and to this day, is considered one of the greatest albums of all time (Rolling Stone, 2003). GN'R Lies followed in 1988 and reached #2 on the Billboard music charts. Over the next few years, Guns N' Roses evolved their music style and returned to the studio in 1990 to record their most ambitious undertaking yet: the two-album collection, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. The albums debuted in the top two spots on the Billboard charts, setting a record as the first and only group to achieve that feat to date.
After the release of these record-breaking albums, GN'R toured the world non-stop for two years, creating both incredible financial success and intense controversy everywhere they went. In 1993, Guns N' Roses put out their last full-length studio album entitled The Spaghetti Incident, a collection of covers of their favorite punk and glam metal songs.
As of 2008, the world is eagerly awaiting the long-delayed, much-discussed new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy.
Guns N' Roses remains one of the top-selling bands of all time:
- Total album sales are an estimated 90 million worldwide, including 40 million in the US alone.
- Appetite for Destruction has sold 27 million copies worldwide, and reached #1 on the Billboard charts. It is certified 15x platinum by the RIAA and is ranked as the fourth best-selling debut album in the United States.
- Use Your Illusion I & II debuted at #2 and #1, respectively, on the Billboard 200 and are both certified 7x platinum by the RIAA.