MTV Agreed to Play BLACKLISTED BAND 1 Time at 4 AM… Record Went to #1 OVERNIGHT! | Professor of Rock

Dangerous, volatile, and even outright destructive, today’s band is what rock is all about. Guns N’ Roses Broke onto the scene in the mid-80s, their hard-hitting music and reputation absolutely freaked out the media establishment… Radio refused to play their 1987 Masterpiece Appetite for Destruction, they were blacklisted by MTV, oh and parents confiscated what few tapes actually got sold… As unbelievably talented as these guys were, their music was never going to see the light of day. But just as their label was about to give up on them, one never-say-die A&R man threw up a Hail Mary called Welcome to the Jungle. He begged his boss to call in a favor to MTV and this band’s video of Welcome to the Jungle was given one solitary play on the channel… in the worst possible time slot. would it work? Find out the all-time rock and Roll Underdog story of a band that went from never heard of ‘em to the biggest debut album ever.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you ever drew band names all over your trapper keeper or folders growing up, you’ll dig this channel of extreme musical nostalgia. Make sure to subscribe below right now. I know you’ll dig this channel. We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history.
I’m excited to return to another one of my favorite shows that we do on this channel. It’s called Breakthrough. In this show, we break down songs, albums or events that kick open the door to an artist or band’s career and give them the momentum to rocket to long-term success. On previous episodes, we have covered School’s Out by Alice Cooper, Cum On Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot, and She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult. For today’s installment, we’re taking the night train to the Jungle Baby. I’m talking about the breakthrough hit. Welcome to the Jungle by Guns ’N Roses from their 1987 masterpiece debut record Appetite for Destruction.
Guns N’ Roses's classic lineup was stabilized on June 4, 1985, when lead guitarist Slash and drummer Steve Adler joined the trio of Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Duff McKagen on bass, and intrepid frontman Axl Rose. The young band played their first live show together just two days later and soon after set off on a trip now known as their “Hell Tour.” This haphazard run up the Pacific Coast from California to Seattle, Washington definitely lived up to its name.
According to the book Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses, the members of GNR made the trip to Seattle in one vehicle while roadies drove their gear up in a second. Unfortunately, both vehicles broke down on the way and Guns N' Rose had to hitch-hike the rest of the way to Seattle… with their guitars in hand. The rest of their equipment was supposed to follow in their wake. But that never happened. The band arrived to play a Seattle show with the band the Fastbacks who loaned the guys their drums and amps for the night.
Reportedly GNR was only paid $50 for the show and had to cancel all the other gigs they’d booked since they had no gear. It was an unmitigated disaster. The band had to bum a ride back

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for greatest debut album in rock history? Where every song was AMAZING?

[@Code.Name.V]

The Cars - The Cars

[@christineml1476]

Boston's first album.

[@stephenbrown4211]

Cracked Rear View Hootie Script For A Jesters Tear Marillion

[@aspalovin]

for me, in my era, it has to be appetite.. we were around 10 or 11 when that came out and it was lightning, taboo, forbidden fruit. Borrowing my older sisters 80's tapes like Cory Hart, Falco, Brian Adams as my intro to rock and pop etc,,,, This peeled my face off!

[@catherine6653]

I choose The Cars debut also.

[@splenderella9]

Wierd that MTV thought 4 am on Sunday morning was the WORST time slot for an audience! Stoners and partyers up from Saturday night would STILL be up with music videos playing in the background - the PERFECT audience for GnR!!😆

[@nana2five790]

Truth! We were just getting home from the bars at 4am!

[@sowhat073]

Headbangers Ball came on around that time slot

[@neckbone3943]

14 years old, up all night watching MTV (this were the days), and I got to witness this video being played for the first time. Within hours I scraped up enough money to buy the album. Only problem, there wasn't a record store anywhere near me that had it in stock. Everyday for the next few days I would go up to the record store and check. Finally it arrived. It would be a solid year before it came off my record player. Mind blown!!

[@JeradaJones]

I remember some VJ chick talking about a new buzz feed video and then the song came on and it just blew me away!

[@joelquinn2037]

Did you end up with a restricted label? The original ones came out with a scene depicting a woman having a shirt torn off

[@CosmicMomDove]

I’m a senior citizen. When you shared your memories of you & your father listening to each other’s music and creating a bond forged in Rock, you were telling the story of the bond between my son and me. I’d take him to see classic rock (my son called it “before they die tour) and I’d listen to his music as I fixed snacks for him and his friends & explained the influence that I heard in his music if they asked me . I wasn’t the Cool Mom. However, I was the Smart Mom who could fix snacks, chat, then LEAVE!!! My son & his friends turned out great. They tell me that they share music their kids. Music brought our families together. The Circle Is Unbroken 🤘🎸🎧

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ah! Thanks for sharing!

[@lonelyheroine]

I'm so glad you have happy memories that will be in your heart for all time. Very poignant post.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Before they die tour 😂

[@michellepelton1448]

I love this post. I played a game with my two daughters in the car when they were young. I’d play classic rock and they would either have to tell me the band or the song. If the guessed correctly, I’d switch the radio to their music (90’s pop). I’d have to figure out the song or band to be able to switch back to my music. My youngest daughter loved this game. I would talk to her about the classic rock songs. I’d tell her listen to the lead singer’s voice (David Lee Roth’s scream, Steve Perry’s voice and style, Robert Plant’s overall genius, Glenn Fry’s grittiness as opposed to Don Healey’s smoothness and Lou Reed’s poetic verse,etc.) and listen to the sound of the instruments. She learned the riffs of Jimmy Page, Jimmy Hendrix, and Jeff Beck. She saw how John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Wanda Jackson influenced early rock and roll musicians. Now, this child of mine loves all music as much as I do. She has learned and shared her insights with me on every genre of music. She will send a song to me so we can talk about the style, the way it makes us feel, etc., and I do the same with her. She listens to everything from Mississippi Blues to Taylor Swift, and can tell you something unique about it all. You can ask her the lyric of any Beatles song, and she can sing it and tell you what album it’s from. She is doing the same thing with my grandson, and he loves it. She makes this music loving mom proud!

[@splenderella9]

​@@michellepelton1448Fantastic!!👍😆

[@RavenJCain]

This is one of those albums that you listened to in it's entirety. Every time you caught a song on the radio, you always knew what should be coming next.

[@chrismizuno239]

True. I thought I was the only one that thought that.🤘

[@patring620]

I am positive this album saved my life. The Appetite for Destruction album, in cassette form, kept me awake on many late-night drives between US Navy training base NAS Memphis in Millington, TN, and my hometown of Kansas City, a roughly 565 mile drive, one way. I'd leave Millington around 3:00PM (I could leave earlier if I donated blood) and be in Kansas City at midnight, having run through this album multiple times. I'd turn around and do it again, heading back early Sunday afternoon, hungover and dreading my training. Thanks for keeping me awake and on the road, GNR!

[@YNWA6times]

Its still a kickass album...and the original cover for Appetite was awesome....1 of best albums I ever bought I'd say if not the best ...glad I got 2 see them twice during the illusion tours

[@jukeofearl]

My dad took me to see GNR in Newport Bay, CA in 1991. Skid Row opened up for them on the Use Your Illusion Tour. I was 11 years old then and I am now 43 and looking back I feel super privileged to have seen them. Thanks for the memberberries and history lesson.

[@johnscott6481]

I caught that myself, at Hershey park of all places, skid row were really impressive,and the show was perfect, at the top of there power, highlight,probably estranged, but it was all amazing!

[@amagab2346]

Great line up. Skid row is under appreciated

[@hashbestus8502]

I was 20 yrs old in 1987. I was with my buddy, drinking beer at home, and watching Headbangers Ball. I saw Welcome to the Jungle and I’ll NEVER forget how awe struck I was at this monster band! I knew they were going to be huge and it wasn’t due to the video. That riff, those words and that overall sound was infreakincredible!!!!

[@wheresmycoffee8998]

I loved Headbangers Ball back in the day!!

[@JHobartMusic72]

I was 15 in 1987, I was visiting my dad in Simi Valley that summer (I’m from Michigan) and I would always put my cassette Walkman on and just walk around the town, went to a record store and Appetite for Destruction just came out that day, I got that cassette and god damn if I didn’t walk around like I wanted to fight just listening to that album, Welcome to the Jungle had me wanting to break shit, flex, fight, act like a fool… what a great fkn album that was/is.

[@leeaycock8602]

I was going down on my girlfriend and got busted by her mom. We composed ourselves and turned on MTV; this was a Sat.night/Sunday morning. Changed our lives.

[@shawnmartin95358]

But without that video being played at all in MTV, would we know them? It's not the actual video or what's in the video, it's the fact that that we know gnr BECAUSE of a video, it really could've been anything in that video and it probably would still be the same effect

[@matthbva]

Thanks for the Headbangers’ Ball memories!

[@chalupacabra1727]

I was 14 living in SoCal when this album came out, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing one of it's songs every 5 minutes from cars driving by or radio stations you were listening to or even watching Mtv. It was like that for over 2 years, it was EVERYWHERE. One of the greatest albums of the 80's, and maybe even one of the best albums of all time.

[@GnRmike]

Appetite change life when it hit. 30+ years later, it still rocks hard and the songs are timeless. They struck lightning in a bottle with that release.

[@MikeSmith-sm4zz]

I still put in earbuds, go out to the garage to work on shit, grab a beer and crank Appetite all the time! Been listening to it since 1988 and will never stop

[@kerryvansickle2834]

It was April 16th 1985, I was 14 years old, in 2nd period drama class, Smalltown, Arizona. This girl, Ruby Hess, had a recorded black market tape of "this badass band from LA." She put her walkman earphones on my ears and the opening notes of Sweet Child O' Mine blew me away and changed my life forever! Months later, they finally showed up on MTV! About a year later, I saw them in concert as a double billing with Aerosmith... freaking spectacular!

[@annastayja]

I saw Aerosmith and gnr together too!! Great concert.

[@Rorschachqp]

I take it that it either must be demos or a live bootleg.

[@PasleyAviationPhotography]

My dad was a mail carrier in the mid to late 80s. One day he came home with a box of 4 CD's from a Columbia house wannabe. These packages were sent as bulk mail, meaning he was told to throw them out if undeliverable. We had just got our first home CD player and I listened more than anyone in the house so I was all about new music. The CD's were Depeche Mode - Some great reward, Elton John - Live in Australia, Dire Straits - Brothers in arms and of course GnR - Appetite for destruction. I was new to Depeche Mode and GnR and never heard such dark subject matter at 11, but holy hell did that expand my horizon and made me the metal enthusiast I am today.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I freaking love DM.

[@andrewtomlinson5237]

Never been a huge GnR fanboy, but I still consider Appetite up there as one of, if not THE, best debut albums ever. There's not one even moderately average song on it. Every song is an absolute killer, and most of the songs on it would be the best song on many other albums.

[@jimsk9s]

Crazy! My story with my Dad is very similar. I came home from school and my AFD cassette wasn't in my boom box. I couldn't find it anywhere. It was a Friday and Dad was working night shifts at the time. When Dad got home from work, I asked him to help me find it. It was in his rack stereo! We rocked out all Saturday morning together. I miss him very much, your story with your Dad sparked a fond memory. Thanks @ProfessorofRock

[@splenderella9]

Great story!🤗

[@Torrnintwo]

Appetite for Destruction is one of the best flowing albums from start to finish. Each song almost seamlessly transitions into the next, moving to a real full experience. Not many albums really capture such momentum and consistent entertainment. Starts hard and finishes strong with Rocket Queen summing up a great album of interesting transitions.

[@laurenfazenbaker9777]

Reign In Blood has entered the chat

[@Thedavidsavage]

Shadow of intent Ellogy

[@IamPreacherMan]

It is a really good album. I almost feel bad for young ppl today missing out on the art of an entire album.

[@TheSupernaturalWolf41]

​@@laurenfazenbaker9777🤦🏼‍♂️

[@stevestrohacker8436]

Who Made Who from AC/DC is another. Not that Maximum Overdrive helped it at all... LOL. GNR would still be a great band if all the BS had been left out.

[@JAMPROSOUND]

There are two moments in my life I remember in more detail than anything. Watching the live footage as 911 played out and the first time MTV played Welcome to the Jungle. I looked at my buddy and told him GNR were going to be huge.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Wow. Thanks for sharing.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Wow.

[@judgedrekk2981]

only 2 moments? your life is empty....sure you aren't just a synth?? PRESTON! WE HAVE ANOTHER!!!! fukk that, RICK we got another skinjob for ya!

[@gogg111]

same thing for me with the first welcome vid.. I called several times the next day demanding they play it again... I still think it's the best straight up rock and roll album ever released.

[@crash18242]

When I was in the Canadian Military, I served four - 6 month tours in a remote station (CFS Alert) located at the most northern location in the world. As part of my volunteer duties, I was a DJ at our radio station C.H.A.R.. On Thursday mornings, when members who served their 6 month tour were going home, i always played, "Paradise City". In Alert, the environment is a frozen wasteland desert. No trees, grass, and it was only a Military station and no towns near by. So from the lyrics, "take me to down to a paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty", it was as if the song was written for us. As well, in Alert, the sun is up for 5 months and down for 5 months. And I do mean down, just like at midnight for 5 months. The other 2 months are transitional months where you have day/night. Love all of your segments. Great job.

[@babygerald4645]

It was great to see GnR playing live again, especially at Glastonbury this year. Axl's voice doesn't quite have the range it did 20 years ago but damned if he and the band didn't give it their all. Also excellent to have an inside story from a channel member who was at the rehearsal. Another reason why this channel is a treasure. Have a great weekend, everyone!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Hey Baby Gerald!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Did you enjoy the show?

[@babygerald4645]

​@@ProfessorofRock Massive props, Professor! You have the best channel and comment section on KZbin. In a grim world you never fail to brighten my day!

[@54raynor]

Saw them a couple of years ago, and Axl’s voice was having a great night. He was still hitting the high falsetto notes over two hours into the show.

[@lawencelawson5089]

You mean that axl’s voice didn’t have the range it had 30 years ago?

[@korndogz69]

My dad, born in 1953, I didn't get him into Guns 'N' Roses, but I did manage to get him into Metallica. His favorite songs were Master of Puppets, and Shortest Straw. It was hilarious listening to him growl those lyrics!

[@hildahilpert5018]

Don't think my dad was into Guns and Roses though he probably heard their music.He would watch Don Kurschners Rock Concert and The Midnight Special.He grew up in the 1920s and 30s,.Would sometimes go George Devine,s Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee withe people like Paul White Man, Cab Callaway, etc.

[@BillGraper]

A friend of mine dubbed the Appetite tape for me, even though I had never heard of them at the time. Little did I know, it would eventually be HUGE! My dad didn't want me listening to hard rock / heavy metal, but he never forced me to stop. He didn't even like Bon Jovi, because they were too "hard." LOL! I just throw everything together, from disco to pop to Rnb to hard rock to boy bands to girl bands, etc... and I call it "top 40." It's all the same to me. I can go from "Paradise City" by GnR to "My Heart Belongs To Me" by Barbra Streisand without even thinking about it. It's all one genre to me: "TOP 40." 😎

[@babygerald4645]

This is totally why our generation has such a diverse appreciation of musical styles. Like you, I love going through a top 40 from a random week and just absorb the variety of massive talent on display. Even music I didn't much care for back then stand out in retrospect, particularly in this era of puerile auto-tuned nonsense.

[@BillGraper]

​@@babygerald4645A former neighbor of mine, who is a generation older, one told me she now likes songs that she hated when they were out, because they are from her time. 😅 I now understand!!!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Popular music would be another name for it.

[@TokyoXtreme]

It really helps when all 40 of the songs are good 👍

[@babygerald4645]

@@BillGraper Totally! I have to credit Adam here at POR for being so enthusiastic and offering great stories behind bands and songs that I passed over either because my tastes hadn't developed or I had a limited budget to fulfill my musical desires. I first watched one of his clips about one of my favorite bands back during lockdown and the knowledge he dropped convinced me he'd done plenty of research. After that I was hooked. Now my CD shelf, dormant for so long, has started to expand again in all kinds of directions to the point where I've run out of space. Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Hall & Oates, Herbie Hancock, Iron Maiden, Kate Bush, Def Leppard, Howard Jones, Tears For Fears... all of these are post-2019 additions thanks to vids featured here.

[@1stfeather]

My best friend's brother was in the military, he heard of them early. When the cd came out I went to the music store with her to get it. I was 15 & into pop & glam metal. Appetite changed that forever. I went rock from then on. To this day I'm a metal head, with a little gangster rap sprinkled in.

[@tommychew6544]

I remember watching Head Bangers Ball and hearing it for the first time, it may have even been the first time it was played because I remember the VJ announcing them as a new band. I went out and bought the cassette within a few days, I was stationed in Southern California at the time and the record store had some copies. I couldn't believe how good the whole tape was, I listened to it almost non-stop for like 5 months and had almost burned myself out on it before anyone I knew back home had even heard any of the songs. It really was mind boggling that it took so long to take off!

[@Vibeagain]

HB was a weekly devotion for me, and later, 120 minutes

[@kurobara9001]

I'm late to joining your channel, so you may ever see this. Your memory of your Dad is wonderful to hear and struck a heartstring power cord for me. My Dad died three years ago, and I miss him every day, but I, too, had the coolest Dad that taught me how to rock and roll. GnR, Led Zep, Foreigner, Styx, and more. I am humbled to say I inherited his vintage vinyl collection, and they are now my family heirloom.

[@dustinjones8887]

MAN! I was there in 1987 when this song came out, and have been a GNR mega fan since. Yet I still learned new things in this video. Great job Professor!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks Dustin! It's a great story eh?

[@goodwoodBD]

I forged a bond with my Dad with music. My Dad woke me up early every day by blasting Flying High Again by Ozzy. I used to start talking about all the awesome concerts that I had been to and then he would talk about seeing Hendrix and Sabbath,Zeppelin,The Doors and on and on. He had me on the concert thing big time.

[@BasementPepperoni]

Still one of my top 3 favorite albums of all time hands down. Even after all of the years of bullsh^t that happened with GnR, nobody can deny the impact that this first album made on the music industry and future bands to come. I've always loved the lyrics for their songs and they really were ahead of their time compared to everything else that was out at the time. Man I still remember sitting on my old electric kit when I was learning how to play Mr Brownstone, I'd spend hours upon hours playing. I had my old I-Pod plugged into the brain on the kit with my headphones, man that was SO much fun. Once the I-Pod broke I used my laptop, but I remember seeing the "times played" section on the playlist eventually a few months later. By this time I had this entire album on lockdown, I could play it from "Welcome to the Jungle" to "Rocket Queen", but the most played song "Mr Brownstone" said it was played 2117 times, lol. I couldn't read music, so I'd play to ear and also watch videos of other people playing it or whatever song I was trying to learn. I'd hear little symbol hits or toms that I was missing when I'd be driving around, and I couldn't wait to get home so I could update the way I was playing it. Unfortunately it's been years since I've played music, ended up having to get rid of my kit when I loved out of state, smh. It's been years since I've played but I really want to start jamming again, definitely need something new to do in my life on my downtime.

[@edzeljereza8234]

WORD! I can go from ABBA to Enya to Iron Maiden in listening succession without even thinking about it LOL! It's all music to my ears no matter the genre!

[@joeysplats3209]

Do it, man. Me and a whole buncha other folks here are believing in you so DO IT... no talk. Just DO.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

You know Mr. Brownstone inside and out.

[@JosephBlanchard-m7e]

Will Never forget. Heard Appetite while cruising for the first time the summer it was released. I was 16. We played it loud from the back of a friends pick up truck and everyone kept asking my friends and I who that band was. It was clear it was going to be huge before the music video came out later. And we loved it.

[@dathorndike4908]

One thing that people overlook (and even The Professor) is how essential Mike Clink's production was to that album. His lightweight credentials gave no clue that he could make a gritty hard rock album. But even more than that, he could have so easily made that album sound like a Motley Crue record or one of the other hair metal albums at the time with way too much reverb and NO BOTTOM END. That album is a sonic text book in hard rock album mixing and matched the songwriting and the Guns personalities to perfection. That pounding, gritty, dirty sounding mix could not have been done any better for Appetite. If Clink had recorded it even like he did the Illusions albums it would have lost alot of its aggressive feel and grit that matched those songs so perfectly at the time.

[@splenderella9]

Perfect summarization!👍

[@BangBang-hk4rg]

Nailed it 👍

[@heathday7360]

Yep. Nailed it

[@presentedbypconsultancy]

My father made me listen to G'nR back in 1994, around the time my sister was born. I was around 10 back then, extremely angry because everyone wasnt paying me attention, and I would play this album casette on my tape recorder till the tape tore. I would never forget the joy on my father's face when we sang along to Sweet Child o' Mine.

[@anjilala]

You really do an amazing job of telling the stories of musical artists. The love for the music (& for your Dad) resonates and its just a feel good channel.😊 Guns & Roses came to Wellington NZ a few years back. I couldnt go to the concert as I had to work. My day at work was one I just wanted to forget. Feeling down I walked through the light rain back to the hostel where I was staying and headed to the shower to wash my day away. As I got into the shower a sound drifted through the window from the stadium a few kilometres away. Guns and Roses jamming out on a song for a solid 10 mins. I felt all the tension in my life just melt away to the sound. Even though I couldnt go, its an amazing memory. I listened to the rest of the concert from my room, feeling blessed.

[@patrickurquidez4693]

I'm an 80's kid who cut my teeth on punk and thrash metal. I was punk and heavy metal long before it was cool. I remember introducing my friends, and after high school, my military friends to the newest bands. From 1984, I was the goto guy about small venue new punk and rock bands. I introduced co-workers and friends to Billy Idol, Psychedelic Furs, MDC, The Ramones, Velvet Underground. Also to GNR, Metalica, Bon Jovi, Poison, Anthrax, Iron Maiden. I live within the DC Metro Area, so we always had the newest bands coming to play, and I had an in. I knew several owners of club venues, and stores who catered to the underground punk/thrash metal crowds. So I usually had the inside scoop on the bands, dates, and ticket prices for the shows. It was a great time in my life. With you bringing back these great memories is fantastic for me. Now I'll be playing all of my 1,000 plus cassette tape collection for a few weeks now. I also have 2,000 + CD collection too along with several hundred vinyl records.

[@maxxedout2020]

My buddy played Appetite to me before Jungle broke and my taste in music changed instantly. Watching this blow up a few months later was something I never expected. Nevermind was the 2nd moment that changed my music tastes, there likely won't be another.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

How about Thriller?

[@That_Cyber_Dude]

I remember my mom and dad rocking out to this all the time. Im now 39 and I still roll the windows down and crank it up.!!!!!!!!

[@jimdawson2549]

I have had 3 dogs since this album came out. First one was a Rottweiler named Brownstone second a mutt named Duff and my current German Shepherd named Axle. I guess the album and the band had a little effect on me.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Did you not want to name a dog Slash? 🤨

[@jamesgulapa7219]

Didn't expect water coming out my right eye listening to the story with your dad. My kids surprises me sometimes by either playing songs from my era, or pointing out new cover or mashup ones. Thanks!

[@grahamnash9794]

Apetite was one of those albums that could have so easily got me in a lot of trouble. Whenever I had it playing (very loud) in my car, I always developed a heavy right foot, and frequently went way too fast. Thank God I was never caught.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Your parents had an appetite for confiscation.

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

So you could have got a speeding ticket but you never did, that’s rock n roll!

[@wheresmycoffee8998]

Same 😂

[@m60user]

I remember people in H.S. talking about G'nR because two members had been graduates from our school a few years prior. I saw Welcome to the Jungle on Headbanger's Ball and was blown away. What a great time. The YT video interviews with Tom Zutaut are awesome.

[@spark556]

Best selling debut album in the history of music.. and what a name.. 'Appetite For Destruction' 🔥

[@ProfessorofRock]

It really lived up to it's name don't you think?

[@spark556]

@@ProfessorofRock absolutely!

[@petercena9497]

True, Hootie and the Blowfish claim otherwise but their sales figures are bogus.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s a name that slaps.

[@TheSupernaturalWolf41]

​@petercena9497 😳OK, you can go stand in the corner. You're put on Rock God's time out list. You didn't just put Hootie in the same vicinity as Guns N fucking Roses? I can only think of ONE Rock band that's better than GNR. That's Led Zeppelin. Other than that Metallica is 3rd. You can argue over who make its in top 5 after that. Never disrespect GNR man. You'll only anger the Rock God's.

[@TheOffroadCamper]

I remember laying on the living room floor, watching MTV on a weekend sleepover with my cousin when that song played the first time; we had stayed up all night eating popcorn, drinking Coca-Cola, and jolt, cola and playing dungeons and dragons, like kids of our generation we were awake at 4 AM on Sunday morning.

[@Kenboslice3]

This album literally changedy musical direction as a kid. I was into the more pop laden 80's sound of artists like Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston etc etc. Then I heard Guns N Roses and the rest as they say, is history. I still listen to all that great pop music of the 80's, but metal has and will always have my heart and G'N R is a big reason why. This album was everywhere!

[@ProfessorofRock]

I know what you mean. It's one of those transcendent albums!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

They put the “hair” in hair metal!

[@Vibeagain]

That's me with Quiet Riot's metal health. I'll bet I have a few years on you though

[@dmitryowens]

I was the opposite - I hated 80's pop and pop rock and was into thrash metal like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, etc, but when I heard Appetite For Destruction I thought it was the best hard rock album I heard since Back In Black, and it got me back into raw bluesy hard rock again and after that I began to grow out of thrash metal, which was much more one-dimensional.

[@BenMJay]

This is like the 1st time I heard Metallica's "... And Justice For All".

[@rwfxdesigns]

In the late 90’s I had a friend who ran a trivia show at a local bar outside of Atlanta. He loved GnR and the song Night Train. He located a source and ordered a case and shared with the entire bar! It was great and awful and great at the same time! He died in a car crash but what a great memory! Miss you Chad! Thanks Professor!

[@barryengle12666]

This album is basically the soundtrack of my life in 1987 and on through the next few years. I'm not 100% sure, but I think every song on this album has been played to some degree on the radio, they are all great. It's hard to find a debut album by anybody that is this good beginning to end. Each song reminds me of particular parts of my life from those days, what an amazing album

[@denniswheeler4639]

Umm Boston, Boston.

[@jeremyking3986]

Same

[@Mario_Gillette]

Van Helen's debut was another. BUT you're right, Van Halen GnR and Boston are definitely exceptions to the rule.

[@speakstheobvious5769]

The album changed my life just as I became a teen.

[@carrievanderbilt8914]

I remember hearing about this band that was banned, couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, when I did, loved every song on it, had both cassettes and over played them for years 🤟

[@melovemusic69]

Thanks brother for your story. You're exactly right my friend about gen x and the unique experiences discovering this album. We each have our own Appetite for destruction story. I was 17 in 1987 and happened to visit a childhood friend I hadn't seen for a while. He had just got his first car and had a great stereo for the time as his parents had money. He said man there is this new band and hit play on the Alpine and Mr. Brownstone just happened to be the first song I heard. Man Axle's deep voice along with those guitars then his voice changing into that scream was like ear candy this music lover had never heard before. I had already discovered my main bands about a year before this with Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth so this GNR stuff was totally different. Needless to say a few months later they had blown. So that's my story and was pretty cool to have gotten into GNR before most people had. Keep up the great work and Gen X is the best.

[@DBSSTEELER]

I had the cassette with the original artwork. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen on an album cover. There was not a bad song on the entire album. They were all great tracks with no filler.

[@splenderella9]

Absolutely!👍

[@benjaminbenson3399]

The crazy Robert Williams banned artwork ? What'd that look like shrunk to cassette size?( I was like 19 then we all collected cassettes,lol)where are those billions of nearly useless cassettes now?

[@celestialscripture]

I hadn't heard of them until I saw them open for Motley Crue in November of 87, and afterwards I was absolutely obsessed. I managed to get my hands on a dubbed tape that was only the first side on both sides of the tape, and would listen to it over and over again at night with the hair standing up on my arms throughout. It was ECSTATIC. Then I finally got the whole thing, and my mind was blown all over again. Rocket Queen is a seriously underrated tune of theirs. Great video. \m/

[@atlanteum]

I had just moved to Hollywood the year before Appetite was released. A guy moving into our apartment building loaned me a copy on tape. The first time I heard it, I was blown away, and assumed it was a "greatest hits" album from a band I'd never heard of. Still one of the most astonishing debuts ever -

[@GeneSimmonsBoots]

I was the first among my friends to buy Appetite. I picked up the cassette after reading about them in a short single-column article in Hit Parader soon after the album was released. This was way before Jungle took off. I remember practically begging my buddies at the time to pop it in the car stereo while we were cruising around one night, but the driver, Mike, didn't want to, thinking it was going to suck. As soon as Jungle came on he cranked it and we listened to the whole album twice in a row. Then I got to see GNR open for Motley Crüe. They were literally handing out free copies of Appetite LPs in the venue lobby to anyone who wanted one. It seems nobody knew who they were, but after they came on they absolutely blew everyone away.

[@benjaminbenson3399]

I❤'d hit parader!(from the the first kiss half face photos. to those, who rocks harder Priest, maiden or ? Articles we all looked forward to every month a

[@rickknabel2625]

I was in 8th grade when appetite was released and it changed my life. It introduced me to a whole new genre of music as my dad wasn’t a metal fan. I grew up listening to 50’s doo wop which gave me an apparition for that but I was hooked appetite has been my go to for over 40 years now. To think the most influential album in my life was almost buried in obscurity. I can’t imagine my life without it.

[@brainfreeze1925]

LOL, it always amazes me how diverse musical tastes are. I absolutely detested this band growing up but I won't criticize anyone for what they like. I'm in a band so I can appreciate that some people think we suck but others like us. Taste is personal, not right nor wrong. Happy listening. :)

[@CrystalEmpowerment1111]

A friend of mine had an extra ticket and took me to see them last night ❤😊 OMG they killed it for 3 hours straight. Slash did a handstand at the end! Go see them!!!

[@pborkstrom]

For those that grew up in the 90’s, Appetite changed music much the same way as Nirvana Nevermind. I was fortunate to be part of both

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

Appetite was released in 87

[@johnd5398]

This album did very little to influence music at the time, the way Nirvana did. It took a quite a long time before bands started trying to do what GnR did.

[@Bob_Smith19]

Nirvana killed the entire GNR was part of.

[@michaelclark9762]

Musically speaking, Motley Crue had been around since 1981. The only thing AFD did was give hair metal hair and clothing style to mediocre hard rock bands and convince gullible teenage boys that it was something new.

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

@@Bob_Smith19 Nirvana didn’t affect GnR, KC died before GnR even finished the use your illusion tour

[@maddhatter2767]

I was born in 83 so I was a kid when this came out. I remember watching it on MTV in my best friends grandma's house. We would sit and draw the album cover, watch the first Terminator and Predator movies, sneak Marlboro reds and drop hammers on 22 shells and paint cans from his dad's garage attic. All to this album. I had to move . He ended up taking his life around 7 years later. Miss you Dewey!!!!

[@azcoder]

This is the only album I heard before a band broke big. First year in college in a radio production course and the others were talking about the L.A. music scene and played Welcome to the Jungle in our studio. I was hooked and got the album. A few weeks later, GnR was everywhere.

[@josephmeveraert2306]

A friend of mine played this album for me in 1987. I blown away by their power and outright disregard for the norms of the day. I have been fortunate enough to see them five times live. And even took my 17 year old daughter to witness what a true rock band is. I grew up in the 60's,70's and 80's. I believe the best 3 decades of rock and roll history.

[@markiefufu]

I bought this album on vinyl when it was released. I was a regular at the local record shop. None of my friends had heard of them and half thought it was crap when I played it for them. I thought it was the best new album I'd heard in years. Proud to say I was an early fan. Edit, my parents didn't listen to music, but my uncle did. He actually loved Alabama (I like them now as it brings back great memories of him). Anyway, I worked with him as a carpet installer and he would let me play my hard rock every now and then on his boombox at the job sites. But we mostly listened to sixties/seventies country, 50s rock and of course Alabama.

[@DiogeneDeSin0pe]

GNR & Metallica were the first groups I chose to listen as an early teen back in the 80s, I had asked my aunt's boyfriend for some cool music, he gave me a copy of appetite for destruction and a mix tape of Metallica, those two cassettes got a lot of playtime.

[@schaind11]

This is the only band that I still remember hearing for the first time. I was 13 and my friends older brother was playing this insane music in his room. That's all it took for me to love it. 🔫 & 🥀

[@ProfessorofRock]

so cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

What year was it?

[@chrisfisher3445]

Christmas 1988, I was 12 and got my own cassettes for the first time. Appetite of course, plus Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl and Robert Palmer Heavy Nova. Quite a diverse mix that I remember fondly.

[@michaelince7311]

The first song from this album I heard was Paradise City... Fell in love with the sound of the band... In my opinion, Sweet Child of Mine is a ballad... A different type of ballad, but a ballad none the less... Welcome to the jungle always riles me up... The entire album is full of hits, weather they were released or not

[@rphnick]

I was at the 1991 GnR riot at The Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, MO... just outside of St Louis. At first, we thought Axl walking off was part of the show. But then the house lights came on and people started to storm the stage. We had lawn seats and booked it out of there, so we never saw much of the destruction. But, we heard it. It was loud and scary. It didn't take too long for the police to show up, so we were stuck in the parking lot while the authorities came in. We ended up stuck in the parking lot longer the actual show lasted. We also went to the first concert after Riverport opened again after the riot, a kick ass show by Van Halen. Sammy's vocals were outstanding live.

[@kevinramsey417]

The first time I heard G n' f'n R I was instantly blown away. Appetite for Destruction was everything rock n' roll should be. Raw, loud, explosive, piss your parents and your pastor off unbridled mayhem. It's what cigarettes and tattoos would sound like. And you can't forget the surreal image of the rock star played by Jim Carrey of all people lip synching to Welcome to the Jungle in the Dirty Harry movie The Dead Pool.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

They put the might and the passion into all of it!

[@metalhed2892]

I had just turned 8 years old in 1990, and my Mom's family was visiting on summer vacation. This included my Mom's younger brother Shane, who is only 4 or 5 years older than me. While I was sitting upstairs in the living room, Shane came in wearing an "Appetite for Destruction" t-shirt. The image scared the hell out of me, but I was intrigued so I asked him about it. We then all (me and my two brothers) went down to the basement where he was staying and he played the cassette for us. We spent that whole night just listening to GN'R. Before that, the heaviest song I'd ever heard was "Steppin' Stone" by the Monkees or "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf. I was an instant fan. My favorite song on the album was Nightrain, but I also love Patience off of the Lies tape (which Shane also had). That visit lasted about two weeks, and I was also introduced to the likes of Iron Maiden and Motley Crue. I can easily point to that incident as the moment that changed my musical trajectory, as before that I was into MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. Now, about a week after my Mom's family went home, I got into quite a lot of trouble for singing "Used To Love Her" in the car. Mom wasn't happy about those lyrics.

[@GB-go6gp]

It really surprised me to hear about the struggle to get "Welcome to the Jungle" airplay, especially from MTV. The first time I heard of 2, now American entertainment icons, was at the movies. The scene in "The Dead Pool", where a talking corpse (I don't think he could afford much food) was filming a music video. Jim Carey was the corpse (he may have been playing a corpse), and when you hear that cringe-worthy howl in WTTJ, Carey was rising to sit up in bed, mouth wide-open. "Welcome to the Jungle" was so memorable to me, that I can replay that scene in my head, and I haven't seen but once, 35 years ago. GNR got a lot of airplay on the deck speakers aboard a small 135' fishing boat on the Bering Sea that was my second home for the 80s & 90s

[@tommyrottie1]

My 1st time seeing GnR was when I was 16 years old with my girlfriend (now wife of 31 years) on August 30, 1987 at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama. Like everyone else I was there to see Motley Crue. The opening band was supposed to be White Lion (who?),... but to my suprise out walked GnR. I remember standing directly in front of Slash - my hands gripping the metal railing - with only a few feet of empty space between us. When GnR started playing it was like a Category 5 hurricane had suddenly descended upon us and only intensified with each following song. Raw and violent is about the best way I could describe it. It was - and still to this day - remains the most memorable musical experience of my life ,... and I've seen my fair share of bands. I don't think I ever blinked until they walked off stage. Little did I know at the time that I was standing just a few feet away and in front of who would arguably become one of the most recognizable guitarists of the next several decades. I was fortunate to see Slash (and GnR) several more times before the original group parted ways. As fate would have it - I got to speak with Slash backstage after the Velvet Revolver concert in 2004 (again in Birmingham.) As I began to tell him the story of being a 16 year old kid and seeing him for the first time he interrupted me and said,..."oh yeah...wasn't White Lion supposed to open for Crue?" I was amazed he'd remember something such as that. Finally, I saw Slash again on his SERPENT blues tour in Huntsville, AL a few nights ago (8/13/24). I still got my Appetite cassette tape too. It's in my safe (and my will) - along with my original AC/DC album. I'm now 54 years old and - although it might kill me now, I'd do August 30, 1987 all over again if it were possible.

[@Squeaky_Bean]

I still rock Appetite to this very day. I absolutely love the album in its entirety.

[@ProfessorofRock]

How can you not!

[@adreanmarantz2103]

I can't get enough of 'It's so Easy' lately. I absolutely love Axel's voice on the bridge-- (so commme with me, don't ask me where cuz i don't know... ) Sounds so good loud.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Me too.

[@mikepalmer1971]

By far their best album in my opinion.

[@sunnishine100]

I had just graduated from high school in 1987. I heard one song and bought the album and loved every song. When I met my husband he was into Howard jones and I said you have to listen to this…he loved it too and we have been rock and rollin ever since.

[@trinaq]

I adore "Welcome to the Jungle", whenever I listen to it, you'd best believe that all my neighbours do as well! 🎸🎶😎

[@fyourfeelings3946]

its my neighbors favorite band. Doesnt impress you until you learn she's 85

[@Shootingstarcomics]

Me and my neighbors were listening too it one night and they turned the volume down so I called the cops.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Turn it up to 11!

[@sylvisterling8782]

My memories of G'N'R? I lived in Hollywood in 1984-6. We had an apartment on Franklin Place, near Highland (LaHabra Apts. Still standing) and we saw posters on every lamppost for the band, playing at the Troubador. Did we go? NOOOOO! Talk about missed opportunities! I just remember seeing the logos and the flyers. In 1986, we moved to Albuquerque NM. And then... MTV! I yelled for my partner "Get in here! Listen to THIS!... this is what we MISSED!" So yeah, that was my memory. Then... 1986, Aerosmith was touring with Guns N' Roses and were scheduled to play Tingley in Abq. At last! Our CHANCE to see the band we had missed! YEAH!! And THAT was the performance where the group exploded, and never came on stage! Instead, we got Whitesnake, leading in to Aerosmith. Oh well.....

[@retiredatforty]

This is an Army record for me. One of those huge records that came out during my enlistment that guys in the barracks were blasting from speakers into the common area.

[@THRITCHIE76]

The first time I heard this song was in music class. A classmate brought it in and my teacher let it play. Yep, I had the coolest teacher who let it play without stopping the song. Thank you, Mrs. Garrett... Wherever you are.

[@mikehawthorne5146]

I bought Appetite when it first came out. Me and four friends rode around in my car all night listening to it over and over again. We were blown away. Definitely one of the top 25 rock albums ever.

[@JLeppert]

My dad is a devout holiness Methodist preacher. I woke up to him blasting The Kinks every Saturday. Dad's are the greatest!

[@jasonmckenzie2835]

Another huge album in year of huge albums big at the time such as Faith, Kick, Hysteria, Permanent Vacation, Tango in the Night, and Rattle and Hum to name a few. Appetite hit the radio and MTV/Much Music hard even with all these greats happening. One of the best debuts of all time.

[@ProfessorofRock]

what an amazing year!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Best year in music ever? I think it's 1984... What do you think?

[@jasonmckenzie2835]

@ProfessorofRock 1987 was the brass ring year according to Rolling Stone Magazine and I agree. U2'S Magnum Opus, The Joshua Tree, Music for the Masses, Nothing Like the Sun, Faith, Tango in the Night, Document, Hysteria, Strangeways, Permanent Vacation, Kick, and of course Appetite for Destruction were all released in 1987. Oh and Micheal Jackson's Bad as well. 1988 was really a carry over year from this onslaught of talent.

[@jasonmckenzie2835]

@@ProfessorofRock oh and also add Sign of the Times 😊

[@erikrichards5072]

Joshua Tree, not R&H.

[@alfmaster2256]

I remember working at a movie theater in 11th grade and the assistant manager dragging me into the movie theater playing Bad Dreams and had me listen to the closing song which sounded really cool! That closing song was Sweet Child O' Mine and I immediately purchased the CD to listen to one of the most incredible rock and roll albums! Raw and unfiltered rock that was way beyond the glam rockers producing music at that time yet completely accessible compared to the heavy metal bands that appealed to a limited audience. This made them the most dangerous band of that time! It's a shame that ego and self destruction consumed this band during their high point and eventually led to the complete disintegration of a band that could have rivaled the Stones or the Beatles for a cultural impact that could have lasted into our children's lifetimes. Pretty apropos that the name of the album was Appetite for Destruction considering....

[@3363662902]

The very first copy of appetite i owned, i literally played it so much, you could hear the backward music on side B bleeding through on the A side. I've had so many copies of this album i lost count. To this day, my vinyl copy of Appetite is amongst my favorite possessions. ❤️‍🔥

[@eadweard.]

Oh that's why that started happening to my Rage Against the Machine tape!

[@donadavis1178]

I was there when they opened for alice cooper in cape Girardeau mo!! They were so broke that slash split his pants and used duct tape to fix them... This was the best concert ever, we paid a whole 11 dollars for our tickets! 11 dollars !!! Can you believe it❤❤❤❤

[@k9raven960]

The part of the video where he's strapped to the chair watching the TVs always reminded me of The Clockwork Orange.

[@muchomacho79]

I always think of the movie "SHOCKER"

[@azactor]

The next day after "Jungle" blew up on Mtv, they played it on Headbangers Ball. My buddy and I were watching it and the next day I was at the mall buying the album. I told my friend that GNR was going to be HUGE. In the next few weeks, I found the Live Like A Suicide EP and bought that.

[@Dr_Kenneth_Noisewater]

I wasn’t immediately into GNR when they broke big but these songs were undeniable and unavoidable as was Def Leppard’s Hysteria. They were played all the time everywhere. But at the time I was in HS and exploring classic/southern rock and a little punk, the legendary 80s pop, and late 60s/70s acoustic, and even hip-hop. I was the white guy jamming to NWA but pausing at stop lights. What a time!

[@MichaelMcClung-et8nk]

Remember "87" & GnR very well! I graduated high school & u couldn't walk a block down the street without seeing someone wearing a GnR t-shirt & hearing them blaring from a cassette deck! Loved & miss every minute!

[@helomechjmc]

Brings me right back to my USMC days, that album hit just before I deployed aboard the USS New Orleans to the western Pacific. It was playing constantly on just about every boom box on the ship for 6 months. I cant hear anything from that album without thinking about walking through the hangar deck and other spaces on the ship. the only place I could go and NOT hear it, was on the flight deck where boom boxes didn't work, you couldn't plug them in and wouldn't be able to hear them anyway.

[@jameskipp1657]

I spent some time on the New Orleans also as a Marine. Semper Fi!

[@soccerojdoj]

Welcome to the jungle, baby--you gonna FLY!!!

[@peterwaterford9482]

I was a college DJ when AfD came out, and our station (WXYC at the University of North Carolina) had it in heavy rotation a year before it blew up.

[@recordman555]

Axl Rose - perhaps the most over-rated singers in all of Rock. His voice sounds like Katherine Hepburn having a seizure.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I take it you are not a fan?

[@vihtoripuurola3775]

Discovered GnR in the late 80s when I was on temporary duty in Virginia. Got to see them in June 93 in Frankfurt, GE. Couldn't get enough.

[@emilyodinsdottir3190]

I still remember the first time I heard “Welcome to the Jungle.” I was fourteen and all of a sudden it was number one on Mtvs dial up MTV. This from that point I was hooked and GnR has had a profound impact on my like. And yes my dad liked them too. The only other band to have this effect on me was when I saw Metallica opening up for Ozzy in 86. When I heard Cliff’s bass solo I knew what I wanted to do. Unfortunately I was too chicken shit to chase my dreams.

[@toddhinklin5323]

My favorite use in a movie of WTTJ is named "The Program". Which I stars a young Halle Berry. Thank you, Professor, for another incredible video. You're inspiring me beyond belief.

[@glenmenas9424]

I remember when that album went mainstream they became the biggest band of all time. It was like witnessing the Beatles rise to fame. Their next studio album(s) were the most anticipated records in my lifetime. Everybody was all in on that band. Guns N Roses literally became the soundtrack to life itself, it was fucking awesome!

[@michaelrue1400]

Of course MTV was vital for getting your music out to the masses. Hearing a song on the radio, you may never learn who sings it or how to find the album, but the videos printed the name of the band and the album title as well as the song title, making it much easier to find. There's songs I've been looking for for years, decades even, and still don't know who performed them. Love your stories about your dad. My dad couldn't stand this kind of music. My mom on the other hand enjoyed it so much she actually took me to the Guns 'n' Roses / Metallica concert.

[@GTOHawg]

Graduated in 87..joined the army and sent straight to Germany after basic and AIT. This was the first CD that I bought when I got there and ever. I was still rocking cassette tapes in the states and what and introduction. Strip clubs were playing sweet child in Germany. It was awesome.

[@Radiomaverick]

I remember when this was released as a single. I played it as a Make It or Break It feature for a week on my show. People hated it! I’d play it for students at NAU. They hated it. It wasn’t until, Sweet Child of Mine (which people loved) was released as a single that listeners revisited Welcome to the Jungle. A couple years later, 100.3 Pirate Radio (KQLZ) in Los Angeles with its Rock 40 format, went on the air, blasting Welcome to the Jungle. Suddenly, every top 40 station in the country played it. BTW: Pirate Radio would use Welcome to the Jungle as part of their on air imaging, as well as bumper stickers and T.shirts.

[@timothylong68]

I went to the Spectrum in Philly to see Gun’s and Roses open for Aerosmith. Thank you for taking me down memory lane

[@talbotdarren]

From blacklisted to one of the most overplayed songs ever. What a story.

[@stinkypinkeee5085]

You must be from Cape Girardeau County hahahaaa...

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I cannot even imagine.

[@Karmakatt6]

Cool eh!!!

[@perfectallycromulent]

you seemed to have confused Welcome to the Jungle with Paradise City.

[@talbotdarren]

@perfectallycromulent they're both overplayed. Sweet Child may be the most overplayed of them all

[@pbibbles]

I was a child born in 1980. I have 3 much older siblings (9 years +) that listened to the music of the times, especially my sisters and their British pop BS, and it made me hate music as a child. I did like some of the older rock my brother listened to like the Stones, and I loved the 50s Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly stuff my dad listened to, but I hated hairspray and synth pop too the core. One day, though, my dad and I were watching Dirty Harry's The Dead Pool, yes, my dad let me watch movies I shouldn't have as a child, then in the middle of the movie you could hear Welcome to the Jungle playing on a radio in the background of a scene, and it changed everything. I soon after became obsessed with GnR, Metallica, and Megadeth, eventually culminating in Heagbanger's Ball every Saturday night. I credit that song with turning me on to music as a life's interest.

[@bbarnhouse9022]

First heard them in Eastwood's (Dirty Harry) movie Dead Pool, before midwest radio stations started playing them. It was a pain trying to hunt down the album in a time without the internet.

[@davedavis775]

They not only used some music the guys got appearances in the movie . I have all the Dirty Harry movies on VHS . The band was actually in the movie . They were musicians at Johnny Squares funeral . Cool stuff.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I can imagine it wasn’t always easy.

[@bond007osu]

You could have brought up that Welcome to the Jungle is like the theme song for the Cincinnati Bengals stadium. They even call it the Jungle.

[@bartbluemusic]

The first time I heard this song was when I saw the video for it on MTV for the first time. I was immediately addicted. I literally went out right after and bought the album. One of the best decisions I ever made.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s a sledgehammer!

[@jimblyth8045]

I remember seeing the video when it first aired on Headbanger's Ball. Went to Sam Goody to get the cassette the next day. Employees at Goody's never heard of the band. I think I was the first to buy the cassette ever at the store.

[@johnnolen8338]

I don't remember Appetite when it first came out. I was into mellower stuff back then. It wasn't until much later that I developed an appetite for Appetite. In those days I was too busy learning how to adult. I had just graduated from college two months before Appetite for Destruction was released; I had been on my first real job for about a month, and I was actively trying to build a reputation for myself as the exact opposite of what GnR stood for. Now, over thirty-five years later, having gone through my own ups and downs, I have a much greater appreciation of their music.

[@milanovicr]

AFD has amazing riffs, amazing vocals by Axl, great solos by Slash, perfect drumming from Steven Adler and punk vibe bass from Duff... but Izzy's rhythm guitar work is something that glued all this things together. Slash's and Izzy's guitar work ( very easy to hear it cause of perfect production by Mike Clink) is maybe the best hard rock guitar duo ever.

[@andyroo8592]

Big call, don't forget Angus and Malcolm.

[@paulandhisguitars]

When I was about 16 (1989) I went into a guitar shop, saw a Gibson les Paul just like slashes on the wall. I asked if I could try it. The assistant rather cheekily asked me if I intended to buy it. I said yes (I had almost no money, so it was a lie). I started to play sweet child o' mine and heard the assistant say "oh no, not another one!" I was crushed.

[@scottburton9701]

"Welcome To The Jungle" is undoubtedly one of the best songs G&R ever recorded.

[@DanTurfMan96]

When you said “everyone else’s dad was playing Alabama’s Greatest Hits”, well it wasn’t my dad but my whole extended family was listening to that album at that time. You have amazing talent to tell stories. Thank you.