毁灭欲 (1987)

Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was recorded from January 18 to June 23 in 1987, and was produced by Mike Clink. Most of the album's themes reflect the band's personal experiences and daily life, including their youth.

Appetite for Destruction initially received little mainstream attention, and it was not until the following year that the album became a commercial success, after the band had toured and received significant airplay with the singles "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", and "Sweet Child o' Mine". The album went on to reach number one on the US Billboard 200 and spend four non-consecutive weeks there. It became certified 18× platinum, making it among the top 10 best-selling albums in the United States, as well as the best-selling debut album in the country.

In total, five singles were released from Appetite for Destruction: "It's So Easy" with "Mr. Brownstone", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Paradise City", and "Nightrain". "Sweet Child o' Mine" would reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, while "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" would also reach the top 10 on the Hot 100.

Although critics were originally ambivalent toward the album, Appetite for Destruction has received retrospective acclaim and appears on lists as one of the best hard rock albums of the 1980s. With over 30 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling albums worldwide. In 2018, it was re-released as a remastered box set to similar universal acclaim, hitting the top 10 of the Billboard 200 once again, over 30 years after the original album was released. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2024.

Background

Guns N' Roses' first recordings were for a planned EP in March 1985, shortly after the band formed, with "Don't Cry", a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel", "Think About You" and "Anything Goes". However, plans for the release fell through, as original guitarist Tracii Guns left the band, being replaced by Slash. Shortly afterward, the classic lineup of Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Slash, Steven Adler, and Izzy Stradlin was finalized.

After heavy touring of the Los Angeles club scene, the group signed with Geffen Records in March 1986. In December of that year, the group released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, which was designed to keep interest in the band alive while the group withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio. The EP release was also designed to soothe the label, which believed the band did not have enough songs to record a full-length album.

Writing and recording

Rose stated many of the songs on the album were written while the band was performing on the Los Angeles club circuit, and a number of songs that were ultimately featured on later Guns N' Roses albums were considered for Appetite for Destruction, such as "Back Off Bitch", "You Could Be Mine", "November Rain", and "Don't Cry". It is said that the reason for not putting "November Rain" on Appetite for Destruction was that the band had already agreed to put "Sweet Child o' Mine" on the album, and thus already had a "ballad" on the track list.