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Guns N' Roses are an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in March 1981.

Having sold an estimated 90 million albums worldwide, they are one of America's most successful hard rock bands. Their 1987 major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, produced by Mike Clink, went on to sell 20 million copies worldwide and reached number 1 in the USA a year after its release date. The song "Welcome To The Jungle", the first track released from the album, gained notoriety after it was used on the soundtrack of Clint Eastwood's 1988 film The Dead Pool and 1989's Lean on Me.

The band's musical style, onstage presence, and bad boy rock image helped usher in the new era within the dominant hard rock and heavy metal scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While glam metal was the leading genre in record sales, video charts, and radio airplay, Guns N' Roses offered a grittier, more traditionalist take on rock music, which helped to popularize the sub-genre known as sleaze rock and won many fans who admired their apparent authenticity. The band enjoyed worldwide success from 1987 through 1993, but clashing personalities of different band members brought about the end of the original line-up. Today, frontman Axl Rose is the only original member in the band's current line-up, he has now served as lead singer for 26 years.

Band history

Rise to fame (1985–1989)

Early history

Guns N' Roses was founded in Los Angeles in March 1985 by Axl Rose and guitarist Tracii Guns, as an informal merger of Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns, both of which Axl Rose had been a member, and the second of which Tracii Guns had been a member. The original Guns N' Roses lineup included other members from both bands: From Hollywood Rose, Rose's longtime friend rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and from L.A. Guns, Guns's former bandmates bassist Ole Beich (later replaced by bassist Duff McKagan) and drummer Rob Gardner. The band's unique style integrated rock, hard rock, blues, punk and other genres of music into the popular heavy metal music of the time.

When Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner could not appear at one of the first Guns N' Roses shows in Seattle, Rose recruited guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler for the performance. In early 1986, the pair joined full-time, with the lineup being as follows: Axl Rose (lead vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar), Duff McKagan (bass guitar) and Steven Adler (drums). On the way back to Los Angeles, they wrote the lyrics for "Welcome to the Jungle", which became one of their signature songs.

Discovery

Tom Zutaut, a Geffen Records A&R executive, witnessed a Guns N' Roses show at the Troubadour, then falsely warned other scouts that "they suck" so he could have more time and leeway to sign them. Axl Rose demanded and received a $75,000 advance from Zutaut before revealing that he promised an A&R from Chrysalis that the band would sign with her if she walked naked down Sunset Boulevard. For three days, Zutaut nervously watched from his Sunset office window for a naked A&R executive before he could close the deal. Alan Niven was subsequently hired as the band's manager, and the team then set out to record the band's full-length debut album.

Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide

In December 1986, the band released a four song self-produced EP titled Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide on GN'R's own Uzi Suicide label. It starts off with a roadie screaming "Hey fuckers, suck on Guns and fucking Roses!". Designed to gauge public opinion of the band outside of Los Angeles, the record contained covers of Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", along with two original compositions: the punk anthem "Reckless Life" and the classic rock inspired "Move to the City" both of which were co-written by Hollywood Rose founding member Chris Weber. Despite having the look and sound of a live album, band members have admitted that the tracks were actually studio recordings with a live audience overdubbed. Only 10,000 vinyl copies of the album were produced, and even though the tracks were re-issued verbatim two years later as part of the GN'R Lies EP, the original Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide has been a valuable and sought after collector's item among fans since the late 1980s.

Appetite for Destruction

Appetite for Destruction was released on July 21, 1987. In the US, "Welcome to the Jungle" was issued as its first single with an accompanying music video. Initially, the album and single did not perform well, but when Geffen Records founder David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged by personally convincing MTV executives to add "Welcome to the Jungle" to their after hours rotation. Even though the video was played at inopportune times like 5am, rock fans took notice and began requesting the video and song en masse.

In the United Kingdom, "It's So Easy" was released prior to the album itself. The band quickly gained popularity through radio airplay and via a rousing performance at London's famous Marquee Club on June 28, 1987. A 12-inch single for "It's So Easy" included Marquee Club performances of "Shadow of Your Love" and "Move to the City".

Countries overseas were often treated to Guns N' Roses material that never saw release in the US market and went unexposed to US fans: the original UK "Welcome to the Jungle" single was backed with the Marquee performance of AC/DC's classic "Whole Lotta Rosie" and a 12-inch single included live renditions of "It's So Easy" and the Bob Dylan classic "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". In Japan, an entire EP entitled Live from the Jungle was issued, which contained the album version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" and most of the Marquee Club recordings. European and Asian single releases were often peppered with Slash or Axl Rose interviews, which was common practice in those countries.

The album underwent an artwork change after the original Robert Williams cover design (a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster is vengefully attacking a robot rapist) spawned complaints from religious groups and caused some record stores to brown bag, obscure, or refuse to sell the album. The revised cover was gleaned from a tattoo that Axl had recently commissioned featuring skeleton faces of the five musicians arranged on a cross. Rose later insisted that the Gold and Platinum plaques issued by the RIAA be set using the original Williams cover. Copies of the LP with its original artwork are now rare collectors items. The artwork from the original cover can be found in the booklet of the CD release.

"Sweet Child O' Mine" was the album's second US single. Due to the growing grassroots success of the band and the cross-gender appeal of the tune, the song and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, and became a smash hit during the summer of 1988. "Welcome to the Jungle" was then re-issued as a single, with new pressings of records and tapes and new artwork. The UK re-release was backed with an acoustic version of "You're Crazy", recorded much earlier than the one featured on the 1988 EP G N' R Lies.

By the time "Paradise City" and its video reached the airwaves, the band's touring success and fame had catapulted the album to #1 on the Billboard charts. "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" were each US top ten singles. To date, Appetite For Destruction has sold over twenty million copies.

Touring success and controversy

Guns N' Roses began opening shows for major rock acts, but as their fame began to take hold, a world tour in support of Appetite for Destruction was scheduled. The band traveled across the United States, and in spring of 1988 were invited to the notorious Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donington in the UK, where they shared the stage with groups like KISS, and Iron Maiden. At the start of the Guns N' Roses set, the capacity crowd of over 100,000 began jumping and surging forward. Despite Axl's requests that the crowd move away from the stage, two fans were trampled to death. Without knowledge of the extent of fan injuries, the band continued playing, and was largely blamed by the media for the tragedy. Events such as these during the Appetite for Destruction tour earned the group their title of "world's most dangerous band".

In addition, the behavior of the band was also garnering negative attention from the media. McKagan, Slash and Adler were often seen intoxicated both on and off stage. Members of the crew at the time stated that Slash often had to be carried onstage by a group of people and would sometimes pass out after the concert ended. When touring in England in 1987 the bandmembers were treated poorly by the press with Slash being referred to as 'Slosh', 'Slug' and 'Slush'.

GN'R Lies

Guns N' Roses' next release was the LP G N' R Lies in 1988, which reached #2 on the Billboard music charts. The album included the four Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide recordings on one side, and four acoustic songs on the other. The song "One in a Million", which included the words "niggers" , "faggots", and other such profanities led to controversy in which critics accused both the band and Axl Rose of racism and homophobia. Rose responded by saying the claims are unfounded, particularly when considering Slash himself is half black. He explained that by the term "nigger" he meant low lives and meant no offense to anyone. He also went on to explain that the song reflected racial and prejudicial problems of society, rather than promoting them. Rose also cited that he was a fan of homosexual singers like Freddie Mercury and Elton John. The band had played gigs alongside the all-black group Body Count, and lead singer Ice-T said in his book The Ice Opinion that Axl had been "a victim of the press the same way I am".

After Slash and Duff appeared on the nationally televised American Music Awards visibly intoxicated and using profanity, Geffen Records executives asked the band to curtail their behavior. The members took steps to deal with their addictions after Rose threatened to end the band if they continued with their heavy drug abuse. He even spoke up about the situation, specifically the heroin addictions, during an opening set for the Rolling Stones in 1989 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Use Your Illusion (1990–1993)

In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio to begin recording their most ambitious undertaking yet. During recording sessions, drummer Steven Adler was unable to perform due to his struggles with cocaine and heroin addiction. During recording sessions for "Civil War" Adler's problems caused the band to do nearly 30 takes. As a result, Adler was fired in August 1990, and replaced with former Cult drummer Matt Sorum. A few months prior, keyboardist Dizzy Reed became the sixth member of the group when he joined the band as a full time member. The band's manager, Alan Niven, was fired in May 1991 and was replaced with Doug Goldstein.

With enough music for two double albums, the band released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on September 17 1991. The tactic paid off when the albums debuted at #2 and #1 respectively on the Billboard charts, which set a record as they became the first and only group to achieve this feat. Additionally, the albums spent 108 weeks on the chart. Both prior to and after the release of both albums, Guns N' Roses embarked on the twenty-eight month long Use Your Illusion World Tour to support them. It would become famous for both its financial success and the many controversial incidents that occurred at the shows.

Use Your Illusion Tour

The tour included a Slash guitar solo incorporating The Godfather theme, and a piano driven Axl Rose solo of "It's Alright" by Black Sabbath. An extended jam on the classic rock inspired "Move to the City" was where Rose showcased the ensemble of musicians assembled for the tour.

Much of the successful and brilliant performances during the tour were equally matched and often overshadowed in the press by riots, late starts and outspoken rantings by Rose. While the band's previous drug and alcohol issues were seemingly under control, Axl was often agitated by lax security, sound problems, and unwanted filming or recording of the performances. He also used the banter in between songs to fire off political statements or retort against music critics or celebrity rivals.

During a July 2, 1991 concert at the recently-built Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis, Axl Rose jumped into the audience and tackled an unruly fan who was recording the show with a video camera. After being pulled out of the audience by members of Guns' crew, Rose ended the show early. With the words, "Thanks to the lame ass security, I'm going home," he slammed his microphone down and left the stage. The angry crowd began to riot, and dozens of people were injured. Rose was charged with having incited the riot, but police were unable to arrest him until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot. In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses personal security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, all of which were ignored; that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles from the audience; and that the venue's security had been lax, allowing weapons into the arena and refusing to enforce a drinking limit. Consequently, "Use Your Illusion"'s artwork featured a hidden message amidst the Thank You section of the album insert: "Fuck You, St. Louis!".

During this time, guitarist Izzy Stradlin quit the band due to differences with both Rose and Slash. He was replaced by Los Angeles based guitarist Gilby Clarke. In late 1991, Rose added a touring ensemble to the band which included a horns section and several background vocalists.

In 1992, the band appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, performing a two song set. Later in the year they went on a mini-tour with American heavy metal band Metallica. During a show in August 1992 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Metallica frontman James Hetfield suffered severe burns after stepping too close to a pyrotechnics blast. Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another show. After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors resulting in musicians not being able to hear themselves. Compounding the situation were Rose claiming that his throat hurt (and he is rumored to have said this with a cigarette in his mouth and a glass of champagne in his hand) which caused the band to leave the stage early. The cancellation led to another riot by audience members, reminiscent of the rioting that had occurred in St. Louis one year earlier. Rioters overturned cars, smashed windows, looted local stores and set random fires. Local authorities were barely able to bring the mob under control.

The Use Your Illusion Tour is also notable for the many videos the band released to support it, including "Don't Cry", "November Rain" and "Estranged" - some of the most expensive videos ever made. The hit ballad "November Rain" became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. During the awards show, the band performed the song with Elton John accompanying on piano.

In May 1993, Gilby Clarke broke his wrist in a motorcycling accident and the band needed a replacement for some dates in Europe. Izzy Stradlin briefly returned for a string of five shows.

The historic tour ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. The tour set attendance records and lasted for twenty-eight months in which more than 200 shows were played. The last show in Buenos Aires also marked the last time original members Slash and McKagan as well as the newcomers Gilby Clarke and Matt Sorum would play a live show with their frontman.

The Spaghetti Incident?

On November 23 1993, Guns N' Roses released a collection of Punk Rock and Glam Rock covers entitled The Spaghetti Incident?. Despite protests from Rose's bandmates, an unadvertised cover of the Charles Manson song "Look at Your Game Girl" was included on the album at his request. Years later, Rose said he would remove the song from new pressings of the album, citing that critics and the media had misinterpreted his interest in Manson. However, as of 2007, the song is still present on the album. The Spaghetti Incident? did not match the success of the Illusion albums and tensions increased within the band.

Decline (1994–1997)

Breakup

In 1994, Gilby Clarke was let go from the band as Axl felt his songwriting skills were inadequate for their future projects. That same year, a cover version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" was recorded by the band for the movie Interview with the Vampire. The addition of Axl's friend Paul Tobias in place of Clarke did not sit well with remaining band members. During the recording of "Sympathy for the Devil", Tobias recorded an echo of Slash's solo at Axl's request. Slash was infuriated when he heard the song's final mix and that Tobias' guitar had been placed on top of his.

In early 1995, Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde told music magazine Kerrang that he had joined the band for a week's worth of rehearsal and jamming on Axl Rose's personal request. While Wylde considered the experience as a highly positive one, he was ultimately frustrated by the timetaking contract negotiations, opting to go on tour with Osbourne.

Slash then drifted in and out of the band for the next year or so, beginning a side project called Slash's Snakepit. In August 1996, the band regrouped with Rose temporarily acting as the rhythm guitarist. At the time, Sorum hinted on the band considering a new, unknown player for the slot, possibly referring to Paul Tobias. After two weeks of jamming and song writing, McKagan and Sorum began touring with their sideproject, Neurotic Outsiders, while returning to work with Rose and Slash mid-tour for a week in early September. After Slash and Rose were left alone with each other, the guitarist commented the situation in mid-October by saying: "I have only been back in the band for three weeks and my relationship with Axl right now is sort of at a stand still." A few weeks later, Rose announced Slash was no longer a part of the band.

He was replaced by Robin Finck. The next year, drummer Sorum was fired from the group following a verbal dispute with Rose regarding negative comments Paul Tobias had made about Slash. In mid 1997, McKagan opted out of his contract, and officially left the band in early 1998. This left Rose as the sole original member of the group. Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum later formed the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and guitarist Dave Kushner, where they released their first CD, and had immediate success.

The New Album (1994—1999)

Axl Rose first began work on a new album of original material in 1994. The album's producer was supposedly Mike Clink. Nothing came out of the rumors, and Guns N' Roses remained in hiatus. In 1998, Axl formally returned to the studio accompanied by guitarist Robin Finck (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias (aka Paul Huge), bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements), drummer Josh Freese (of The Vandals), keyboardist Dizzy Reed and effects man Chris Pitman. In that same year, the clean compilation album Use Your Illusion was released (only in the USA), mainly so it could be sold in Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores.

In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God", which was included on the soundtrack of End of Days. The track featured additional guitar work by Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Axl's personal guitar teacher. The song's release was intended to be a prelude to their new album, now officially titled 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.

2000 Intentions / Chinese Democracy (1999—Present)

See also: Chinese Democracy Tour

In 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed the band in order to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails on tour. In 2000, avant-garde guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses at first as a replacement for the then departed Robin Finck, and drummer Josh Freese was replaced with Bryan Mantia (formerly of Primus). Robin Finck returned to Guns N' Roses in late 2000, complementing Buckethead on lead guitar, and the revised lineup debuted on stage 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. During their Rock in Rio set, Rose made the following comment regarding former members of the band:

"I know that many of you are disappointed that some of the people you came to know and love could not be with us here today. Regardless of what you have heard or read, people worked very hard (meaning my former friends) to do everything they could so that I could not be here today. I say FUCK that. I am as hurt and disappointed as you that unlike Oasis, we could not find a way to all get along."

The new lineup played another 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 bands The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love. The band then played several shows in August of 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.

The band's first North American tour since 1993 was organized in the autumn of 2002 to support Chinese Democracy called the Chinese Democracy World Tour. However, the opening show in Vancouver was canceled by the venue when Rose failed to show up in a timely manner and a riot ensued. This tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts in smaller markets did not sell well, while shows in larger markets such as New York sold out in minutes. Due to a second absence by Axl Rose in Philadelphia and the resulting riot by fans, promoter Clear Channel canceled the remainder of the tour.

The band went into hiatus until they were scheduled to play at Rock in Rio 4 in May 2004. However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing the band to cancel their appearance.

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 Records.

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 49th on trade mag Radio & Records' Active Rock National Airplay chart for the final week of February 2006 - the first time an internet leak had 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 revealed that the new Guns N' Roses album would be released in Fall 2006. Later that month, the band launched a European tour, headlining both the Download Festival and Rock In Rio-Lisboa. 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 fusion guitarist and composer Ron Thal (a.k.a Bumblefoot) on lead guitar, replacing Buckethead. During the course of this tour, former bandmate Izzy Stradlin and ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach made frequent guest appearances.

Five warm-up shows before a Fall 2006 North American tour were held in September 2006, with two at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas two at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and one show in Devore for KROQ's Inland Invasion 2006. The tour officially commenced on October 24, 2006 in Miami, FL. The beginning of the tour was notable in that it marked the promotion of drummer Frank Ferrer from touring understudy to an official member of the band while Bryan Mantia took a leave of absence to be with his wife and newborn child.

The song "Better" was featured in an internet advertisement for Harley-Davidson beginning in October 2006. That same month, Rolling Stone published an article revealing that Andy Wallace would be mixing the final album.

In December 2006, Axl Rose released an open letter to fans announcing that manager Merck Mercuriadis had been fired as band manager. He also revealed that the last four dates of the North American tour would be cut so the band could work on postproduction for Chinese Democracy. He also set a tentative release date for the album for the first time since the album's announcement: March 6, 2007.

Chinese Democracy has been in production for almost ten years at a cost of over $13 million, making it the most expensive unreleased album ever recorded.

Music style

The music of Guns N' Roses is a fusion of metal and classic rock and roll, presented in a layered fashion. More recently, Guns N' Roses have showed industrial influences in songs, similar in style to bands such as Nine Inch Nails, recruiting former NIN member Robin Finck as guitarist in the group.

In the 1990s, the band integrated keyed instruments (played by either Axl or Dizzy Reed, on tour accompanied by Teddy 'Zig Zag' Andreadis) into the band, and for roughly half of the Use Your Illusion tour, added a horn section to the stage. While Reed's keyboard and Rose's piano remain in some of the Chinese Democracy demos and in concert, the aborted 2002 tour and the 2006 tour (to date) have not included winded instruments, though the band has employed synthesized horns on some of their new songs.

An acknowledged heavy influence in both image and sound is the short-lived original era of Finnish band Hanoi Rocks (singer Michael Monroe and Rose have collaborated on various occasions). Axl Rose has on record stated that the band were massively inspired by bands like the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Pink Floyd and also that the sound of Appetite for Destruction was based on the influence of Aerosmith and AC/DC. Most of the lyrics in the Guns N' Roses catalog were written by Rose and Izzy Stradlin.

Legacy

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Guns N' Roses are considered by some to be the last rock and roll band to achieve legendary status before the tastes of American youth culture shifted to alternative rock, electronica, and then hip hop throughout the course of the 1990s. They are also recognized as a band that changed rock and metal music in the late 1980s by bringing a more serious, emotional, and sometimes political edge to 80's metal, in stark contrast to the carefree themes of hair metal characterized by facial make-up and spandex pants.

A central component of the Guns N' Roses legend lies in the sheer velocity and audacity with which they rose to fame. In an era where most rock and metal acts spent years building credibility and 'paying dues' in the form of club touring, failed signing attempts, and unsuccessful album releases, Guns N' Roses signed with a major label within nine months of their inception and topped national sales charts merely weeks after garnering late hours airplay on MTV. The record-breaking achievement of Appetite as one of the highest-selling debut albums of all time is often cited as evidence of the band's imprint on rock and roll history.

Their peers in the music industry often spoke highly of the band: Ozzy Osbourne called GN'R "the next Rolling Stones." In 2002, Q magazine named Guns N' Roses in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Also, the television network VH1 ranked Guns N' Roses ninth in its "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" special. Appetite appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine's special issue "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Guns N' Roses #92 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

The band has not been free of criticism by the media. The flagrant alcohol and drug abuse by some members of the group, particularly Slash and McKagan, and Axl's fondness of Charles Manson T-shirts, were used by the media to portray GN'R as a poor example and negative influence on their young fans. The long periods of time that the band took to release albums were also a source of heavy criticism.

Frontman Axl Rose has become a source of both controversy and criticism since the other founding members left the group. His constant elusiveness, such as the fact that he has not held a press conference since 1994, has led to several stories claiming he is suffering from bipolar disorder. Music critics have blamed Rose for the break-up of the original group, have criticized him for continuing the band after the original members had departed and have questioned the constant change in band members. They also cite his neurotic behavior and sense of perfectionism as a cause of personal conflict and the long delays between albums. However, Rose still has fans who view him as a sort of musical anti-hero.

Guns N' Roses will be eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beginning in 2012. Critics and fans alike view this as an opportunity for the band's original lineup to reunite. On the VH1 special Behind the Music, Slash was questioned about a reunion and stated that "No matter how much money they throw in our faces, there's no reason for us to get together...unless there's a mutual respect or understanding...and we're way far from that.".

Band members

Current members

• Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano (1985-present)
• Dizzy Reed - keyboards (1990-present)
• Robin Finck - lead guitar (1997-99, 2000-present)
• Tommy Stinson - bass guitar (1998-present)
• Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming (1998-present)
• Bryan "Brain" Mantia - drums (2000-present) on personal leave
• Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar (2002-present)
• Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal - lead guitar (2006-present)
• Frank Ferrer - drums (2006-present)

Former members

• Ole Beich - bass (1985)
• Rob Gardner - drums (1985)
• Tracii Guns - lead guitar (1985)
• Steven Adler - drums (1985-1990)
• Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar (1985-1991)
• Gilby Clarke - rhythm guitar (1991-1994)
• Slash - lead guitar (1985-1996)
• Matt Sorum - drums (1990-1997)
• Duff McKagan - bass (1985-1998)
• Josh Freese - drums (1997-2000)
• Paul Tobias - rhythm guitar (1994-2002)
• Buckethead - lead guitar (2000-2004)

Touring members

• Tracey Amos - backing vocals (1991-1993)
• Teddy Andreadis - harmonica, keyboards, backing vocals (1991-1993)
• Roberta Freeman - backing vocals (1991-1993)
• Diane Jones - backing vocals (1991-1993)
• Anne King - horns (1991-1993)
• Lisa Maxwell - horns (1991-1993)
• Cece Worrall - horns (1991-1993)

Touring substitutes

• Fred Coury - drums (1987-1988 - eight performances)
• Stephen Harris - bass (1988 - one performance)
• Don Henley - drums (1989 - one performance)
• Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar (1993 - five performances)
• Frank Ferrer - drums (2006 - twenty-five performances)

Touring guests

• Vince Neil - vocals (1988 - one performance)
• Matt McKagan - horns (1989 - four performances)
• Shannon Hoon - bongos, vocals (1991-1993 - nine performances)
• Sebastian Bach - vocals (1991, 2006 - twenty performances)
• Lenny Kravitz - guitar, vocals (1992 - one performance)
• Steven Tyler - vocals (1992 - one performance)
• Joe Perry - guitar (1992 - one performance)
• Brian May - guitar (1992-1993 - two performances)
• Elton John - piano, vocals (1992 - two performances)
• Ronnie Wood - guitar (1993 - two performances)
• Michael Monroe - vocals (1993 - one performance)
• Izzy Stradlin - guitar (2006 - twenty performances)
• Kid Rock - vocals (2006 - one performance)
• Del James - vocals (2006 - two performances)
• Lars Ulrich - drums (2006 - one performance)

Discography

Accomplishments

Awards

• 1988 - Best New Artist - MTV Video Music Awards ("Welcome to the Jungle")
• 1989 - Favorite Pop/Rock Single - American Music Awards ("Sweet Child O' Mine")
• 1989 - Best Heavy Metal Video - MTV Video Music Awards ("Sweet Child O' Mine")
• 1990 - Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist - American Music Awards
• 1990 - Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album - American Music Awards (Appetite for Destruction)
• 1992 - Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist - American Music Awards
• 1992 - Video Vanguard - MTV Video Music Awards
• 1992 - Best Cinematography - MTV Video Music Awards ("November Rain")
• 1993 - Best Selling Hard Rock Artist - World Music Awards

Televised performances

• 1988 - MTV at The Ritz (full set - live from New York City)
• 1988 - The Late Show ("You're Crazy", "Used to Love Her" - live from Los Angeles)
• 1988 - MTV Video Music Awards ("Welcome to the Jungle" - live from Los Angeles)
• 1989 - American Music Awards ("Patience" - live from Los Angeles)
• 1990 - Farm Aid IV ("Civil War", "Down on the Farm" - live from Indianapolis)
• 1991 - Rock in Rio II (two full sets - live from Rio de Janeiro)
• 1991 - MTV Video Music Awards ("Live and Let Die" - taped from London)
• 1991 - MTV New Year's Eve (three songs - taped from St. Petersburg)
• 1992 - American Music Awards ("Yesterdays" - taped from Las Vegas)
• 1992 - Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert ("Paradise City", "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - live from London)
• 1992 - Use Your Illusion Tour (full set - live from Paris)
• 1992 - Use Your Illusion Tour ("Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You" - Queen covers taped from London)
• 1992 - MTV Video Music Awards ("November Rain" (with Elton John) - live from Los Angeles)
• 1992 - Use Your Illusion Tour (full set - live from Santiago)
• 1992 - Use Your Illusion Tour (full set - live from Buenos Aires)
• 1993 - Use Your Illusion Tour (full set - live from Buenos Aires)
• 2001 - Rock in Rio III (full set - live from Rio de Janeiro)
• 2002 - MTV Video Music Awards (medley: "Welcome to the Jungle", "Madagascar", "Paradise City" - live from New York City)
• 2006 - Rock in Rio V (partial set - live from Lisboa)
• 2006 - Download Festival ("My Michelle" (with Sebastian Bach), "Paradise City" - taped from Donington Park)
• 2006 - Rock am Ring (partial set - taped from Nürburgring)

Webcast performances

• 2006 - Rock in Rio V (full set - live from Lisboa)
• 2006 - Inland Invasion (full set - live from San Bernardino)

See also

• Best selling music artists
• List of Guns N' Roses' unreleased songs
• Use Your Illusion Tour
• Chinese Democracy Tour
• L.A. Guns
• Hollywood Rose
• Velvet Revolver
• Slash's Snakepit
• Adler's Appetite
• Neurotic Outsiders
• UZI Suicide

References

1. "Just a Little Patience". Spin Magazine. 1999.
2. "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide". GnRsource. 2006.
3. "Steven Adler interview". Classic Rock Magazine. April 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
4. The Most Expensive Album Never Made, New York Times March 6, 2005
5. Leeds, Jeff (2005-03-06). "The Most Expensive Album Never Made". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
6. "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.

Books

1. Stenning, Paul (2004). The Band That Time Forgot: The Complete Unauthorised Biography of Guns N' Roses. Chrome Dreams. ISBN 1-84240-246-3.
2. Wall, Mick (1992). Guns N' Roses; The Most Dangerous Band in The World. Hyperion. ISBN 1-56282-951-3.

External links

• GunsNRoses.Com - Official website of Guns N' Roses
• Official RSS Feed of Guns N' Roses
• Guns N' Roses @ Geffen.com

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