Writers: Guns N' Roses
Producer: Mike Clink
Recorded: Early 1987 in Canoga Park, California; Burbank, California; and Tarzana, California
Released: Summer 1987
| Players: | Axl Rose–vocals Slash–guitar Izzy Stradlin–guitar Duff McKagan–bass Steven Adler–drums |
| Album: | Appetite For Destruction (Geffen, 1987) |
Guns N' Roses (GNR) formed in 1985 by Indiana school friends Axl Rose (William Bailey) and Izzy Stradlin (Jeffrey Isbell). The duo met a guitarist named Slash (Saul Hudson), whose father designed album covers and whose mother was a seamstress for David Bowie. The trio then teamed with bassist Michael “Duff” McKagan and drummer Steven Adler.
The group released an independent EP, Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide, on the Uzi/Suicide label, which attracted the attention of major labels. Geffen ultimately signed the band.
The third single from the group's debut album, Appetite For Destruction, “Paradise City” reached Number Five on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1989. It also reached Number Five on Billboard's Sales and Airplay charts and was a Number Six hit in the U.K.
Appetite For Destruction reached Number One on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 15 million copies, making it one of the most successful debuts in rock history. The album peaked at Number Five in the U.K.