Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses

The 1985-1990 lineup of Guns n' Roses.

Country United States

Years active 1985- present

Genre(s) Hard Rock

Geffen Records
Label(s)
UZI Suicide

Axl Rose
Dizzy Reed
Robin Finck
Members
Tommy Stinson
Brian Mantia
Richard Fortus

Guns N' Roses (GNR) are an American hard rock band. The band's 1987 major label
debut, Appetite for Destruction, gained them worldwide popularity while their 1991
second major effort, the simultaneous releases of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your
Illusion II, and subsequent tour cemented the band's place as an influential member of
rock and roll history.

Guns N' Roses helped usher in a new era in the hard rock genre. Glam metal dominated
the airwaves in the late 1980s, but GNR's new musical style and onstage behavior created
a new kind of movement within the music industry, as they offered a grittier, more
traditionalist take on rock n' roll, winning over many fans who appreciated their
authenticity. The band obtained an enormous amount of success during the period of
1987-1993, but the personalities of different band members, coupled with their heavy
drug abuse and the controversial actions of frontman Axl Rose hindered the group's
ability to work together. Rose is currently the only original member in the now reformed
band.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
o 1.1 Rise to Fame (1985-1990)
o 1.2 Use Your Illusion Tour (1991-1993)
o 1.3 Decline (1994-1997)
o 1.4 Current Lineup (1998-present)
o 1.5 Legacy
• 2 Members
o 2.1 Current Members
o 2.2 Former Members
o 2.3 Touring Members
o 2.4 Touring Substitutes
o 2.5 Touring Guests
• 3 Discography
o 3.1 Albums
o 3.2 Singles
o 3.3 Videos
• 4 Accomplishments
o 4.1 Awards
o 4.2 Televised Performances
o 4.3 2006 Tour Dates
• 5 References
• 6 See also

• 7 External links

History
Guns N' Roses were founded in Los Angeles in June 1985. Their unique style
incorporated punk, blues, glam, and other genres of music into the popular heavy metal
music of the time. The band was formed by singer W. Axl Rose, guitarists Tracii Guns
and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Ole Beich (replaced by Duff McKagan), and drummer Rob
Gardner. The name was derived from two bands that the original members had played in;
Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns.

Rise to Fame (1985-1990)

Guns N' Roses on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1988.

When Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner could not attend one of the first Guns N' Roses
shows in Seattle, Rose called guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler, whom he had
met recently, and asked if they would join the band on stage for the show. They agreed,
thus creating the band's most famous lineup. On the way back to Los Angeles, the five
members wrote the lyrics for "Welcome to the Jungle", which eventually became their
signature song.

The band released a self-produced EP, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, in 1986. Copies of the
EP reached Geffen Records executives who soon signed the band. That same year, Alan
Niven was hired as the band's manager. Appetite for Destruction, GNR's debut album,
was released on August 21, 1987. The album sold twenty million copies and reached #1
on the charts. It included the songs "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and
"Paradise City", all of which were top ten singles on the Billboard charts. As of 2006,
Appetite For Destruction remains the best-selling debut album of all time.

The band began opening shows for major acts in the rock industry, but as Appetite for
Destruction's sales began to rise, a world tour in support of the album was scheduled.
Guns N' Roses traveled across the United States, and in spring of 1988 were invited to the
notorious Monsters of Rock Festival in Europe. The band shared the stage with famous
groups including Iron Maiden, KISS and Judas Priest.

However, the behavior of GNR's respective members was garnering increased negative
attention from the media. McKagan, Slash and Adler were constantly seen on stage under
the influence of drugs and alcohol. Members of the crew at the time stated that Slash had
to be carried onstage by a group of people and that he often passed out after each concert
ended. During the Monsters of Rock concert in the UK, two fans were killed when the
crowd began jumping and surging forward after Guns N' Roses' set started. The media
blamed the band for their deaths, but each band member was unaware of the incident
until after the show had ended. Events such as these during the Appetite for Destruction
Tour earned the group their title of "most dangerous band in the world".

The song "Welcome to the Jungle" was included on the soundtrack of the fifth Dirty
Harry movie The Dead Pool, which led to a few seconds of screen time for the band.
Guns N' Roses' next release was the half-acoustic album G N' R Lies in 1988, which hit
#2 on the Billboard music charts. The song "One In A Million", which used the words
"niggers" and "faggots", led to controversy in which critics accused both the band and
Axl Rose of racism and homophobia. Rose denied these allegations, saying that he was a
fan of homosexual singers like Freddie Mercury and Elton John, and that band member
Slash was half black.

The behavior of some members of the group led their music label to demand the band
modify their habits. 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 their heroin addictions, during an opening set for the
Rolling Stones in 1989 at LA Coliseum.

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. Adler was fired in August
1990, and replaced with former The Cult drummer, Matt Sorum. About the same time,
keyboardist Dizzy Reed 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 a double album, the band instead chose to release Use Your Illusion I and Use
Your Illusion II as two separate albums on September 17, 1991. The tactic paid off when
the albums debuted as #2 and #1 respectively on the Billboard charts.

Use Your Illusion Tour (1991-1993)

Following 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.

In the summer of 1991, Axl Rose jumped into the audience during a concert in St. Louis,
Missouri and hit one of their fans after taking away a video camera he was recording the
show with. After that, Rose left the stage and the angry crowd began a riot in which
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 he had not directly incited the
riot. During this time, guitarist Izzy Stradlin quit the band due to differences with Rose.
He was replaced by Los Angeles based guitarist Gilby Clarke. The band added a touring
ensemble of both a horns section and several background vocalists in late 1991.

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 their part of the show, but asked Guns N' Roses to
continue the concert. After a long delay, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the
shortened time between sets didn't allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors resulting
in musicians not being able to hear themselves. Rose claimed he had problems with his
voice and decided to cancel the band's set after just four songs. This led to yet another
riot, nearly city-wide, and authorities were barely able to bring the mob under control.

The Use Your Illusion Tour is notable for the many videos the band released to support it,
including "Don't Cry", "November Rain" [1] 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, GNR performed the song with Elton John accompanying the band 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 was also the last for the classic lineup of the
band.

Decline (1994-1997)

On November 23, 1993, Guns N' Roses released a collection of mostly punk covers
entitled The Spaghetti Incident?. This album did not match the success of the Illusion
albums and tensions increased within the band. Despite protests from Rose's bandmates,
an unadvertised cover of Charles Manson's song "Look at Your Game Girl" was included
on the album at his request. In 1994, Gilby Clarke was let go from the band as other
members 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 childhood friend
Paul Tobias in place of Clarke didn't sit well with remaining band members. During the
recording of "Sympathy for the Devil", Tobias played several solos in addition to solos
that Slash had recorded. Slash was infuriated when he heard the song's final mix and
Tobias's solos were used in place of his. Slash then drifted in and out of the band for the
next year, beginning a side project called Slash's Snakepit before finally quitting in late
1996, citing musical differences with Axl. Supposedly, he thought that some of the
ballads they had produced, "November Rain" for example, weren't good for the band's
image. He was quickly replaced by Robin Finck. The next year, Sorum was fired from the
group following a verbal dispute with Rose regarding negative comments Paul Tobias
had made about Slash. In early 1997, McKagan opted out of his contract. This left Rose
as the sole remaining member of the original band.
Current Lineup (1998-present)

Axl Rose during a 2002 concert.

Rumors circulated in 1997 that Axl Rose had returned to the studio to begin work on a
new album. The album's producer was supposedly Mike Clink, and there is some belief
that Axl might have been working on the album since late 1994. Nothing came out of the
rumors in 1997, and GNR remained in hiatus. In 1998, Axl formally returned to the
studio accompanied by drummer Josh Freese (of the Vandals), bassist Tommy Stinson
(formerly of The Replacements), guitarist Robin Finck (formerly of Nine Inch Nails),
rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias (aka Paul Huge), and keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God", which was included on the
soundtrack of End of Days. The song's release was intended to be a prelude to their new
album, now officially titled Chinese Democracy. GNR also released Live Era 87-93, a
collection of songs recorded on the road between 1987 and 1993. Later that year, Finck
returned to Nine Inch Nails to perform on their world tour for The Fragile.

In 2000, avant-garde guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses to compliment a

returning Robin Finck, and drummer Josh Freese was replaced with Brian Mantia
(formerly of Primus). 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 that 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."[2]

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 delays in the
album's recording. He was replaced by Richard Fortus, formerly of the band 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. 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.

Buckethead left the band in March 2004, causing Rose to cancel their scheduled May 30
appearance at Rock in Rio 4 in Lisbon, Portugal. No replacement guitarist has been
announced.

Also in March, Geffen released Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits since Rose had failed to
deliver a new studio album in ten years. Rose expressed his displeasure with this album
as its track listing was established without his consent.

In September 2005, Rose allegedly told a group of fans in Malibu that the band may put a
song on the soundtrack to The Da Vinci Code.[3]

In January 2006, Rose told Rolling Stone that "people will hear music this year" with
regards to Chinese Democracy. He also wouldn't rule out the band playing live dates in
2006.[4]

In February 2006, demos of the songs "I.R.S." and "There Was a Time" were leaked on
the internet through a Guns N' Roses fan site, along with an excerpt of the song "Better".
The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files be removed from forums
and websites. That same month, it was announced that the band would play several
festivals starting in May, including the Sunday Headline slot at the Download Festival
UK; their first live dates since a December 5, 2002 concert at Madison Square Garden in
New York City.

The band's management has stated that "no release date has been set" for Chinese
Democracy, but assures that the album "is coming".[5] It has been in production for over
ten years and has cost more than thirteen million dollars in studio time alone.

Legacy
Guns N' Roses logo, 1988-1993.

Guns N' Roses logo, 2001-present.

Guns N' Roses is recognized as the band that changed how the heavy metal industry was
moving in the late 1980s. While most bands during that period produced simple songs
and were dependent on their looks rather than the messages of their music (see hair
metal), Guns N' Roses ushered in an era where facial make-up and spandex pants were no
longer seen as popular. Their peers in the music industry spoke highly of the band. Ozzy
Osbourne and Joe Perry called GNR "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 for Destruction appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine's special
issue "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

However, the band has not been free of criticism from the media. While Appetite For
Destruction was widely praised, some people have criticized the Use Your Illusion
albums as being disappointingly pompous, overwrought and cliche, lacking the reckless
spirit and humor of their debut. It has also been noted that the quality of their music
declined beginning with those albums. The well-known drug abuse by some members of
the group, particularly Slash and McKagan, and Axl's fondness of Charles Manson T-
shirts, was used by the media to portray GNR as a bad example to their young fans. The
long periods of time that the band took to record 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 hasn't
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, and have criticized him for continuing the band after the original members had
departed. They also cite his sense of perfectionism as a cause of personal conflict and the
long delays between albums. However, he still has fans who view him as a sort of
musical anti-hero.

The band 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 bands' original lineup to
reunite. On a recent VH1 special, 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 and understanding...and we're way far from
that." Regardless of such comments, fans remain hopeful a reunion will someday occur.

Members
Current Members

• Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano (1985-present)

• Dizzy Reed - keyboards (1990-present)
• Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar (2002-present)
• Robin Finck - lead guitar (1997-1999, 2000-present)
• Tommy Stinson - bass (1998-present)
• Brian Mantia - drums (2000-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 (1985-1997)
• 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)
• Chris Pitman - keyboards, special effects, programming (1998-present)

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)

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 - three 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 (1992 - one performance)
• Ronnie Wood - guitar (1993 - two performances)
• Tom Doyle - bongos (1993 - four performances)
• Michael Monroe - vocals (1993 - one performance)
• Blake Stanton - vocals (1993 - one performance)

Discography
Albums
Appetite for Destruction cover.

Year Album US UK US Sales RIAA

Certification

1986 Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide (EP) - - 10,000 -

1987 Appetite for Destruction 1 5 18,000,00 15x Platinum

0

1988 G N' R Lies (EP) 2 22 5,000,000 5x Platinum

1991 Use Your Illusion I 2 2 5,355,985 7x Platinum

1991 Use Your Illusion II 1 1 5,435,447 7x Platinum

1993 The Spaghetti Incident? 4 2 1,290,849 Platinum

1998 Use Your Illusion - - 430,912 -

1999 Live Era: '87-'93 45 45 729,370 Gold

2004 Greatest Hits 3 1 2,419,000 2x Platinum

TBA Chinese Democracy - - - -

All sales reflect US numbers only; worldwide sales are estimated at more than ninety
million.

RIAA certifications are based on storewide shipments only. Some albums have yet to be
re-certified again, thus making their current certification outdated.

Singles

Year Title US Hot US Mainstream UK Album

100 Rock singles

1987 It's So Easy - - - Appetite for

Destruction

1987 Welcome to the Jungle - - 67 Appetite for

Destruction

1988 Sweet Child O' Mine 1 7 24 Appetite for

Destruction

1988 Welcome to the Jungle 7 37 24 Appetite for

(re-issue) Destruction

1989 Paradise City 5 14 6 Appetite for

Destruction

1989 Sweet Child O' Mine (re- - - 6 Appetite for

mix) Destruction

1989 Patience 4 7 10 G N' R Lies

1989 Nightrain (re-issue) 93 26 17 Appetite for

Destruction

1991 You Could Be Mine 29 - 3 Use Your Illusion II

1991 Don't Cry 10 3 8 Use Your Illusion I

1991 Live and Let Die 33 20 5 Use Your Illusion I

1992 November Rain 3 15 4 Use Your Illusion I

1992 Pretty Tied Up - 35 - Use Your Illusion II

1992 Knockin' on Heaven's - 18 2 Use Your Illusion II

Door

1992 Yesterdays 72 13 8 Use Your Illusion II

1993 Civil War - 4 11 Use Your Illusion II

1993 Ain't It Fun - 8 9 The Spaghetti

Incident?

1994 Hair of the Dog - 11 - The Spaghetti

Incident?

1994 Estranged - 16 - Use Your Illusion II

1994 Since I Don't Have You 69 - 10 The Spaghetti

Incident?

1994 Sympathy for the Devil - 10 9 Interview with the

Vampire

1999 Oh My God - 26 - End of Days

[edit]

Videos
Year Title Director Album

1987 It's So Easy Nigel Dick Appetite for

Destruction

1987 Welcome to the Jungle Nigel Dick Appetite for

Destruction

1988 Sweet Child O' Mine Nigel Dick Appetite for

Destruction

1989 Paradise City Nigel Dick Appetite for

Destruction

1989 Patience Nigel Dick G N' R Lies

1991 You Could Be Mine Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion II

1991 Don't Cry Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion I

1991 Don't Cry (Alternate Lyrics) Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion II

1991 Live and Let Die Josh Richman Use Your Illusion I

1992 November Rain Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion I

1992 Knockin' on Heaven's Door Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion II

1992 Yesterdays Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion II

1992 The Garden Del James Use Your Illusion I

1993 Civil War - Use Your Illusion II

1993 Dead Horse Louis Marciano Use Your Illusion I

1993 Garden of Eden Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion I

1994 Estranged Andy Morahan Use Your Illusion II

1994 Since I Don't Have You Sante D'Orazio The Spaghetti Incident?

1999 Welcome to the Jungle - Live Era: '87-'93

2000 It's So Easy - Live Era: '87-'93

All but seven of these music videos can be seen on the DVD compilation Welcome to the
Videos, a re-release of a 1998 VHS title of the same name. "It's So Easy" was never
publicly released. "Don't Cry (Alternate Lyrics)" has aired on television in the past, and is
basically just a rough cut of the "Don't Cry" video with an alternate audio track. "Civil
War" was taken from the band's 1992 Tokyo show, and that is available as a separate
DVD release. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was taken from the Freddie Mercury Tribute
Concert and couldn't be included for legal reasons. "You Could Be Mine" features
footage from the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day and couldn't be included for legal
reasons. The two videos from Live Era: '87-'93 aren't included because they were
produced in 1999.

Accomplishments
Awards

Guns N' Roses accepting an MTV Video Music Award in 1992.

• 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