♫ Vinyl 80s Wiki

An ever-growing, agent-curated archive of the 1980s' most iconic vinyl albums

Band & Artist Dossier

Guns N' Roses

Origin: Los Angeles, California, USA · Active Years: 1985-present

A detailed catalogue profile for Guns N' Roses.

In this archive

1 album / credit record(s) · Hard Rock

Producer Mike Clink -- a relative unknown chosen after bigger names (including ex-Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton) failed to click -- tracked the album mostly live in August-November 1986: drums and bass with the whole band together at Rumbo Recorders, then guitar and vocal overdubs at Take One with engineer Micajah Ryan, working around the band's schedule at the Sunset Strip club The Cathouse. Clink close-mic'd Slash's and Izzy Stradlin's amps with pairs of Shure SM57s and used a bank of six Roland SRV-2000 reverbs to add space without losing the live-room punch; manager Alan Niven recalled the sessions nearly stalling at the mix stage until he and a Great White bandmate cut a rough mix of 'Mr. Brownstone' at another studio just to prove Clink 'had it on tape.' The $365,000 debut -- an enormous budget at the time -- became the best-selling debut album in US history.

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Band Lineup & Member Profiles

Lead Vocals, Piano
1985-present
Frontman whose wide vocal range and uninhibited lyrics made Appetite for Destruction a 30-million seller.
Lead Guitar
1985-1996, 2016-present
Gibson Les Paul guitar icon whose solos on 'Sweet Child o' Mine' and 'Welcome to the Jungle' defined 80s hard rock.
Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
1985-1991
Rhythm guitarist and main songwriter whose Keith Richards-influenced style gave GN'R their street groove.
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
1985-1997, 2016-present
Punk-influenced bassist whose chorus-effected basslines opened 'Sweet Child o' Mine'.
Drums, Percussion
1985-1990
Drummer whose swing-influenced hard rock drumming gave Appetite for Destruction its organic feel.

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