Guns n' Roses
HAIR METAL
History
- The band formed in Los Angeles in March of 1985
- The band formed when singer Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, members of Hollywood Rose, combined with another band called L.A. Guns.
- After a short time, during which they reportedly played just two or three shows, all members of L.A. Guns ended up being replaced and the classic lineup was formed.
- The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986 consisted of, vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler.
- Guns N' Roses have had 25 nominations and won 10 awards.
Fame
- Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction (1987) reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
- Their album did not do well at first but when David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged by personally convincing MTV executives to play "Welcome to the Jungle" during their after-hours rotation. After that people took notice and soon began requesting the video and song.
- The song "Welcome to the Jungle" was featured in the 1988 film The Dead Pool, starring Clint Eastwood, and members of the band had a cameo appearance in the film.
- "Sweet Child o' Mine" and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, becoming a huge hit during the summer of 1988 and reached the top of the charts in the U.S.
Top Songs
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Welcome to the Jungle"
"November Rain"
"Paradise City"
"Don't Cry"
"Live and Let Die"
Top Albums
- Appetite for Destruction (1987)
- G N' R Lies (1988)
- Use Your Illusion I (1991)
- "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993)
- Chinese Democracy (2008)
Characteristics of Hair Metal
- A sub-genre of music that falls under the pop or rock category.
- It became very popular, especially in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but began to lose popularity by the early to mid 1990s.
- It was characterized by the unusual look of the performers, who often sought a glam look by growing long hair and teasing it out, wearing makeup, and putting on flamboyant outfits.
- The sound of hair metal is generally characterized by heavy guitar riffs and fast solos
- Songs are generally loud and aggressive, though many bands did feature some ballads as well.
- Hair metal was generally its own distinct musical styling that focused on power chords and howling guitar solos.
SHMRG: "Sweet Child O' Mine"
S- Main Vocals, Back-up Vocals 2 Electric Guitars, Bass, Drum Set
H- Back-up Vocals, 2 Electric Guitars, Bass, Drum set
M- Main Vocals
R- Moderate, in 4
G- Moderate-Loud-Soft (Hill)
Intro, Verse 1, Chorus, Interlude, Verse 2, Chorus, Interlude, Bridge, Chorus, Outro
Rock- Hair Metal
Citations
"Guns N' Roses." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Guns N' Roses." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Appetite for Destruction." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.