LogFAQs > #985587546

Here is my long winded opinion on them. Though we all have our own nuances and tastes I have found most of my fellow Gen X really love them. My stance on them is a little more complicated.

I do think Appetite for Destruction is one hell of a debut album. One of the strongest sales wise in the history of music (I believe it is #1 and would need to look it up to verify) and really is quite deserving of it. This was the late 80's and people were getting tired of the "Hair metal" and this was the first real strong shift towards getting away from that. It wouldn't fully be embraced until the early 90's explosion of what the media called "grunge" and the wave of Seattle area bands hit the scene but it was the first major shift towards that.

My issue is after this I really am not all that fond of them. I'm not saying they did NOTHING good after this but I believe like many bands, they peaked with their debut album and were never the same.

Lies is a decent follow up. A very short album barely over half an hour. Feels more like an EP. A couple big songs and a much different overall tone to the album. I'm not crapping on it. I think it is alright but I was looking for something more like Appetite to Destruction.

Use Your Illusion double album felt bloated and to me should have been condensed down to a single album to make it better. There are a few things I like but overall I'm not nearly as fond of these albums as others.

The Spaghetti Incident is poor and just covers and Chinese Democracy is basically just an Axl Rose solo project that came with a 15 year gap.

So my overall opinion is while I don't think they suck I think most of my generation over rates them to a large degree because of the strong debut and what it meant at the time in a sea of hair/glam metal. It's definitely a different perspective when you live through it and experience it at the time it was happening. I was in junior high when that came out and it really was seismic. I do really like and will always like Appetite for Destruction but I don't put it on a pedestal nor do I think they are some all time great band. I think they were competent musicians though and I do like them and would never say they suck. I just don't think nor will ever think they are greater than average though.