10 Greatest Rock Albums That Are Totally Acoustic
8. GNR Lies - Guns N Roses
The idea of taking the intensity out of a Guns N Roses song is like trying to take the action out of a Marvel movie...you just don't do it. For as many great songs are on Appetite for Destruction, the real magic comes in when these California misfits are able to really go off the rails at a moment's notice. On the other hand, they proved to be just as competent without amplifiers on GNR Lies.
Oftentimes packaged with their first live EP, this is a much different stripe of rock and roll from GNR, with everything having a slow-leaning country bent to it. Despite having some pretty questionable lyrics on the final track One In a Million, the rest of this record feels like a massive comedown from Appetite for Destruction, as the guys kick back with some acoustics the same way the Stones would approach a country jam.
This is also responsible for giving GNR their biggest ballad in Patience, whose melody sees Axl Rose toeing the line between his usual intensity and delicate singing from one line to the next. This album sure doesn't overstate its welcome, but the pieces that it does give you are still more than worth your time. Despite having the potential to be nothing more than table scraps, GNR Lies is a great look at Guns right before the more extravagant side of things started to creep in.