10 Hard Rock Albums That Changed Music History

Before the alternative scene took over in the '90s, hard rock didn't have a lot of authenticity to speak of. Though the Sunset Strip may have been like a breath of fresh air in the early '80s, it was really starting to wear out its welcome at the end of the decade, with some of the most artificial bands with mile high hair coming to the Strip hoping to make it. You can't fabricate your way to success though...you have to have that rock and roll spirit in your bones first.

While Guns N Roses have been called a product of the Strip scene, it's confusing giving them that title with their pedigree. From the sound of Slash's guitar and Axl Rose's wild antics, this was almost a street gang that happened to play instruments, having the same kind of influences from the old school of rock and roll like Zeppelin, the Stones, and old school Aerosmith. Going through the actual album, Appetite practically reads like a diary of what life is like in the gutter, from dreaming of something better on Paradise City to realizing the kind of hellhole you're living in every day on Welcome to the Jungle.

Outside of the great songs and the camaraderie among the guys, there's no other way to describe this album than just your true to form rock and roll album. It doesn't sound like much, but if you do it this well, you really don't need anything else. It's raw, it's in your face, but above all else, it's genuine, and it made for the first crushing blow to the glam rock scene.