10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The 1980s
2. Appetite For Destruction - Guns N Roses
So how have we gone this far in an article about the '80s and only once mentioned the hair metal movement? As soon as MTV started to hit it big, some of the most glamorous rock bands of all time managed to get played like they were to bring about the second coming, from Whitesnake to Poison making their high heeled debut on the platform. Once we reached the end of the decade though, Guns N Roses gave the entire era of poodle haired rock the kick in the ass that it rightly deserved.
Formed more as a gang than an actual rock band, there was a lot more raw musicianship on Appetite for Destruction than you'd find in a band like Ratt, going for solos that felt a lot more in tune with the classic rock of the '70s. While still having the camera friendly package, the star power of Axl Rose and Slash made them two of the titans of the music industry at the time, especially after having hits like Sweet Child O Mine.
The lyrics were also a lot more mature as well, going from songs about love to entering the underbelly of Los Angeles in Welcome to the Jungle or how gritty life on the street can be on It's So Easy or Paradise City. It was time for the rest of the hair metal acts to clear out. The World's Most Dangerous Band had just entered the building.