Guns N’ Roses Albums Ranked
Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Guns N’ Roses’ debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), reached number one on the Billboard 200 a year after its release, on the strength of the Top 10 singles “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City”, and “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, the band’s only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.Their next studio album, G N’ R Lies (1988), reached number two on the Billboard 200, and included the Top 5 hit “Patience”. Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, recorded simultaneously and released in 1991, debuted at number two and number one on the Billboard 200 respectively. Here are Guns N’ Roses albums ranked from worst to best.
Don’t miss out on the GRITTY GnR music Below! Click to experience the peak of 80’s hard rock!
6. “The Spaghetti Incident?” (1993)
“I don’t know why this album has such a bad rap. It wasn’t supposed to be anything special. Just something they had and decided to release for those who wanted to hear it. It was intended to be something for the die hards to listen to while they waited for the next real album. Anyone who tries to compare this album to Appetite or UYI1&2 is making a mistake. It is more comparable to Lies. Nevertheless there are some instant classics on this cd (Down on the Farm, Ain’t it Fun, Black Leather, Attitude). Judged as what it was and what it was intended to be (not what people wanted it to be) this is a great album but probably for diehards only.”
5. Chinese Democracy (2008)
“This album was so hyped and delayed that I never gave it a chance. I loved all of the original Guns n’ Roses and when this finally was released I ignored it without even a curious listen. Since I’m going to see GnR August 5th in Little Rock, AR I decided to buy this and give it a shot , since I had the other 5 Cd’s and I wanted to give everything a fresh listen. I played this CD for the first time today and I must say that I’m shocked. It is outstanding. It is somewhat over produced in places, but then a lot of Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 was overblown too. All I can say is, excellent, start to finish. I hope the re-vamped band is able to write and record something to continue the legacy. Give it a shot, if you never did. You will not be disappointed.
4. Use Your Illusion II (1991)
“The Illusion albums are predominantly angst ridden, while at the same time showcasing their talents full scale. Slash’s guitar solos on Estranged evoke an eerie, emotional quality in the song, and it’s the first time you get to hear his playing full out. Axl’s piano playing on Breakdown is phenomenal. This album also includes their amazing cover of Knocking on Heaven’s Door. You Could Be Mine sounds like it belongs on Appetite, so there is a little of the old GNR in there still, after all! I really like Illusion 2 the best.”
3. Use Your Illusion I (1991)
“It’s hard to imagine that Guns N’ Roses could have improved after Appetite for Destruction, but they did. While still having killer, straight-ahead rock n’ roll, this album (as well as Use Your Illusion II) brought them into a much greater realm of musical possibility. Although Use Your Illusion I is slightly better then II, both albums show the band was more diverse and exposed their many different styles. This is because, in part, Guns N’ Roses (unlike most other bands) were never content to put out another album that was like something they already did. After the success of Appetite for Destruction, most bands would set out to make another one just like it. Instead, Guns N’ Roses was more concerned with growing and expanding their horizons. In the end that is the mark of a truly great rock n’ roll band.”
2. G N’ R Lies (1988)
“This is a great album. I love Guns N’ Roses and have since 1987. Its got the EP Live Like a Suicide on one side and 4 tracks (Lies) on the other side. Great album. I look for different markings in the artwork . This one differs from the other versions I have of the album. Axl’s voice really shines through in this album, and of course Slash delivers on what he’s known to do. Overall an excellent album from GnR.”
1. Appetite for Destruction (1987)
“Appetite was released when I was 15 – perfect timing for my teenage rebellious years. Hearing some of these songs again brought back tons of memories from my youth. I’m no audiophile, but the sound quality from the vinyl exceeded my expectations. Every song came through my speakers loud and proud without any noticeable distortion.
In time, Appetite would sell over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the top-selling records ever (as well as the best-selling debut of all time), and everyone would claim to have always loved it. But that wasn’t the actual case in the summer of 1987: Several publications gave it lukewarm-at-best reviews at the time, and the album didn’t even manage to stagger into the Billboard 200 until a month after its release, when it landed at No. 182. From there, Appetite began a slow and steady climb to No. 1, its popularity gradually building as rock and metal fans began to hop aboard the GN’R train, enticed by the band’s dangerous aura and utterly killer tunes. The album would finally reach Billboard’s top spot nearly a year later, during the first week of August 1988, return to the position for three more weeks that fall, and remain in the Top 10 through the week of April 15th, 1989.”
