G N' R Lies - 1988

G N' R Lies, also known as Lies, is the second album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in 1988. While officially an extended play, it was treated as a studio album when released. According to the RIAA, the EP has sold over five million copies in the United States alone.
"Patience" was the only single released from Lies; it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Packaging

The cover is a parody of tabloid newspapers, as are the liner notes. The album's cover art underwent several minor modifications when the title was released on CD. First, in the bottom left corner reading "LIES LIES LIES" originally read "Wife-beating has been around for 10,000 years." Secondly, instead of "Elephant gives birth to midget", the original headline reads, "Ladies, welcome to the dark ages." Many copies of the original LP release also contained an uncensored picture of a nude model on the inner LP sleeve.
The UK/Euro WX 218 924 198 - 1 release had 2 stickers on the cover; Special Limited Edition containing Sheet of Japanese Peel off Stickers, and Contains language that some people may find offensive 924 198 - 1. The Peel off Stickers are on a 21mm x 30mm sheet.
The cover art also bears a resemblance to John Lennon's Sometime in New York City, an album that contains Lennon's controversial "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" - a song Axl has cited when defending his use of the word "nigger" in "One in a Million." Coincidentally, half of Sometime in New York City also contains "live" material recorded two years earlier

Track listing

All songs credited to Guns N' Roses except where noted.

Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Reckless Life"	Guns N' Roses, Chris Weber	3:20
2.	"Nice Boys" (Rose Tattoo cover)	Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Geordie Leach, Dallas "Digger" Royall, Peter Wells	3:03
3.	"Move to the City"	Guns N' Roses, Del James, Chris Weber	3:42
4.	"Mama Kin" (Aerosmith cover)	Steven Tyler	3:57

G N' R Lies
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Patience"		5:56
6.	"Used to Love Her"		3:13
7.	"You're Crazy" (Acoustic Version)		4:10
8.	"One in a Million"		6:10
Total length:			33:41

Personnel

• W. Axl Rose - lead vocals, whistling
• Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar, rhythm acoustic guitar on tracks 5-8, backing vocals
• Slash - lead guitar, lead acoustic guitar on tracks 5-8
• Duff McKagan - bass, rhythm acoustic guitar on "Patience" and "One in a Million," backing vocals
• Steven Adler - drums, backing vocals on "Patience"

Appetite for Destruction - 1987

Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart. As of September 2008, the album has been certified 18 times Platinum by the RIAA, accumulating worldwide sales in excess of 28 million as of October 2008. The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Packaging

The album's original cover art, based on the Robert Williams' painting "Appetite for Destruction", depicted a robotic rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After several music retailers refused to stock the album, the label compromised and put the controversial cover art inside, replacing it with an image depicting a cross and skulls of the five band members (designed by Billy White Jr., originally as a tattoo), each skull representing one member of the band: Izzy Stradlin, top skull; Steven Adler, left skull; Axl Rose, center skull; Duff McKagan, right skull; and Slash, bottom skull. The photographs used for the back of the album and liner notes were taken by Robert John, Marc Canter and Jack Lue. The original cover was supposed to be on the 2008 re-pressing of the vinyl, though the record label replaced it with the "Skulls" art at the last minute. The re-pressing of the vinyl, though, is the first Guns N' Roses release to have the Parental Advisory label printed on the artwork; previously, like on the CD, this was a sticker on the cellophane wrap and later (on the CD and cassette releases) on the case itself.
In albums which were issued on double sided media (i.e., vinyl records and audio cassettes) the two sides were not conventionally labeled "A" and "B", but "G" and "R". Tracks 1-6 which comprise side "G" all deal with drugs and hard life in the big city ("Guns" side). The remaining tracks, which comprise side "R", all deal with love, sex and relationships ("Roses" side).
In an interview with That Metal Show in 2011, Axl stated his original idea for the cover art was to be the photo of the Space Shuttle Challenger exploding, which was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1986, but Geffen refused it saying it was "in bad taste"

Track listing

All songs credited to Guns N' Roses; "It's So Easy" co-credited to West Arkeen and "Anything Goes" co-credited to Chris Weber.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Welcome to the Jungle"	4:34
2.	"It's So Easy"	3:23
3.	"Nightrain"	4:29
4.	"Out ta Get Me"	4:25
5.	"Mr. Brownstone"	3:49
6.	"Paradise City"	6:46
7.	"My Michelle"	3:40
8.	"Think About You"	3:52
9.	"Sweet Child O' Mine"	5:55
10.	"You're Crazy"	3:17
11.	"Anything Goes"	3:26
12.	"Rocket Queen"	6:13
Total length:		53:52

Personnel

Guns N' Roses W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, percussion on "Welcome to the Jungle", synthesizer and whistle on "Paradise City" Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, co-lead guitar on "Nightrain" and "Think About You", percussion on "Paradise City" Slash – lead guitar, co-rhythm guitar on "Nightrain" and "Think About You", acoustic guitar on "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Think About You", talkbox on "Anything Goes" Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals Steven Adler – drums Additional personnel Mike Clink – production Steve Thompson – mixing Michael Barbiero – mixing George Marino – mastering Victor Deyglio, Dave Reitzas, Micajah Ryan & Julian Stoll – engineering assistance Andy Udoff – engineering assistance Jeff Poe – engineering assistance Robert Williams – paintings Michael Hodgson – art direction, design Robert John – photography Jack Lue – photography Greg Freeman – photograph

Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide - 1986

Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide is a four-song EP released by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses on December 16, 1986 on the label, UZI Suicide. (This was ostensibly a self-released record but UZI Suicide was actually part of Geffen Records.) When referred to by the band members talking about the EP, they have simply called it Live Like a Suicide. The record itself was reportedly limited to only 10,000 copies, and it came out only in vinyl and cassette formats.
According to Steven Adler's autobiography, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex & Drugs & Guns N' Roses, the entire EP was recorded at Pasha Studios in Hollywood with pre-recorded audience applause and cheering in the background, as Geffen's engineers told him "it would cost too much to actually record a live record". Duff McKagan says in his autobiography, It's So Easy (and other Lies), that "the crowd noise...is from a 1970's rock festival called the Texxas Jam. We thought it would be funny to put a huge stadium crowd in the background at a time when we were lucky to be playing to a few hundred."
One song considered for this EP was "Shadow of Your Love", which never made it onto the album. In 1988, the recordings featured on Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide were re-released along with four newer songs as the album G N' R Lies.

Artwork

The front cover consists of a photograph of two of the band members, Duff McKagan and Axl Rose (from left to right), with an early Guns N' Roses logo, designed by Slash, overhead. The artwork from this EP is also featured in the G N' R Lies album artwork.

Promotion

In 2010, Steven Adler said that Guns N' Roses got Rodney on the ROQ at KROQ-FM to initially play "Reckless Life" by giving Rodney one gram of cocaine.

Song information

The four songs were selected from the band's demo tapes: two are cover versions and two are originals. The EP was a faux-live recording with overdubbed crowd noise, but these are in fact studio performances.
"Reckless Life" is the opening track on the EP. It opens with Slash shouting "Hey fuckers! Suck on Guns N' Fuckin' Roses!" This song was originally written by Hollywood Rose, which had included all the members of Guns N' Roses except Duff McKagan at one point or another. It was included in the Hollywood Rose compilation album The Roots of Guns N' Roses. "Nice Boys" is a cover of a song by Rose Tattoo. "Move to the City" features a horn section, and is the third track on the EP. "Mama Kin" is a cover of a song by Aerosmith, a band Guns N' Roses has cited as one of their major influences.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Reckless Life"	Guns N' Roses, Chris Weber	3:20
2.	"Nice Boys" (Rose Tattoo cover)	Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Geordie Leach, Dallas "Digger" Royall, Peter Wells	3:03
3.	"Move to the City"	Guns N' Roses, Del James, Weber	3:42
4.	"Mama Kin" (Aerosmith cover)	Steven Tyler	3:57
Total length:			14:02

Personnel

• Steven Adler – drums, production
• Duff McKagan – bass guitar, production
• Axl Rose – lead vocals, production
• Slash – lead guitar, production
• Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, production