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The History of Guns N' Roses: The Band That Conquered the World with Its Rock and Rebellion
Discover the trajectory of the band Guns N' Roses, from their first successes to worldwide acclaim, including controversies, arrests, separations and triumphs on stage.
Written by: Alan Bugalho
5/8/20248 min read
Foto: Reprodução
The History of Guns N' Roses
The year was 1985, and the city was Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood, movies, cinema, and horrors.
The city attracted people from all over the world with the promise of becoming the next cinematic horror.
A young man, William Bruce Rose, Jr., known as Axl Rose, born in Lafayette, Indiana, decided to venture to Los Angeles in search of fame, but not in the movies, but rather by singing in a rock band.
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Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Axl joined the band Rapidfire, with whom he recorded a four-song demo in May 1983.
After the group's dissolution, he joined the first lineup of L.A. Guns before forming Hollywood Rose with his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin.
In January 1984, the band recorded a five-song demo that was only released in 2004 on the compilation album The Roots of Guns N' Roses.
In March 1985, Axl and his former L.A. Guns bandmate Tracii Guns formed Guns N' Roses by merging their respective bands: Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns.
The name was coined from the surnames of its founders: Axl Rose and Tracii Guns.
After several lineup changes, the band settled into a quintet.
The classic lineup that made history included:
Axl Rose (vocals)
Slash (lead guitar)
Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar)
Duff McKagan (bass)
Steven Adler (drums)
The band debuted at The Troubadour in Hollywood and began playing clubs in Los Angeles, quickly building a dedicated fan base. Soon, the band conquered the Sunset Strip with their raw, energetic, and dangerous sound.
The band attracted the attention of several major record labels before signing with Geffen Records in early 1986. In December of that year, they released the four-song live EP "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide" on Geffen's imprint, UZI Suicide.
Appetite for Destruction (1987): The Album That Blew It All Up
In 1987, Guns N' Roses released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. Featuring songs like:
* "Welcome to the Jungle"
* "Paradise City"
* "Sweet Child O' Mine"
The album sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million in the United States alone, becoming the best-selling debut album in the country and the 11th best-selling album in history.
"Sweet Child O' Mine" was the band's first and only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100.
Their second studio album, 1988's G N' R Lies, combined their 1986 debut EP Live ?! @ Like a Suicide with new acoustic tracks.
The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, sold 10 million copies worldwide (including five million in the United States), and featured the top-five hits "Patience" and "One in a Million".
Fame, excess, and behind-the-scenes chaos
With success came problems. The band became known for infighting, drug abuse, and turbulent live shows.
In 1991, they released the double albums:
Use Your Illusion I
Use Your Illusion II
They debuted at number two and one on the Billboard 200, respectively, and have amassed combined sales of 35 million copies worldwide (including 14 million in the United States). The albums featured hits like "You Could Be Mine," which was included on the Terminator 2 soundtrack, cover versions of "Live and Let Die" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," "Civil War," and a trilogy of ballads, "Don't Cry," "November Rain," and "Estranged," accompanied by high-budget music videos.
With hits like:
"November Rain"
"Don't Cry"
"Civil War"
"Estranged"
“Live and Let Die”
"You Could Be Mine"
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Use Your Illusion Tour
In May 1991, still without an album to promote, the band embarked on a two-and-a-half-year tour called the Use Your Illusion Tour. The tour included 192 dates in 27 countries, with over seven million people attending the shows, and is considered the "longest tour in rock history." The tour became known both for its success and for the many controversial incidents that occurred during shows, including delays, onstage cursing, and even riots that erupted after Axl Rose decided to walk offstage and end the shows.
His childhood friend Izzy Stradlin left the group in November 1991, being replaced by Gilby Clarke. Axl Rose requested and received sole ownership of the Guns N' Roses name, forcing his bandmates to relinquish the band's name.
The Spaghetti Incident?
Em 1993, o grupo lançou The Spaghetti Incident?, um álbum de covers de punk rock e hard rock. Apesar da recepção relativamente positiva, foi o álbum de estúdio com menor desempenho comercial da banda até então e não contou com uma turnê de divulgação. Esse foi o último álbum de estúdio a contar com Stradlin e Matt Sorum, o único com a participação de Clarke e o último a incluir Slash e McKagan.
The End of the Guns N' Roses Era!
Without consulting his bandmates, Rose fired Gilby Clarke in June 1994. Tensions between Rose and Slash escalated after Clarke's firing. Slash finally left Guns N' Roses in October 1996, followed by Matt Sorum in June 1997. Duff McKagan departed the band in August of that year, leaving Rose and Dizzy Reed as the only remaining members of the band from the Use Your Illusion era.
A Long Silence and the Return with Chinese Democracy
As Guns N' Roses' lineup instability faltered, Rose disappeared from the public eye. The band never officially disbanded. Rose continued hiring new musicians to replace band members who either left or were fired. By the late 1990s, he was considered a recluse, rarely appearing in public and spending most of his time in his Malibu mansion. Rose said he spent nights rehearsing and writing with the various new members of Guns N' Roses, working on the band's next album, Chinese Democracy, which eventually had over 30 tracks recorded and over 80 hours of recording.
After years of lineup changes and postponed promises, Axl Rose released the highly anticipated Chinese Democracy in 2008.
The album divided opinions, but brought Guns N' Roses back into the spotlight.
With influences from industrial and electronic rock, the album had an estimated production cost of $14 million, making it the most expensive rock album ever produced. Although it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and received generally positive reviews, its sales fell short of market expectations. The album was preceded by the extensive Chinese Democracy Tour, which ran from 2001 to 2011 and, due to internal issues within the band, resulted in several concert cancellations.
The reunion no one expected: Slash and Duff return
In 2016, the impossible happened: Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan announced their reunion. The Not in This Lifetime... tour was a worldwide success, selling out venues everywhere.
This new lineup resulted in the Not in This Lifetime tour, which became one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, grossing over $584 million by its conclusion in 2019. Ironically, the name "Not In This Lifetime" refers to a 2012 comment by Rose about a possible return of the classic members to the band.
As a result of this reunion, after 13 years without any new studio material, the band released the songs "Absurd," "Hard Skool," and the long-awaited "The General," available on the B-side of the single "Perhaps." These recordings marked the group's first new studio material since 2008 and the first to include Slash and McKagan since the release of "Sympathy for the Devil" in 1994. The group has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the United States alone, becoming one of the best-selling bands in history.
Guns N' Roses in Brazil: A National Passion
Previous Tours in Brazil:
Rock in Rio (1991): Guns N' Roses performed their first performance in Brazil at Rock in Rio II, at the Maracanã Stadium.
1992 Tour: The band returned to Brazil with shows in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Rock in Rio (2001): Guns N' Roses performed at Rock in Rio III.
Rock in Rio (2011): The band returned to the festival, with shows in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
2016 Tour: The band played in several cities, including São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Rock in Rio (2017): Guns N' Roses performed at Rock in Rio.
"Not in This Lifetime... Tour" (2017-2019): The tour visited Brazil in 2017, with shows in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre.
2022 Tour: The band performed shows in Recife, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte, Ribeirão Preto, Florianópolis, Curitiba, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre, as well as a performance at Rock in Rio.
2025 Tour:
October 21: Arena Opus, Florianópolis
October 25: Allianz Parque, São Paulo
October 28: Pedreira Paulo Leminski, Curitiba
October 31: Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá
November 2: Arena BRB Mané Garrincha, Brasília
Legacy and Influence of Guns N' Roses
With over 100 million records sold and timeless hits, Guns N' Roses has influenced generations of musicians and fans.
Several bands cite Guns N' Roses as an influence, including The Dead Daisies, L.A. Guns, Velvet Revolver, Buckcherry, The Bronx, Black Stone Cherry, Skillet, Rival Sons, Volbeat, Halestorm, Alter Bridge, Royal Blood, and others.
The band is a symbol of the rebellious, visceral, and grandiose rock that defined the 1980s and 1990s—and continues to make history on stage today.
Formação mais longa da banda. Da esquerda para a direita: Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose, Slash, Melissa Reese e Frank Ferrer - Foto: Raph_PH - Flicker
Conclusion: Why is Guns N' Roses eternal?
The history of Guns N' Roses is marked by glory, downfalls, reunions, and a lot of attitude. Few bands have managed to combine talent, controversy, and stage presence like them.
Whether through headphones or in packed stadiums, the Guns N' Roses sound remains alive, powerful, and unforgettable.
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Foto: Reprodução
LOS ANGELES – JUNE 28: (L-R) Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan-Stardust Ballroom on June 28, 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jack Lue/Michael Ochs Reprodução)
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