‘People get their standards on how they wanna live, so they are willing to do everything to keep up those standards. I am not so much that way, not about everything, especially about not my art.’

It's no coincidence that this text begins with the words of 25-year-old Axl Rose – when a musician or band achieves universal success and becomes a favorite for millions of listeners, it’s as if many stop believing that the sincere idea behind it can still live on. Guns N’ Roses is exactly the band of that scale, whose 2016 reunion with a classic lineup raised the same doubts. However, 40 years ago, when new band was formed by merging two projects, L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose, no one expected the amazing adventure that would be witnessed by all the years after.

L.A. Guns frontman and future Guns N’ Roses member, Tracii Guns, recalls the early days of their new life as follows:

‘When our manager fired Axl but we all lived together. We sat on the couch and decided what we were going to do next and it was Guns n' Roses. That's all we did, we just changed the name and we added Izzy.’

However, after that things really started to get complicated in their creative life. There was constant tension between the band members, endless battles with the “sharks” of the industry, and a difficult road ahead to make a name for themselves.  These are just an incomplete list of the obstacles that the newly formed band faced at the beginning years of their career.

Despite all this, there was something undeniable about them—a raw energy that couldn’t be ignored. The thing being their 1987 album, Appetite for Destruction, which featured hits like "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City," and "Sweet Child o’ Mine." The album had no lead producer or anyone who had thought about its sonic identity or character. It was a band in the raw, captured live, and full of rebellious energy. As Axl recalls:

Despite all this, there was an unknown factor that no one could ignore, which was the band’s 1987 album Appetite for Destruction, which featured songs turned to hits like ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ ‘Paradise City,’ and ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine.’ The album had no lead producer or anyone who had thought about its sonic identity or character.  As Axel recalls, it was an album with live energy, without flashy elements.
 

‘It was done live. The drums, the rhythm guitar, and the base were all live in the same room. So there’s bleeding of the instruments and to each other’s mics and things like that, just to get the most energy, good live feel to the song.’

 It is completely unthinkable today, but in the late 80’s, many still didn’t see that Appetite for Destruction would have so many hits. This was especially true for the press and radio, who ignored the record in the first weeks of its release, making the album practically doomed in the charts and sales. The management of the latter label decided to convince MTV to give the song ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ a chance and just to give them a limited time on the television network. The time chosen was usually 3-4 AM, when not many people are available to listen to hard rock music, although as we already mentioned there was so called the unknown factor.

 Despite the unfavorable airing time on MTV, "Welcome to the Jungle" was so successful that MTV also played the band's other songs and Guns N' Roses practically said goodbye to being underground rock music forever. With the seemingly ‘unsuccessful’ album topping the charts and selling 20,000,000 copies, it was easy to guess that nothing would ever be the same for the Los Angeles boys. Moreover, nothing would ever be the same for rock music, as the new wave had already hit the industry.

At this time the industry was focused on new albums by U2, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the golden years of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston and George Michael were approaching. Accordingly, it is easy to see that Guns N' Roses had many challenges ahead…

The band also had to deal with internal challenges, as several members, including Tracii Guns, said goodbye to the band. Instead, they were joined by the legendary guitarist Slash, without whom the following years would have been practically unimaginable. Slash recalls that their goal was never commercial success or being fancied up for MTV audience:

“We thought we were making absolutely non-commercial music. The kind of music that Motörhead was making. It took us about a year to get on the Billboard charts because no one wanted to hear us.”

But why did a band that no one wanted to hear end up at rock music’s peak? It was simple: the standard that Guns N' Roses set with Appetite for Destruction didn’t just mark their breakthrough—it became their foundation. They didn’t see it as a pressure; they saw it as a challenge. Over the years, they continued to push themselves, testing their limits with controversy, criticism, and doubt trailing them all the way.

In 1991, they released two albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, on the same day, and made a strong mark on the decade that would go down in music history as the decade of Kurt Cobain, Britpop, and alternative rock. These records introduced bluesy influences, orchestral ballads, and a heavy use of keyboards that would eventually become the defining features of Guns N' Roses' discography. The records also included ‘November Rain,’ which would end up becoming a landmark in rock music.

As it seems music can survive without the artist, as despite the band being at the peak, they could not escape the bands disbandment. In the 90’s, during the work process on their sixth album, the band’s lineup changed almost completely, as Gilby Clarke first left the group, and then Slash followed due to a conflict with Axl rose. This was followed by the departure of other members, and the vocalist essentially had to re-form Guns N’ Roses.

‘Slash and I were fighting from day one. He wanted me to be part of his band, not the other way around. In 1991, he insisted on going on tour when I wasn’t ready. I felt like no one cared about my well-being,’ Axl recalls.

These conflicts cost Axl many old friends and collaborators. It’s no wonder, that the band is associated with Axl Rose, who, by gathering around him various musicians, tried to maintain the continuity that kept Guns N’ Roses at the forefront of the industry.

However, the way to maintain the band’s name was more through live concert experience than studio work, because the fact is that Guns N’ Roses was never as productive as it was in the late 80s and 90s. It seemed like everyone felt like the band was missing something until the following news broke in 2016:

‘After three decades of innovation, trendsetting, and permanently altering the face of rock 'n' roll, Guns N’ Roses announces the most significant musical event of the century: Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan reunite to lead the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.’

And just like that the ice was broken, transforming into a new wave that has become a source of optimism not only for Guns N' Roses, but for rock music fans in general. The band members who were the main creators behind the most popular hits and, most importantly, the identity of Guns N' Roses, reunited and gave the audience what matters most to them - music. Music that never gets old. Since then, the band has been on tour constantly, sharing its 40-year legacy with listeners of different generations. It may be unbelievable to many, but Georgia will soon witness all of this. 

It may be impossible to expect the same wild energy from them as in their prime, but when you hear that unmistakable sound, you’re transported back in time. Whether it’s the carefree thrill of your teenage years or the memories of that first song that got you hooked, Guns N’ Roses always has the power to bring you back to the heart of rock.