In 1988 "Appetite for Destruction" went #1 for Guns N' Roses, on year after it was released and eventually making it posibly the greatest debut album for a band of all time.
Initially planned as an EP in 1985, in the early days of the band with an early version of "Don't Cry", but those plans fell through, when Tracii Guns left the band, and was later replaced by Slash. When the lineup was solidified, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Slash, Steven Adler, and Izzy Stradlin grinded through the Los Angeles club scene, and eventually signed with Geffen Records in 1986 and began work on the album.
Released in 1987, Appetite For Destruction got little notice at the time as radio & MTV were focused on Aerosmith's comeback album "Permanent Vacation," and Def Leppard's "Hysteria", and the album debuted at number 182 on the Billboard 200. Only selling 200,000 copies, Geffen planned calling the album a bust, as Radio stations and MTV did not want to play "Welcome To The Jungle", but Geffen GM Al Coury got MTV to give the video a run and it became the most requested video. The burst of attention on MTV got the band radio airplay, and Guns began to tour heavily with Aerosmith.
Although, "Welcome To The Jungle" got them attention, it was "Sweet Child Of Mine" that truly pushed the album up the charts into the #1 spot, where it stayed for four weeks. The video and the song received massive radio airplay, with the opening lick by Slash making it one of the most recognizable songs in rock history. "Paradise City" would follow and the band were on their way to a dominant 1988. Appetite became the biggest album in the country, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. The impact of the album opened the door to a more raw and less overproduced sound and look than the Hair Metal that was dominant at the time. It marked the beginnings of what would be the end of 80's hair and shift the focus to what would be 90's Grunge, creating a lnae that would eventually undo the band itself.
Certified 18x platinum "Appetite For Destruction" is a defining moment in rock history and a cornerstone album of its time.