The band has released six studio albums: Appetite For Destruction in 1987, G N' R Lies in 1988, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II in 1991, "The Spaghetti Incident?" in 1993 and, after 15 years and with frontman Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed being the only members left from the previous lineup, Chinese Democracy in 2008. They also released three EP's in 1986, 1988, and 1993 and two live albums, in 1999 and 2014.
The group was formed in early 1985 by Hollywood Rose members Axl Rose (vocals) and Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar) and L.A. Guns members Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Ole Beich (bass) and Rob Gardner (drums). The band created its name by combining two of the members' names. Rejected names were "Heads of Amazon" and "AIDS." A short time later, Beich was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan, and Guns was replaced by Slash after not showing up to rehearsal. Slash had played with McKagan in Road Crew and with Stradlin during a short stint in Hollywood Rose. On their first tour (from Sacramento, California to Duff's home town of Seattle), Gardner quit and was replaced by Slash's friend, Steven Adler.
Stemming from the LA rock underground, the ugly lyrics matched the sleaze of the music--driven by heavy blues licks--covering misogyny, violence, city life, sex, liquor, and hard drugs. They also, however, tended to show sensitivity and a desire to break free from the city. Subsequent albums revealed influence from bands in the vein of The Rolling Stones and Queen.
Their 1987 breakthrough, Appetite for Destruction, (18-times platinum and the highest-selling debut album of all-time), coupled with the success of the hit single "Sweet Child O' Mine" in 1988, took the world by storm. "Appetite" was full of raunchy hard rock with blistering, anthemic guitar riffs and snarling vocals.
The followup EP, "G N' R Lies", contained four songs from their debut EP, three new acoustic songs, and an acoustic version of "You're Crazy". The album sold well and got into the top 10 alongside Appetite. By the end of the 1980s, they were one of the most popular bands in the world.
Steven Adler (original drummer) was kicked out of the band due to his drug abuse and replaced by Matt Sorum.
Following the release of G N' R Lies, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II made history by making the number 1 and 2 spots on the American Billboard Album chart. The albums were filled with songs that pushed Guns into a different direction, far from the Appetite era. They surprised critics who expected hard rock songs but found more "epic" tracks featuring a wider range of instruments (pianos, brass instruments, various effects, etc). The main response was that instead of releasing two albums that included "filler tracks", they could have released one CD.
The band then started a world tour to support the albums. During this tour, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin quit the band due to differences with Slash, Sorum and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety and Stradlin's anger at Rose's management of the band.
They played 192 shows in the 28-month tour, which set attendance records and concluded with a show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. This show marked the last time original members Slash and McKagan and newcomers Clarke and Sorum would play a live show with Rose.
Axl began work on a new album of original material in 1993. In 1994, Gilby Clarke left the band, and was replaced with Paul Tobias. That same year, the band recorded a cover version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" for the movie Interview with the Vampire. According to Slash's 2007 autobiography, the first version of guitar track was rejected by Axl, who wanted Slash to copy Keith Richards' playing on the original. Reluctantly, Slash agreed and recorded another version closer to the original. Slash was further infuriated when he discovered Tobias' guitar copying his own solo note by note layered in the final mix of the song. This would be the last recording by the original version of the band, and five years would go by before any new material came out under the Guns N' Roses name.
Slash drifted in and out of the band for the next couple of years, beginning a side project called Slash's Snakepit. In August 1996, GN'R returned to the studio, even though McKagan and Sorum were simultaneously touring with their side project, Neurotic Outsiders. Eventually, only Slash and Rose were left to continue working. During this period, Slash commented in an interview, "My relationship with Axl right now is sort of at a standstill." Additionally, Axl had approached guitarist Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) about jamming and possibly joining Guns N' Roses.
In 1996 and 1997, Slash, Sorum and McKagan all left the band, leaving Rose as the only remaining charter member of the band. The three later formed rock supergroup Velvet Revolver with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and guitarist Dave Kushner.
In 1998, a "clean" (i.e., profanity removed) version of Use Your Illusion was released (in the USA only), mainly so the album could be sold in Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores. The album, titled "Use Your Illusion" was a 1 CD compilation of the 2 albums.
Also in 1998, Axl put a new version of the band together and returned to the studio. This version of the band has been touring and recording sporadically ever since. The new band's membership has changed frequently, but its core members have included guitarist Robin Finck, effects man Chris Pitman, bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements)— as well as Paul Tobias, drummer Josh Freese and longtime GN'R keyboardist Dizzy Reed.
In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God", on the soundtrack of the film End of Days. The track featured additional guitar work by [arist]Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher. The song's release was intended to be a prelude to their new album, now officially entitled Chinese Democracy. Geffen also released Live Era '87-'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours. Also in 1999, during an interview with Kurt Loder for MTV, Axl said that he had re-recorded Appetite for Destruction with the new band, replacing two songs with "Patience" and "You Could Be Mine".
In 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed the band in order to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour. In 2000, virtuoso guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck. Josh Freese was replaced with Bryan "Brain" Mantia (formerly of Primus). Robin Finck returned to Guns N' Roses in late 2000 to complement Buckethead on lead guitar.
The revised lineup finally made a public appearance in January 2001 with two well-received concerts, one in Las Vegas and one at the Rock in Rio Festival in Rio de Janeiro. The band played a mixture of old hits and new songs from their forthcoming album.
The new lineup played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001. In 2002, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band because of his frustrations with life on the road. He was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love). The band then played several shows in August 2002, headlining festivals and concerts throughout Asia and Europe. They made their way to New York for a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.
In 2002, the band's first North American tour since 1993 was organized to support Chinese Democracy. However, the opening show in Vancouver was canceled by the venue when Rose arrived late due to his plane being held up by bad weather conditions at Los Angeles airport. A riot ensued. This tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts did not sell well, while shows in larger markets such as New York sold out in minutes. Due to a second riot by fans in Philadelphia, tour promoter Clear Channel canceled the remainder of the tour.
The band went on hiatus until they were scheduled to play at Rock in Rio IV in May 2004. However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing them to cancel. Also in March 2004, Geffen released Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits, since Rose had failed to deliver a new studio album in more than 10 years. Rose expressed displeasure with this album as its track listing was established without his consent and went as far as trying to block its release by suing Geffen. This failed, however, and the album went triple platinum in the USA.
In February 2006, demos of the songs "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S." and "There Was a Time" were leaked through a fan site. The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and web sites. Despite this, radio stations began adding "I.R.S." to playlists, and the song reached #49 on the Radio & Records Active Rock National Airplay chart in the final week of February - the first time an internet leak had done so.
On May 5, 2006, Axl appeared on the Friday Night Rocks with Eddie Trunk radio show (during an interview with ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach) and said the new Guns N' Roses album would be released before the end of the year. Later in May, the band launched a European tour, headlining both the Download Festival and Rock In Rio - Lisbon. Four warm-up shows preceded the tour at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City and became the band's first live concert dates since the aborted 2002 tour. The shows also marked the debut of virtuoso guitarist and composer Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, replacing Buckethead. During the tour, Bach and Izzy Stradlin made frequent guest appearances. By the tour's end in 2007, the band had played to over 750 000 people in over 23 countries.
On April 5, 2008, a picture of Finck appeared on Nine Inch Nails web page under the title "Welcome Back!" starting the rumor of his possible reunion with Trent Reznor. On April 11, Finck expressed his happiness on playing again with NIN. On April 20, on Guns N' Roses' web site, Axl expressed surprise about the news.
Chinese Democracy had been given the tentative release date of March 6, then reported September 17, 2007. However, both dates passed with no sign of the album. After further release dates were discussed, the album finally came out on November 23, 2008, to mostly positive critical reviews & underselling industry expectations.
Slash, McKagan and Sorum still played together in Velvet Revolver. However, Izzy Stradlin, original GN'R rhythm guitarist and co-composer of many of the band's most successful songs, has not joined them. He did, however, play a few dates as a guest with GN'R in the summer of 2006. Keyboard player Dizzy Reed, while not a founding member of the band (joining in 1990 in the Use Your Illusion period), remained in the previous lineup. in 2014, Bassist Tommy Stinson had previous commitments to The Replacements, leading former bassist Duff McKagan to fill in. After the 2014 tour, bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarists DJ Ashba & Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, and keyboardist Chris Pitman all left the band.
Slash and McKagan rejoined in 2016, as did keyboardist Melissa Reese, as the group embarked on the "Not in This Lifetime..." stadium tour. The tour also featured several guest appearances, including from former drummer Steven Adler, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, and Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson. The tour was a massive success, becoming the third highest grossing concert tour of all-time by its end in 2019.
The band continued with the Guns N’ Roses 2020 Tour and in 2021 released two new singles “Absurd” and “Hard Skool”, both reworkings of ‘’Chinese Democracy’’ era tracks. The singles are the first songs released featuring Slash and Duff McKagan since 1994.
GN'R's current lineup includes Rose (lead vocals), McKagan (bass), Fortus (rhythm guitar), Slash (lead guitar), Melissa Reese[/bandember] (synth & programming), Frank Ferrer (drums) and Reed (keyboard and percussion).
Discography
Appetite for Destruction (1987) #1 US Billboard, 18x Platinum
G N' R Lies (1988) #2 US Billboard, 5x Platinum
Use Your Illusion I (1991) #2 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
Use Your Illusion II (1991) #1 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) #4 US Billboard, Platinum
Live Era '87-'93 (1999) #45 US Billboard, Gold
Greatest Hits (2004) #3 US Billboard, 3x Platinum
Chinese Democracy (2008) #3 US Billboard, Platinum
The above figures represent US sales only and do not constitute worldwide figures, which are much higher.
Locomotive
Guns N' Roses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah I'll find a way to cure the pain
If I said that you're my friend
And our love would never end
How long before I had your trust again
I opened up the doors when it was cold outside
Hopin' that you'd find your own way in
But how can I protect you
When you won't take the love I have to give
I bought me an illusion
An I put it on the wall
I let it fill my head with dreams
And I had to have them all
But oh the taste is never so sweet
As what you'd believe it is -
Well I guess it never is
It's these prejudiced illusions
That pump the blood
To the heart of the biz
You know I never thought
That it could take so long
You know I never knew how to be strong
Yeah, I let you shape me
But it feels as though you raped me
'Cause you climbed inside my world
And in my songs
So now I've closed the door
To keep the cold outside
Seems somehow I've found the will to live
But how can I forget you
Or try not to reject you
When we both know it takes time to forgive
Sweetness is a virtue
And you lost your virtue long ago
You know I'd like to hurt you
But my conscience always tells me no
You could sell your body on the street
To anyone whom you might meet
Who'd love to try and get inside
And bust your innocence open wide
'Cause my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
No
Gonna have some fun with my frustrations
Gonna watch the big screen in my head
I'd rather take a detour
'cause this road ain't gettin' clearer
Your train of thought has cut me off again
Better tame that boy 'cause he's a wild one
Better tame that boy for he's a man
Sweetheart don't make me laugh
You's gettin' too big for your pants
And I's think maybe you should
Cut out while you can
You can use your illusion -
Let it take you where it may
We live and learn
And then sometimes it's best to walk away
Me I'm just here hangin' on
It's my only place to stay at least
For now anyway
I've worked too hard for my illusions
Just to throw them all away
I'm taking time quiet consolation
In passing by this love that's passed away
I know it's never easy
So why should you believe me
When I've always got so many things to say
Calling off the dogs a simple choice is made
'Cause playful hearts
Can sometimes be enraged
You know I tried to wake you
I mean how long could it take you
To open up your eyes and turn the page
Kindness is a treasure
And it's one towards me you've seldom shown
So I'd say it for a good measure
To all the ones like you I've known
Ya know I'd like to shave your head
And all my friends could paint it red
'Cause love to me's a two way street
An all I really want is peace
But my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
No
Affection is a blessing
Can you find it in your sordid heart
I tried to keep this thing ta-gether
But the tremor tore my pad apart
Yeah I know it's hard to face
When all we've worked for's gone to waste
But you're such a stupid woman
And I'm such a stupid man
But love like time's got its own plans
'Cause my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
Yeah
If love is blind I guess I'll buy myself a cane
Love's so strange
The song "Locomotive" by Guns N' Roses seems to be a reflection of a broken relationship. The singer admits to feeling lonely and in pain, but also struggling to regain the trust of their lover. The lines, "But how can I protect you or try not to neglect you when you won't take the love I have to give" suggest that the relationship has hit a rough patch, perhaps due to a lack of mutual understanding and communication. Additionally, the chorus repeats, "My baby's got a locomotive, my baby's gone off the track" which could be interpreted as their lover being out of control and possibly causing harm to the singer.
As the song progresses, the singer seems to reflect on their own illusions and dreams, perhaps things they once thought they wanted but now realize don't bring the fulfillment they were hoping for. There's a sense of longing and regret in lines like, "I know it's never easy, so why should you believe me when I've always got so many things to say?" This could suggest that the singer feels like they've failed in communicating their feelings effectively or understanding their partner's needs.
Overall, "Locomotive" is a complex and introspective song that explores the ups and downs of a complicated relationship. It touches on themes of trust, love, and loss, through vivid and poetic lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna find a way to cure this loneliness
I want to end my loneliness but don't know what to do
Yeah I'll find a way to cure the pain
I will try to find a way to end this pain
If I said that you're my friend
If I called you my friend
And our love would never end
And that our love would continue forever
How long before I had your trust again
How long until you trust me again
I opened up the doors when it was cold outside
I welcomed you when you were feeling left out
Hopin' that you'd find your own way in
Hoping that you could make your own path in life
But how can I protect you
How can I keep you safe
Or try not to neglect you
Or not ignore you
When you won't take the love I have to give
When you won't accept my love
I bought me an illusion
I bought myself a fantasy
An I put it on the wall
And I displayed it for everyone to see
I let it fill my head with dreams
I allowed it to make me dream big
And I had to have them all
And I wanted to achieve all my dreams
But oh the taste is never so sweet
But the reality is never as nice
As what you'd believe it is -
As you might have thought it would be
Well I guess it never is
The real world never is as nice as we imagine
It's these prejudiced illusions
It's these unrealistic beliefs
That pump the blood
That keep us going
To the heart of the biz
To the core of the business
You know I never thought
I never imagined
That it could take so long
That it would take so much time
You know I never knew how to be strong
I never knew how to be resilient
Yeah, I let you shape me
Yeah, I let you influence me
But it feels as though you raped me
But it feels like you took advantage of me
'Cause you climbed inside my world
Because you became part of my life
And in my songs
And in my creative works
So now I've closed the door
So I have shut you out
To keep the cold outside
To protect myself from the harsh reality
Seems somehow I've found the will to live
I have found the motivation to keep living
But how can I forget you
But how can I forget about you
Or try not to reject you
Or try not to exclude you
When we both know it takes time to forgive
When we both know forgiveness takes time
Sweetness is a virtue
Kindness is a desirable trait
And you lost your virtue long ago
And you lost your kindness a long time ago
You know I'd like to hurt you
I'd like to cause you pain
But my conscience always tells me no
But my sense of right and wrong stops me
You could sell your body on the street
You could become a prostitute
To anyone whom you might meet
To anyone who would be interested
Who'd love to try and get inside
Who would like to have sex with you
And bust your innocence open wide
And destroy your purity
'Cause my baby's got a locomotive
Because my partner has an uncontrollable tendency
My baby's gone off the track
My partner has lost control of herself/himself
My baby's got a locomotive
My partner has a restless energy
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I have to get rid of my partner
I know it looks like I'm insane
I know it seems like I'm crazy
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
But if you examine closely, I'm not responsible
No
No meaning
Gonna have some fun with my frustrations
I'm going to let loose with my worries and pains
Gonna watch the big screen in my head
I'm going to imagine things that make me happy
I'd rather take a detour
I'd like to go another route
'cause this road ain't gettin' clearer
Because this path is not getting easier
Your train of thought has cut me off again
Your way of thinking has distracted me
Better tame that boy 'cause he's a wild one
You should control yourself because you're out of control
Better tame that boy for he's a man
You should behave because you're an adult man
Sweetheart don't make me laugh
Don't say something silly
You's gettin' too big for your pants
You're getting too arrogant
And I's think maybe you should
And I think maybe you should
Cut out while you can
Leave while you have the chance
You can use your illusion -
You can live a fantasy
Let it take you where it may
Let it take you where it leads you
We live and learn
We learn as we go
And then sometimes it's best to walk away
And sometimes it's best to leave a situation
Me I'm just here hangin' on
I'm just here trying to get by
It's my only place to stay at least
It's the only place I have to go
For now anyway
For the time being, at least
I've worked too hard for my illusions
I've put too much effort into my fantasies
Just to throw them all away
Just to abandon them
I'm taking time quiet consolation
I'm taking time to console myself
In passing by this love that's passed away
By forgetting about this love that has ended
I know it's never easy
I know it's not a simple task
So why should you believe me
So why should you trust me
When I've always got so many things to say
When I have a tendency to talk too much
Calling off the dogs a simple choice is made
Stopping the conflict is an easy decision
'Cause playful hearts
Because light-heartedness
Can sometimes be enraged
Can sometimes turn to anger
You know I tried to wake you
I tried to make you aware
I mean how long could it take you
I mean, how much time did you need
To open up your eyes and turn the page
To realize what's going on and change it
Kindness is a treasure
Being kind is a precious thing
And it's one towards me you've seldom shown
And it's something you've rarely done for me
So I'd say it for a good measure
So I'd mention it as a reminder
To all the ones like you I've known
To all the people I've met like you
Ya know I'd like to shave your head
I'd like to humiliate you
And all my friends could paint it red
And my friends could embarrass you
'Cause love to me's a two way street
Because love is something both parties have to work for
An all I really want is peace
And all I really want is to have a good peace of mind
But my baby's got a locomotive
But my partner has an uncontrollable tendency
Affection is a blessing
Being affectionate is a beneficial thing
Can you find it in your sordid heart
Can you find it within your corrupted heart
I tried to keep this thing ta-gether
I tried to salvage this relationship
But the tremor tore my pad apart
But the shaking destroyed what we had
Yeah I know it's hard to face
I know it's difficult to admit
When all we've worked for's gone to waste
When everything we've done has led to failure
But you're such a stupid woman
But you're such an unintelligent woman
And I'm such a stupid man
And I'm such an idiotic man
But love like time's got its own plans
But love doesn't always go according to your plans
Yeah
No meaning
If love is blind I guess I'll buy myself a cane
If love doesn't see what's in front of it, then I'll take control
Love's so strange
Love is so unpredictable
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: (USA 2) SLASH, IZZY STRADLIN, DUFF MC KAGAN, DARREN A REED, MATT SORUM, W. AXL ROSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Monicx
on Sweet Child o' Mine
Guns N' Roses sind eine großartige Band. Ich frage mich, wie Sweet Child o' Mine live klingen wird. Ich habe gerade Tickets für ihr Konzert in Deutschland auf https://www.timeforgig.com/de/guns-n-roses/artists/0mjrv gekauft.