100 Greatest Albums of All Time

62. Appetite for Destruction, Guns N’ Roses Geffen, 1987

The biggest-selling debut album of all time, Appetite for Destruction, features a lot more than the yowl of Indiana- bred W. Axl Rose, the only member still in Guns N’ Roses. Guitarist Slash gave the band blues emotion and punk energy, while the rhythm section brought the funk on hits such as “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Mr. Brownstone.” When all the elements came together, as in the final two minutes of “Paradise City,” G N’ R left all other Eighties metal bands looking like poodle-haired pretenders, and they knew it, too. “A lot of rock bands are too fucking wimpy to have any sentiment or any emotion,” Rose said. “Unless they’re in pain.”