Guns N' Roses circa 1987

Guns N' Roses

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Guns N' Roses To Release 73-Track 'Appetite For Destruction' Box Set

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New deluxe reissue of the band's classic 1987 debut album will feature 49 previously unreleased tracks
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 3, 2018 - 8:00 am

The most dangerous band in the world, Guns N' Roses, have announced an epic deluxe reissue of their classic 1987 debut album, Appetite For Destruction. The extensive new box set will feature a total of 73 tracks, 49 of which have been previously unreleased. Titled Locked N' Loaded, the remastered and expanded reissue is and is due out June 29.

Arriving one year after the album's 30th anniversary, the massive collection reportedly appears to be worth the wait. Spanning four CDs and seven 12" 180-gram vinyl LPs, the reissue includes the album remastered from the original analog tapes across two LPs, a pressing of the band's 1986 Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide EP, an EP of B-sides from the era, plus 25 unreleased recordings from the band’s 1986 Sound City sessions and two unreleased tracks from their sessions with the album's producer, Mike Clink. 

Packed with plenty of extras, Locked N' Loaded also includes a 96-page hardbound book with unreleased photos from Axl Rose's personal archive, 12 new illustrations depicting each song on the album, and replica memorabilia from the era.

An unboxing video was posted then deleted on the band's site, and a countdown clock has been launched for midnight on May 4, presumably marking the official announcement of the reissue.

Producer Mike Clink has also been hard at work recently on behalf of creators' rights. Clink delivered testimony on critical music copyright issues at a House Judiciary Committee meeting earlier this year. Clink's efforts helped lead the Allocations For Music Producers Act (AMP Act) to be included in the Music Modernization Act, which unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Apr. 26. Clink has also worked with bands such as Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, and Heart, in addition to his work with GN'R.

Last December, Slash also went to work on Capitol Hill, lobbying Congress on music creators' behalf in support of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act.

Locked N' Loaded arrives in the midst of Guns N' Roses' Not In This Lifetime… Tour, which kicks back up June 3 in Berlin, Germany, and treks through Europe through the end of July. Complete tour dates can be found on the band's website.

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Guns N' Roses circa 1986

Guns N' Roses

Photo: Jack Lue/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Guns N' Roses 'Appetite For Destruction' | For The Record

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Revisit the album that delivered fun and games and changed rock and roll forever
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 24, 2018 - 2:04 pm

Guns N' Roses erupted out of Hollywood's Sunset Strip like a perfect storm of raw punk energy, rock and roll swagger, and enough post-glam aggression to blow any house down. Their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, perfectly captured the chaos and debauchery — along with a touch of tenderness — on its way to becoming the best-selling debut album in U.S. history with over 18 million copies sold.

Guns N' Roses: 'Appetite ...' | For The Record

Released July 21, 1987, Appetite … arrived at the peak of glam metal's heyday, and while they drafted off the popular genre's aesthetic, there was something much more unpredictable and volatile about GN'R, and that intangible magnetism comes through on their debut. Produced by Mike Clink, the album introduced the world to frontman Axl Rose's masterful whisper-to-a-shriek vocals and lead guitarist Slash's tasteful-sustain-to-blues-on-speed guitar playing.

From the opening delay-soaked guitar notes of "Welcome To The Jungle" to the epic album closer, "Rocket Queen," there's no coming up for air on Appetite For Destruction. Even the album's implied ballad, "Sweet Child 'O Mine" managed to surprise, introducing one of the most enduring opening guitar riffs ever written, showing a sensitive side of Rose, and building into one of Slash's most iconic guitar solos that explodes into a flurry of notes before breaking all the way down to a soft-spoken chant. It seemed like Guns N' Roses could go anywhere they wanted to go on their debut album.

This same invincibility could be felt on the album's more anthemic singles "Paradise City" and "Nightrain" which featured Rose's angst-heavy verses set against melodic choruses that would have stadium audiences singing along. The album also covered edgier ground in the unhinged "Out Ta Get Me" and "You're Crazy," and showcased the group's versatility and ambition in songs such as "My Michelle" and "Think About You"—  territory that would be explored further in the G N'R Lies EP and Use Your Illusion albums that would follow.

GN'R released five singles from the album, "It's So Easy," "Welcome To The Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Nightrain," and "Paradise City." Appetite… mounted a slow climb up the charts, finally reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in August of 1988, almost a full year after it entered the chart at No. 182. Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 62 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Three decades later, Appetite For Destruction remains one of the most popular and influential rock albums ever recorded. Guns N' Roses reunited in 2016 for the Not In This Lifetime… Tour in 2017 and will commemorate their debut album with Locked N' Loaded, a massive 73-track box-set full of rarities and a remastered two-LP 180-gram vinyl version of Appetite…, due out on June 29.

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Axl Rose

Axl Rose

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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Guns N' Roses Drop Previously Unreleased Video For "It's So Easy"

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Ahead of GN'R's massive 'Locked N' Loaded' box set, the band has unearthed the music video for the classic track two of 'Appetite For Destruction'
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 22, 2018 - 7:19 am

Earlier this month, Guns N' Roses unveiled plans for Locked N' Loaded, a sprawling 73-track box set celebrating their 1987 debut album Appetite For Destruction. Now the band has given fans a taste of the buried treasure to come by unleashing the previously unreleased music video for "It's So Easy," which is available exclusively via Apple Music.

The video, made up of live footage of GN'R from the Appetite … era, was apparently never finished and has been sitting in the vault for 30 years until now. Capturing the band in their heyday, it provides a glimpse back at the chaos and debauchery the band became know for in the late 1980s.

"It's So Easy" is the second track on the band's now-classic debut, and while it never got the same amount of attention from radio or MTV that other songs from the album with music videos received, such as "Welcome To The Jungle," "Paradise City," or "Sweet Child 'O Mine," it remained a fan favorite and a staple of the band's live set, including their Use Your Illusion World Tour, which ran 1991–1993.

Locked N' Loaded arrives on June 29, chock-full of GN'R rarities including 49 unreleased tracks on four CDs and seven 12" 180-gram vinyl LPs. Two of those vinyl LPs are the album remastered from the original analog tapes. The box set also comes packed with extras, such as a 96-page hardbound book with unreleased photos from Axl Rose's personal archive, 12 new illustrations depicting each song on the album, and replica memorabilia from the era.

GN'R will hit the road through Europe, continuing on their Not In This Lifetime… Tour from June 3 in Berlin, Germany, through the end of July. The tour was touted as one of last year's most profitable runs, and hit the top slot in Billboard's Hot Tours chart in October 2017.

The newly unearthed video for "It's So Easy" will also be included in Locked N' Loaded, which is available for pre-order via the band's website.

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Vinnie Paul

Vinne Paul

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Legendary Pantera Drummer Vinnie Paul Dies At 54

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As a founding member of the legendary band Pantera, Paul influenced a generation of rock and metal drummers
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 25, 2018 - 10:54 am

Legendary metal drummer Vinnie Paul died on June 22. Paul was a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated band Pantera as well as Damageplan and Hellyeah.

The tragic news arrived via a post on the Pantera Facebook page, announcing, "Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away." No cause of death was revealed.

Known for his signature blend of technique and groove, Paul formed Pantera in 1981 with his brother Darrell "Dimebag" Abbot. The band became a powerhouse of the '90s metal scene with landmark albums such as 1990's breakout Cowboys From Hell, 1992's seminal Vulgar Display Of Power and 1994's punishing Far Beyond Driven, which earned the group their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance for "I'm Broken" at the 37th GRAMMY Awards.

After Pantera disbanded, Paul went on to form Damageplan with his brother. Tragically, "Dimebag" Darrel was murdered on stage in 2004 during a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio. Following the difficult loss of his brother, Paul went on to form the group Hellyeah, who he toured and released music with up until the time of his death.

The music community reacted with shock and grief to the news of Paul's death. Kiss' Paul Stanley said in a tweet, "So sad to hear of the death of Vinnie Paul. Loved when Pantera did shows with us and in later years Vinnie was always front and center at all Kiss shows. RIP and condolences to his family," while Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker tweeted, " Rest In Peace Vinnie Paul. Heaven has Dimebag and Vinnie now."

Paul's contribution to the legacy of heavy music and his influence as a drummer of will not be forgotten.

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Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

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Paul McCartney Reveals New Album Plans, Releases Two New Singles

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The former Beatle is back again, announcing his newest project, 'Egypt Station,' and dropping two new songs
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2018 - 7:50 am

GRAMMY winner Paul McCartney has reignited his worldwide fan base by revealing plans for a new solo album, Egypt Station, due out Sept. 7. Sir Paul also treated the music world to a double A-side single, releasing "I Don't Know" and "Come On To Me" on June 20.

Every song but one on Egypt Station was produced by fellow GRAMMY winner Greg Kurstin, who has become very well know for his work with the likes of Adele, Sia, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, and the Foo Fighters.

“All I can say is that when he brings songs to the studio, it blows my mind that he’s still coming up with the most amazing songs," Kurstin told Entertainment Weekly. "I feel like he’s topping himself.”

The 14-song album will resemble a travelogue bookended with opening and closing instrumentals "Station I" and "Station II" and will also include songs titled “Happy With You,” “People Want Peace” and “Despite Repeated Warnings.”

“I liked the words 'Egypt Station,'" McCartney said in a statement. "It reminded me of the 'album' albums we used to make. Egypt Station starts off at the station on the first song and then each song is like a different station. So it gave us some idea to base all the songs around that.”

McCartney has also confirmed in an interview with DIY that the rumored 50th Anniversary edition of the Beatles White Album is on its way, and he told the BBC he has no plans to retire – both of which are bits of good news for Beatlemaniacs.

“I was talking to – name dropping, clunk – Willie Nelson," McCartney told the BBC. "I was talking about this whole retiring thing, ‘cause you know he’s older than I am! And he says, ‘Retire from what?’ and I think that just says it. You know, ‘Retire from what?’. So no, I love it."

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