Guns 'n Roses

Guns n' Roses is an American metal band that originated in Los Angeles in 1985. The original line-up consisted of:

• Axl Rose - vocals
• Slash - lead guitar
• Izzy Stradlin[?] - rhythm guitar
• Duff McKagan[?] - bass
• Steve Adler[?] - drums

The name was derived from the names of two previous projects, L.A. Guns[?] and Hollywood Roses[?].

The line-up as above released three albums:

• Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide[?] - a self-produced EP in 1985
• Appetite for Destruction[?] - Their first EP under Geffen Records in 1987, sold 20 million copies, had three top 10 singles, and hit #1 on the charts
• G N' R Lies[?] - released in 1989 hit #2 on the charts

Shortly thereafter, drummer Steve Adler was kicked out of the band due to his excessive heroin habit. In 1990 Guns n' Roses returned to the studio with new drummer Matt Sorum[?] and keyboardist Dizzy Reed[?]. In 1991 they released Use Your Illusion I[?] and Use Your Illusion II[?], which debuted as #2 and #1 on the charts.

After their release, Izzy Stradlin quit the band, and was replaced by Gilby Clarke[?]. Guns n' Roses then went on a 28-month-long world tour, which included a Freddie Mercury tribute. During this time, "November Rain" became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning a VMA for best cinematography.

In 1993, Guns n' Roses released a collection of punk covers entitled The Spaghetti Incident[?] which, because grunge had started become ascendant in the rock and roll world, sold poorly. Over the next several years the band disintegrated, and Axl Rose became the sole owner of the Guns n' Roses name.

In 1998 Axl Rose returned to the studio accompanied by:

• Josh Freese[?] - drums (from Vandals)
• Tommy Stinson[?] - bass (from Replacements[?])
• Robin Finck[?] - guitar (from Nine Inch Nails)
• Paul Huge[?] - guitar
• Dizzy Reed[?] - keyboards

In 1999, the band released one new song, "Oh My God," which was included on the soundtrack of the poorly-received Arnold Schwarzenegger film End of Days[?]. This song was intended to be a prelude for a new album, Chinese Democracy[?]; however, that project was delayed for several years, fueling speculation that it and the band were dropped by their record label, Interscope[?]. Later in 1999, Finck returned to Nine Inch Nails to record The Fragile; in 2000, he returned once again to Guns 'n Roses, along with guitarist Buckethead.

Reports issued by the band in 2001 and 2002 claimed that Chinese Democracy was to be released later that year by Interscope/Geffen Records, with whom they had apparently patched up their differences (if any). Several release dates set for September, November and December had come and gone with no sign of the album. As of 2003, the album is still unreleased.