As Fresh as the Bright Blue Sky

#26: Appetite for Destruction: Guns n Roses. Do you remember 1987? Before Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the rest changed things, the musical landscape was pretty bleak. Outside of U2 and REM, who ruled the world, the radio was teeming with Richard Marx and Def Leppard. I wasn't cool enough yet to like the Replacements. My idea of cutting edge was 10,000 Maniacs. And then came GnR on the scene. I wasn't a hair metal fan but this was something different...raw...nasty...loud...obnoxious...just solid sexdrugsrocknroll. Obviously, they never came close to this again -- fame got to them and they started doing pretentious unlistenable rock opuses (?) like November Rain (yuck). But this CD is a landmark. Sweet Child of Mine is a beautfully constructed song with a surprising unsyrupy tenderness - and Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City are awesome classics. I bet you haven't listened to this CD in a long time. Go to the rack and treat yourself again. It still holds up.