INXS was growing in the studio, one album at a time. Guitarist Tim Farriss, a cofounding member of the Australian group, can remember vividly what the progression felt like.
He lands on sessions for 1982’s Shabooh Shoobah specifically as a moment where things began to change. “It was a million miles [ahead] in technology, leaps and bounds from where we’d previously recorded,” he says during an interview for the UCR Podcast that you can listen to below. “Previously, we had old tape machines catching fire and engineers falling asleep from having too much whiskey in their coffee. We kind of felt like we were in the big leagues with Mark Opitz [producing the album] and [subsequently] recording and touring on the back of that, through the US and whatnot.”
While they were on tour for 1984’s The Swing, they made a pivotal connection, meeting producer Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, the Beatles), who had first seen the band play a show in Japan. Intrigued by what he saw, he made contact.
“He came and met us all at the Palladium in Los Angeles, and told us everything he loved about the band. He had also seen us opening for the Pretenders in Dallas somewhere,” Farriss recalls. “He’s great mates with Pretenders, obviously, having produced all their records. So he came backstage at the Palladium and said, ‘Look, you guys just are amazing live,’ which is a great compliment coming from him. ‘I really want to try and capture that live feeling that you have.”
Thomas got his wish, overseeing and guiding the work on the songs that would form 1985’s Listen Like Thieves. Fans can get a sense of what the sessions were like thanks to a newly expanded edition of the album. The expansion adds a bonus disc of moments from the studio that offer a fly on the wall perspective of what it was like working with Thomas. The album itself has been freshly remixed by longtime band associate Giles Martin as well, with a previously unreleased live show from the Royal Albert Hall rounding out the bonus material.
As keyboardist Andrew Farriss recalls in an essay by Paul Sexton included in the new set, Thomas was an imposing figure to work with. “It took me a little while to understand,” he remembered. “I even said to Chris not that long ago, ‘I was terrified of you when I was in the studio. You would pull no punches in the studio, man. You would just say, ‘That sucked. You’ve got to get back in there and you can do better than that.'” But as Andrew adds, that’s why they wanted to work with Thomas, because they knew he wasn’t going to “kiss your ass and that’s a really good thing.”
Chris Thomas Made a Huge Impact on INXS
“Chris really understood the band. His whole way of producing was to bring the most out of the individuals in the band,” Tim explains. “So you would hear Kirk [Pengilly]’s character in the music and Jon [Farriss]’s way of playing on the tracks. We started realizing that while we were recording with him. ‘What You Need’ was the final track. Chris was like, ‘We just need one more song.’ We still hadn’t done one of my favorite pieces of music that [Andrew Farriss] had on his demo tape, which was basically the bass line from ‘What You Need.’ I’m like, ‘I reckon this is a song guys’ and Chris Thomas is like, ‘Yeah, I agree.'”
They worked the song up over the weekend that followed and laid it down in a day that Monday and were in the local night club that same night, Benny’s Bar, in Sydney, “a renowned party area,” Farriss details. “The DJ put it on and played it really loud. We were like, yeah, this sounds really good. It was a really fun record to make.”
Watch INXS’ ‘What You Need’ Video
Listen Like Thieves spent two weeks at No. 1 in their homeland of Australia, peaking at No. 11 in the United States. “What You Need” gave the group its first Top 5 single in the States, while songs like “This Time” and the title track also received substantial airplay. Ultimately, it laid important groundwork for the global explosion that happened with their next two albums and Farriss confirms it was an important milestone. “There wouldn’t have been a Kick if it hadn’t been for Listen Like Thieves. It just wouldn’t have happened.”
Listen to Tim Farriss of INXS on the ‘UCR Podcast’
INXS Albums Ranked
Like many bands that came of age during new wave’s peak years, they didn’t stick around in one place for too long.
Dave Navarro says “there’s no chance” Jane’s Addiction ever play together again following a disastrous 2024 concert that “forever destroyed the band’s life.”
On Sept. 13 of last year, Jane’s Addiction took the stage at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, part of a trek that featured the classic lineup reuniting for the first time in over 14 years. During the show, an enraged Perry Farrell assaulted Navarro, bringing the performance – and ultimately the tour – to an end.
In a recent conversation with Guitar Player magazine, Navarro was asked to name the worst gig of his career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he named the tumultuous final Jane’s Addiction performance.
“I have to speak in broad strokes here, because there are other individuals involved, and it’s still very tender and unresolved,” Navarro remarked. “There was an altercation onstage, and all the hard work and dedication and writing and hours in the studio, and picking up and leaving home and crisscrossing the country and Europe and trying to overcome my illness — it all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life. And there’s no chance for the band to ever play together again.”
Jane’s Addiction Were ‘Getting Along’ Prior to Onstage Fight
Though Navarro noted the 2024 tour also included “some of my favorite Jane’s Addiction gigs of all-time,” he reiterated that the Boston show effectively ended the band’s touring life.
“I have to say that’s my least favorite gig, without throwing animosity around, and without naming names and pointing fingers, and coming up with reasons,” the guitarist noted. “I’ll just say that the experience prior to that gig, when we were in Europe and gelling, really, for the first time — because at our ages, in our 50s and 60s, everybody’s done what they’re gonna do, and we weren’t competitive with each other — we were getting along. There was no ego issue; it was just four guys making great music, just like we did in the beginning. It was just us on a stage, with people going fucking crazy.”
Jane’s Addiction Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide
Perry Farrell’s group has endured a steady stream of changes over the years.
Zak Starkey is once again out of the Who, and drama surrounding the drummer’s exit has hit a new high.
On April 16, the Who announced that Starkey had been dismissed following 29 years as a touring member. Just three days later, they reneged on that statement, claiming “communication issues” were at fault and that Starkey would continue with the group.
A new wrinkle arrived today, as Pete Townshend shared a message to Instagram saying: “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours who has worked with Roger’s solo band will join the Who for our final shows. Please welcome him.”
While Townshend’s latest announcement seemed to put an end to the Starkey turmoil, the now-former Who drummer shared his own statement on social media.
Zak Starkey Claims the Who Asked Him to Lie About His Dismissal
“I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the Who to pursue my other musical endeavors,” Starkey wrote. “This would be a lie. I love the Who and would never had [sic] quit. So I didn’t make the statement. Quitting the Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox.”
Regardless of the exact circumstances surrounding the lineup change, it’s clear that Starkey is out and Devours is in. All of this turmoil arrives in the shadow of the Who’s recent announcement of a farewell tour, scheduled to begin in August.
The Who Albums Ranked
Half of the Who’s studio albums are all classics, essential records from rock’s golden age. But where should you start?
Feature Photo: David Lee, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
There’s something undeniably human about The Lumineers—something that lives in the aching pauses, the cracks in the voice, and the simplicity of a foot stomp in an empty room. That feeling was born in Ramsey, New Jersey, where Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites began writing music together in the shadow of loss. In 2005, the two started collaborating in the wake of the death of Fraites’ brother, Joshua. Over the next few years, their songwriting became a shared language of grief and recovery, eventually turning into something much larger than the sum of their experiences. That early bond became the foundation of the band.
In 2009, Schultz and Fraites moved to Denver, Colorado, in search of a more affordable and creatively open environment. The relocation proved critical. They immersed themselves in the local scene, performing at open mics and quietly refining what would become their signature stripped-down style. After placing a Craigslist ad, they connected with cellist Neyla Pekarek, who joined the group in 2010 and brought a new dimension to their sound. The name “The Lumineers” wasn’t planned—it came from a mistaken introduction at a club, but they kept it. It fit the mystery of what they were building.
They gained early momentum through homemade YouTube videos and self-released EPs, which eventually caught the attention of Dualtone Records. The band released their self-titled debut album, The Lumineers, on April 3, 2012. Propelled by the breakout single “Ho Hey,” the record peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum in the United States and Canada. “Ho Hey” itself reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Their minimalist folk sound, complete with handclaps, group vocals, and rustic storytelling, offered something fresh at a time dominated by heavily produced pop.
Following a relentless touring schedule and a growing fan base, they returned in 2016 with their second studio album, Cleopatra. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, the UK Albums Chart, and the Canadian Albums Chart. Singles like “Ophelia,” “Angela,” and the title track helped the album go platinum in the U.S. It showcased an evolution in their songwriting—retaining the emotional core while stretching out musically and thematically. It was also their first project to benefit from the worldwide platform their debut had earned them.
In 2019, the band released their third studio album, III, a conceptual record structured in three chapters, each focusing on a different member of a fictional family struggling with addiction and trauma. It was an ambitious narrative shift that deepened their commitment to storytelling. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and featured the singles “Gloria” and “Life in the City.” Critics praised its cinematic structure and darker tone, noting how far the band had come since their early sing-alongs. This would also mark the first full-length project completed without Pekarek, who departed in 2018 to pursue a solo career.
They returned with their fourth album, Brightside, on January 14, 2022. The record featured a looser, more electric-driven sound that still leaned into the band’s folk roots. The title track “Brightside,” along with “A.M. Radio” and “Big Shot,” signaled a willingness to experiment. The album was recorded in just two weeks and presented the most spontaneous version of The Lumineers to date. Though it didn’t chart as high as its predecessors, the album reinforced their place as an evolving, dynamic force in the Americana and folk-rock space.
In 2024, they released Live from Wrigley Field, a document of their Chicago performance from the Brightside tour. It captured the energy of their live show and the communal nature of their performances, where fans routinely sing back every lyric. The live album was a reminder that this band has always been as much about connection as craft—songs that sound like campfire conversations turned into arena anthems.
The Lumineers followed with their fifth studio album, A.M. Radio, released on February 14, 2025. The lead single, “Same Old Song,” previewed a return to some of the textures of their debut while continuing to explore themes of longing and reflection. The album kept the focus on core members Schultz and Fraites and demonstrated the consistency of their partnership nearly two decades after it began.
Over the course of their career, The Lumineers have released five studio albums, one live album, and a host of singles that have become modern folk standards. They’ve been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and have topped charts across North America and Europe. Their influence has extended well beyond music charts, with their songs featured in television, film, and advertisements around the world.
What sets The Lumineers apart is the unshakable emotional core of their music. From “Ho Hey” to “Gloria” to “Brightside,” every release feels handcrafted, personal, and sincere. They’ve built a catalog defined not by excess, but by restraint. In an era often overwhelmed by digital production, their commitment to organic instrumentation and lyrical storytelling continues to resonate.
Outside of the studio, Schultz and Fraites have used their platform to address important issues, including mental health, addiction, and the opioid epidemic. Their music often draws from real-life struggles, making their songs feel as much like public service as entertainment. Their commitment to honest storytelling has earned them a loyal following and critical respect.
The Lumineers’ ability to evolve while staying emotionally grounded has defined their longevity. Their sound has grown more textured, their arrangements more daring, but their message has always been the same—honor the story, don’t hide the scars, and connect with the listener on a human level.
What began in a quiet New Jersey basement as an attempt to cope with tragedy has grown into an internationally respected career built on empathy, craftsmanship, and authenticity. The Lumineers have never chased trends—they’ve carved out their own lane, and they continue to walk it with purpose and clarity.
Complete List Of The Lumineers Songs From A to Z
A.M. Radio – Brightside – 2022
Ain’t Nobody’s Problem – The Lumineers – 2012
Angela – Cleopatra – 2016
April – III – 2019
Asshole – Automatic – 2025
Ativan – Automatic – 2025
Automatic – Automatic – 2025
Better Day – Automatic – 2025
Big Parade – The Lumineers – 2012
Big Shot – Brightside – 2022
Birthday – Brightside – 2022
Boots of Spanish Leather – Cleopatra – 2016
Brightside – Brightside – 2022
Charlie Boy – The Lumineers – 2012
Classy Girls – The Lumineers – 2012
Cleopatra – Cleopatra – 2016
Cleopatra (Acoustic demo) – Cleopatra – 2016
Darlene – The Lumineers – 2012
Dead Sea – The Lumineers – 2012
Democracy – III – 2019
Donna – III – 2019
Elouise – The Lumineers – 2012
Everyone Requires a Plan – Cleopatra – 2016
Flapper Girl – The Lumineers – 2012
Flowers in Your Hair – The Lumineers – 2012
For Fra – Cleopatra – 2016
Gale Song – Cleopatra – 2016
Gloria – III – 2019
Gun Song – Cleopatra – 2016
Ho Hey – The Lumineers – 2012
In the Light – Cleopatra – 2016
It Wasn’t Easy to Be Happy for You – III – 2019
Jimmy Sparks – III – 2019
Keys on the Table – Automatic – 2025
Leader of the Landslide – III – 2019
Left for Denver – III – 2019
Life in the City – III – 2019
Long Way from Home – Cleopatra – 2016
Morning Song – The Lumineers – 2012
My Cell – III – 2019
My Eyes – Cleopatra – 2016
Never Really Mine – Brightside – 2022
Old Lady – III – 2019
Ophelia – Cleopatra – 2016
Patience – Cleopatra – 2016
Plasticine – Automatic – 2025
Remington – Brightside – 2022
Reprise – Brightside – 2022
Rollercoaster – Brightside – 2022
Sailor Song (Moitessier) – Cleopatra – 2016
Salt and the Sea – III – 2019
Same Old Song – Automatic – 2025
Sick in the Head – Cleopatra – 2016
Sleep on the Floor – Cleopatra – 2016
Slow It Down – The Lumineers – 2012
Slow It Down (live) – The Lumineers – 2012
So Long – Automatic – 2025
Soundtrack Song – III – 2019
Strings – Automatic – 2025
Stubborn Love – The Lumineers – 2012
Submarines – The Lumineers – 2012
Sunflowers – Automatic – 2025
This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) – The Lumineers – 2012
Where the Skies Are Blue – Cleopatra – 2016
Where We Are – Brightside – 2022
White Lie – Cleopatra – 2016
You’re All I Got – Automatic – 2025
Albums
The Lumineers (2012): 16 songs
Cleopatra (2016): 18 songs
III (2019): 13 songs
Brightside (2022): 9 songs
Automatic (2025): 11 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining The Lumineers articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Feature Photo: DOD News Features, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known globally as Eminem, was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, and raised in the working-class neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan. His early life was defined by instability—abandonment by his father, an often-contentious relationship with his mother, and the constant upheaval of changing schools. Hip-hop became his outlet, and by his teenage years, he was participating in local rap battles under the name “M&M,” a name that would evolve into Eminem as he sharpened both his delivery and lyrical style.
He began attracting local attention in Detroit’s underground rap scene during the early 1990s and released his debut independent album, Infinite, in 1996. Though the project was a commercial failure and criticized for sounding too much like other mainstream acts, it was a pivotal step in his development. Eminem responded by adopting a more aggressive, distinct style under the persona of “Slim Shady,” which allowed him to explore darker, more controversial themes with biting wit and shocking honesty.
The Slim Shady EP, released in 1997, caught the attention of Dr. Dre, co-founder of Aftermath Entertainment. Dre signed Eminem and co-produced his major label debut, The Slim Shady LP, which was released in February 1999. The album became a massive commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and eventually going quadruple platinum in the United States. Singles like “My Name Is” introduced the world to Eminem’s provocative, satirical voice and earned him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
In May 2000, Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP, which became one of the fastest-selling albums in U.S. history, selling over 1.7 million copies in its first week. The album featured hit singles like “The Real Slim Shady,” “The Way I Am,” and “Stan,” which would go on to be considered one of the most critically acclaimed rap songs of all time. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys and is widely viewed as a benchmark in hip-hop lyricism, production, and cultural impact.
Eminem followed up with The Eminem Show in 2002, an album that balanced political commentary, personal struggles, and commercial appeal. It debuted at No. 1 and produced hits like “Without Me,” “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” and “Sing for the Moment.” That same year, he starred in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile, which became both a critical and box office success. The film’s theme song, “Lose Yourself,” became his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003.
In 2004, Encore continued Eminem’s chart dominance with singles like “Just Lose It” and “Mockingbird,” though the album received more mixed critical reviews. Over the next several years, he faced a number of personal challenges, including addiction to prescription drugs, the death of close friend Proof, and a hiatus from music. After a five-year absence from solo releases, he returned with Relapse in 2009, a dark, horrorcore-inspired album that marked his re-entry into the industry. Though it received mixed reviews, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
The following year, Eminem released Recovery, a project that moved away from the themes of Relapse and focused more on personal growth and redemption. It was a critical and commercial comeback, featuring massive hits like “Not Afraid” and “Love the Way You Lie,” the latter featuring Rihanna. The album spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to become the best-selling album worldwide in 2010.
He continued his streak with The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in 2013, which included hits like “Rap God” and “The Monster” (another collaboration with Rihanna). The album debuted at No. 1 and won two Grammy Awards. In the years that followed, Eminem released Revival (2017), Kamikaze (2018), and Music to Be Murdered By (2020), continuing to spark debate, admiration, and controversy with his lyricism and commentary.
Across his career, Eminem has released 11 studio albums and has sold over 220 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His impact spans multiple generations of fans and artists, and his technical skill as a rapper—flow, rhyme schemes, cadence—has been widely studied and praised in both academic and artistic circles.
Eminem has received an extraordinary number of awards, including 15 Grammy Awards, 8 American Music Awards, and 17 Billboard Music Awards. He has also won an Academy Award and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. His accolades reflect both commercial dominance and cultural influence, solidifying his place as one of the most significant figures in modern music.
Outside of music, Eminem has invested time and resources into his hometown of Detroit. He founded the Marshall Mathers Foundation, which provides support for disadvantaged youth. He has also made appearances on television, starred in film, and helped shape the careers of other artists through his Shady Records imprint, including 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and D12.
His journey—from a high school dropout in a struggling Detroit neighborhood to a global music icon—is defined by defiance, reinvention, and an unwavering belief in the power of words. Whether confronting personal demons or industry norms, Eminem has built a career on saying what others won’t, and doing it with unmatched lyrical precision.
Today, Eminem remains a vital voice in hip-hop and continues to release music that pushes the genre’s boundaries. He has left a permanent imprint not only as a rapper but also as a cultural provocateur and storyteller. Decades into his career, he still commands the spotlight, and his catalog continues to shape the future of rap music.
Complete List Of Eminem Songs From A to Z
’97 Bonnie & Clyde – The Slim Shady LP – 1999
‘Till I Collapse – The Eminem Show – 2002
‘Till I Collapse (Instrumental) – The Eminem Show: Expanded Edition – 2002
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024): 19 songs
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce): Expanded Mourner’s Edition (2024): 4 additional songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Eminem articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
“The sex session did happen. What you hear on the song is real porn action”: The debauched story of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction, the album that electrified 80s rock
(Image credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images)
Guns N’ Roses 1987 debut album Appetite For Destruction is one of the greatest rock albums ever made – and, with 30 million sales to its name, one of the most successful. In 2008, GN’R bassist Duff McKagan looked back on the debauchery, insanity and live sex sessions that helped turn the band into megastars.
It may seem strange now, but the arrival of Guns N’ Roses’ debut didn’t exactly send tornados of anticipation across the globe.
The band had started in LA during 1985, a combination of members from Hollywood Rose (vocalist Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin) and LA Guns (lead guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner). Ole was quickly replaced by Seattle native Duff McKagan, and there were to be two more changes in June 1985 before GN’R stabilised.
“We booked a punk rock-style ‘Hell’ tour from LA to Seattle,” recalls Duff. “It was really gonna be a case of sleeping on people’s floors and driving around in a small van. This was partly a bonding exercise for the five of us. But Rob and Tracii got scared of leaving their comfort zone, and quit just before the first show.”
Wasting little time, the band brought in guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler, and by August 1986, the hottest band in Los Angeles had signed to Geffen.
“We had a lot of labels chasing us,” recalls Duff. “We chose Geffen, because we felt they’d give us total artistic control.”
Releasing the Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide EP (on their own Uzi Suicide imprint, even though it was actually owned by Geffen) just to introduce their attitude and sound to a wider audience, the band then faced the daunting task of finding a producer.
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Guns N’ Roses in 1987: (from left) Duff McKagan, Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin’, Steven Adler (Image credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
“Our first choice was Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard),” admits Duff. “But he was too expensive. Besides, we wanted a live sound. We didn’t want loads of studio trickery. That’s why we rejected a lot of big names – these guys weren’t right for us.”
So, out went the likes of Sex Pistols collaborator Bill Price and W.A.S.P. producer Spencer Proffer. Also spurned was Kiss’s Paul Stanley.
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 184 (Sep 2008) (Image credit: Future)
“We knew he wasn’t the right man for us when he wanted to add more and more to Steven’s drumkit. We’d just spent ages persuading Steven to cut back, now here was Paul Stanley doing the opposite!”
In the end, the choice was virtual unknown Mike Clink, who appealed because of his simplistic approach.
“He got us straight away. Mike came down to our rehearsal studio, recorded what we did on an old eight-track reel-to-reel machine, played it back and said, ‘That’s what you should sound like’ which was exactly what we wanted.”
y the start of 1987, the band and Mike were in pre-production for the album, before going into the studio the following month. They worked quickly, spending just two weeks on the basic tracks at Rumbo Studios in LA, then slipping in an extra 10 days’ further work at One On One Studios, again in LA. All told, the record took just under a month to record, costing less than $200,000. Of course, this was GN’R, so…
“Not all of that budget was used for the recording of the album,” laughs Duff. “And we did have fun along the way.”
A few months earlier, the band’s then manager, Arnold Stiefel, who also looked after Rod Stewart, had resigned after discovering that his young charges had done thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to a rented house, leaving their label in shock. They already had a reputation for debauchery and outrage, and this wasn’t to be left at the studio doors.
“When we were doing the basic recordings, not all of us were needed at the same time. So, Steven and I would be working, and Slash would get so hammered that he’d come in to jam along with us, and he was so out of tune that we’d have to cut him out of our headphones. But he’d be totally sober for his parts, and then I’d get utterly drunk.”
All of this was to pale into the mists of playful behaviour when put up against what happened during the recording of the album’s eventual closing song Rocket Queen. Axl, deciding to spice up the song, felt that what was needed was an orgasm or three in the studio. Consequently, he invited Adriana Smith, Steven’s sometime girlfriend, to One On One Studios – and proceeded to indulge in a little bit of one-on-one! Adriana was angry with Steven for allegedly cheating on her, so saw it as a chance for revenge.
“Yes, that’s all true,” reveals Duff. “The sex session did happen, and the full tapes are somewhere. So, what you hear on the song is real porn action. We recorded a load of other stuff as well, like conversations; I have no clue where these all ended up.”
A few of the songs on the record were actually about women with whom GN’R were acquainted. Rocket Queen is actually about Barbie Von Grief, a real underground scene queen. My Michelle was written about Michelle Young (whose father really was a porn distributor, while her mother had died from a heroin overdose). And then there’s Sweet Child O’Mine, which is about Axl’s future wife Erin Everly, as is Think About You.
“This was the last song written for the album,” says Duff of the former. “Neither Slash nor I wanted it on the record. It was a ballad, and we wanted to rock out. We felt it should be saved for the next album. But once we’d recorded it, the song fitted in with the whole Appetite… groove.”
All five members of the band were satisfied with what they’d recorded, but none believed it would get even close to achieving anything commercially.
“We got out of the recording sessions what we wanted. We were all on the same wavelength and believed that this album represented us in the best possible way. But did we think it could sell? No. For me, the aim was to match what the Circle Jerks could do at their height, namely sell about 40,000 copies. The idea of that many people owning this was exciting enough.”
Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose and Slash onstage in 1987 (Image credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
The record was released at the end of July 1987. By September of that year, it was selling well enough to break into the Top 100 in the US, as the band toured over there supporting The Cult. By Christmas with sales of 200,000 in America, the general feeling was that the album had run its course.
“We were delighted with that figure. In the US we hadn’t done amazingly, but Britain seemed to really like us [the record got to number five], and so did Japan.”
Given the underground ethic of the band and album – with songs about sleaze, depravity, drunkenness (Nightrain was an ode to a particularly cheap yet potent eponymous wine) and hard drugs (Mr Brownstone was Slash and Izzy’s ‘discussion’ about heroin) – surely nobody could have expected such a controversial band to sell any more copies? This belief was underlined by problems with the original album sleeve, a painting called ‘Appetite For Destruction’ from cult artist Robert Williams, discovered by Axl, which depicted a robot raping a woman
“We had to change the sleeve for some big shopping chains, and wondered whether that might confuse people and affect record sales,” says Duff.
So, what was the turning point in the US, the one which hurtled Appetite For Destruction up towards 20million sales? There were two. Firstly, just before Christmas 1987, an edited version of the video for Welcome To The Jungle (with a scene with Steven licking a girl’s shoulder had to be cut out) was shown by MTV in the early hours of the morning. Despite only being grudgingly screened on the graveyard shift as a favour to Geffen, the clip suddenly received a surge of support. The TV station’s switchboard was jammed with requests for a repeat showing.
If this gave Appetite For Destruction a timely boost, the release of Sweet Child O’Mine as a single sent sales roaring.
“We were on tour supporting Aerosmith in America during the summer of 1988 when Sweet Child O’Mine took off,” recalls Duff, still slightly dazed by the way his life was suddenly flipped like a card in a hurricane. “It went to number one in America and then, virtually a year to the day after its release [specifically, August 6], Appetite For Destruction was top of the US charts. The whole thing was crazy. We might have been opening for Aerosmith, but we’d have 17,000 fans every night turning up early to see us and going crazy. We’d never heard anything like it.”
But while the world seemed to be revolving around the GN’R axis, the five guys themselves were relatively unscathed and unchanged at the time.
“You have to understand, we were still earning $125 a week and living in the same squalor. We couldn’t grasp the fact that this record was selling millions. I recall getting my first royalty cheque for $80,000 and having no idea what to do with so much money!”
The album would go on to become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. It may have been made in the 1980s, but neither its gutter-level subject matter nor the raw but timeless production have aged.
“For me, 1987 was about U2’s The Joshua Tree album, which was amazing. So, I can understand how any record, even ours, can have such a huge impact on someone’s life,” concludes Duff. “Being part of this phenomenon makes me feel incredibly proud. I never take for granted what Appetite… did for so many people – especially us.”
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 184, September 2008
Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term “thrash metal” while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.
John Minihan/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Bobby Bank/GC Images, Getty Images
The Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere will hit theaters this fall.
Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios officially announced that the film, which stars Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen, will be released in theaters on Oct. 24.
Deliver Me From Nowhere focuses on the Boss’ life during the making of his 1982 album Nebraska. Scott Cooper, known for films such as Crazy Heart (2009), Black Mass (2015) and The Pale Blue Eye (2022), directed the biopic.
Production on the film started last October, at which point Cooper expressed his excitement.
“Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska has profoundly shaped my artistic vision,” the director said in part. “The album’s raw, unvarnished portrayal of life’s trials and resilience resonates deeply with me.”
In a conversation with Variety, Jeremy Strong, who plays Springsteen’s manager Jon Landeau, shared a similar reverence for the Boss. “I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a person’s body of work or their legacy in a way that uplifted me more or filled me with a sense of life and hope and love more than Bruce Springsteen,” the actor noted. “Jeremy [Allen White]’s work is incredible. Bruce is on set a lot. We’re all kind of working on it together. It’s a real collaboration.”
Springsteen himself previously endorsed White’s casting. “I only had to see him on The Bear, and I knew he was the right guy,” the Boss noted to the Telegraph, “because he had that interior life – but he also had a little swagger.”
Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked
From scrappy Dylan disciple to one of the leading singer-songwriters of his generation, the Boss’ catalog includes both big and small statements of purpose.
Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are launching a new festival celebrating and showcasing film soundtrack scores, with John Carpenter and Danny Elfman among “a stacked lineup of visionaries doing something you might not see again”
(Image credit: Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Disney)
Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have announced their plans for a new music festival dedicated to showcasing some of the film world’s most acclaimed soundtrack composers.
Booked into the Los Angeles Equestrian Center for November 8, the bill for the inaugural Future Ruins festival will see Reznor and Ross, John Carpenter, Danny Elfman, Joker composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, Italian progressive rock legends Goblin, British TV and film composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Portishead) and more performing across three stages, many of those on the line-up performing their scores live for the very first time.
“It’s about giving people who are, literally, the best in the world at taking audiences on an emotional ride via music the opportunity to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” Trent Reznor says in a statement.
“There’s no headliner. There’s no hierarchy. This is a stacked lineup of visionaries doing something you might not see again.”
In the press statement announcing the one-day event, the organisers add, “Each artist is encouraged to take big swings and reimagine their work for a live audience. Ranging from electronic sets and live bands to orchestral performances, fans have the chance to experience live debuts from composers who rarely appear onstage.”
Tickets go on sale on May 21 at 12PM Pacific Time, here.
The NIN duo are among the most respected, and decorated, film soundtrack composers of the modern era, having won two Oscars (Best Original Score for 2010’s The Social Network and 2020’s Soul), in addition to a host of Baftas, Grammys, Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards for their impressive catalogue.
In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Reznor stated, “Scoring has provided a way for me to feel vital, to feel challenged.”
“Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been a bit disillusioned by popular music,” he admitted. “As I get older, some things feel less relatable to me. The business sucks. The way people consume music is not as inspiring as it used to be, it’s marginalized in a lot of ways. Scoring has provided a way for me to feel vital, to feel challenged.”
Reznor went on to confess that he initially considered the idea of scoring film “terrifying”, but says that working with director David Fincher on The Social Network taught him and Ross important lessons.
“We could still be us,” says Reznor, “and we could still apply the same things we would do writing a song, just shifting around how we look at it – where the script and the vision of the director and the scene and setting are the lyrics, and we could take our arrangement skills and the same things that we tap into emotionally in Nine Inch Nails into another setting. But it took a minute for us to understand that, a few months of waking up at 4 in the morning and sweating about, What did we get ourselves into?”
Reznor also stated that having worked on seven film scores since the last NIN album emerged, he has been inspired to return to making music for his band.
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“We’re taking the inspiration we’ve garnered and funneling it into a Nine Inch Nails project, which we’re working on now,” he said. “We’re ready to be back in the driver’s seat.”
A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Sammy Hagar appears to have extended an olive branch to David Lee Roth, encouraging Van Halen fans to enjoy both singers’ efforts to honor the band in their solo endeavors.
The Red Rocker commented on an Instagram video posted by Chris Celfo last week comparing footage of Hagar and Roth performing on the same night in different locations. Roth made his return to the stage on May 3 at the M3 Rock Festival with a set comprising entirely Van Halen songs, marking his first show since 2020, while Hagar is winding down his Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency.
You can see the video, and Hagar’s comment, below.
Sammy Hagar Is ‘Happy That Dave Is Out There Doing It’
While Hagar has never been shy about his disdain for Roth — he recently recalled wanting to “break the guy’s fuckin’ neck” on their disastrous 2002 co-headlining tour — he urged fans to look beyond the comparisons and petty grievances and focus on the music they both made with Eddie Van Halen.
“If I may add my two cents here: Comparing us today or comparing us in the old days really is not what it’s all about,” he wrote. “It’s all about Van Halen — one of the greatest bands, some of the greatest songs in rock history. We were both involved and both had pluses and minuses. I am happy that Dave is out there doing it like Mikey [Anthony] and I, supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history, like I said. The fans deserve it, good or bad.”
He continued: “I believe we’re both doing our best and I’m actually happy. Dave is supporting his era and I will support mine, as well as my solo career and side projects, for the rest of my life. Everyone should enjoy what we’re both trying to do. Keeping the music [as] his legacy is important, and so is the music both Dave and I wrote with Eddie. Encore, thank you. Goodnight.”
sammy hagar instagram comment about david lee roth
@sammyhagar, Instagram
Sammy Hagar’s New Song and David Lee Roth’s Upcoming Tour Plans
The end of Hagar’s comment was a reference to his new song, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” inspired by a guitar lick that Van Halen showed him in a dream. “This song is my final bow to that part of my life,” Hagar said upon its release. “It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank you — with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo.”
Hagar’s Vegas residency is scheduled to conclude on Saturday. Roth, meanwhile, will be touring the United States from July through September.
Make no mistake: This wasn’t an easy list to assemble. Every band here wrote plenty of fist-pumping, arena-filling anthems — but which ones stand out from the pack?
For some of the bands on this list, their biggest hit doubled as their best song. Contrarianism has its place, but it’s difficult to argue against a stone-cold classic like Ratt‘s “Round and Round” or Twisted Sister‘s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
That wasn’t always the case, though. Hair metal — and ’80s rock as a whole — was obsessed with power ballads and these melodramatic love songs often rocketed to the top of the charts. But we could never in good conscience claim that “Here I Go Again” was Whitesnake‘s best song, or that “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” beat out every other Poison track.
Although the hair metal scene had a lot more diversity than its critics are willing to admit, all the songs on this list share some common DNA. For starters, they all feature era-defining riffs and blistering solos, as was typical of the entire genre. And even at their heaviest, these hair metal anthems contain irresistibly catchy choruses. Rock and metal are meant to foster community, after all, and what better way to achieve that than by screaming your lungs out to your favorite song alongside 20,000 people?
Read on to see our list of the best song by 11 big hair metal bands.
The Best Song by 11 Big Hair Metal Bands
These bands wrote plenty of fist-pumping, arena-filling anthems — but which ones stand out from the pack?
![The Lumineers [Deluxe Edition] [CD/DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41z8kKEuM4L._SL500_.jpg)
