Discography » Albums » GN'R Lies

# Reckless Life
# Nice Boys
# Move To The City
# Mama Kin
# Patience
# Used To Love Her
# You're Crazy
# One In A Million

GN'R Lies - at cdnow.com
Released: 1988
All songs written, arranged and performed by Guns N' Roses. Produced and engineered by Mike Clink. Recorded at Rumbo Studios, Canoga Park CA; Take One Studio, Burbank CA; Image Studio, Hollywood CA.

» RELEASE NOTES
Guns 'N' Roses: W. Axl Rose (vocals); Slash, Izzy Stradlin (guitar, background vocals); Duff "Rose" McKagan (bass, background vocals); Steven Adler (drums, background vocals).

When Guns N' Roses emerged from L.A.'s Sunset Strip scene in the mid-'80s, the band embodied a dangerous, snarling-attitude and slashing-riffs side of rock & roll that had been absent in the countless hair-metal bands cluttering the music industry at the time. Led by volatile frontman W. Axl Rose, G'N'R was powered by the dual-guitar attack of Izzy Stradlin and Slash that made the band's full-length debut, APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION, an instant classic.

The APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION follow-up, LIES, combined the band's live 1986 EP, LIVE LIKE A SUICIDE and four new studio tracks. The first half finds G'N'R tearing it up in concert with such incendiary tracks as "Reckless Life" and "Nice Boys." These ripping anthems, along with a smoking cover of "Mama Kin" made the band the heir apparent to Aerosmith, the original bad boys of rock. The second half of LIES is what tossed G'N'R into a sea of controversy. Although a track like the sensitively wrought "Lies" ruffled few feathers, songs like "Used to Love Her" and "One in a Million" brought on accusations of misogyny and bigotry.

BestBuy.com

» ROLLING STONE REVIEW
Given that Guns N' Roses could probably release an album of Baptist hymns at this point and go platinum, it would be all too easy to dismiss G n' R Lies as a sneaky attempt by the band to throw together some outtakes and cash in on the busy holiday buying season. After all, half of Lies was released in 1986 (as the EP Live Like a Suicide), and one of its four new studio tracks is simply an acoustic version of "You're Crazy," from Appetite for Destruction. The arithmetic is simple: hungry fans plus any new product plus hordes of holiday shoppers equals one profitable little stocking stuffer.

The good news is that Lies is a lot more interesting than that. Serious fans – even those who might have missed the previously released tracks – will want to concern themselves with the new side of the album first. The calm folk-rock melodies of these four acoustic songs reveal yet another welcome facet of Guns n' Roses. They should also end any further mutterings from the doubting Thomases out there who are still making snide comments about the band's potential for longevity.

The lyrics are typically controversial. There's "Used to Love Her" ("But I had to kill her"), a hilarious countryish number that will probably have feminist hot lines jammed across the country, and "One in a Million," a beautiful ballad that attacks nearly every minority group in existence; its lyrics are patented Axl Rose venom tempered with something that sounds oddly like compassion. "Patience," a song familiar to fans who've seen the band live, and "You're Crazy," in its original laid-back form, serve as added bonuses.

If you were expecting another Appetite for Destruction, this record – or at least its acoustic half – may disappoint you. But if you've been looking for proof that Guns n' Roses aren't just another thrash in the pan, G n' R Lies is what you've been waiting for. And much more. (RS 544)

KIM NEELY