Guns N' Roses

Legacy

Guns N' Roses is recognized as the band that changed the way the heavy metal industry was moving in the late 1980s. While most bands during the period produced simple songs and were dependent of their looks rather than the messages of their music (see hair metal), Guns N' Roses ushered in an era where facial make-up and spandex pants (typical of the late 80's bands) were no longer seen as popular.

Related Topics:
Hair metal - Spandex

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Their peers in the music industry spoke highly of the band. Ozzy Osbourne and Joe Perry called GN'R "the next Rolling Stones." In 2002, Q magazine named Guns N' Roses in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Also, the television network VH1 ranked Guns N' Roses # 9 in the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". Appetite for Destruction appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine's "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time" list.

Related Topics:
Ozzy Osbourne - Joe Perry - Rolling Stones - ''Q'' magazine - 50 Bands To See Before You Die - Television network - VH1 - 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock - Appetite for Destruction - Rolling Stone Magazine

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However, the band has not been free of criticism from the media. The well-known drug abuse by some members of the group, particularly Slash and McKagan, and Rose's Charles Manson T-shirts, were used by the media to display GN'R as a bad example to the millions of teenagers that followed them around the world. The long periods of time that took the group to record their albums was also a source of heavy criticism.

Related Topics:
Drug abuse - Charles Manson

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Front-man Axl Rose, however, has become a source of both controversy and criticism since the majority of the original members left the group. His excessive elusiveness has led to several stories that claim that he is suffering from serious bipolar disorder. Music critics have blamed Rose for the break-up of the original group, have criticized him for continuing the band after the departure of the originals, and for the "perfectionism" that has contributed to personal conflict and the long delays between albums. Rose has not given a press conference since 1994.

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