Guns N’ Roses at 40 Book Review – Iconic, A Must Have For Every Collector
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 31 July 2025 15:23
- Written by Janet Walker
Guns N' Roses at 40, from Quarto Publishing, brings to the pages an intimate look at one of the most pivotal rock and roll bands to come out of the iconic 1980s Los Angeles Sunset Strip days.
Told by rock and roll historian and biographer author Martin Popoff, Guns N' Roses at 40 introduces the early days of each of the band members who, through a circle of friends, and club scene hopefuls, gravitated to each other, until the band members as well as the name gelled into Guns N' Roses.
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Image courtesy of Quarto Publishing.
Prior to the band signing with Geffen Records, in March of 1986, which sounds like a fantasy until Popoff explains the back story. He tells a story of, during 1985, the band members Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, and Izzy Stradlin, were each circling other options. Slash, as the story is told was nearly in the band Poison, he had aced the audition, received two call backs, and lost the gig only because he was asked what he planned to wear on stage, and his usual black on black with black curly hair and a black top hat, missed the mark for the punk band, and the gig went to C.C. Deville.
The early days, of course, included a season in Laurel Canyon, which is a mysterious and storied stopover for musicians as it holds a magic of times gone bye, and there is something about the vibe that echoes down the hills that cause an energized creativity to bubble over.
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Told across five acts, and 191 pages, Guns N' Roses at 40, begins with "Act One, Squalor on Sunset Strip," taking readers from the beginning days of young and hungry, band swapping, hirings and firings, until the original members in this round robin type circulation of club playing bands meet up, gel, and the sound meets destiny, and the group is signed by Geffen Records.
In "Act Two, Appetite for Domination," the band members are full fledged rock stars, and to hear the biographer explain Geffen Records laid out an unheard of sum for the first album "Appetite for Destruction," and with a large advance, which the band had blown through, there were troubles.
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With a controversial image, rumors of wild nights and heavy drug use the ballad, "Sweet Child O' Mine, became the break out hit of this first album, which included "Welcome to the Jungle." "Appetite for Destruction" was having troubles charting. For over a year the album sat below the top 50, which is good but clearly not playing to their potential. Between the sound and the Geffen Machine, the expectation was a faster trajectory and certainly higher on the Billboard charts.
Image courtesy of Quarto Publishing.
Popoff writes, "On August 6, 1988, thirteen months after its original issue, "Appetite for Destruction," finally hits number 1 on the Billboard Top 200. . . A week later they guys get word the album has now gone triple platinum."
Across the remaining three sections, "Act Three, Insanity," "Act Four, Estranged," "Act Five Legacy," the bands evolution from opener to headliner and with all the perks and pitfalls of genuine rock star living, are detailed.
Guns N' Roses at 40 is filled with more than 150 photographs across the band's career, on, and candid, off stage pics, special sections featuring interviews with bassists Duff McKagan and Tommy Stinson, introductions of each of the band members solo projects, a discography section explaining each of the nine Guns N' Roses albums, and brings fans current on album reissues, recent tours and releases.
Image courtesy of Quarto Publishing.
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The cover art features the "Appetite For Destruction" album, which is the best selling debut album in the United States selling 18 million copies, and 30 million worldwide. The back cover features a collection of Guns N' Roses memorabilia.
Guns N' Roses at 40 provides a concise documentary-like view of the band, with hundreds of photographs, this collector's edition provides insight into the early days of rock and roll on the Sunset Strip, and back stage access to the rock star roller coaster ride of fame.
Guns N' Roses at 40, attractively packaged and arranged, is perfect for every rock and roll enthusiasts or connoisseur. A must have.
Image courtesy of Quarto Publishing.
Title: Guns N' Roses at 40.
Author: Martin Popoff.
Language: English.
Release Date: June 17, 2025.
Publisher: Quarto.
Format: Hardcover.
Images: Used with Permission.
Length: 191 pages.
ISBN: 978-0-7603-9399-4.
MSRP: $40.00 (US), £28.00 (UK), $53.00 (CAN).
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has completed two books, the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose." Both are available on Amazon. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.