Guns N' Roses arrived in 1987 like a switchblade through hairspray, their debut slashing through the bloated glam scene with riffs that reeked of Sunset Strip gutter grime. Mike Clink's raw production let Slash's Les Paul snarl while Axl Rose's voice careened between sneer and ache, particularly on the unlikely chart-topper Sweet Child o' Mine.

What began as a commercial dud became the best-selling American debut ever, eighteen times platinum, proving audiences craved danger over spandex. This wasn't just harder rock, it was hungrier, meaner, and unapologetically nasty.