On July 21, 1987, Guns N’ Roses released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. Listeners and critics alike initially ignored the album. After MTV started playing their videos, the album’s sales exploded. More than a year after its release, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, it became the best-selling debut album in American history. The LP held that record until 2018.
Guns N’ Roses didn’t fit the mainstream rock mold in the late 1980s. At the time, they were competing with bands like Def Leppard, U2, and Aerosmith for airplay. Executives didn’t expect their rough-around-the-edges image and streetwise lyrics to be popular. As a result, their singles received scant airplay outside of California. At the same time, MTV refused to play the video for their single “Welcome to the Jungle.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Geffen Records executive Al Coury worked hard to get the band on MTV. Finally, he convinced the network to play the “Welcome to the Jungle” video once a night for three nights to gauge viewer interest. Before that three-night engagement was over, it was the most-requested video on the network. This made it easier for Coury to convince radio stations to play the song, along with “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”
Guns N’ Roses Set a Sales Record
Guns N’ Roses skyrocketed to fame when songs from Appetite for Destruction started getting airplay on the radio and MTV. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 17, 1988. At the same time, it was climbing the Billboard 200.
By the time the album reached No. 1 for the first of its five non-consecutive weeks on August 6, it had already received its second Platinum certification. Ten days later, it was certified 3x Platinum.
Sales of the album continued to soar. In September 2008, it was certified 18x Platinum for sales of 18 million copies. This made it the best-selling debut album in American history. It remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
In May 2018, Hootie & the Blowfish broke Guns N’ Roses’ longstanding record. Their 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View, was certified 21x Platinum, making it the best-selling debut album released by an American band.
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MACES SPRINGS, VA – AUGUST, 1977: Sara Carter performs at the A.P. Carter Memorial Festival in Maces Springs, Virginia. A.P. Carter was the leader of the Carter Family (A.P., his wife Sara and cousin Maybelle Carter), whose recordings in the 1920s and 1930s launched America's country music industry. Sara Carter's performace at the festival was her last. She died in 1979. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images) -
Willie Nelson, who had a major hit with a Wayne Carson song -
LOS ANGELES – 1968: Country singer/songwriter Johnny Cash performs onstage in 1968 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Merle Haggard, who had a major hit with a Cindy Walker song -
Jan and Dean, who worked with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson -
Los Angeles, CA – 1992: Reba McEntire performing live on the ABC tv special 'In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS', ABC's annual AIDS awareness special. (Photo by Craig Sjodin /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images)
