![]() ![]() That same summer, the group released a Gilby Clarke-produced collection of new material entitled Shrinking Violet, with Pearl serving as lead vocalist. Greatest Hits & Black Beauties, a collection of re-recorded favorites and new material, followed in 1999 after a succession of new vocalists who included Ralph Saenz (on 1998's Wasted EP) and Love/Hate singer Jizzy Pearl. Polygram dropped the band in the wake of Vicious Circle's slow sales, and 1996's American Hardcore introduced the band's new lineup but fared no better. It was their weakest-selling album to date and set off a chain of lineup shifts, with Johnny Crypt taking over bass-playing duties, Chris Van Dahl assuming the frontman role, and Guns serving as the band's sole guitarist. Guns released their fourth album, Vicious Circle, in early 1995, they retained a core group of followers but failed to capture the mainstream's attention. Nevertheless, the guys laid low for four years, waiting for grunge to fade away. Released two years later, Hollywood Vampires managed to hold the audience's attention by peaking at number 42. ![]() Released in 1989 and propelled by the Top 40 single "The Ballad of Jayne," Cocked and Loaded went gold, giving the band a minor stake in the hair metal explosion that Guns N' Roses had helped spark. Guns quickly returned to the studio to bang out a second album, Cocked and Loaded. drummer Steve Riley joined the lineup during the tour that followed, and L.A. Guns released their self-titled debut album, featuring a raunchy, Aerosmith-influenced sound and a number of songs that had been written by ex-member Paul Black. Guns could enter the studio, though, and the rest of the lineup shifted as well, eventually solidifying around Guns, Lewis, drummer Nickey Alexander, bassist Kelly Nickels, and guitarist Mick Cripps. Black was replaced by former Girl frontman Phil Lewis before L.A. With Guns back in the lineup and Black writing most of the songs, the band landed a deal with Polygram Records and made plans to record a debut album. Guns, who'd continued playing shows in his absence under the leadership of vocalist Paul Black. Tracii Guns handled lead guitar duties for several months before being replaced by Slash suddenly finding himself without a band, Guns bounced back by rejoining his old bandmates in L.A. Rose and Guns decided to combine their two bands in 1985, thus creating the earliest incarnation of Guns N' Roses. Guns have maintained a steady release schedule over the decades, issuing their 14th studio effort, Black Diamonds, in 2023.įormed in 1983, the group's first lineup included Tracii Guns and vocalist Axl Rose, the latter of whom eventually left to form his own group with childhood friend Izzy Stradlin. By the 2000s, two rival bands were operating under the moniker. However, chronic personnel changes and the onset of grunge and alternative music eventually knocked them out of the mainstream. The group's 1988 eponymous debut and its 1989 follow-up, Cocked and Loaded, were certified gold. They are also known for being one of the two bands (along with Hollywood Rose) that merged in the mid-'80s to form Guns N' Roses. Guns employ a sound and style rooted in the debauchery and sleaze of Hollywood's Sunset Strip. Stalwart California rockers and veterans of the '80s glam metal scene, L.A. ![]()
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