It clearly is not. Popularity is not synonymous with impact, influence, or importance.
I don't even abhor this record.
Overall what makes you say it's not important?
To put it bluntly? It is a record that represents hair metal's (and by extension, AOR's) death knell that really holds no wider spread of significance outside of being a particular snapshot of the time and place, as well as the deteriorating nature of its genre. It had no longstanding impact, influence, or significance. By 1987, metal had moved on from the contemporary glam soundscapes outside of a handful of acts who persevered (and expanded on their sounds rather than playing by numbers). The menial importance Appetite for Destruction had was exclusively limited in the long term to contemporary radio and like I said, being a snapshot of a particular time and place. The record didn’t change landscapes, didn’t innovate, didn’t really traverse anything to be important. Does it have cultural significance? Sure. But that’s about the only thing on impact one can really objectively discern once they remove their fondness for the record at large.
I'm not gonna argue about the importance of appetite for destruction because I don't know much about the subject, but it seems you're looking at its importance solely based on the influence it had on the sound of music and progression of such which is a different than what I think of (And I presume the general populace thinks of) when an album is considered important.
Yes, there is (musical) historical importance, i.e. influence, and there is importance by itself, so to speak, when a collection of song is so good that it becomes important. An album can be regarded as a harvest of songs. If it's an exceptionnal cru, it becomes important.
Gowi is mostly right on appetite for destruction. Maybe a tad unfair if it was to be labelled as "hair metal". I just view it as classic rock and a fantastic record. Maybe it showed how empty and fake most hair metal was when compared to it. I've seen it mentioned as influential by many artists but it never changed the world. It could have been an album that started to change people's attitudes which eventually lead to nirvana 😉
It has long term impact as people still love it.
I've seen it mentioned as influential by many artists but it never changed the world. It could have been an album that started to change people's attitudes which eventually lead to nirvana 😉
It has long term impact as people still love it.
These are reasons why I always thought of it as important, but I do agree with Gowi that there may not have been great records directly spawned because of Appetite for Destruction. In the grand scheme it's still an important record because it's apart of culture, but I agree there are far more important records. I would put a number of records outside of BEA's top 100 in Appetite's spot, but it's still a great album. _________________ Attention all planets of the solar federation: We have assumed control.
mickilennialThe Most Trusted Name in NewsProfile Detroit
Does it have cultural significance? Sure. But that’s about the only thing on impact one can really objectively discern once they remove their fondness for the record at large.
If you value cultural significance that is really the only argument you can make, in my opinion.
Subjectively speaking, at this point in my life I don’t find anything Appetite does as interesting, significant, and it had no influence on my tastes at any point in my life. To me it is just one of the weaker records that came out of that particular scene at time. A lot of people disagree with me on that last point as it has been well recorded of its “iconic” merits (which I think are, frankly, overblown). To me it is just a record and an hour of my life I’d rather be listening to something with better songwriting merits; even in heavy metal and especially so in the “glam” scene.
Does it have cultural significance? Sure. But that’s about the only thing on impact one can really objectively discern once they remove their fondness for the record at large.
If you value cultural significance that is really the only argument you can make, in my opinion.
Subjectively speaking, at this point in my life I don’t find anything Appetite does as interesting, significant, and it had no influence on my tastes at any point in my life. To me it is just one of the weaker records that came out of that particular scene at time. A lot of people disagree with me on that last point as it has been well recorded of its “iconic” merits (which I think are, frankly, overblown). To me it is just a record and an hour of my life I’d rather be listening to something with better songwriting merits; even in heavy metal and especially so in the “glam” scene.
I always thought the songwriting was one of the reasons its still highly regarded. Chuck a couple of recs up as I'm not overly familiar with the glam scene. I always had gnr down as being from the glam scene of motley Crüe and poison and being far superior to those type of bands in every way. I still fucking love and think I'll get it on now.
mickilennialThe Most Trusted Name in NewsProfile Detroit
I always thought the songwriting was one of the reasons its still highly regarded. Chuck a couple of recs up as I'm not overly familiar with the glam scene. I always had gnr down as being from the glam scene of motley Crüe and poison and being far superior to those type of bands in every way. I still fucking love and think I'll get it on now.
For mine, the best 80's glam metal album came out in 1978. Eddie was without precedent, and his arrival was just as important as the arrival of Jimi Hendrix. Eddie had many imitators, but none as natural as him. He changed the course of rock music going forward.
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