I wish I would have gotten this album (Lies) before Appetite for Destruction. It has a much rawer sound and you can tell Axl is actually trying.
Review by Ensio N. Mikkola
I am a huge fan of Guns N’Roses (see my slobbering review of “Appetite for Destruction”) and I regret the fact that they imploded just as they had reached their creative peak. Here’s a nice little snapshop of an L.A. hair metal band (with a ‘tude) coming up through the ranks, kicking butt and taking names as they went along.
“Reckless Life”, like the entire A side (I still think of this as a cassette tape) was first released on the unattainable “Live! Like a Suicide EP”. The song just tears your nuts out. There’s some classic Axl wailing and a classic Slash guitar solo. “Nice Boys” is a Rose Tattoo cover and it’s not bad. Kind of rough around the edges. “Move to the City” is another cover but I can’t remember who wrote the original. “Mama Kin” is also a decent cover of an Aerosmith classic. This is pretty standard stuff – one original song and 3 covers. But then we get to the B side. There’s some budding song-writing talent here with the gentle “Patience”, with it’s whistling intro and acoustic guitars. “Used to Love Her” is a hilarious country-ish song about killing and burying your girlfriend in the backyard. “You’re Crazy” would end up on the “Appetite for Destruction” album, amped and speeded up. But this version is superior. “One in a Million” is a controversial song but perhaps one of the Gunners best slow songs. In my opinion, these are the only Guns albums you need to own.