It starts as it means to go on - jagged, menacing chords acting like a clarion call to the disaffected, unwashed masses. 'Welcome To The Jungle', indeed, where your guide is one W. Axl Rose and his ragged ensemble of street ruffians. When Rose screams "You're gonna die" you know he's been there, seen it, and just about survived to tell the tale.
Second track 'It's So Easy' is Rose as all-conquering jungle master, lord of the streets. And when he sneers "I see you standing there/You think you're so cool/Why don't you just fuck off", before speeding off in a squeal of mangled fretboard, you know there's gonna be trouble.
And there is - heroin in the case of 'Mr Brownstone', the establishment in 'Out Ta Get Me'. The anthemic 'Paradise City', by contrast, is almost sedate - a classic ol' American rocker in the mould of Aerosmith, but still with a seedy undercurrent, Rose this time is the "urchin livin' under the street/I'm a hard case that's tough to beat".
The near throwaways 'My Michelle' and 'Think About You' are redeemed by virtue of the band's unflagging energy, while 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is nothing less than a love song with one of the all-time great rock guitar lines at the start.
It's back down to paranoia central as 'You're Crazy' recounts the tale of a disenfranchised relationship boiling over. By contrast, 'Anything Goes' portrays the free'n'easy life of the Sunset Strip - "My way, your way, anything goes tonight".
Closing track 'Rocket Queen' manages to cap this remarkable record by distilling all the themes of the album in one lengthy song. Sleaze, regret, the longing for that better day, it's all there. When Rose sings "Don't ever leave me/Say you'll always be there" it shows that this band can rock and shock but still evoke genuine emotions.
An album that set an awesome precedent that still hangs over them today. Yet one of the best debuts of all time.
by Simon P Ward