Second cover option

Although this great album has a very simple but iconic cover of the 5 band members skulls placed on a crucifix, it was the bands second option after the first cover proved to be to controversial. The original cover was created by artist and Juxtapoz magazine founder Robert Williams. The artwork titled ‘Appetite for Destruction’ depicted a robot rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After MTV refused to play any of their videos the band compromised and moved the offending cover to the inner sleeve. I guess with MTV being the big make or break stepping stone for most bands around the 80′s and early 90′s and especially with Headbangers Ball being one of the most popular shows on MTV during the heyday of Metal and Hard Rock, it could have potentially been career suicide for the band. But for me i still think the second cover is more iconic.

Original banned cover

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Guns N Roses: Appetite For Destruction

Second cover option

Although this great album has a very simple but iconic cover of the 5 band members skulls placed on a crucifix, it was the bands second option after the first cover proved to be to controversial. The original cover was created by artist and Juxtapoz magazine founder Robert Williams. The artwork titled ‘Appetite for Destruction’ depicted a robot rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After MTV refused to play any of their videos the band compromised and moved the offending cover to the inner sleeve. I guess with MTV being the big make or break stepping stone for most bands around the 80′s and early 90′s and especially with Headbangers Ball being one of the most popular shows on MTV during the heyday of Metal and Hard Rock, it could have potentially been career suicide for the band. But for me i still think the second cover is more iconic.

Original banned cover

Posted by Ash on 31 July, 2007
Album: Appetite For Destruction
Artist: Guns N Roses
Record Label: Geffen Records
80s, Album Art, Art-based, Rock




  • Ash

    The cross one is much better.

  • Mr.Joshua

    I heard GnR on a pirate radio station in L.A. a week before “Appetite” came out. The day it came out I picked up the record, yeah those big flat black things. Soon after I thought they had another album out because I saw the “cross” cover on a tape. At that point I realized that my bitch’n Album was bound to be a classic. So the original record cover is framed and hanging. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know about the o.g. cover.

  • axl rose

    you know where you are???

    YOU IN THE JUNGLE BABYYYYYY

    YOU GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAA

    GREATEST FUCKING ALBUM EVER

  • http://www.hellolava.be Wolf

    I’ve found the original at a fleamarket dirt cheap!

  • Lukin

    It’s easier to find the original cover on vinyl than the “banned” cover with the crucifix, so I don’t really think there are alot of peopel who don’t know that there are two different covers. I guess they just think that the raoe-cover is the vinyl and the cruscifix-cover is the CD.

  • http://charges.uol.com.br/ junior

    slash axl duff

  • http://www.bebo.com/DuffSTOPITNOW Mrs Duff Mckagan :D

    GUNS N FUCKIN ROSES !!!!!! LOVE THEM FOREVER… ROCK ON

  • gnr

    my michelle is a funny song

  • alx rose slash steve

    best band ever all 5 alblums when does chinees democracy come out?

  • zzzz

    nice . I love this band : Guns N` Roses

  • http://bobs Bob

    I agree that the second is the more iconic, it also is more relevant to the title of the album. The robot has the appetite for destruction, both do apparently so it is compounded by the powerful image of the woman lying helpless and obviously defiled on the ground. As if she were a part of their appetite; destroyed.

  • http://myspace.com austin

    dude you guys have sweet songs me and my band just played your guys song sweet child o mine at a birthday party and all of us are 12 years old and so am i , i am vocalist/guitar it took me a while to learn that song well see ya
    P.S you guys kick ass

  • GnRrox

    all i gotta say is G N’ R is the best band there is and Appitite for Destruction is the best album ever made

  • ucihakay

    good

  • Andy

    austin, you are a retard

  • http://www.westjgiaidfh;f.com, Axl Roses’ Gurl

    i love axl rose to death he’s hotter than hell!! apetite is the best album ever and i love it to death! i just don’t like with the recording romp on rocket queen! (the ignorant sounds at the end)

  • http://sssss pedro

    guns a melhor banda de rock do mundo!!!!

  • GNR to the soul

    The origional cover deplict an artist viewing of appitite for destruction; that the robot is causing destruction to the woman selling the mini-bots and the monster leaping from behind the fence is going to devour the robot because he is destruction: Appitite for destruction

  • http://www.myspace.com/_guitaristforlife_ ben

    iv got the original banned cover of appetite, the one with the girl that has bin raped. herd that its a collectors item.

    its up for sale if anyone wants it

    contact me on my myspace

    cheers

  • Drake

    Hehe, I love how Slash and Duff are smokin joints on the crucifix’d one.

  • dan Mee

    Appetite’s album artwork is HORRIBLE IMHO. but it is the best album of the late 80′s.

  • http://www.flickr.com/ernestandsnappysnaps Ernest

    Of course the artwork created by Robert Williams is far better than the other one. There’s nothing wrong with the crucifix, but the second cover represent GNR and their theme much much better.

  • Ana Carolina

    Hehe i have the original album=) someone gave it to me years ago=)=)=)i love it and i truly love G.N`R. BEST BAND EVER!!!!

  • Bob Loblaugh

    Urb fNibble sHuR4f kneeB fEen FU*KIN’ GUNZ N roZez Rulz! snort All U all need ta no GNR iz da bes roc band EVER! fneeb kurble goo shneebe poot. boon RULZ!
    I R got good talks.

    Oh, and as always, fine art from Robert Williams. Loved his Zap comics artwork.

  • Elly

    that’s Slash & Izzy smoking and they’re not joints but rather Marlboros which they were well known for always having, would be cool if it were joints but, nope…

  • http://mtv.co.uk philip mc kay

    The cross is the best logo, cause this is the greatest rock album ever!, and it should have rightfully been at no.1, but that’s the way people voted. It’s so colourful and iconic, rock on!!

  • coco

    got the album the day b4 its official release as a cousin owned a record shop.still sounds as mighty as ever either cover is great.

  • Rob

    The album is timeless. Amazing material, talent, attitude & production.

    A lot of the hard rock albums for the same time sound dated now, but not Appetite. I read in Slash’s bio that they were very fussy and shopped around for the right producer, Mike Clink.

  • http://facebook Antonio

    The greatest album but the first cover (the one I got on my LP) was better than this..Antonio X lusini

  • Neel

    @wolf !!
    WTF!!! u got the original gnr album in a fuckin fleamarket

  • aitch

    I read about GNR in Kerrang mag. They were reviewing Live like a Suicide, I went down to my record store and ordered it. They got five in, I bought 1 loved it and went back and bought 2 more. Then when Appetite came out, I went and bought 3 copies, I knew this was gonna be a big band. Still got all these LPS, one of each opened others still in plastic.

  • duanebarry

    A friend of mine had this on vinyl – I was heart broken, not because he had it & I did not – BUT BECAUSE HIS MOTHER HAD CUT OUT “CUT OUT!” THE RAPE VICTIM WITH A SCISSORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    OMG DIE BITCH DIE –

    I would have killed to own that & frame it like the poster above has. Underneath the coolness of the image it is a nasty cover & as covers go the safe option is more iconic as it is simple & uncluttered. That said I Prefer the original as a piece of art.

  • Ando

    It isn't clear from the picture that the second robot is going to punish the first robot. Could be it also wants to rape the woman.

  • Martyr

    Do not like the subject of rape glorified in art, music, movies or any sort and always despised this pictorial. And I say glorified because the artist made great effort to make the female look enticing and seductive. Probably a fantasy that he kicked around in his head.

  • Brandon

    Best album ever made from start to fininsh,its got fun and games and awesome guitars

  • chris

    couldnt agree more mate when i was 6 years old my dad went to thailand and i told him to grab me appertite for destruction”excuse my spelling” so any ways my dad came back with the album lie s i never seen it before i cursed my old man but after to listing to it ,it was fucking magical.I stayed with dad on the weekends so one satarday at a music shop “dad buy us that shirt it s the shirt of that album you got me” no worries son got the best dad i could watch $ rated hooror movies at 5 6 yr s old,so went i went home i folded up the shirt and hid it from my mum a few weeks later my school had a FREE DRESS day and i was in the worst suburb of my city perth wa australia not no litttle country town,YOU WONT TO SEE THE LOOK S ON THE TEACHERS FACES MAHAHAHAH I NEVER FORGET chris”TURN THAT FUCKING SHIRT INSIDE OUT” YES MISS YOU BITCH BUT ANY WAY.My stepsister who wasnt bad looking 2 years older than me so she went out withthe whothought they why cool listing to use your illusion album raving on about it and never heard of appertite {and as we know use your illusssion is a ablum to buy your girlfriend than 3 montrhs ago this 35 yr old hard mother fucker is complaing about the concert and i say whats your favourite album USE YOUR ILLUSION ,i say no wonder thats not gnr thats some drug induced album,then i say” can you even remeber one song of appertite hes like “YEA YEA OF COurse” tick tick nothing then i say what about lie s the best album orginal know one song what about half a song which shouldnt be that hard having the hit”patiance” so i even pulled him downthat low i say “what about one line can you resight one line ten words in a row or either album” he couldnt i laughed at this bikie fucker thats why the concert was shit and 30 thousand people agree maybe his voice was a bit off buitt doesnt matter when you got those lyrics.

  • Fdsd

    The orriginal photo was dubber “Robo Rape”. They also had nudity in the Lies sleeve (of which I still own the cassette tape) but was later taken out.

  • Chrisbutters

    yea i remeber that pic you mean of the blonde with the black strip

  • Frannnn

    If I tell you guy that I found the original image! Bot a use my money in the Movie.. so I could not buy… I get so furious because the album with that image is veryu rare hre, in Brazil! ):

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  • http://www.facebook.com/johnamoody John Moody

    Yeah Id want to give that bitch a go

  • Master Bater

    Actually, she was masturbting in the street when the robot happened by.

  • Rollo the Viking

    Got that original cover for my vinil. I guess I was lucky to get one. Not selling though because this album is a masterpiece.