ROCK BIOGRAPHIES

Rock Biography #2:

Hardline 

You know when you find that one band that's not very popular, but their music is amazing? Hardline is one of those bands. Formed in 1991 by brothers Johnny Gioeli and Joey Gioeli, Hardline is one of the most underrated hair bands of the early 90s. Despite being in the monstrous shadows of bands like Guns N' Roses and Metallica, Hardline still managed to make amazing music. They released their debut album, Double Eclipse, on April 28, 1992. Their first single, Takin' Me Down, reached #37 on the Hot 100. Hardline wouldn't release another album until 2002. 

After Hardline lost its record deal, bassist Todd Jensen and drummer Deen Castronovo left the band to join Ozzy Osbourne's backing band. In 2002, Hardline released its second studio album, II. It was the last record to feature guitarist Joey Gioeli. In 2009, they released their third album, Leaving the End Open. In 2012, they released their fourth album, Danger Zone. In short, Hardline was not remembered by many, but they still made great music. 

Rock Biography #1:

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses formed in los angeles in 1985. The original lineup was set in 1986 and it consisted of Axl Rose (Vocals), Izzy Stradlin (Rhythm Guitar), Slash (Lead guitar), Duff McKagan (Bass guitar) and Steven Adler (Drums). Guns N' Roses did not hit mainstream success immediatley. They had to start out small. they started out by playing in rock clubs on Sunset Strip. By late 1986, Tom Zutaut of Geffen Records signed GN'R to a 6 album deal. They released their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, on July 21, 1987. Initially it didn't sell very well due to limited airplay from MTV and various radio stations. David Geffen called MTV and begged them to play the music video for "Welcome to the Jungle." MTV agreed to play it once, at 5:00 on a Sunday morning. MTV played it, and their switchboards blew up. People were calling in asking them what it was and asked them to play it again. On July 23, 1988, Appetite For Destruction hit #1 in the U.S. It reached the top on the strength of its hit single "Sweet Child O' Mine," their first and only #1 single. To this day, Appetite For Destruction is the highest-selling debut album in the U.S., selling over 30 million copies and being certified 18x Platinum.

Geffen Records was quick to respond to the success of Appetite. GN'R released their second album, GN'R Lies, on November 29, 1989. It had 4 tracks from their self released album "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide" and 4 acoustic tracks. "Lies" shot to #4 on the charts on the success of Appetite. By the end of 1988, Guns N' Roses had ended their tour and scattered out to their homes. In 1990, drummer Steven Adler was fired from the band due to his extreme drug use. Matt Sorum from "The Cult" replaced Adler. After hiring Sorum, Guns began work on their full length follow up to Appetite For Destruction.

On September 17, 1991, GN'R released the double album, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. They placed #1 and #2 on the charts, selling 700,000 copies in their first week. After the release of the albums, Izzy Stradlin left the band because of his new found sobriety. Ex-Kills For Thrills guitarist Gilby Clarke replaced Stradlin. After a few months off, GN'R continued their massive two year tour. It ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 17, 1993 in front of a crowd of 100,000 people. It was the last performance the world would see from the original line-up. On October 30, 1996, Slash left the band because he felt like Axl was dictating the band. Duff left shortly after that in 1997 and was followed by Matt Sorum who was fired from the band after and argument with Axl. Axl and Slash have not spoken since 1996. In 2008, Axl, along with a "new" Guns N' Roses, released Chinese Democracy. Even with the success of Chinese Democracy, many fans are still hoping for a reunion of the original lineup.