| G N' R Lies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 29, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1986–1988 | |||
| Studio | Rumbo Studios, Take One Studio, and Image Recording Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:33 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer |
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| Guns N' Roses chronology | ||||
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| Singles from G N' R Lies | ||||
G N' R Lies (also known simply asLies) is the second studio album by Americanhard rock bandGuns N' Roses, released byGeffen Records on November 29, 1988. It is the band's shortest studio album, running at 33 and a half minutes. The album reached number two on the USBillboard 200, and according to theRIAA, has shipped over five million copies in the United States.
"Patience", the only single released fromLies, peaked at number four on theBillboard Hot 100 on June 3, 1989.[4][5] This is the band's last full album to feature drummerSteven Adler following his departure in 1990, shortly after the single "Civil War" was recorded, and featured onUse Your Illusion II (1991), as well as their last album to be recorded as five-piece band members.
The first four tracks consist of the previously releasedEPLive ?!*@ Like a Suicide. These four tracks were also included as bonus tracks on the 2018 reissue ofAppetite for Destruction.
The last four songs were recorded withacoustic guitars. They were written and recorded in only a few studio sessions (with the exception of "You're Crazy", which appeared in an alternative version onAppetite for Destruction), which producerMike Clink called "one of those magical rock and roll history moments".
In later interviews, Axl Rose stated that while he loved how the band sounded on the last four songs, he hated the sound of his voice. Rose recalled that his voice was husky and scratchy from the band's lengthy touring at the time, and if he could he would have re-recorded his vocal tracks in a separate session.
A significantly faster version of "You're Crazy" with electric guitars had previously been released on the band's debut album,Appetite for Destruction, and was now recorded as originally intended.[6] "Used to Love Her" was written as a joke afterIzzy Stradlin disliked a song he heard on the radio featuring "some guy whining about a broad who was treating him bad".Slash stated that "People think it's about one of our old girlfriends, but it's actually about Axl's dog."[7]
Three of the four songs from theG N' R Lies EP are included on the 2018 remastered release of the albumAppetite for Destruction, with the exception of the controversial "One in a Million".[8]
The cover is a parody of tabloid newspapers, as are theliner notes. The album's cover art underwent several minor modifications when the title was released on CD,[9] though early pressings of the CD retain the original cover art. First, in the bottom left corner reading "LIES LIES LIES" originally read "Wife-beating has been around for 10,000 years." Secondly, instead of "Elephant gives birth to midget", the original headline reads, "Ladies, welcome to the dark ages." Many copies of the original LP release also contained an uncensored picture of a nude model on the inner LP sleeve.[10]
The song "One in a Million" has caused controversy and raised accusations ofracism,homophobia andnativism due to the lyrics, which include the slurs "nigger" and "faggot".[11][12][13][14][15] Rose denied that he was a racist and defended his use of the word "nigger", claiming that "it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word nigger doesn't necessarily mean black." He cited the rap groupN.W.A and theJohn Lennon song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" as other examples of musicians using the word.[16] Several years later, Rose conceded that he had used the word as an insult towards black people who had tried to rob him, and because the word is ataboo.[17] In response to the allegations of homophobia, Rose stated that he considered himself "pro-heterosexual" and blamed this attitude on "bad experiences" with gay men.[16][18]
Although initially against the song, other members of the band have since defended the song,[19][20] claiming it was misunderstood.[21][19] Nevertheless, the song was not included in future compilation releases that otherwise included all the other tracks onLies.[22][19][a]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [23] |
| Rolling Stone | [24] |
| The Village Voice | E[25] |
Rolling Stone, in a 4 out of 5 star review, stated "Given that Guns N' Roses could probably release an album of Baptist hymns at this point and go platinum, it would be all too easy to dismiss G n' R Lies as a sneaky attempt by the band to throw together some outtakes and cash in on the busy holiday buying season ... The good news is that Lies is a lot more interesting than that ... The calm folk-rock melodies of these four acoustic songs reveal yet another welcome facet of Guns N' Roses. They should also end any further mutterings from the doubting Thomases out there who are still making snide comments about the band's potential for longevity."[24]AllMusic, in a 3.5 out of 5 review, criticized some of the songs on the acoustic side, stating "Constructed as a double EP, with the "indie" debut Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide coming first and four new acoustic-based songs following on the second side, G N' R Lies is where the band metamorphosed from genuine threat to joke. Neither recorded live nor released by an indie label, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide is competent bar band boogie, without the energy or danger of Appetite for Destruction. The new songs are considerably more problematic. "Patience" is Guns N' Roses at their prettiest and their sappiest, the most direct song they recorded to date. Its emotional directness makes the misogyny of "Used to Love Her (But I Had to Kill Her)" and the pitiful slanders of "One in a Million" sound genuine.[23]
In a negative review forThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau stated "Axl's voice is a power tool with attachments, Slash's guitar a hype, the groove potent "hard rock", and the songwriting not without its virtues. So figure musical quality at around C plus and take the grade as a call to boycott, a reminder to clean livers who yearn for the wild side that thenecessary link between sex-and-drugs and rock-and-roll is a Hollywood fantasy" while condemning "One In a Million" and "Used To Love Her".[25]
In a 2014 review,Metal Hammer dissected the controversy around the album, stating "Conceived as a stop-gap release, the second Guns N' Roses album remains a remarkable one-off – in every sense.[26]Ultimate Classic Rock stated "Ironically, G N' R Lies' tabloid-style cover art also hinted at the incessant scandals and resulting paranoia that would soon engulf the band, and its singer in particular, sowing the seeds to their eventual dissolution after the twinUse Your Illusion behemoths, and protracted creative silence until 2008's historically delayedChinese Democracy opus."[27]
Songwriting credits viaASCAP.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reckless Life" | 3:23 | |
| 2. | "Nice Boys" (Rose Tattoo cover) | 3:01 | |
| 3. | "Move to the City" |
| 3:42 |
| 4. | "Mama Kin" (Aerosmith cover) | Steven Tyler | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Patience" | Guns N' Roses | 5:56 |
| 6. | "Used to Love Her" | Guns N' Roses | 3:13 |
| 7. | "You're Crazy" | Guns N' Roses | 4:10 |
| 8. | "One in a Million" | Guns N' Roses | 6:09 |
| Total length: | 33:29 | ||
Guns N' Roses
Additional musicians
| Chart (1988–1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Brazilian Albums (Nopem)[30] | 1 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[31] | 16 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[32] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA)[33] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[34] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[35] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[36] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[37] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[40] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Weekly | US | Chuck Klosterman's Favorite Hair Metal Albums[1] | 4 |
RS:Does it bother you that so many people think you're misogynous, homophobic and racist Rose: 'It can bother me. But the racist thing is just bullshit. I used a word that was taboo. And I used that word because it was taboo. I was pissed off about some black people that were trying to rob me. I wanted to insult those particular black people. I didn't want to support racism. When I used the word faggots, I wasn't coming down on gays. I was coming down on an element of gays'.
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