By Stephen Kasenda
L.A. GUNS "L.A. Guns" (1988)
L.A. Guns was the early incarnation of the legendary Guns N' Roses, formed in the early 80s and fronted by Axl Rose and Tracii Guns before both of them parted ways. Axl went on to form GNR and Tracii resurrected L.A.Guns. After some shuffling, a solid five man formation eventually became the classic line up and released this debut in 1988 under Vertigo.
What I like about L.A. Guns is that they had raw energy and a sleazy attitude, and they stayed rooted to the heaviness of early glam. Try pumping up the volume when you hit your player with "No Mercy", "Sex Action", and "One More Reason". Those really are unmerciful, earth-scorching fantastic songs. Probably the only song that I didn't dig that much is the bluesy wail of "One Way Ticket" because I was just hoping for a full 11 blasting tracks from start to finish. Hearing tracks such as "Electric Gypsy" or "Hollywood Tease" could make you feel like you are standing and shouting in a packed bar on Sunset Strip. After more than 20 years, this album remains their greatest record - nothing can top this sensational debut.
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