The one problem Slash had with Guns N’ Roses song ‘Paradise City’
There aren’t many songs that seem to define Guns N’ Roses more than ‘Paradise City’. These were gutter rats that were hanging on by a thread from the minute that they started the group, so wanting to be whisked away to a world with no problems whatsoever should have been the greatest feeling in the world. All the dirty sleaze of any Guns N’ Roses classic is accounted for, but Slash was never happy with the way the synthesisers were thrown into the mix.
From day one, Guns N’ Roses was supposed to be the kind of band that served as the antithesis of the norm. Sure, there had been other rock bands playing along the Sunset Strip around the same time, but no one managed to actually have the same type of swagger of a badass live band that they could, including Slash stalking the stage and never showing his face behind that long mane of curly hair.
Although most of the group liked to play up the idea of them being one of the most dangerous bands ever to grace the stage, they were just as dialled in when it came to the music. There were moments when everything seemed out of control, but once someone counted off a tune, everyone was going to give 100% no matter what condition they were in.
Even though many of the songs on their debut came from various side projects, ‘Paradise City’ is one of the first real collaborative efforts. Written on the road as they were making their way to a concert, Slash initially had a filthier version of the lyrics before Rose tidied everything up and then overpolished it in the studio.
The final version of the tune almost seems to be building up the live power of the group, but the synthesisers in the beginning seem to stick out like a sore thumb. They may have been trendy at the time, but hearing them blaring alongside Slash’s iconic opening licks makes about as much sense as throwing a bunch of bagpipes in the middle of a metal song.
While Slash did take the high road, he did admit that it still bothered him to hear the synths so prominently in the mix, telling Guitar Edge, “That didn’t come in until Axl was putting his vocals down on the record, so I had no idea about that until I got to the mixing stage. Being the guitar purists, Izzy and I were like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa’…It was never that big of a deal, but it introduced a certain electronic thing that didn’t fit well.”
If anything, there’s a good case that the communication breakdown between the band started right here. Now that Rose knew he could get away with some tampering on the tracks, nothing was stopping him from going all out when it came to the next album, Use Your Illusion, complete with sweeping strings, piano ballads, and songs that seemed like the definition of the term ‘bloated’.
Even though ‘Paradise City’ still sounds great in its final form, that one synthesiser became the snowball that would eventually lead to the group becoming far too big for their own good. Appetite for Destruction might be perfect just the way it is, but if Slash had put his foot down a little bit more on this track, maybe we could have avoided some of the more embarrassing moments like ‘My World’ later.
