Guns N’ Roses’ Massive ‘Appetite’ Box: $999

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It had been teased on their social media platforms for several days. On May 4 came the announcement that one of rock’s most iconic bands, Guns N’ Roses, is being celebrated with the June 29 release of Appetite For Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded Edition box set.

On May 27, the previously unseen full-length video for “It’s So Easy” was released. Watch it below.

That edition will set you back $999. If your appetite isn’t that rich, the album will also be released in these configurations: a 4-CD/1Blu-ray Audio Super Deluxe Edition with a 96-page book featuring unreleased photos from Axl Rose’s personal archive, a 2-CD Deluxe Edition, 2-LP 180-gram heavyweight vinyl edition, and single CD remaster, all from Geffen/UMe.

Watch the Super Deluxe Edition unboxing video

Following the group’s 1985 formation, Guns N’ Roses burst upon the burgeoning Los Angeles rock scene. Their July 21, 1987 release, Appetite For Destruction, remains the best-selling U.S. debut album ever, selling over 30 million copies globally. The LP features such classic rock tracks as the #1 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” plus “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Nightrain,” and “Paradise City.”

Filmed live in 1989 at the Cathouse in Hollywood, “It’s So Easy” was never completely finished and has remained in the vaults, unseen and unreleased. The footage was recently uncovered for inclusion in the box set and has been digitally restored in 4K UHD from 16mm film transfers with the original conceptual scenes edited back in with the live footage, just as the band had originally intended.

Watch the video for “It’s So Easy,” released on May 27

The $999 Locked N’ Loaded edition is housed in a custom 12x12x12-inch solid-wood box that’s wrapped in faux-leather and sports embossed, with instantly identifiable artwork with a hand-sculpted and hand-painted 3D cross on its front doors. It features newly remastered from the original stereo analog tapes, 12 remastered tracks compiled from of-era EPs and B-sides, 25 unreleased demos from a 1986 Sound City recording session, and a pair of unreleased tracks from recording sessions by Appetite‘s producer Mike Clink: “Shadow Of Your Love” recorded December 1986, one month before the album sessions, as a trial recording session which resulted in Clink getting the producer gig; and “Move To The City (1988 Acoustic Version)” which was from the GN’R Lies sessions.

Watch the Locked N’ Loaded edition unboxing video

Watch the lyric video for “Shadow Of Your Love”

Additional highlights of the unreleased audio include the first two work-in-progress recording attempts of the 1991 epic masterpiece “November Rain” which was originally penned as the ballad for Appetite, covers of songs like Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” Aerosmith’s “Mama Kin,” two distinctly different recordings of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (one electric, one acoustic) and two never finished tracks/jams “The Plague” and “New Work Tune.”

See below for track listings.

On the vinyl front, the original Appetite For Destruction album has been broadened to 2LPs for the first time, including expanded gatefold jacket art and a limited-edition foil printed plastic slipcase. The music itself is being presented on three sides only for maximum audio fidelity, with the fourth side featuring a vinyl Hologroove Hologram of the band’s iconic logo. Seven 7-inch singles are also included: the five original singles from the album, plus one for “Patience” and a new song, the aforementioned “Shadow Of Your Love.” All of the bonus tracks appearing on 12-inch vinyl will only be available in the Locked N’ Loaded Edition box including a reissue of the band’s first EP Live ?!«@ Like A Suicide.

The Blu-ray Audio disc contains the 12 tracks from the original album as newly mixed in glorious 96kHz 24-bit 5.1 surround sound from the original multi-tracks by legendary producer Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, Eagles), plus 5 bonus tracks mixed in 5.1 surround sound by both Scheiner and Frank Filipetti (Billy Joel, Elton John). Additionally, the Blu-ray includes four iconic GN’R music videos that have been newly sync’d to both remastered stereo audio and new 5.1 surround sound mixes, plus a brand-new video for “It’s So Easy” that was shot in 1989 by the band but was never completely finished — until now in 4K HD from 16mm film transfers.

Exclusive collectibles inside the box include a dozen 12×12-inch lithos of new illustrations visualizing each Appetite track, five custom buttons with various band logos, five custom hand-sculpted metal-cast band skull face rings, five custom hand-sculpted metal-cast band skull face lapel pins, a replica of the band’s first stage banner from the ’85/’86 club days, a bandana, a 2-inch collector’s coin with unique imagery stamped on both sides, two 24×36-inch wall posters, a 12×24-inch Robert Williams painting litho, five never-before-seen band lithos, six replica gig flyers, three replicas of classic show ticket stubs, two temporary tattoo sheets featuring life-size tattoos of the band members’ tats, six iron-on stitched patches, five metal-stamped guitar picks of the band skull faces with stamped signatures on the back, a turntable mat, a microfiber vinyl cleaning cloth, a 7-inch large-hole custom adapter, and finally, a 32gb metal-cast USB stick with 192kHz/24-bit, 96kHz/24-bit, and 44.1kHz/16-bit uncompressed audio files of all of the tracks included on the four CDs. Phew!

The next leg of the highly successful and anticipated World Tour continues in Europe in July 2018. The tour resumes in November. Tickets are available here and here.

CD 2 – B-Sides N’ EPs: Remastered
1. Reckless Life
2. Nice Boys
3. Move To The City (Live)
4. Mama Kin
5. Shadow Of Your Love (Live)
6. You’re Crazy (Acoustic Version)
7. Patience
8. Used To Love Her
9. You’re Crazy
10. It’s So Easy (Live)
11. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Live)
12. Whole Lotta Rosie (Live)

CD 3 – 1986 Sound City Session (Previously unreleased)

1. Welcome To The Jungle (1986 Sound City Session)
2. Nightrain (1986 Sound City Session)
3. Out Ta Get Me (1986 Sound City Session)
4. Paradise City (1986 Sound City Session)
5. My Michelle (1986 Sound City Session)
6. Think About You (1986 Sound City Session)
7. You’re Crazy (1986 Sound City Session)
8. Anything Goes (1986 Sound City Session)
9. Rocket Queen (1986 Sound City Session)
10. Shadow Of Your Love (1986 Sound City Session)
11. Heartbreak Hotel (1986 Sound City Session)
12. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986 Sound City Session)

CD 4 – 1986 Sound City Session N’ More (Previously unreleased)

1. Shadow Of Your Love
2. Move To The City (1986 Sound City Session)
3. Ain’t Goin’ Down No More (Instrumental Version – 1986 Sound City Session)
4. The Plague (1986 Sound City Session)
5. Nice Boys (1986 Sound City Session)
6. Back Off Bitch (1986 Sound City Session)
7. Reckless Life (1986 Sound City Session)
8. Mama Kin (1986 Sound City Session)
9. New Work Tune (1986 Sound City Session)
10. November Rain (Piano Version – 1986 Sound City Session)
11. Move To The City (Acoustic Version – 1986 Sound City Session)
12. You’re Crazy (Acoustic Version – 1986 Sound City Session)
13. November Rain (Acoustic Version – 1986 Sound City Session)
14. Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Acoustic Version- 1986 Sound City Session)
15. Move To The City (1988 Acoustic Version)

Disc 5 – Blu-Ray Audio
96kHz 24-bit 5.1 Surround Sound & Remastered Stereo
5.1 Surround Sound mixed by *Elliot Scheiner and **Frank Filipetti
Includes the Appetite album plus previously unreleased tracks

Bonus Tracks
1. Shadow Of Your Love**
2. Patience*
3. Used To Love Her**
4. You’re Crazy**
5. Move To The City (1988 Acoustic Version)**

Music Videos
1. Welcome To The Jungle
2. Sweet Child O’ Mine
3. Paradise City
4. Patience
5. It’s So Easy (Brand new video from 1989)