Appetite for Destruction is indeed one hell of an album, and the bonus tracks that arrive with this Locked N’ Loaded box set (and the less-pricey ‘deluxe’ edition of this reissue) really are great — strong classic rock tracks with blues and glam rock flourishes that add context to the complete Appetite experience.

Even the remastered version of the original album does more than be a compulsory entry; brimming with tiny details that act as more than mere gimmicks, providing different nuances to these tracks that are so ingrained in rock ‘n’ roll history — these remastered versions enhance the experience without sounding overly polished. Harmonies pop out more, as do the guitar and bass licks.

The ultimate box set version includes that remaster of Appetite; a disc of B-side tracks; a demo recorded in 1986 at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles as an audition of sorts for a producer who was considered for Appetite but did not end up doing so; two previously unreleased songs from sessions recorded with producer Mike Clink (who produced Appetite); and a Blu-Ray with music videos including a previously unreleased one for “It’s So Easy” — capturing the band in all its sweaty, poodle-haired glory.

In a set like this, it’s not just music that is just the selling point, of course. There’s a hardcover book filled with historical goodies, including personal photos from frontman Axl Rose’s personal vault; six lithographs; three very authentic-looking replicas of old school concert tickets; a replica of a flyer drawn by guitar player Slash to invite people to come as extras to their video shoot for “Welcome to the Jungle”; a poster; and even temporary band tattoos.

All of this is boxed in a large chest drawer that will certainly be a striking addition to any music collection. Apart from the above, it also houses collectables such as guitar picks, buttons and rings — all embossed with Appetite-related graphics.

It’s all admittedly a very strong package. But the true value comes from the music, and in this Appetite still delivers.

Thirty years on from its original release date, the album still sounds urgent and menacing. The big hits “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Paradise City” are as immediate as ever — melodically, rhythmically, and with all the elements that would make Guns ‘N’ Roses ... well, Guns ‘N’ Roses.

From Slash’s solos, which are often as melodically eventful as the lead vocal lines, to Axl Rose’s love-it-or-hate-it-it’s-iconic voice.

Of course, it’s not just those two that made Appetite a lightning in a bottle moment; the kind that even the band, already with a different line-up by their second full length, could not replicate. The drumming of Steven Adler provides the perfect amount of swagger and sleaze that the drummers that came after him could never embody, no matter their more-able technicality.

The way Adler carries the rhythm while adding a swinging, almost drunken, momentum is uncanny. The cowbells and the washes of cymbals sparkle with glee, providing these songs — almost all of which embody the darkness of the band’s drugs-and-overindulgence-of-hedonism time then — with joy.

Paired with bassist Duff McKagan’s solid rhythms — and simple yet effective fills, such as the famous bassline in “Sweet Child O’ Mine” — Guns had an underlying solidness that mashed perfectly with its more unpredictable side.

Izzy Stradlin, the band’s mysterious quite George Harrison, glues it all together with rhythm guitars that serve up everything from efficient strumming to jagged rhythms that punch-and-pull with precision. Listen to his playing in “Jungle” and see how effectively he works the basic dynamics of that massive Guns hit.

Aside from the “hits”, the album is arguably a flawless summary of 80s rock, with doses of the burgeoning hair metal and hints of glam punk throughout. “It’s So Easy” remains one of the band’s best tracks in its lurching danger (gross misogynist lyrics aside); “Mr. Brownstone” is almost danceable in its blues-rock shuffle; “Rocket Queen” is a glam spectacle of sex and lust; “Nighttrain” is all energy, unforgettable guitar riffs and melodic twists that swell and swell.

The Sound City sessions make it clear that under any production, these songs soared. The outtakes — “Shadow Of Your Love”, the rough versions of eventual hits like “November Rain” and acoustic takes of songs like “You’re Crazy” — are contextual documentation of the band and of the era, but are also showcase of the stars aligning, with each band member complimenting each other with musical immediacy.

They even already sound like Guns in the early Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stone covers, showing how high the band was reaching and how they pictured their own legacy. These bonuses come in audio quality that are for the most part, good-to-very-good — rough by a dusty clarity of age to it.

Even those who despise Guns’ embrace of the worst side of rock ‘n’ roll clichés (sexism, homophobia, hedonism and eventually, with popularity and richness, over self-indulgence), there is no denying the purity of Appetite’s sentiment.

These were five of the coolest looking guys on and from the street, making raw rock ‘n’ roll that was perfect in every way. That the songs are all catchy as hell, with nary a filler to be found makes it easy to crown it one of the best rock albums of all time.

***

The various sets can be purchased through gunsnroses.com 

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