Given the incendiary, fragile alchemy that made them such an explosively brilliant band, it’s no surprise that it took a few attempts to get the classic Guns N’Roses line-up right. It was a formula they had been trying to get right over the course of a few years, first with Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin’s band Hollywood Rose and then as they merged with fellow Los Angeles band L.A. Guns in early 1985. But still, something was amiss.
The line-up took its first steps towards their definitive crew with the addition of bassist Duff McKagan shortly before their first gig as Guns N’Roses at the Troubadour in March 1985. This version of the quintet did not last long, though. Instead, with a short tour of the Pacific Northwest planned for early summer fast approaching, it all looked like it might fall to pieces when lead guitarist Tracii and drummer Rob Gardner departed on the eve of the booked dates.
