Editing Appetite for Destruction (section)

==Artwork==
The album's original [[cover art]] was based on [[Robert Williams (artist)|Robert Williams]]' painting ''Appetite for Destruction''. It depicted a robotic rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger. After several music retailers refused to stock the album, some Geffen executives compromised and put the [[history of controversial album art|controversial cover art]] inside, replacing it with an image depicting a Celtic cross and skulls representing each of the five band members (top skull: [[Izzy Stradlin]], left skull: [[Steven Adler]], center skull: [[Axl Rose]], right skull: [[Duff McKagan]], and bottom skull: [[Slash (musician)|Slash]]). In a 2016 interview, Billy White Jr., who designed the tattoo with the cross and skulls upon which the album artwork was based, explained: "The cross and skulls that looked like the band was Axl's idea, the rest was me. The knot work in the cross was a reference to [[Thin Lizzy]], a band Axl and I both loved."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Redding|first1=Dan|title=The Story of Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction' Album Cover|url=http://www.culturecreature.com/appetite-for-destruction-cover-art-guns-n-roses/|website=Culture Creature|access-date=June 24, 2016|archive-date=June 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627175456/http://www.culturecreature.com/appetite-for-destruction-cover-art-guns-n-roses/|url-status=live}}</ref> The original cover was supposed to be on the 2008 vinyl reissue of the album, though executives replaced it with the "skulls" art at the last minute.<ref name="musicstak.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicstack.com/articles/historic-controversial-album-covers-part-two |title=Album cover info at |publisher=Musicstack.com |date=February 9, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2010 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817010302/http://www.musicstack.com/articles/historic-controversial-album-covers-part-two |archive-date=August 17, 2010 }}</ref> The photographs used for the back of the album and liner notes were taken by [[Robert John (photographer)|Robert John]], Marc Canter, Jack Lue, Leonard McCardie, and Greg Freeman.

The band stated the original artwork was "a symbolic social statement, with the robot representing the industrial system that's raping and polluting our environment."<ref name="AfDcover">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-16-ca-1533-story.html |title=Geffen's Guns N' Roses Fires A Volley At PMRC |last1=Goldstein |first1=Patrick |date=August 16, 1987 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 9, 2015 |archive-date=June 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623121611/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-16/entertainment/ca-1533_1_artwork |url-status=live }}</ref> In albums which were issued on double sided media (vinyl records and audio cassettes), the two sides were labeled "G" and "R", rather than the conventional "A" and "B". Tracks 1–6, which compose side "G", all deal with drugs and hard life in the big city ("Guns" side). The remaining tracks, which compose side "R", all deal with love, sex, and relationships ("Roses" side). In an interview with ''[[That Metal Show]]'' in 2011, Rose stated his initial idea was for the cover art to be the photo of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] exploding that was on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 1986, but Geffen rejected the idea, saying it was "in bad taste".<ref>{{cite web|last=Sciarretto|first=Amy|title='That Metal Show' Recap: Axl Rose Talks Lateness, Slash + Original 'Appetite' Cover|url=http://loudwire.com/that-metal-show-recap-axl-rose-talks-lateness-slash-original-appetite-cover/|work=[[Loudwire]]|date=November 12, 2011|access-date=July 8, 2014|archive-date=August 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815022231/http://loudwire.com/that-metal-show-recap-axl-rose-talks-lateness-slash-original-appetite-cover/|url-status=live}}</ref>