L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the self-titled debut from the American glam metal band, released on 4 January 1988 on Vertigo. It was recorded at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles with Jim Faraci producing. It is the only L.A. Guns record to feature drummer Nickey "Beat" Alexander, who was replaced by Steve Riley before it came out. Three singles followed: "One More Reason", "Sex Action" and "Electric Gypsy".
The songs come from the band's early years, with writing credits shared by all five members and former vocalist Paul Black. Two covers of songs from members' earlier projects sit alongside them. The album reached number 50 on the Billboard 200 in April 1988 and went gold in 1993. Critics have praised its balance of commercial songs and heavier cuts, and Metal Hammer named it among ten hair metal albums worth owning in 2017.
L.A. Guns: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 37:00Tracklist
- 1No MercyAlexander, Black, Cripps, Guns, Lewis2:47
- 2Sex ActionBlack, Guns, Lewis3:42
- 3One More ReasonBlack, Guns, Lewis3:07
- 4Electric GypsyTracii Guns and Phil Lewis3:25
- 5Nothing to LoseBlack, Cripps, Lewis, Stoddard4:11
- 6Bitch Is BackBlack, Cripps, Guns, Lewis2:53
- 7Cry No MoreTracii Guns1:19
- 8One Way TicketPaul Black and Tracii Guns4:20
- 9Hollywood TeasePhil Collen and Phil Lewis2:52
- 10Shoot for ThrillsKelly Nickels4:30
- 11Down in the CityTracii Guns and Kelly Nickels3:55
- Produced by
- Jim Faraci
- Recorded at
- The Village Recorder, (West Los Angeles, California)
- Recorded
- June–August 1987
- Engineered by
- Charlie Brocco, Jim Faraci
- Label
- Vertigo
- Length
- 37:00
Line-up
- Nickey “Beat” Alexander · drums (drum set)
- Mick Cripps · guitar
- Tracii Guns · guitar
- Kelly Nickels · bass guitar
- Phil Lewis · lead vocals
Singles
- “One More Reason”
- “Sex Action”
- “Electric Gypsy”
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1988 | 73 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1988 | 67 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1988 | 88 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States · 1993 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
More from L.A. Guns
Full discography →
The best of 1988
All of 1988 →
More on Vertigo
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 4 January 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 4 January 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 1988 | |
| US release | 4 January 1988 | earliest US date |
9 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | US | Vertigo | other | |
| 1988 | US | Vertigo | 042283414419 | other |
| 4 January 1988 | US | Vertigo | 0042283414426 | original |
| 1989 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011317088 | other |
| 21 October 1993 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011338380 | other |
| 18 September 2001 | US | — | other | |
| 27 October 2017 | XE | Music on CD | 0600753724750 | other |
| — | — | Polydor | 0004228341442 | other |
| — | — | — | 00042283414426 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 240×240 | upscaled |