Artist · chart history
LA Guns
Band Los Angeles United States Formed 1983
LA Guns formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, United States. LA Guns has 10 chart appearances on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 1990–2002. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Ballad of Jayne”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #233. The station that charted LA Guns most often is Z-Rock (United States (syndicated network)), with 8 appearances.
L.A. Guns have a family tree that tangles right into the roots of Los Angeles hard rock. Tracii Guns and drummer Rob Gardner started the band in Los Angeles in 1983, with Axl Rose among the singers who passed through, and in March 1985 it merged with Hollywood Rose to become Guns N' Roses. Tracii didn't last long there, and he rebuilt L.A. Guns with singer Paul Black, bassist Mick Cripps, guitarist Robert Stoddard and drummer Nickey Alexander.
The lineup that mattered came together soon after. Phil Lewis, once of Girl, took over the mike, Kelly Nickels came over from Faster Pussycat on bass and ex-W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley took the stool. The 1988 debut, L.A. Guns, is sleaze rock with its boots on: "Sex Action", "One More Reason", "Electric Gypsy" and "No Mercy" snarl and strut, all Tracii's greasy riffs and Lewis's streetwise yowl. Cocked & Loaded followed in 1989 with "Never Enough" and "Rip and Tear", and "Ballad of Jayne" gave them a slower side.
After that came moderate success and a revolving door of members. The classic lineup reunited in 1999, Tracii left in 2002 to form Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx, and for years two rival versions of L.A. Guns toured under the name. Riley died in 2023.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by LA Guns on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballad of Jayne | 2 | #233 | – | – | |
| 2 | Never Enough | 2 | #556 | – | – | |
| 3 | Sex Action | 1 | #394 | – | – | |
| 4 | One More Reason | 1 | #492 | – | – | |
| 5 | Electric Gypsy | 1 | #608 | – | – | |
| 6 | Bitch is Back | 1 | #680 | – | – | |
| 7 | No Mercy | 1 | #796 | – | – | |
| 8 | Rip and Tear | 1 | #874 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 290 | Ballad of Jayne | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) |
| 2002 | 556 | Never Enough | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) |
| 1990 | 233 | Ballad of Jayne | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 394 | Sex Action | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 492 | One More Reason | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 608 | Electric Gypsy | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 647 | Never Enough | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 680 | Bitch is Back | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 796 | No Mercy | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 874 | Rip and Tear | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
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