Marseilles

The song "Marseilles," covered by L.A. Guns on their 2004 album Rips The Covers Off, is a rendition of a track originally by the Australian band Angel City (also known as The Angels in Australia). This high-energy cover showcases L.A. Guns’ ability to infuse their signature hard rock sound into classic tracks, with Phil Lewis’ gritty vocals and Stacey Blades’ searing guitar work breathing new life into the song. According to fan discussions on platforms like Metal Odyssey, the band’s take on "Marseilles" is often praised for its raw power and fidelity to the original’s spirit, with some fans even arguing it rivals the Angel City version. In a 2004 interview snippet archived on fan forums, Phil Lewis mentioned that the band chose songs for the album that resonated with their own musical roots, noting that "Marseilles" captured the rebellious, streetwise vibe they loved in their formative years. The track’s inclusion on the album was a nod to the band’s influences, blending their Hollywood sleaze with Australian rock’s gritty edge.

Despite the album’s critical reception being mixed due to the absence of founding guitarist Tracii Guns, fans on L.A. Guns’ official Facebook page have shared stories of how "Marseilles" became a standout live track during the band’s 2004-2005 tours. One fan post recalled a Hollywood show where the band extended the song’s outro, letting Blades and drummer Steve Riley trade solos, much to the crowd’s delight. The song’s lyrical themes of urban struggle and defiance resonated with L.A. Guns’ audience, who often saw parallels between the band’s own journey through the music industry’s ups and downs and the song’s narrative. The cover album itself, as noted in a customer review on Amazon, was seen as a celebration of the band’s influences, with "Marseilles" highlighted as a track that captured their ability to make a cover feel like their own.

L.A. Guns was formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by guitarist Tracii Guns and drummer Rob Gardner, emerging from the vibrant Sunset Strip scene that birthed many iconic hard rock and glam metal bands. Initially called Pyrrhus, the band included singer Mike Jagosz and bassist Ole Beich, but after a brief merger with Hollywood Rose to form Guns N’ Roses in 1985, Tracii Guns reformed L.A. Guns with a new lineup featuring vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarist Mick Cripps, bassist Kelly Nickels, and drummer Steve Riley. This “classic” lineup solidified their sound, blending raw punk energy with polished hard rock, as detailed in their biography on their official website. Their 1988 self-titled debut and 1989’s Cocked & Loaded, which went gold and platinum respectively, established them as a force in the genre, with hits like “The Ballad of Jayne” showcasing their knack for blending melody with edge.

The band’s early days were marked by relentless gigging at venues like The Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy, where they honed their live performance style, as Tracii Guns recalled in a 2010 interview shared on the fan site Sleaze Roxx. Despite lineup changes over the decades, including Tracii’s departure before Rips The Covers Off, L.A. Guns has maintained a loyal fanbase, evident in the active L.A. Guns Fan Group on Facebook. The band’s resilience is also reflected in their continued touring and recording, with their latest updates shared on Instagram and X, where they post about new music and tour dates. Fans can also connect through unofficial sites like Encyclopaedia Metallum, which chronicles their discography and history, keeping the spirit of the Sunset Strip alive for Zoo Freaks and beyond.