"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song written and sung by Bob Dylan, for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single, it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Described by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin as "an exercise in splendid simplicity," the song, measured simply in terms of the number of other artists who have covered it, is one of Dylan's most popular post-1960s compositions.

Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

Storyline and song structure

The song describes the collapse of a deputy sheriff; dying from a bullet wound, he tells his wife "Mama, take this badge off of me; I can't use it anymore." The song consists of four chords in the key of G major: G, D, Am7, and C. The basic pattern throughout the song is G-D-Am7-Am7 and then G-D-C-C, and this is repeated. Over the years, Dylan has changed the lyrics, as have others who have performed this song.

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, Use Your Illusion–era keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Chris Pitman. The band has released six studio albums, accumulating sales of more than 100 million records worldwide, including shipments of 45 million in the United States, making Guns N' Roses one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.

Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 18, 1986 through Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Recording sessions took place between January and July 1986 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada.

Slippery When Wet was an instant commercial success. The album features songs that are today considered Bon Jovi's most well-known tracks, such as the singles "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive".

The album spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was named by Billboard as the top-selling album of 1987.Slippery When Wet is the band's best-selling album to date, with an RIAA certification of 12× Platinum, making it one of the top 100 best-selling album in the United States. The album was featured in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Background

Despite the moderate success of 7800° Fahrenheit, Bon Jovi had not yet become the superstars they had hoped. This made them change their approach for the next album, going for a more mainstream sound than their heavier first two albums. Hiring professional songwriter Desmond Child as a collaborator, the group wrote 30 songs and auditioned them for local New Jersey (including recording artist and Phantom's Opera vocalist Colie Brice) and New York teenagers, basing the album's running order on their opinions. Bruce Fairbairn was chosen as the main producer of the album, with Bob Rock as the mixer. The 1985 album Without Love which Fairbairn produced for Black 'N Blue, attracted Jon Bon Jovi for its sound quality, and he immediately sought out the producer.

Guns N' Roses is a pinball machine based on the rock group Guns N' Roses.

Gameplay

The artwork features photos by Robert John from his book Guns N' Roses: The Photographic History. This game is a widebody pinball game with several unique twists. Among them, is an old fashioned revolver, which players use to start the game as opposed to the typical plunger. When a quarter is inserted, the band's famous "Welcome to the Jungle" song (recorded from a concert) play. Also included on the soundtrack is the Use Your Illusion outtake "Ain't Going Down," which is the only official release of the song. The backdrop is illuminated with lights in the shape of the famous Guns N' Roses seal, and Axl Rose's tattoos, featured in the Appetite for Destruction album artwork. The multi-ball can be activated when the yellow light is lit on the G ramp, this will open a trap door and send the ball into the snake pit (if the ball is shot up the ramp which is a hard shot), pulling the rose plunger will then activate the multi-ball. An "R" ramp is also featured completing the "GN'R" logo. The game play is a mode-based game not unlike that of The Addams Family, Jurassic Park, or Tommy. The machine also uses magnets as ball stoppers, a feature that was used previously on "The Addams Family", and a video mode for extra points.

Coordinates: 52°47′38″N 2°59′35″W / 52.794°N 2.993°W / 52.794; -2.993

Knockin is a village and civil parish lying on the B4396 some 8 km south-east of the town of Oswestry in north-west Shropshire, England.

History

The former name of Knockin was Cnukyn. The village comprises mainly historic detached buildings in a rural setting. Much of Knockin was owned by the Earl of Bradford until it was sold off in lots to meet other financial demands. The Earl still owns the cricket pitch and other small pockets of land in the area. The local public house is called the Bradford Arms and displays the Bradford family coat of arms. The pub also has a clock with three faces, hung outside above the main entrance. The motto displayed on the sign is that of the Bridgeman family Earls of Bradford "Nec temere nec timide" (Neither rashly nor timidly).

Knockin Castle

All that remains of Knockin Castle today is a large tree-covered mound of earth. The castle was of a motte and bailey design and was constructed between 1154-1160 under the authority of Guy le Strange. Ownership remained with the family for much of the Middle Ages but by 1540 it was described as "ruinous". Like most Shropshire castles which are now only marked by grassy sites, its stones live on in a number of buildings in the area.