26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
#53
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#55
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Funny thing is, Metallica followed a similar path in the same timeframe from AJFA in 1988 to the black album in 1991. And yet, even though I didn't like the change to their sound at the time, it's hard to deny the black album is a touchstone in metal and contains almost no filler. Of course then they released their equivalent of UYI with Load and Reload, and I'm not even sure there are 12 good tracks on those two combined, but that's a discussion for another thread.
#58
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#60
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
This thread made me go back and re-visit these albums. I'm definitely not a fan of guns n roses but I think there are some amazing songs on both of these albums and like Hokeyboy said....should have been one album.
It's crazy how some great songs are on albums with such shitty ones as well.
It's crazy how some great songs are on albums with such shitty ones as well.
#62
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Civil War is probably one of the best songs GnR ever recorded. It's easily the best song off of either album. And strangely enough, was released a year before either album dropped. As it was the last song to feature Adler on drums, I'm assuming it wasn't part of the album sessions proper... which, given the overall quality of the Use Your Illusion records, makes perfect sense.
#63
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Civil War is probably one of the best songs GnR ever recorded. It's easily the best song off of either album. And strangely enough, was released a year before either album dropped. As it was the last song to feature Adler on drums, I'm assuming it wasn't part of the album sessions proper... which, given the overall quality of the Use Your Illusion records, makes perfect sense.
Always sounded like a "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" retread to me. Never cared for it.
EDIT: I misread your post thinking you meant it was better than anything on Appetite too.
#64
Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Was I the only one really disappointed in those when they came out? Sure there are a few good songs, but the bad ones are REALLY bad. I've literally blocked most of it out of my memory, very few of those song titles you guys listed seem familiar to me (besides the few that were on MTV constantly). They deserved to break up after releasing that, imho.
Nope I thought there was a 6 good songs between the both. If I never hear November Rain again that would be fine with me.
Last edited by d2cheer; 09-26-17 at 01:28 PM.
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Civil War is probably one of the best songs GnR ever recorded. It's easily the best song off of either album. And strangely enough, was released a year before either album dropped. As it was the last song to feature Adler on drums, I'm assuming it wasn't part of the album sessions proper... which, given the overall quality of the Use Your Illusion records, makes perfect sense.
#66
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
You Could Be Mine also came out long before the albums given it was tied to T2. Like Civil War it sounds much different, and is far better, than most of the others songs on either album.
As for being disappointed in the albums, I do remember being bummed that two of the songs were covers. Which of course was nothing compared to the follow up album being nothing but cover songs.
As for being disappointed in the albums, I do remember being bummed that two of the songs were covers. Which of course was nothing compared to the follow up album being nothing but cover songs.
#67
Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Yes, unfortunately this was back when you bought albums for albums. You listened to every song, you judged every song, etc.
Now it's I just want a couple songs off the album. Releasing UYI I and II would never work in today's world. Leave it to Axl and the record companies to make as much money as possible.
Also, I agree on the You Could Be Mine and Civil War. Those songs are stand outs and they were done well before the albums released. They are the only songs in my rotation from that era other than a couple songs from the Lies album.
Now it's I just want a couple songs off the album. Releasing UYI I and II would never work in today's world. Leave it to Axl and the record companies to make as much money as possible.
Also, I agree on the You Could Be Mine and Civil War. Those songs are stand outs and they were done well before the albums released. They are the only songs in my rotation from that era other than a couple songs from the Lies album.
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
You Could Be Mine also came out long before the albums given it was tied to T2. Like Civil War it sounds much different, and is far better, than most of the others songs on either album.
As for being disappointed in the albums, I do remember being bummed that two of the songs were covers. Which of course was nothing compared to the follow up album being nothing but cover songs.
As for being disappointed in the albums, I do remember being bummed that two of the songs were covers. Which of course was nothing compared to the follow up album being nothing but cover songs.
Use Your Illusion II came out on 9/17/91 and T2 on 6/3 (wide release) and the soundtrack itself on 7/1. So it was only a few months.
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Yeah, those are all pretty old songs. You Could Be Mine was originally slated to appear on Appetite. I've seen a video of GNR performing an accoustic set before they were even popular and it included a rendition of Don't Cry. And Axl was working on November Rain for years, I remember buying a bootleg CD of demos back in 1989 and it included a nice rendition of November Rain that was just Axl singing and playing the piano (not sure what year it was recorded).
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#71
Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
I always really dug "So Fine" , "14 Years" and "Yesterdays" especially for the Izzy and Duff vocals on the former two. Neither are great singers, but I love both of their voices.
#72
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Back when many bands used to essentially put out an album every year, three months is long time. Anyway, the point was that we had heard You Could Be Mine months before the album release and I would have been very bummed had they not included that song on one of the two albums. Just like Civil War.
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Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Back when many bands used to essentially put out an album every year, three months is long time. Anyway, the point was that we had heard You Could Be Mine months before the album release and I would have been very bummed had they not included that song on one of the two albums. Just like Civil War.
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#75
Re: 26th Anniversary: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion I & 2
Hard to believe it's been almost 27 years since Use Your Illusion I & II came out back in September '91. I remember their release as if it were yesterday - I had just started my first semester of college & was rapidly losing interest in G N'R - after having been a huge fan of theirs from around 1988 - 1990. However, I still had a passing interest in the band, and the release of these albums was so well advertised that if you were a music fan at all, you would have to be living under a rock to be unaware that these had been released.
If these albums had come out a year (or more) earlier than they did, I would have been all over them. However, as it was, by September '91 I was getting more into the alternative/progressive music that was big at the time, and as such didn't even buy these albums when they came out. I considered doing so, but didn't have much money (being a poor college student). Also, I read a review of both albums in Rolling Stone magazine (a magazine I had a lot of respect for), which basically stated that they could easily have put the best songs from each album on one CD, instead of releasing two (After hearing the albums years later, I completely agree with this assessment). In any case, releasing two albums - when one would easily have been enough - was an obvious, blatant money-grab. I.e., if you bought one you would almost certainly want to buy the other.
So, over the years my only real exposure to the album at the time were the songs they played on the radio.
However, I eventually bought both albums circa 2008. And, overall, felt they were decent. Yes, there are definitely some strong, solid songs on both, including "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "You Could Be Mine", "Civil War", "November Rain", "Right Next Door to Hell", "Pretty Tied Up", etc. However, there are a lot of just OK songs, and definitely some terrible songs - all of which would probably fit better on a "B-sides" CD - for the hardcore fans.
If these albums had come out a year (or more) earlier than they did, I would have been all over them. However, as it was, by September '91 I was getting more into the alternative/progressive music that was big at the time, and as such didn't even buy these albums when they came out. I considered doing so, but didn't have much money (being a poor college student). Also, I read a review of both albums in Rolling Stone magazine (a magazine I had a lot of respect for), which basically stated that they could easily have put the best songs from each album on one CD, instead of releasing two (After hearing the albums years later, I completely agree with this assessment). In any case, releasing two albums - when one would easily have been enough - was an obvious, blatant money-grab. I.e., if you bought one you would almost certainly want to buy the other.
So, over the years my only real exposure to the album at the time were the songs they played on the radio.
However, I eventually bought both albums circa 2008. And, overall, felt they were decent. Yes, there are definitely some strong, solid songs on both, including "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "You Could Be Mine", "Civil War", "November Rain", "Right Next Door to Hell", "Pretty Tied Up", etc. However, there are a lot of just OK songs, and definitely some terrible songs - all of which would probably fit better on a "B-sides" CD - for the hardcore fans.
Last edited by TheDude; 05-14-18 at 09:20 AM.