38.
GUNS N’ ROSES
USE YOUR ILLUSION IHard Rock / Heavy Metalreleased September 17th, 1991
by Geffen Records
1. Right Next Door to Hell [3:02]
2. Dust N’ Bones [4:58]
3. Live and Let Die
(Paul McCartney and Wings cover) [3:04]
4. Don’t Cry (original) [4:44]
5. Perfect Crime [2:23]
6. You Ain’t the First [2:36]
7. Bad Obsession [5:28]
8. Back Off Bitch [5:03]
9. Double Talkin’ Jive [3:23]
10. November Rain [8:57]
11. The Garden [5:22]
12. Garden of Eden [2:41]
13. Don’t Damn Me [5:18]
14. Bad Apples [4:28]
15. Dead Horse [4:17]
16. Coma [10:13]
USE YOUR ILLUSION I is
W. Axl Rose (Lead and backing vocals / Piano / Synthesizer / Acoustic guitar)
Slash (Lead, rhythm, acoustic, slide, classical guitars / Dobro / Bass / Backing vocals)
Izzy Stradlin (Lead, rhythm, acoustic guitars / Backing vocals / Lead vocals on 2, 6, 9)
Duff McKagan (Bass / Backing vocals / Acoustic guitar)
Matt Sorum (Drums / Percussion / Backing vocals)
Dizzy Reed (Keyboards / Backing vocals)
WITHAlice Cooper (Lead vocals on 11)
Shannon Hoon (Lead vocals on 4 / Backing vocals on 3, 6, 10, 11 /)
Johann Langlie (Programming on 3, 10, 12 / Sound effects on 16)
Bruce Foster (Sound effects on 16)
Michael Monroe (Harmonica, saxophone on 7)
Reba Shaw (Backing vocals on 10)
Stuart Bailey (Backing vocals on 10)
Jon Thautwein (Horn on 3)
Matthew McKagan (Horn on 3)
Rachel West (Horn on 3)
Robert Clark (Horn on 3)
Tim Doyle (Tambourine on 6)
West Arkeen (Acoustic guitar on 11)
Yeah this is another lengthy writeup. I grew up with GnR, damn it, and I will SPEAK!
The history of GnR and the recording of the UYI albums is fascinating to me. Matt Sorum gets to shine because there’s so much variety across both records, and Steven Adler only gets credit for the paltry single he played on, “Civil War.” Drugs are bad, mkay? As for that “November Rain” drum fill, it was a conscious decision by Axl to repeat that. “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain” are actually part of a loosely related musical trilogy, and the third part is “Estranged” on Use Your Illusion II. You can hear that same drum fill in “Estranged,” and kinda-sorta hear it in “Don’t Cry.” Good stuff.
The introduction of Dizzy Reed was a point of contention for the guitarists in the band, especially Slash, who didn’t want a pianist joining the fold, but I think Dizzy’s playing adds a very cool old school rock element to the mix that the album benefits from in a big way. “Dust N’ Bones” just wouldn’t sound the same without him. Although “November Rain” is played by Axl, and it’s funny on the UYI concert films when you see Dizzy play a tambourine for half the show, I still love his work in the band on these albums.
Axl’s voice is the best voice in rock and roll and nothing will change my opinion on that; I love how he can croon and sing gently, but in an instant can turn on the rasp and grow seamlessly into a banshee-like roar. Pair that with some emotionally charged, deep lyrics and you got yourself a badass singer. I love everything here and Axl’s a big part of that, but Izzy Stradlin also gets the spotlight for a few songs and he’s always good on those bluesier tracks. Even Alice Cooper gets in on the action and has a killer guest spot on “The Garden.”
“Coma” is one of the finest rock epics I’ve ever heard, and it’s almost mythical status for a lot of GnR fans having only ever been played four times (maybe five? I can’t recall if they played it in the last couple years). It’s a journey. The last few minutes have a relentless energy that builds and builds; Axl’s voice gets stronger and steadily rises while underneath Slash plays a solo that grows and grows until the band explodes in the last couple bars, with the guitar carrying the song home by imitating a flatlining heart monitor. Amazing. A real gem that I think everybody should listen to.
In Summary: One of the best rock albums, from the best rock band on the planet, in my opinion. I love everything about GnR, from the members to the attitude to the most overlooked lyrics. Use Your Illusion I is the angrier half of the two records, but also has some of the band’s most beautiful and most impressive moments. It irrationally bothers me when people slam these albums for not being Appetite, or for somehow not sounding like GnR, which I just don’t understand. It’s 100% rock and roll, but the band is creative enough to throw in all sorts of new elements to make this record stand on its own and not just be another fun hard rock record like Appetite. There’s a darkness bubbling just beneath the surface of this record and would explode not long after its release. I’m not as angry as I was when I was a teenager, but I still hold on to some of that attitude, and this record is still fun as hell to play.
Katt’s Favorites: Dust N’ Bones,
Back Off Bitch,
The Garden,
Dead Horse,
ComaListen to "Use Your Illusion I" by Guns N' Roses on Spotify except Bad Obsession and The Garden aren't available here for some reason