Following the huge success of ‘Appetite For Destruction’, fans, media and the world in general waited to see what Guns N’ Roses would come up with next – it was to be a very long wait!
On 16th September 1992 - four years after the release of ‘Appetite’, Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 were simultaneously ... Read review
Had Use Your Illusion II been combined with Use Your Illusion I, keeping only the best ... more
material while dropping the filler, it would have been one of the best rock albums ever recorded. Instead, great songs like "Civil War", "14 Years", "Estranged", and...
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Tracks comprise: 1. Introduction 2. You Could Be Mine 3. Drum Solo & Guitar Solo 4. ... more
Theme From "The Godfather" 5. Sweet Child O' Mine 6. So Fine 7. Rocket Queen 8. Move To The City 9. Knockin' On Heaven's Door 10. Estranged 11. Paradise City
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...the release of ‘Appetite’, Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 were simultaneously released. Record stores opened at midnight and the two albums went straight to numbers 2 and 1 (respectively) of the Billboard charts.
There is a huge temptation when reviewing GN’R material, to always make a comparison to Appetite. Appetite is constantly held up as the level by which all future music must be measured. This perhaps is the pitfall of having such ... ...------------------
The Use Your Illusion albums contain a total of 30 tracks, with Use Your Illusion 2 holding 14 of them.
The album opens with ‘Civil War’ a great track that begins with an excerpt from the film ‘Cool Hand Luke’ followed by some nice whistling by Axl.
The song goes on to be a thought provoking and enjoyable track whose message can be summed up with the lyrics;
Following the huge success of ‘Appetite For Destruction’, fans, media and the world in general waited to see what Guns N’ Roses would come up with next – it was to be a very long wait!
On 16th September 1992 - four years after the release of ‘Appetite’, Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 were simultaneously released. Record stores opened at midnight and the two albums went straight to numbers 2 and 1 (respectively) of the Billboard charts.
There is a huge temptation when reviewing GN’R material, to always make a comparison to Appetite. Appetite is constantly held up as the level by which all future music must be measured. This perhaps is the pitfall of having such a successful debut album.
However, the Use Your Illusion albums are so different to Appetite For Destruction, that such comparisons are pointless. It is true that they lack the rawness that appealed to most Appetite fans, but this is replaced with a sophistication that I for one appreciate. These albums contain great music in its own right, and as such, I will not mention Appetite again for this entire review, other than to say this; If you buy either of these albums expecting to hear a similar sound to that which you undoubtedly enjoyed on Appetite, then you will be disappointed. Okay, on with the review…
OTHERS ------------ Steven Adler: Drums (Civil War) The Waters: Backing Vocals (Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door) Howerd Teman: Piano(So Fine) Shannon Hoon: Vocals (Don’t Cry) Johann Langlie: Keyboards, Drums, Effects (My World)
THE ALBUM ------------------
The Use Your Illusion albums contain a total of 30 tracks, with Use Your Illusion 2 holding 14 of them.
The album opens with ‘Civil War’ a great track that begins with an excerpt from the film ‘Cool Hand Luke’ followed by some nice whistling by Axl. The song goes on to be a thought provoking and enjoyable track whose message can be summed up with the lyrics;
“D’you wear a black armband when they shot the man who said; ‘Peace could last forever’? And in my first memories they shot Kennedy I went numb when I learned to see.”
‘14 Years’ follows, with Izzy Stradlin’ (my favourite GN’R member – oh how I cried when he left!) taking over the vocals. I love this track and always wonder if when Izzy sings about ‘14 years that are gone forever’ he is singing about 14 of the years spent in Axl’s temperamental company!
‘Yesterdays’ has a slightly bluesy feel to it as Axl reminisces on past times. I find this song appeals to me more now I am older, than it did when I was 18 – I guess I have more to be nostalgic about now, perhaps by the time I’m 40 this track will have me wiping a tear!!
“’Cause yesterday’s got nothin’ for me Old pictures that I’ll always see Time just fades the pages In my book of memories.”
A cover of Bob Dyans’ ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’ comes next, and although I enjoy this track live, I always find myself pressing the ‘skip’ button when it comes on my CD player.
Track number 5 is the highly controversial ‘Get In The Ring’. Following the release of the Illusion albums, Guns N’ Roses toured for 2 years straight, on what was known as the Get In The Ring tour. I’ve always found this odd because (to the best of my knowledge, and please, if you know different, do let me know) Get In The Ring was never actually played on the tour! Get In The Ring is GN’R’s retaliation towards “all the punks in the press who want to start shit by printing lies instead of the things we said.” Needless to say, the band received a lot of negative press for this song, which as well as ranting at the media in general, also made personal attacks on Andy Secher at Hit Parader, Circus Magazine, Mick Wall at Kerrang and Bob Guccione Jr. at Spin.
I am not a fan of the media, and fully sympathise with GN’R’s desire to have their say without being censored and edited to suit some editor’s bias of how the band should be represented. Putting aside the politics of the song, this was a great track to have blaring out back when I was 18 – it’s in your face, ballsy angst at its very best, and let’s face it, all teenagers feel this way about something!
Another Axl rant follows with ‘Shotgun Blues’. This song is rumoured to be aimed at Motley Crue’s front-man Vince Neil, with whom Axl had a long running battle.
“you want a confrontation I'll give you every fuckin' chance With your verbal masturbation Me...I just like to dance How's that for provocation? I'm just makin' a stance An I'm tired of the frustration Of livin' inside of your lies And I'm wired on indignation I said somebody's got to die”
Track 7 is ‘Breakdown’ and is one of my favourite songs. A mellow track with thoughtful lyrics that muse on the ironies of life:
“To think the one you love could hurt you now Is a little hard to believe But everybody darlin' sometimes Bites the hand that feeds.”
The relevance of Axl’s recital of an excerpt from the film ‘Vanishing Point’ at the end of this song escapes me, though I’m sure Axl had his reasons and that it is all very meaningful to him!
Written by Izzy Stradlin’, ‘Pretty Tied Up’ (subtitled, The Perils Of Rock ‘N’ Roll Decadence) is one of the only tracks that might not be out of place on that other album that I’m not mentioning for the rest of this review!!!!! It has some great guitaring by Slash and a nice rocking feel to it.
“I know this chick she lives down on Melrose She ain't satisfied without some pain Friday night is goin' up inside her... again Well crack the whip 'Cause that bitch is just insane.”
‘Locomotive’ is 8 minutes and 42 seconds of pure GN’R genius. A love song with some great riffs and even greater lyrics:
“You know I never thought that it could take so long You know I never knew how to be strong Yeah I let you shape me but I feel as though you raped me ‘Cause you climbed inside my world and in my songs.”
‘So Fine’ is both written and sung by Duff McKagan. The track is a tribute to Johnny Thunders; guitarist from The New York Dolls, who died of a methadone overdose. It has some truly touching lyrics, but I’m afraid that for me, Duff should stick to singing the punk tunes that suit his voice.
“It's a story of a man Who works as hard as he can Just to be a man who stands on his own But the book always burns As the story takes its turn And leaves a broken man”
At 9 minutes and 20 seconds, ‘Estranged’ is the longest track on the album, and is worth every second! This is another Axl Rose brainchild, which in my opinion (and as this is my review, my opinion is really the only one that counts!) proves to anyone who ever doubted, that this man, as unpredictable and volatile as he is, has more talent than he has ever really been credited with.
“When I find out all the reasons Maybe I'll find another way Find another day With all the changing seasons of my life Maybe I'll get it right next time An now that you've been broken down Got your head out of the clouds Back down on the ground And you don't talk so loud An you don't walk so proud Anymore.”
‘You Could Be Mine’ was used in the film Terminator 2, and had Arnie in the video. It is hard rock pure and simple. Guns N’ Roses at their back to roots best, and the other track on this album that wouldn’t be out of place on the album that shall not be named!! (in fact, a line from this song can be found on the sleeve of the unmentionable album.)
“I'm a cold heartbreaker fit to burn and I'll rip your heart in two And I'll leave you lyin' on the bed I'll be out the door before you wake It's nothin' new to you 'Cause I think we've seen that movie too.”
An alternative version of ‘Don’t Cry’ is next. This has the same music as the version on UYI 1, but the lyrics are changed. The reason for this? The original Don’t Cry was actually written before (insert name of album that’s not being mentioned here), but the band felt that the track wasn’t quite right for a debut album, so they saved it. By the time the Use Your Illusion’s came into being, Axl no longer felt the lyrics were relevant, and so he re-wrote them. He did a brilliant job and they fit perfectly.
“I thought I could live in your world As years all went by With all the voices I've heard Something has died And when you're in need of someone My heart won't deny you So many seem so lonely With no one left to cry to baby.”
The album ends with ‘My World’, a quick (1.22 min) glimpse into the scary world of W Axl Rose, genius and madman as he invites:
“You wanna step into my world it’s a socio-psychotic state of bliss.”
The final line of this song (and the album) is “Guess what I’m doing now?” Back then, this simple sentence was a tease for all the fans who, basking in the glory of the long awaited Use Your Illusions, couldn’t wait to see what was coming next. But now, this line always makes me a little sad, as I now know what Axl did next – sunk deeper into insanity, alienated the other band members, and then clung desperately to the name Guns N’ Roses – an act that finally caused him to sink in my opinion.
SUMMARY For all you skimmers out there, here’s the nitty gritty – this album is 75 Minutes and 59 Seconds of musical genius. Like all Guns N’ Roses stuff, the album comes adorned with a parental advisory sticker. The sticker on my CD says “This album contains language which some listeners may find objectionable. They can F?!* OFF and buy something from the New Age section” Good advice! If you are easily offended, don’t buy it!
In my opinion, this is the better of the two Use Your Illusion albums, and if you were only going to buy one of them, I would recommend it was this one. That said, I would hate to be without my Use Your Illusion 1, so if you enjoy this album, I heartily recommend getting the other one too.
Available just about anywhere from £7 to around £12, this is quite an old album now, so there is no need to pay more than this for it.
Advantages: Some cracking tunes Disadvantages: A bit overblown in places, My world
...PLEASE READ MY REVIEW FOR USE YOUR ILLUSION 1 FIRST ****
THE BAND
As this is a 2 part review please see my review for Use Your Illusion 1 for band details and history. I don't want to bore you by repeating myself.
THE ALBUM
Use your Illusion 2 Released 1991 on Geffen
Produced by Guns n Roses and Mike Clink.
TRACK LIST
1. Civil War 7.36 mins
This is Roses' bash at an anti-war song and its not a bad effort. It starts with a piece of dialogue ... ...is this S**t? The Use Your Illusions were Axl's babies. I'm sure he saw them as groundbreaking and career defining, so why the hell did he shove this crap at the end? Okay its memorable but for all the wrong reasons. It is just 1.22 mins of arsing about with some synths with some women groaning in the background - really dodgy stuff.
'Guess what I'm doing now' urges Axl at the end. Wouldn't we all like to know Mr. Rose. Where the hell is 'Chinese ...
vicki.lyon 25.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses
Advantages: Knockin' On Heavens Door, Civil War Disadvantages: Track 14 My World
...same day. These albums were Use Your Illusions 1 & 2. My favourite of the 2 being this one and that’s the reason why I’m going to do my Op on it first.
During this album the roles on instruments were taken over by a variety of people whoever those present constantly through the album are Axl Rose and Slash the only two guys many people can ever remember being in Guns ‘n’ Roses. Of course Duff takes on a lot of the Bass duties and Matt taking on ... ...Civil War
2 14 Years
3 Yesterdays
4 Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
5 Get In The Ring
6 Shotgun Blues
7 Breakdown
8 Pretty Tied Up
9 Locomotive
10 So Fine
11 Estranged
12 You Could Be Mine
13 Don’t Cry
14 My World
The album opens with the second longest track and one of my favourites, “Civil War”. The intro includes a segment from a Peruvian Guerilla General accompanied by a slow gentle guitar. Axl screaming vocals really bring the song to ...
Andy.mack 17.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses
Advantages: Great tunes, played with conviction, great production Disadvantages: A few unncessary tracks
...studio. ‘Don’t Cry’ featured on Use Your Illusion 1 is featured here as well in identical form, except for some different lyrics. Its interesting to the hear both once or twice to see the difference but ultimately it would have made more sense just to stick with one version. Compared with their earlier tracks, the band tended to get a bit self indulgent on many tracks, with 7 of the fourteen tracks featured clocking in at over five ... ...at over nine minutes. For al my criticism I still think this is a great album, I just believe that if the band had maybe concentrated on producing one album from the material available, and avoiding covers and ‘alternative versions’ they could have produced another truly classic album like Appetite For Destruction, rather than two good albums. ...
Ryan-Simpson 01.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses
Advantages: Some great songs Disadvantages: A couple of less memorable tracks
...Guns n Roses and their Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 albums, it did seem to work. Of course the sales figures were never likely to match those of their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, but each of the Use Your Illusion offerings had successful single releases, proving their individual merits. The first four tracks, Civil War, 14 Years, Yesterdays and Knockin On Heaven's Door, are all pretty slow-tempo, thought-provoking and lyrically wonderful - ... ...been better suited to the Use Your Illusion 1 album, with its similarities to Appetite For Destruction. Tracks 7 and 9, Breakdown and Locomotive, are both over six minutes in length and both take you on a musical journey through their respective tales of morality. The instrumental work on both tracks is exquisite and the lyrics are genius. I found it hard to tell tracks 10 and 11, So Fine and Estranged, apart. They are both ballads and both very ...
rabidbadger 04.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses
Advantages: Some of GNR's best songs Disadvantages: Some very bad songs
...fantastic albums as Appetite and Use your Illusion 1, could the sister album perform equally as well? Well yes and no. This album has some amazingly good songs on it, some of the best written by Guns 'N' Roses, but there are a few things which spoil it. Good points first then...
The opening track, "Civil War", is one of my favourite all time Guns 'N' Roses songs, it really is a great song. The guitars and lyrics combine so smoothly to produce an ... ...song "Yesterdays" is also a triumph in my opinion. There's also a good version of "Knockin on heavens door", a fantastic song called "Pretty tied up" and the Terminator II soundtrack song "You could be mine". Almost all of the songs i haven't mentioned are good as well though. That leads us to the truly epic songs (like November Rain on illusions I). There are 2 of them on this album and both of them are cracking achievements both lyrically and musically. ...
Steviee 19.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses
Product Information for "Use Your Illusion Vol.2 - Guns N' Roses" »
Product details
Title
Use Your Illusion Vol.2
Performer
Guns N' Roses
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Hard Rock
Release Date
09/1991
Recomended Retail Price
10.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1991
Label / Distributor
Geffen / Universal Music
Engineer
Mike Clink
Producer
Mike Clink; Guns N' Roses
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
720642442029
Catalogue Number
GEFD 24420
SPAR code
AAD
Additional notes
Album Notes
Guns N' Roses: Izzy Stradlin (vocals, acoustic, electric & coral guitars); Axl Rose (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, sound effects); Slash (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo); Duff McKagan (bass, percussion, background vocals); Dizzy Reed (piano, organ); Matt Sorum (drums, percussion, background vocals). Additional personnel: Howard Teman (piano); Johann Langlie (keyboards, drums, sound effects); Steven Adler (drums); Shannon Hoon, The Waters (background vocals). Recorded at A & M Studios, Record Plant, Studio 56 and Image Recording, Hollywood, California; Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California; Metalworks Recording Studios, Toronto, Ontario. Four years after becoming an uninvited guest at the party that is the music industry with its seminal debut, APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION, Guns N' Roses detonated a creative blast by releasing USE YOUR ILLUSION I & II. Thanks to a reckless approach toward life and music, G'N'R was constantly at the center of controversy and the result was that much of it was chronicled on this two-volume project. By this time, original drummer Steven Adler had been dismissed due to alleged drug dependency problems and was replaced by the Cult's Matt Sorum. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed was also added as a member. ILLUSION II lacks the hits of the first volume and also doesn't overflow with as much bile, aside from a couple of exceptions. Axl Rose howls at the editors of Spin, Kerrang, and Hit Parader magazines on the rollicking "Get in the Ring," and addresses the inherent pitfalls of fame on Izzy Stradlin's scathing "Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock N' Roll Decadence)". Elsewhere, G'N'R tackles an old Dylan nugget ("Knockin' nn Heaven's Door'), includes tracks cut for charity and soundtracks ("Civil War," "You Could Be Mine"), and an underrated masterpiece about heartbreak that manages to emote both indignation and sorrow without sounding pathetic ("Estranged").
Album Reviews
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.56) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Melody Maker (12/91) - Ranked #10 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991 Rolling Stone - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...the band rewards the loyal legions with fourteen songs, which range from ballad to battle, pretty to vulgar, worldly..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Civil War
2.
14 Years
3.
Yesterdays
4.
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
5.
Get In The Ring
6.
Shotgun Blues
7.
Breakdown
8.
Pretty Tied Up
9.
Locomotive
10.
So Fine
11.
Estranged
12.
You Could Be Mine
13.
Don't Cry (alt. lyrics)
14.
My World
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
19/07/2000
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