| Use Your Illusion I | ||||
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| Studio album by Guns N' Roses | ||||
| Released | September 17, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | A&M Studios, Record Plant Studios, Studio 56, Image Recording, Conway Studios, Metalworks Recording Studios, Skip Saylor Recording (album mixing) 1990-1991 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal[1] | |||
| Length | 76:05 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | Mike Clink, Guns N' Roses | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
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| Guns N' Roses chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Use Your Illusion I | ||||
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Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was the first of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, the other named Use Your Illusion II, thus they are sometimes seen together as a double album. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts, selling 685,000 copies in its first week, behind Use Your Illusion II's first week sales of 770,000.[2] Each of the Use Your Illusion albums have been certified 7x platinum by the RIAA.[3]
Contents
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Overview
The Use Your Illusion albums represent a turning point in the sound of Guns N' Roses. Although they did not abandon the hard rock tendencies vivid in their first album, Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I demonstrated, for the first time, more or less, elements of blues, classical music, and country. For example, lead singer Axl Rose plays the piano on several tracks of both albums. In addition, with the Use Your Illusion Tour, both the music and stage presence of the band became more theatrical, in the tradition of progressive rock. This fact is evidenced by the numerous music videos produced in conjunction with these albums. Use Your Illusion I contains two of the three songs, "November Rain" and "Don't Cry," whose videos are generally held by fans to be part of a trilogy. The third song, "Estranged," is on Use Your Illusion II.
A number of songs on the album were written in the band's early days, but were not included on Appetite for Destruction but can be found on the popular bootlegged so-called 'Rumbo Tapes', an album of early demo tapes. "Back Off Bitch," "Bad Obsession," "Don't Cry" (referred to by Rose during the ensuing tour as 'the first song [they] ever wrote together'), "November Rain," and "The Garden" are considered part of this group. There is also a cover of "Live and Let Die."
Besides stylistic differences, another new aspect seen in Use Your Illusion I was longer songs. "November Rain," an epic ballad, is nearly 9 minutes long, and "Coma" is more than 10 minutes long. Another change was the presence of tracks sung by other members of the band (even though certain songs from Appetite for Destruction and G N' R Lies featured other members on duet vocals): lead vocals on "Dust N' Bones," "You Ain't The First" and "Double Talkin' Jive" are performed by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin (on Use Your Illusion II, Stradlin' sings "14 Years" and bassist Duff McKagan sings "So Fine").
The band had some difficulty achieving the final sound of the album, especially during the mixing stages of the production of both albums. According to a 1991 cover story by Rolling Stone magazine, after mixing 21 tracks with engineer/producer Bob Clearmountain, the band decided to scrap the mixes and start from scratch with engineer Bill Price of Sex Pistols fame.[4]
Slash has stated that most of the material for the album was written on acoustics in a couple of nights at his house (the Walnut House), after several months of non-productivity.[5]
Cover
The cover art of both "Use Your Illusion" albums is a detail of Raphael's painting "The School of Athens." The highlighted figure, unlike many of those in the painting, has not been identified with any specific philosopher.
The only difference in the artwork between Use Your Illusion I and II is the color scheme used for each album. Use Your Illusion I uses the warm colors red and yellow, and has for the most part an angrier, heavier sound; Use Your Illusion II uses the cool colors blue and purple and has a softer, more bluesy sound.
Both covers are the work of Estonian-American artist Mark Kostabi.[6]
Song information
Right Next Door to Hell
Timo Caltia (real name Timo Kaltio) who participated writing this song is a Finnish guitarist, songwriter and guitar-tech expert who once worked with Hanoi Rocks. He had played a chorus riff of the song at his home while Stradlin visited there. Caltia was bothered by his irritating neighbour and was trying to make a verse including words "living next door to hell". Later Stradlin asked a permission to take the riff for his new song. Royalties from this song helped Caltia to buy himself a new house in London.
Dust N' Bones
This is the second track on the album and was written by Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan. It is the first song on the album that is fully sung by Stradlin and the first song to feature Dizzy Reed on piano.
You Ain't the First
"You Ain't the First" is the sixth track on the album. Unlike most tracks on the album, electric guitars are nowhere to be found in the song - instead, acoustic guitars are used, similar to side two of G N' R Lies, and also giving the song a folk rock feel, which is added to by the tambourine (played by Tim Doyle). The song is also notable for being the only song in the band's catalogue that is entirely in waltz time. It is also fully sung by Izzy Stradlin.[7]
Bad Obsession
"Bad Obsession" is track seven on the album. It was written by Izzy Stradlin (the band's then-rhythm guitarist) and West Arkeen. The song is about tackling drug abuse and addiction, which had haunted the band since they had become famous. Michael Monroe, lead singer of Hanoi Rocks and a big influence on Guns N' Roses, plays the harmonica and tenor saxophone on the studio version, which is 5:28 long.
A live version from the Tokyo Dome was featured on the Use Your Illusion 1 DVD as song number five and Axl Rose takes a dig at Izzy by saying "This a song that we wrote about one year before Mr. Brownstone with the help of our friend West Arkeen and some guy that just, I don't know, his name just escapes me."
Back Off Bitch
This is track eight on Use Your Illusion I. However, it was written before their 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The lyrics of the song did not help the band's image of being misogynistic. In a 1992 interview with Rolling Stone, Axl said that "Back Off Bitch" was a "10-year old song" at the time. Therefore, it can be assumed that the song predates the formation of the group. The song was also played during Guns N' Roses concerts before the release of Appetite for Destruction.
The song was performed live several times in 1986[8] before the release of Appetite for Destruction but never made the album. It was also demoed several times by the band during this period[9].
This is one of very few Guns N' Roses songs to feature Izzy Stradlin playing a longer guitar solo. This solo opens the album version. The solo is more complex than the intro played on earlier live versions.
Double Talkin 'Jive
This is the ninth track on the album, it was written by Stradlin and fully sung by him. At the end of the song there is a short acoustic guitar solo. Interestingly, live performances of this song were stretched from its original three minute length to over eight minutes long.
Garden of Eden
According to Slash, the song, which appears as track twelve, was written while the band was rehearsing for an extended period of time in Chicago.[10]
There is a music video of the song, which consists of one continuous shot which features a close-up of Rose with the band playing in the background, whilst keyboardist Dizzy Reed and Teddy Andreadis (who played the harmonica for the band during the Use Your Illusion Tour) are seen dancing in the background.
There are two versions of the video, both made in 1992, one has paper flying through the air (this is the one mostly found on music video sites like Yahoo Music). The other version has lyrics, complete with a "follow-the-bouncing-ball", but with no paper flying around. This is the version that is on the Guns N' Roses music video compilation "Welcome to the Videos".
Don't Damn Me
"Don't Damn Me" is the thirteenth track on the album. This is the only song on Use Your Illusion I that was never performed live.[11]
Bad Apples
"Bad Apples" is the fourteenth track on the album. It has only been performed live twice.[12] According to Slash, the song was written while the band was rehearsing for an extended period of time in Chicago.[10]
Dead Horse
"Dead Horse" is the fifteenth track on the album. It was performed live several times during the Use Your Illusion Tour and hasn't been performed live since that tour. Axl used to play the acoustic guitar on the stage when it was performed live. It is also one of the few songs on the album that Axl Rose wrote solo. Although the song was never released as a single, a music video was made.
Coma
This song is the sixteenth and final track on the album. It was written by Rose and Slash. It is the longest song done by the band at 10:13, even though it lacks choruses. It has only been performed live four times, possibly due to its length and the strain it causes Rose singing it.
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Right Next Door to Hell" | Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Timo Caltia | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Dust N' Bones" | Slash, Stradlin, Duff McKagan | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney cover) | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Don't Cry" (original) | Rose, Stradlin | 4:45 |
| 5. | "Perfect Crime" | Rose, Slash, Stradlin | 2:24 |
| 6. | "You Ain't the First" | Stradlin | 2:36 |
| 7. | "Bad Obsession" | Stradlin, West Arkeen | 5:28 |
| 8. | "Back Off Bitch" | Rose, Paul Tobias | 5:04 |
| 9. | "Double Talkin' Jive" | Stradlin | 3:24 |
| 10. | "November Rain" | Rose | 8:57 |
| 11. | "The Garden" | Rose, Arkeen, Del James | 5:22 |
| 12. | "Garden of Eden" | Rose, Slash | 2:42 |
| 13. | "Don't Damn Me" | Rose, Slash, Dave Lank | 5:19 |
| 14. | "Bad Apples" | Rose, Slash, Stradlin, McKagan | 4:28 |
| 15. | "Dead Horse" | Rose | 4:18 |
| 16. | "Coma" | Rose, Slash | 10:13 |
Personnel
- Guns N' Roses
- Axl Rose – lead and backing vocals, piano, synthesiser
- Slash – lead guitar, backing vocals, six string bass
- Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals
- Matt Sorum – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Dizzy Reed – piano, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Session musicians
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- Additional personnel
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