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Re: Use Your Illusion II
The "fillers" or whatever you might call them, to me, are needed to make both records flow all the way through.
Most of the tracks are so rich that you need the less epic songs to mellow things down a little bit and that's what makes the Illusion records so great if you'd ask me.
Especially with Use Your Illusion II.
And if GN'R had decided to make another Appetite For Destruction instead or around the Illusion-era the less favored songs probably gives you a hint of what a straightforward rock record would've sounded like. At least that's the impression I get by going back.
Re: Use Your Illusion II
Bad Apples--ugh worst song of the album
interestingly it was the only track on the UYI's with a credit to Axl, Slash, Duff and Izzy
my ratings
UYI
Right Next Door to Hell - Nay
Dust N Bones - Yay
Live and Let Die - Nay
Don't Cry - Yay
Perfect Crime - Yay
Bad Obsession - Yay
Double Talkin Jive Yay
Back off Bitch - Nay
November Rain - Yay
The Garden - Yay
Garden of Eden - Nay
Don't Damn Me - Yay
Bad Apples - Nay
Dead Horse - Yay
Coma - Yay
UYI II
Civil War - Yay
14 years - Yay
Yesterdays - Yay
KOHD - Nay
Get in the Ring - Yay
Shotgun Blues - Yay
Breakdown - Yay
Locomotive - Yay
Estranged - Yay
So Fine - Nay
You Could be Mine - Yay
Don't Cry (alt) - Nay
My World - Nay
Re: Use Your Illusion II
The thing I love about the UYI set is that songs I happen to think are awesome, other people think are lame, and vice-versa. Just goes to show that amongst the variety, there's something there to appeal to everyone.
As for Axlin08's not understanding the fanboyism for Don't Damn Me, I think the lyrics in that song are some of Axl's best. And the guitar - that riff, and those solos, is some of Slash's best playing. If there's stuff like that on Slash's upcoming solo album, I'd be very, very happy.
Instrumentally the song is good, Slash did well. Vocally the song is strong.
It's just those lyrics - I cringe.
The "fillers" or whatever you might call them, to me, are needed to make both records flow all the way through.
Most of the tracks are so rich that you need the less epic songs to mellow things down a little bit and that's what makes the Illusion records so great if you'd ask me.
Especially with Use Your Illusion II.
And if GN'R had decided to make another Appetite For Destruction instead or around the Illusion-era the less favored songs probably gives you a hint of what a straightforward rock record would've sounded like. At least that's the impression I get by going back.
Thank God they didn't. It would've really been bad for them. Could you imagine the big follow up to AFD being...
Perfect Crime
Dust N' Bones
Don't Cry
Bad Obessesion
Pretty Tied Up
Double Talkin' Jive
So Fine
Garden of Eden
You Could Be Mine
Don't Damn Me
Bad Apples
Dead Horse
12 tracks of the rockers, 2 of which are straight forward ballads, like on AFD.
The big hits off of AFD, were Jungle, Paradise City & Sweet Child. My guess is Don't Cry would've been the revered ballad, and the rocker hits would've been You Could Be Mine, and Dead Horse would've gotten more respect than it did.
It would've pissed off the world more than what we got.
- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: Use Your Illusion II
And I disagree about the filler tracks to a point as well. Both albums are musical journeys and every single song just seems to "fit" in there. Mind you, I probably only say that because I've listened to those albums back to back for years... hehe
I wouldn't use the word 'journey' for UYI, but your post made me think... and I think this is a good summary, although I'd add it's like a very special journey, when you try to discover a metropolis and you have 4 very different guys, each who show you what they like the most in that city. I hope you get what I mean.
Re: Use Your Illusion II
i remember my mom would only let me get one at first... so naturally i went with UYI2... it had the most shit i was kinda familiar with: knockin' on heaven's door... the new song they played at farm aid (civil war)... you could be mine( the cassete single i had ...at that point...had been thru the ringer)... being 13 years old and only knowing appetite and lies... i used to fast forward thru estranged and so fine because i wasn't interested in 10 minute piano ballads and duff's singing.,.. it wasn't until one night i was laying in bed with my headphones on that i fell in love with estranged....
i have to say it isn't a weak record.... the studio version of KOHD has NO balls... my world is just awful... but civil war is amazing... 14 years is a classic... yesterdays is one of my favorite songs ever...get in the ring musically is fantastic... although lyrically... i probably coulda wrote the same shit when i was 13...shotgun blues is ferocious...breakdown is money...PTU is okay locomotive is another classic.
there definitely was enough strong material to record... but i agree there was plenty of filler added to make UYI two double albums.. they could have easily made one record of killer material and had enough for another ep a year or so later or wrote some more on the road and had another killer album front to back two years later....but all in all i don't think what they ultimately decided to to was a bad idea.....
Re: Use Your Illusion II
It's interesting reading these experiences.
I was also one who initially skipped over Estranged to get to You Could Be Mine. I had the album awhile, and fell asleep with headphones on and heard this amazing song, almost in my sleep, I was like "what the fuck is this??!?!" and I woke up enough to look at the Track number on the CD Player, and saw 'Track 11', made sure to remember, and went back to sleep.
The next day I played Track 11, and discovered the greatest GN'R song ever written/performed.
The irony of this, is that I had UYI1 first, and was sort of half-listening to it, the first time I heard it, and alot of the initial stuff bored me. But there was this one song, Don't Cry that I really liked. Then I listened through some more kinda "ehh" stuff, and hit this amazing piano ballad. After that point i'd plug in UYI1, and intentionally skip ahead to get to November Rain.
Yet when I got UYI2, I initially skipped over Estranged. The songs are birds of a feather. 
Re: Use Your Illusion II
I decided to listen to Appetite For Destruction anyway while I was at it.
It's still a solid record, but do I see the "bigness" that most other people see?
No, I can't say I do. It's probably my least my favorite Guns N' Roses album.
I'd rather listen to the last four songs on GN'R Lies.
Re: Use Your Illusion II
I like "Knocking On Heaven's Door", given it was the bands biggest hit ever in the UK, I presume other people did too.
Apart from "Get In The Ring", "Shotgun Blues" and "My World", it's a pretty great record.
Re: Use Your Illusion II
See, I always hated the studio version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door. I cringe when I hear it. And I do like Live and Let Die on UYI1, so it's not a cover thing. The studio cut of KOHD was Axl's finest example, CD included, of overproduction so much to the point that the song is completely castrated. The double vocals, too much (something that was his biggest mistake, he resurrected for both Chinese Democracy & Madagascar). The little speech in the middle, trying to do a Civil War thing, too much.
Live Era's from the Freddie Mercury tribute show... THAT's KOHD at it's absolute finest. I've actually in the past made custom mixes of UYI2, where I axed KOHD-studio, Get In The Ring, Shotgun Blues & My World, in favor of Knockin' On Heaven's Door-live era, Under My Wheels [Alice Cooper feat. Axl, Slash & Izzy], and the Sympathy For The Devil cover.
That version of UYI2, is epic. And having Under My Wheels on there, fits quite well. Alice was on The Garden on UYI1, and having an Under My Wheels cover on UYI2, seems appropriate. Alice on each album.
- NY Giants82
- Rep: 26
Re: Use Your Illusion II
The best version of KOHD I ever heard, and it is a classic, was the Ritz 88. I've also got a bootleg somewhere of Tokyo 88, which is fantastic as well. The version on UYI II, is ok.
