janrichmond Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 I loved them when they first came out and i still love them, the only tracks i skip are November Rain and My World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadApples87 Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 The Use Your Illusions are great overall. The only track that stinks is "My World". Get in the Ring is out-dated now. Some of the repetitive drum fills by Matt wear on me. But Axl wanted him to do that. Other than that, they hold up well. AFD is always going to be the best. But the Illusions are really good. I only had hoped for a couple more records before the broke up. But so goes the story of GNR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadSlash Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 11 hours ago, Euchre said: I guess it’s a question of perception as to what GNR is. Some people take the view the name is what makes GNR others take the view its the substance. In your Beatles example, the same 4 guys played on the all those albums so I agree with you in that it’s undisputably the same band. With GNR there was 5 guys on LLAS, AFD & Lies. Different people on UYI - is the same band ? some say yes, some say no. Personally I think it was an inferior band, I think the balance in the band shifted and hence 2 members had greater influence before which affected the material to a degree and affected the production and make up a whole lot. Given the original band did so much prep work and writing for it I would love to hear how it would have come out of those things didn’t transpire. Matter of opinion, but I wouldn't take anyone serious that made the argument that Guns N Roses wasn't Guns N Roses because Steven Adler was no longer in the band. I'm not saying they are not a hardcore fan from the perspective of "Oh, I'm a hardcore fan and so and so isn't as big of a fan as me." I'm saying it from the angle that a person who likes 20% of a bands catalogue and thinks that makes them a "hardcore fan" doesn't get the concept. I'll adjust my Beatles example: Someone who says they are a hardcore Beatles fan, but everything after Pete Best left was garbage, isn't a hardcore Beatles fan. The premise is still silly, and tough to argue with. Not tough to argue with in the sense that it is hard to counter, it's just hard to justify wasting time on such a silly premise. If someone insisted to you that they were a " hardcore vegan" but have not cut meat from their diet, is it even worth discussing? Is this " hardcore vegan" dumb? Are they trolling you? Is it worth 2 minutes of your life to even find out? This theoretical person is a step below someone who calls themselves a "hardcore Kiss fan" and only owns a "Best of" CD. This theoretical person would think they Best Of Guns N Roses CD was 2/3 crap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovim Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 (edited) I think uyi is still great. pretty amazing work by Slash, I mean every solo on the album is pretty much perfect, the tunes are more ambitious in scope, and so many classic Axl moments. some of the best shit the band has recorded even if it's not as masterful as appetite. I have no complaints, I just think it could have been a better album with more of Izzy's presence. it's a shame they couldn't replicate the guitar interplay they had on appetite as I feel it was one of the coolest elements they had. there is a lot of filler, but other than my world I wouldn't want those tunes to be missing from the final release but it kinda came at a price. it couldn't be as concise as appetite, it was all over the place with poor pacing imo. still, it felt like the band peaked artistically with it and there was no cohesive musical vision so it made sense it would come out sounding like that. to me they lost 2 important elements in Steven and Izzy's diminished role but it still worked and the best tunes on the album showed what they were truly capable of doing which was to create more varied music in style but it still sounded like gn'r. you saw a glimpse of it in Lies but it was explored more on uyi. Edited August 30, 2018 by Rovim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwick1 Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 I remember the wait for the albums and how excited I was when finally released. I had heard some of the UYI songs live prior to the release but it's always great to have the album in your hands. Like all albums, I had my favorite songs but thought the 2 albums were diverse. Maybe at the time I wanted an AFD 2 and didn't quite understand the big productions. But ultimately it's GnR and I was thankful that it was released and loved the albums. I've said on here in other post that through the 1991 leg of the tour and the first Dallas show of that leg, I knew that either Izzy or Axl would soon be gone and I suspected Slash as well. I honestly expected Slash to be gone well before 1990. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 For me with UYI's its like with each track you open a door and enter a new room. To my ears most rock albums take place in only one or two "rooms." I think the track sequencing is spot on and in its own way is similar to a concept record in telling some sort of 'story' (even though there isnt a narrative arch as such) or like going on a journey. The rule of songwriting and writing in general is to self-edit. Edit, edit edit. IMO, its very true to GNR's take on rock n' roll to have next-to-no self-editing involved in UYIs, lol! There's many moments of genius on these albums. Enough to mask that this is the sound of of poor mental heath, drug addiction, DV and hubris. It's an audible representation of Axl and Slash wrestling control from the others, including Alder. With Slash and Axl hogging so much of the audio frequencies in the mx. They're dualing peacocks. With Matts drumming it almost represents the precise rhythms of a factory production line. This is art sitting next to commerce far too comfortably. What a huge credit to Izzy Fucking Stradlin that he cannot be eclipsed by these forces and shines no matter how low in the mix. And his songs anchor this beast to planet Earth! If only the rockers were way more raw and mixed with dual guitars. If only there were no throw away lyrics and more natural drum sounds. My wish list goes on. But those albums couldn't exists. This is the only possible recordings that the greatest hard rock band ever could do from their situation of madness, paranoia, decadence, greed, malice and addiction. Fucking master works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 55 Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Awesome. Love every song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicDwolfwood Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 They're perfectly imperfect if that makes sense...And it works for the most part. I wouldnt want them any other way really. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnrcoma Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Absolute masterpieces and still listen to them both loads. UYI 1 probably is my favourite out of the two. Brilliant Axl & Izzy lyrics along with fantastic music. Such a great exciting time period when released and true rock and roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgina Arriaga Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 5 minutes ago, NicDwolfwood said: They're perfectly imperfect if that makes sense...And it works for the most part. I wouldnt want them any other way really. I feel the same way. Reflects in perfect way how dysfunctional the whole thing was. I wouldn't change anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll41 Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 I wish the albums woulda been better mixed, and that the drumming woulda been different, but the songs themselves are still very good for the most part. i used to think that UYI woulda had a better legacy if it had just been a single-disc album, but I no longer feel this way, because all of the best songs between those two discs were the really long ones that wouldn't have fit into one cd anyway. with that being said, I do think each disc shoulda been trimmed down to just 12 songs. The tracks I woulda eliminated are Right Next Door to Hell, Dust N' Bones, Bad Apples, Get in the Ring, Don't Cry (Alternate Lyrics), and My World (and then move The Garden over to the middle of UYI2, to make it an even 12 songs on each disc). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dissident Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 2 great albums with a fair bit of filler, however the quality of the material which is good, is exceptional. Look and UYI I, Coma, November Rain, Don't Cry Dead horse are amazing songs, even if there are a few weaker songs many bands would kill for standout tracks like that. As for UYI II, Civil War, Locomotive, You Could Be Mine, Estranged, Yesterdays, Don't Cry. These more than make up for My World or Get in The Ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Comstock Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 UYI I is definitely the stronger of the two albums, IMO. There's only 1 weak track on there, Back Off Bitch, but even that isn't really a 'bad' song it's just nowhere near the rest of the album. I'd say it's at least as good as AFD even, as far as the songs themselves go. The production is what brings the UYI's down though, there's some tracks that I almost never listen to the album versions of; I prefer either live versions or Axl's Advance Copy versions of Nov Rain, DTJ, The Garden, and Coma. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmt Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Great albums then and now. I prefer them both over Appetite and I prefer UYI 2 simply because of Estranged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caught_in_a_Coma Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 My favorite GN'R material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YourMother'sDruthers Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 I listen to UYI more than anything else GNR released, and I'd only omit a handful or less songs, so I don't consider it "bloated" as others do, even if you omitted garden of Eden, bad apples, get in the ring, shotgun blues, and my world, (the only tracks I personally ever really skip over), you still have a damn solid double album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Nova Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 If AFD is a 10/10 then I'd rank each Illusion album a 9/10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-W.A.R- Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) When i first listened to the UYI's i was so underwhelmed coming off the high of AFD. However since i liked AFD so much i felt i had to give them another chance as their had to be something there. It was like 2-3 AM when i put on November Rain...and the mood was just so right I ended playing both albums in full and really soaked them in....they broke through this time. I enjoy them more than AFD now. Edited August 31, 2018 by -W.A.R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlingrl03 Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 (edited) What's not to love? I listen to them just as much as I did in '92 when I was 15. Timeless for me. I listen to UYI *both albums* and AFD equally....they both fuckin rock!!!!! Edited August 31, 2018 by marlingrl03 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fashionista Posted August 31, 2018 Author Share Posted August 31, 2018 7 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said: UYI I is definitely the stronger of the two albums, IMO. There's only 1 weak track on there, Back Off Bitch, but even that isn't really a 'bad' song it's just nowhere near the rest of the album. I'd say it's at least as good as AFD even, as far as the songs themselves go. The production is what brings the UYI's down though, there's some tracks that I almost never listen to the album versions of; I prefer either live versions or Axl's Advance Copy versions of Nov Rain, DTJ, The Garden, and Coma. If UYI I had a studio cut of It Tastes Good, Don't It on there and maybe Bring It Back Home in place of one of the other songs, I think it would be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three__days Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 14 minutes ago, Fashionista said: If UYI I had a studio cut of It Tastes Good, Don't It on there and maybe Bring It Back Home in place of one of the other songs, I think it would be perfect. I've got to disagree, UYI I is bloated with songs that feel a bit 'slight', it's the weaker of the 2. It Tastes Good, Don't It is a jam though - what happened to your version of it? - that was class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VORTEX1082 Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 Excluding My World I love both albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Comstock Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 21 minutes ago, Fashionista said: If UYI I had a studio cut of It Tastes Good, Don't It on there and maybe Bring It Back Home in place of one of the other songs, I think it would be perfect. Swap Back Off Bitch and Bad Obsession for those and it might've been better. I don't really think of It Tastes Good... as anything other than a jam though, not really a full song. I could imagine it as maybe an intro/interlude song before Pretty Tied Up though, have that as the short experimental thing on UYI II instead of My World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fashionista Posted August 31, 2018 Author Share Posted August 31, 2018 4 hours ago, three__days said: I've got to disagree, UYI I is bloated with songs that feel a bit 'slight', it's the weaker of the 2. It Tastes Good, Don't It is a jam though - what happened to your version of it? - that was class! Wasn't my version, someone else's great work but it got taken down by the creeps who are taking down GN'R youtube vids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Dog Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 Couple of great rock albums that have aged well. Some killer tunes, there’s damm near a greatest hits worth of material there. Some of the deep cuts are so good. Kinda impressive for such a big album(s). You can really judge a band by that. Once you get past the singles what do you have. They’re a fine example of a band moving forward and expanding their sound. I’d call them classics. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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