UYI overproduced

[Vincent Vega]

Hey

I've often heard the UYI are ''overproduced.''

Beyond the little dubbed on extra stuff (like the phone segment in Knockin on Heaven's Door) in what way MUSICALLY (as in mixing and production) is it overproduced?

[Stro]

I think more often than not the overproduced label is pretty much directed towards November Rain. But really, the drums are especially mixed weird and very compressed with tons of reverb. On top of that, a few songs have Axl doing 3 or more layers at once, which was also a complaint about Chinese Democracy. Musically the albums aren't really that over produced. It is mostly Axl's vocals/pages of lyrics, random sound effects, and so many long songs.

[Leigh-Rok!]

I don't think either UYI album is overproduced. They are pretty much musical perfection in my eyes. Chinese Democracy however, is another story all together...

[hogg2500]

<br />

<br />I don't think either UYI album is overproduced.  They are pretty much musical perfection in my eyes.  Chinese Democracy however, is another story all together...<br />

<br /><br /><br />UYI is borderline crap except a few songs.<br /><br />Chinese Democracy on the other hand in a masterpeice. Vocals and guitar work on CD is superior to UYI.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

You've got to me kidding me. UYI is borderline crap? . I'd take UYI I & II over CD anyday...

[ll_tj1]

I think more often than not the overproduced label is pretty much directed towards November Rain. But really, the drums are especially mixed weird and very compressed with tons of reverb. On top of that, a few songs have Axl doing 3 or more layers at once, which was also a complaint about Chinese Democracy. Musically the albums aren't really that over produced. It is mostly Axl's vocals/pages of lyrics, random sound effects, and so many long songs.

Freddie Mercury was doing vocal layers in the 70's, so where alot of bands. Check out some mastertracks, and multi tracks, it's evident. What was "overproduced" were the music video's, that set in motion the thought that everything Axl did was over the top, Estranged, Don't Cry, November Rain, put a microscope on the band, along with Axl's over the top stage production, and the fact that the rest of the band thought it all was pretty silly, not to mention the blimps, bear shaped syrup, cubed ham, and lamb racks, ect. To me UYI 1 & 2 are fantastic, I was a fan as soon as I heard AFD, but I became a diehard after the Use Your Illusions.

Edited December 2, 2010 by ll_tj1

[ll_tj1]

I don't think either UYI album is overproduced. They are pretty much musical perfection in my eyes. Chinese Democracy however, is another story all together...

UYI is borderline crap except a few songs.

Chinese Democracy on the other hand in a masterpeice. Vocals and guitar work on CD is superior to UYI.

Sorry, tried to let this one go, walked away actually, couldn't get passed it. Your a GNR fan but UYI is crap ?? Not to get religous, but isn't that similar to Christians hating Jesus ? Again I apoligize, perhaps a bad comparison, but I just don't get these GNR posters who slam GNR's main body of work. Coma, Bad Obsession, Bad Apples, Dead Horse, Dust N' Bones, Perfect Crime, Double Talkin' Jive, 14 Years, Breakdown, Pretty Tied Up, Locomotive....this is crap?? I just don't get it. I understand there are people who are going to bash old GNR, and there are people who are going to bash new GNR, some bash Axl, some Slash, and so on and so on. But none of it is crap man!! AFD was the beginning, UYI's were epic, maybe you were'nt around when every music outlet reopened there doors at midnight because people were lined up around the buildings waiting to hear UYI. We didn't have MP3's, free downloadable music, or leaks. We had a date for the music to be released, you went, and you got it, it's actually kinda sad thats gone now. UYI's were a phenomenon, and that doesnt happen any more, but it's crap?? It's an opiniun, and its yours and you are most definately entiteled to it, but it makes you sound less than intelligent. Oh and by the way, you are right about Chinese Democracy it's great!!

I bought me an illusion and I put it on the wall....I let it fill my head with dreams and I had to have them all....

Edited December 2, 2010 by ll_tj1

[ManetsBR]

It's not overproduced, neither Chinese Democracy. I mean, Shackler's Revenge would suck without all the vocal layers.

[Leigh-Rok!]

Thanks for the UYI back-up. Some absolute clear gems of Guns N' Roses perfection on that album. Unfortunately for me I missed the release in 1991, I was only 10 years old. I didn't have an older brother or sister to enlighten me to GNR before then, so it was the subseqent releases from the UYI albums that turned my head and I've never looked back. I think if it wasn't for the UYI albums we all wouldn't be here right now.

Oh and I'm not dissing CD, I fucking love it, but compared to the UYI's it's not even close.

[ll_tj1]

Thanks for the UYI back-up. Some absolute clear gems of Guns N' Roses perfection on that album. Unfortunately for me I missed the release in 1991, I was only 10 years old. I didn't have an older brother or sister to enlighten me to GNR before then, so it was the subseqent releases from the UYI albums that turned my head and I've never looked back. I think if it wasn't for the UYI albums we all wouldn't be here right now.

Oh and I'm not dissing CD, I fucking love it, but compared to the UYI's it's not even close.

Oh and I'm not dissing CD, I fucking love it, but compared to the UYI's it's not even close.

You said it!! And did somebody actually compare GNR to The new kids on the block??? Hilarious. Check record sales,ticket sales, t-shirts and everything else for GNR AFTER UYI's were released, they got much bigger after UYI's and NEVER reached those heights again.

[Joeofthedragon]

Yer there ain't one song on CD that comes close to Breakdown,November rain,Civil War,Locomotive,estranged,Pretty Tied up,Dust & bones,14 years,You could be mine,Don't damn me and don't cry.

The only things wrong with the UYI IMO is

My word

shotgun blues

Phone call in Knockin on heavens door

Ending of breakdown

Bad apples

Don't cry alt lyrics no need for it

Matt sorum

And just how buried Izzy is in the mix

Edited December 2, 2010 by Joeofthedragon

[ll_tj1]

Yer there ain't one song on CD that comes close to Breakdown,November rain,Civil War,Locomotive,estranged,Pretty Tied up,Dust & bones,14 years,You could be mine,Don't damn me and don't cry.

The only things wrong with the UYI IMO is

My word

shotgun blues

Phone call in Knockin on heavens door

Ending of breakdown

Bad apples

Don't cry alt lyrics no need for it

Matt sorum

And just how buried Izzy is in the mix

I agree with most of that, I do like the alternate version of Don't Cry can't get enough of Axl and Shannon Hoon singing together, I hated Shotgun Blues, but I hated it a little less when informed it was written in part ot Vince Niel, I love Bad Apples "I got my camera back from customs, got my law fees up to date, hell they must of seen me cumin' ain't this life so fuckin' great" Ending of Breakdown sucks ass on an otherwise masterpiece, My World wtf was that?? Matt Sorum, ha ha, and definately not enough Izzy.

[Bumble's Bridge Pickup]

While the AFD production approach worked on that album, it would have taken away a lot from the UYI songs. For example, The Garden Of Eden would be more duller if it didn't have the over-the-top synth fx on an already over-the-top song, the bridge of Don't Damn Me just calls for the keyboards, the screaming Axl in the Breakdown chorus is incredible, and what would Coma be without the heartbeats, all the doctor talk, and the whining bitch?

That said it would also be fun to hear the versions without all the layers, but I think they're an integral part of the album. They add loads of depth, and a nice schizoid element that is fully revealed in My World

[Nintari]

There's only a few songs on UYI that I think are over produced but KOHD is by FAR the worst. I can't believe they recorded it that way when the 88 Ritz version exists. I mean, who seriously thinks the cocktail lounge version on UYI2 is better then the Ritz88 version? Anyone...anyone at all?

They should have just done the Ritz version. Simple, clean and mean.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Nintari

[Conor]

I don't think either UYI album is overproduced. They are pretty much musical perfection in my eyes. Chinese Democracy however, is another story all together...

UYI is borderline crap except a few songs.

Chinese Democracy on the other hand in a masterpeice. Vocals and guitar work on CD is superior to UYI.

Lol you're trolling the pre-1994 GNR section. That's original, I'll give you that. You've subverted the genre.

[Rovim]

There's only a few songs on UYI that I think are over produced but KOHD is by FAR the worst. I can't believe they recorded it that way when the 88 Ritz version exists. I mean, who seriously thinks the cocktail lounge version on UYI2 is better then the Ritz88 version? Anyone...anyone at all?

They should have just done the Ritz version. Simple, clean and mean.

Agreed. To be fair though, musically and commercialy the epic approach worked, for the most part. Axl has made some good decisions too.

[FuddMckagan]

There's only a few songs that I would call over produced.

I would love to hear November Rain without all the pro tooled backing orchestra, just piano, drums, bass and guitar.

[Leigh-Rok!]

Hey no one has mentioned So Fine yet! I will literally hop around spinning singing into an imaginary microphone shreeking... "when I look right up at night, and I see was darkness, now I see the stars alright, I wanna reach up and grab one for you!!... " etc. Wow, if I wasn't at work I'd got home, put on UYI2 and get stuck into the bottle of fine Glenmorangie single malt I've just been given as a leaving present.

[Vincent Vega]

There's only a few songs that I would call over produced.

I would love to hear November Rain without all the pro tooled backing orchestra, just piano, drums, bass and guitar.

I don't think Pro Tools even existed in 1990.

I know Slash bashed pro tools, so now they're a bad thing, but they didn't exist in 1990 when the Illusions were recorded.

It came out in it's first version in 1991, but Axl himself admitted as late as '99 to barely even knowing how to operate computers and the like.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Indigo Child

[Young_Gun]

Not overproduced per se, but definatly has mixing problems(drums being wayy to loud, Izzy's guitar too low) and just the amount of instruments going on is crazy(chidem suffers from this too). Those two problems combined is one of the reason why i don't bother learning some of the songs on guitar. In some songs you have Axl's multiple vocals, duff's bass, Izzy's rhythm guitar, Slash's rhythm guitar, a lead on top, drums and a piano lick going on. Like the outro to Madagascar or parts of Catcher, it becomes a blurry mess when mixed wrongly, which is easy to do.

[Stro]

I want to say that quite a few tracks I've just come around to after 15 years of hearing them and love them, but Breakdown is not a good song. Sure the lyrics are great, but it is so boring and dull. It'd be different if it was 3 minutes shorter, but it is one of the musically least interesting song on any GNR record.

[Dead Flower]

you ask this same question every fuckin' month.

[James Bond]

As most people have stated, only "November Rain" has a lot going on in terms of production. The rest is hardly overproduced. I think those who favor the production on Appetite will consider the Illusion albums to be overproduced because they sound a lot less raw. It's not a case of being overproduced as it is "different" production. The drums especially are way too compressed and have too much reverb. I am one of the ones who think Matt Sorum is a bit too mechanical as a drummer but in his defense the mix doesn't do him any favors. Likewise with Izzy's guitar. It's too damn quiet on most of the songs and tends to get buried. On Appetite Izzy and Slash were both clear as day.

[moreblack]

I don't think either UYI album is overproduced. They are pretty much musical perfection in my eyes. Chinese Democracy however, is another story all together...

UYI is borderline crap except a few songs.

Chinese Democracy on the other hand in a masterpeice. Vocals and guitar work on CD is superior to UYI.

Lol you're trolling the pre-1994 GNR section. That's original, I'll give you that. You've subverted the genre.

little cupcake is little

[bacardimayne]

Lining up for CD's at midnight? That is from a different time which I come from so I understand. Alot of overhyped albums were released like that including new kids on the block...doesn't mean it is timeless music.

That's a pretty good point. While I do think the UYIs are great, the "lol I lined up outside for 14 weeks to get uyi first im better then u" argument is pretty bad.

And for the most part the vocals on the UYIs do sound like Axl has throat cancer. Whether that's bad or good is very subjective.

[Conor]

Lining up for CD's at midnight? That is from a different time which I come from so I understand. Alot of overhyped albums were released like that including new kids on the block...doesn't mean it is timeless music.

That's a pretty good point. While I do think the UYIs are great, the "lol I lined up outside for 14 weeks to get uyi first im better then u" argument is pretty bad.

And for the most part the vocals on the UYIs do sound like Axl has throat cancer. Whether that's bad or good is very subjective.

I think it was more the 91-92 tour his voice was poor. I thought it was at it's best ever in 1993, and that the Skin N' Bones tour was the finest this band has ever done, but purely subjective to opinion.