Why are Lies and the UYI albums forgotten?

[Vincent Vega]

How is it that Lies sold 5 million copies in the US and the UYI albums each sold 7 million copies in the US and each sold 18 million worldwide, and yet they are generally forgotten by the public today? Both here on the forum and more in the media and wider world, there is some sort of odd forgetfulness which has really only developed in the past few years. People now seem to act as if GN'R only released AFD and then toured till 1993 then fell off the map, yet at one time the UYIs were treated as their awesome follow up and Lies was thought of as their controversial little acoustic gem. Lies and the UYIs are utterly forgotten and buried by the media, and with the UYIs, there has in the past several years on the forums been a repudiation of GN'R's 90s lineups, a repudiation of the UYI tour, that it was fake GNR or something. I've never understood how such popular, well received and high selling albums could be forgotten just in the past few years....

Edited June 23, 2012 by Indigo Miser

[RocketQueen1985]

It's the same with Michael Jackson's Thriller. People act like its the only album he ever released just like they do with AFD. Why I have no idea. Its a shame cause GNR is so much more than just AFD.

[ironmt]

The illusion albums weren't forgotten. It was a huge event when they were released and the songs get regular air play to this day. If any album was forgotten it was Chinese democracy. The songs on the Illusion albums are played a lot more than anything off of Chinese, as a matter of fact when is the last time you heard any Chinese songs on the radio

[A.J.]

What? The UYI albums have been forgotten?!? That's news to me. Why didn't I get that memo?

[Haters Gonna Hate]

I don't think they are forgotten I mean the radio station near me plays UTLH,NR,Don't Cry,Patience,YCBM but they also play a lot of AFD

Edited June 23, 2012 by Haters Gonna Hate

[wasted]

It's probably the same with most bands. Sticky Fingers, Hotel California, Nevermind is all you need.

[trqster]

The illusion albums weren't forgotten. It was a huge event when they were released and the songs get regular air play to this day. If any album was forgotten it was Chinese democracy. The songs on the Illusion albums are played a lot more than anything off of Chinese, as a matter of fact when is the last time you heard any Chinese songs on the radio

This.

It's sadly extremely hard to find CD on the music stores these days... AFD & especially UYI on the other hand it's rare not to find them for sale.

[Guest Satanisk_Slakt]

I hear November Rain and their awful version of KOHD on the radio quite often. I really hate that KOHD is one of the GNR songs that are played the most. I cringe when I think of people that know that I'm a big GNR fan think that this is the music that my favourite band plays, when they did at least 50 songs that was a lot better.

[Guest Len B'stard]

The illusion albums weren't forgotten. It was a huge event when they were released and the songs get regular air play to this day. If any album was forgotten it was Chinese democracy. The songs on the Illusion albums are played a lot more than anything off of Chinese, as a matter of fact when is the last time you heard any Chinese songs on the radio

This.

It's sadly extremely hard to find CD on the music stores these days... AFD & especially UYI on the other hand it's rare not to find them for sale.

Thats because it was SUUUCH a big hit that they're all sold out

[GnR Chris]

I don't think they are forgotten I mean the radio station near me plays UTLH,NR,Don't Cry,Patience,YCBM but they also play a lot of AFD

What is UTLH? Am I having a brain lapse?

Edit: Never mind. Yes, yes I was. I was thinking we were strictly speaking of the Illusions albums.

Edited June 23, 2012 by GnR Chris

[Vincent Vega]

The thread is about both Lies and the UYIs but with a focus on the UYIs. Really, what can you play on the radio from Lies? OIAM is a no-no. Patience is played all the time and is well remembered. Used to Love Her gets airplay once in a while, possibly even You're Crazy does. But on the UYIs you have 30 songs and of those the public remembers maybe NR, Live and Let Die, KOHD, Don't Cry and maybe YCBM and YCBM isn't remembered so much as an anthem like WTTJ is, but as the "Terminator 2 song". The rest of the albums, even the best songs, are forgotten, and in general, GN'R is known only in the media and thus to the non forum world for AFD. AFD is a great album, but IMO the band's best material is on the UYIs.

Axl's best lyrics and Slash's finest guitar work ever (and some of the best guitar work and solos of all time period!) are on tons of songs on the UYIs that the public has utterly forgotten. You never hear Pretty Tied Up or Breakdown or Yesterdays or The Garden or Don't Damn Me or 14 Years or Dust N' Bones--all radio friendly songs IMO--ever played or discussed. As far as the media and the public is concerned, GN'R was just about SCOM, WTTJ, PC and AFD.

It just seems like the UYIs and the UYI tour dominated from 1991-1992/1993 and then old GN'R died and the UYIs were held on to by the public for a long time as GN'R's last offering...And within the last few years have been almost erased from public memory and GN'R is just an icon of the 80s who made AFD. Even on the forums, the focus is ALWAYS on the AFD era and more and more purism has gone to that era--1985 to 1990---as being the "real" GN'R era, whereas just 5 or 6 years ago, the UYIs were discussed just as much as AFD. Even amongst the band members, Axl, Slash, Duff and Izzy don't really talk about the UYIs; When old material is talked about, it is usually Appetite. Lies, TSI and the UYIs are VERY rarely if ever discussed by the old band when the past is brought up.

It's not like Lies or the UYIs were flops or critical failures. Lies, despite being a mini album, was a pretty nice sized hit with 5 million copies and the UYIs were massive hits with 18 million copies each sold worldwide and their release was an EVENT unlike very many other album releases in rock since 1991. And the UYIs got almost universally favorable reviews...So it's not like they were flops and thusly consigned to the past.

Slash once said in 1995 that the UYI albums were about conquering what Kurt Cobain couldn't and how proud he was of them, that they were an achievement for the band and a statement. Now he claims he's never listened to them.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Indigo Miser

[RichardNixon]

UYI are in the same boat as:

In Utero-Nirvana

Bad-MJ

Insomniac-Green Day

whatever album Alanis released after JLP

Vs- Pearl Jam

Down On The Upside- Soundgarden

While all of those albums sold in the millions, they all sold less than the blockbuster, breakout album that came before. And hard-core fans aside, are less known to the general public than the album that came before. Still, "Civil War," "Yesterdays," KOHD, LALD, "November Rain," "Don't Cry" and YCBM get radio play today. Not bad for 20+ year-old songs.

[Chris 55]

In Utero-Nirvana

That one bombed pretty hard when it came out. It sold 1/3 as much as Nevermind did.

[Chewbacca]

Lies is a forgotten album, ok. But the Illusions are quite popular, IMO. Anyways, it's just my opinion, but I'll never understand what's so special about AFD, it's a good album, especially for RQ and SCOM, but the rest is so generic.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Chewbacca

[Coma16]

I heard Patience and LALD on the radio yesterday...

[Madridista]

The UYI albums have never been forgotten, neither by us fans nor by the general public. Now Lies is a different story. I don't know why. But you know, a lot of people out there have heard Patience many times over the years. Maybe they don't know it's a GnR song, but they know there's a song called Patience sung by a band whose name they can't remember.

[Anonymity]

UYI are forgotten? nope, not really. If anything Don't Cry, NR and CW are up there with SCOM or PC in terms of public perception. Yes, GnR is more associated with AFD because that was their breakthrough. That had a greater public impact as did Nevermind for Nirvana. It was the good old hard rock which was put a bit to the side in the years before AFD. To be honest, I don't know if most casual fans can match the songs with the albums. They probably know about AFD as a staple and all the songs as a whole 'greatest hits' collection rather than dividing them into albums.

Lies, as I see it was something that didn't have the bands full attention. Something like GH in expectation of CD. It was put out probably to keep people busy until they had all of UYI ready. Not that the songs aren't great (especially live), but it doesn't get to the height of AFD or UYI.

Finally, yeah, CD is the forgotten gem. Better, Catcher, TWAT, Maddy are excellent, but I don't think many radio stations take the chance of playing. Heck, the listeners wouldn't have any idea Slash or Izzy or Duff don't play on them unless they were told specifically so.

[GnR Chris]

The thread is about both Lies and the UYIs but with a focus on the UYIs. Really, what can you play on the radio from Lies? OIAM is a no-no. Patience is played all the time and is well remembered. Used to Love Her gets airplay once in a while, possibly even You're Crazy does. But on the UYIs you have 30 songs and of those the public remembers maybe NR, Live and Let Die, KOHD, Don't Cry and maybe YCBM and YCBM isn't remembered so much as an anthem like WTTJ is, but as the "Terminator 2 song". The rest of the albums, even the best songs, are forgotten, and in general, GN'R is known only in the media and thus to the non forum world for AFD. AFD is a great album, but IMO the band's best material is on the UYIs.

Axl's best lyrics and Slash's finest guitar work ever (and some of the best guitar work and solos of all time period!) are on tons of songs on the UYIs that the public has utterly forgotten. You never hear Pretty Tied Up or Breakdown or Yesterdays or The Garden or Don't Damn Me or 14 Years or Dust N' Bones--all radio friendly songs IMO--ever played or discussed. As far as the media and the public is concerned, GN'R was just about SCOM, WTTJ, PC and AFD.

It just seems like the UYIs and the UYI tour dominated from 1991-1992/1993 and then old GN'R died and the UYIs were held on to by the public for a long time as GN'R's last offering...And within the last few years have been almost erased from public memory and GN'R is just an icon of the 80s who made AFD. Even on the forums, the focus is ALWAYS on the AFD era and more and more purism has gone to that era--1985 to 1990---as being the "real" GN'R era, whereas just 5 or 6 years ago, the UYIs were discussed just as much as AFD. Even amongst the band members, Axl, Slash, Duff and Izzy don't really talk about the UYIs; When old material is talked about, it is usually Appetite. Lies, TSI and the UYIs are VERY rarely if ever discussed by the old band when the past is brought up.

It's not like Lies or the UYIs were flops or critical failures. Lies, despite being a mini album, was a pretty nice sized hit with 5 million copies and the UYIs were massive hits with 18 million copies each sold worldwide and their release was an EVENT unlike very many other album releases in rock since 1991. And the UYIs got almost universally favorable reviews...So it's not like they were flops and thusly consigned to the past.

Slash once said in 1995 that the UYI albums were about conquering what Kurt Cobain couldn't and how proud he was of them, that they were an achievement for the band and a statement. Now he claims he's never listened to them.

You're right that you never hear most songs from UYI on the radio, but that's true of any band. Classic Rock stations? They will play between two to four songs from any given band. It's always the same ones. So boring. I don't even pay attention to radio. Why does anyone?

[Riddick Bowe]

their not forgotten. Go on youtube, and look at views.

[dalsh327]

UYI are forgotten? nope, not really. If anything Don't Cry, NR and CW are up there with SCOM or PC in terms of public perception. Yes, GnR is more associated with AFD because that was their breakthrough. That had a greater public impact as did Nevermind for Nirvana. It was the good old hard rock which was put a bit to the side in the years before AFD. To be honest, I don't know if most casual fans can match the songs with the albums. They probably know about AFD as a staple and all the songs as a whole 'greatest hits' collection rather than dividing them into albums.

Lies, as I see it was something that didn't have the bands full attention. Something like GH in expectation of CD. It was put out probably to keep people busy until they had all of UYI ready. Not that the songs aren't great (especially live), but it doesn't get to the height of AFD or UYI.

Finally, yeah, CD is the forgotten gem. Better, Catcher, TWAT, Maddy are excellent, but I don't think many radio stations take the chance of playing. Heck, the listeners wouldn't have any idea Slash or Izzy or Duff don't play on them unless they were told specifically so.

I hear 3/4 of what's on the greatest hits on classic rock and in the office a lot (Aint It Fun, Since I Don't Have You, and Sympathy, but have heard Hair of the Dog from time to time). Brownstone as bumper music. Rocket Queen here and there.

[californiaz06]

UYI's forgotten? Can't be serious? I still hear YCBD, November Rain, Civil War, KOHD, and every now and then something like Estranged or Yesterdays pops up. Lies I will admit tends to be forgotten. I only hear Patience every now and then.

Let me tell you one album that I NEVER hear on the radio. Starts with a C and ends with a Y.

[Kill Devil Hill]

Whenever I go on other forums (to lurk or to post) and someone brings up GN'R as a contender for greatest rock band, there are usually five posts after that say, "They only had AFD."

So yes, I do believe they are kind of, not forgotten, but ignored. People dismiss them because the majority of those albums have to grow on you, imo. There aren't many immediate, "This song is so fuckin' cool," moments. And the ones that are are the ones that are played on radio.

I don't know who said KOHD was an embarrassment, but I agree. I hate that that song gets so much airplay. There's some great stuff going on in it, but I fuckin' hate the female backup singers. They blow up a simple song, and it's just wrong. LALD is blown up, but it still sounds pretty bitchin'. KOHD just sounds over-the-top and lame.

[ironmt]

I'm not sure about the albums(Illusions 1&2)having to grow on the listener, I mean this was one of the most anticipated albums of all time at that particular point and time. Stores opened at midnight for the release and the albums sold somewhere around 1.4 million In the first week. There are numerous songs between the two albums that were simply jaw dropping upon the first listen that you didn't need a second listen to confirm what you just heard was great. IMO there are quite a few, this song Is so fuckin cool I have to hear it again moments. How about November rain, estranged, don't cry, civil war, ycbm, lald. I could go on but I will leave It at that.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

they're not forgotten. they're just not classics. the only albums that really get discussed 20 years down the road are the truly timeless classics.

[Kill Devil Hill]

I'm not sure about the albums(Illusions 1&2)having to grow on the listener, I mean this was one of the most anticipated albums of all time at that particular point and time. Stores opened at midnight for the release and the albums sold somewhere around 1.4 million In the first week. There are numerous songs between the two albums that were simply jaw dropping upon the first listen that you didn't need a second listen to confirm what you just heard was great. IMO there are quite a few, this song Is so fuckin cool I have to hear it again moments. How about November rain, estranged, don't cry, civil war, ycbm, lald. I could go on but I will leave It at that.

First week sales of an album are dependent on the previous albums, not on the album itself.

Songs to the average listener that don't need to grow:

Live and Let Die

Don't Cry

Perfect Crime

November Rain

Coma

Civil War

Yesterdays

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Pretty Tied Up

Estranged

You Could Be Mine

That's 11/30 songs that are immediate hits.