Would this 1 disc Illusions tracklist have been as good as Appetite?

[rocknroll41 2,463]

If I absolutely HAD to cut it down...

SIDE A

1.You Could Be Mine

2.Perfect Crime

3.Live & Let Die

4.Double Talkin’ Jive

SIDE B

5.November Rain

6.Garden of Eden

7.You Ain’t the First

8.Dead Horse

SIDE C

9.Civil War

10.Yesterdays

11.Locomotive

SIDE D

12.Estranged

13.Don’t Cry (Alt. Lyrics)

14.Coma

Some of the other tracks could’ve been b-sides, I guess.

Edited March 28 by rocknroll41

[Draguns 681]

On 3/22/2021 at 12:11 PM, Towelie said:

Think you missed the point of my thread. I prefer what we got too, I was just merely asking if a single disc UYI would've been as good as AFD...

No offense, but what is the point of this thread? You can't compare the two. Granted, some songs were written before the songs on AFD were written like Don't Cry.  Bad Obsession was written  before Brownstone. You also need Estranged and Don't Damn Me in there.  I like the UYI just as much as AFD. I just don't see the point in this. 

[Tom2112 2,465]

Mine would be a bit different depending on the day namely 'get in the ring' being swapped for live and let die or bad obsession. But there was a few songs on each album that I easily crossed off the list, still a few that I'd miss but i think this would please most people... even if Coma and locomotive are nowhere to be found😛 if locomotive had a shorter arrangement i'd have put it on the list too, I still like the song but it's guilty of meandering a bit (imo). Coma leaves me in a coma so that's not making the cut😄

Pretty tied up

14 years

You could be mine

Dead horse

November rain

Knocking on heavens door

Civil war

Dust n bones

Get in the ring

Perfect crime

Don't cry

The garden

Estranged

 

[rocknroll41 2,463]

19 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

Mine would be a bit different depending on the day namely 'get in the ring' being swapped for live and let die or bad obsession. But there was a few songs on each album that I easily crossed off the list, still a few that I'd miss but i think this would please most people... even if Coma and locomotive are nowhere to be found😛 if locomotive had a shorter arrangement i'd have put it on the list too, I still like the song but it's guilty of meandering a bit (imo). Coma leaves me in a coma so that's not making the cut😄

Pretty tied up

14 years

You could be mine

Dead horse

November rain

Knocking on heavens door

Civil war

Dust n bones

Get in the ring

Perfect crime

Don't cry

The garden

Estranged

 

I gotta say, this list is actually pretty solid, even tho it’s very different from my own list! Just shows how much good material there actually is between both albums!

[Spike Killer 52]

You bring up a good point.  It should have been a triple album with a disc full of covers.  Good call.

Honestly, who would ever argue for less GNR material?  Lord knows too much output isn't a concern of GNR.  At this point, if you don't like a track - skip it or don't click on it.  

[jamillos 2,043]

51 minutes ago, Spike Killer said:

You bring up a good point.  It should have been a triple album with a disc full of covers.  Good call.

Honestly, who would ever argue for less GNR material?  Lord knows too much output isn't a concern of GNR.  At this point, if you don't like a track - skip it or don't click on it.  

But skipping drains the battery. And I don't always have a pencil either. 

[Free Bird 2,104]

On 3/24/2021 at 2:36 AM, megaguns1982 said:

I like it as it is, but it would have been much cooler to divide it up into 3 albums, and release them 2-3 years apart... add on TSI and you’ve got GNR releases in let’s say 1991 1993 1996 1999, then the 2002 version of CD. It would have been much more impressive as a back catalogue.

Isn't it much more impressive to have released only these few records but still being responsible for so many hits and awesome songs? Much more impressive than to just split the releases into more records and a bigger time period without any new real output?

What Guns did until '93, and I mean mostly their decision for releasing material, was almost peferct IMO.

The problem is how they handled their career since '93

Edited March 28 by Free Bird

[Oldest Goat 8,462]

My reduced and combined UYI tracklist:

1. Estranged

2. Yesterdays

3. Double Talkin' Jive

4. Bad Obsession

5. Dust N' Bones

6. Locomotive

7. Don't Cry(Alt)

8. The Garden

9. Breakdown

10. Civil War

11. Dead Horse

12. Don't Damn Me

13. You Could Be Mine

14. 14 Years

15. Pretty Tied Up

16. Coma

17. Perfect Crime

 

[rocknroll41 2,463]

1 hour ago, Oldest Goat said:

My reduced and combined UYI tracklist:

1. Estranged

2. Yesterdays

3. Double Talkin' Jive

4. Bad Obsession

5. Dust N' Bones

6. Locomotive

7. Don't Cry(Alt)

8. The Garden

9. Breakdown

10. Civil War

11. Dead Horse

12. Don't Damn Me

13. You Could Be Mine

14. 14 Years

15. Pretty Tied Up

16. Coma

17. Perfect Crime

 

Estranged doesn’t work as an opener, and not all of those fit into one 80-minute disc.

[Tom2112 2,465]

10 hours ago, rocknroll41 said:

I gotta say, this list is actually pretty solid, even tho it’s very different from my own list! Just shows how much good material there actually is between both albums!

Yeah, I left off dust n bones and few others that i'd argue are highlights. I think if you go through 50 fans list of a master UYI list, You get at least 8 songs that crop up with everybody. I think they could've released 10 undeniable songs and possibly exceeded AFD.

I hear the argument about if you don't like a song skip it. And that's true, but missing the point of the exercise. We all like the majority, if not all of UYI, but there are clearly weaker songs that bring down the grade average. Example of one way to get around us only hearing 12-14 songs instead of all the tracks. Release the tracks that were weaker with the singles, gnr at that time could and did do exactly what they wanted the label would have went along. And in that scenario we get all the material, without watering down the master album.

[jackparker123 238]

Side A

1. Civil War

2. Right Next Door To Hell

3. Perfect Crime

4. You Could Be Mine

Side B

5. Breakdown

6. Dont Cry (Original)

7. Locomotive

Side C

8. November Rain

9. Yesterdays

10. Garden Of Eden

Side D

11. Don't Damn Me

12. Dead Horse

13. Estranged

[fowlerisgod 77]

On 3/22/2021 at 8:23 AM, Towelie said:

To be honest, I think it would've surpassed it. No tacky cover versions or b-grade material like Back Off Bitch or Garden of Eden. Just straight up killer rocknroll.

I had to omit Estranged as you can't have four 8+min epics on one album.

 

1. Right Next Door To Hell
2. Dust N Bones
3. Civil War
4. Bad Obsession 
5. Don't Cry
6. Locomotive
7. Breakdown
8. Double Talkin Jive
9. November Rain
10. The Garden
11. You Could Be Mine
12. Bad Apples
13. Coma

Bad Apples should be nowhere near a Use Your Illusion 1 disc album

[Tom2112 2,465]

15 minutes ago, fowlerisgod said:

Bad Apples should be nowhere near a Use Your Illusion 1 disc album

I agree, but I also have a soft spot for that one

[The Dissident 166]

So I cheat... I opened this slightly further into tracks that didn't make Appetite/Lies

Side 1:

1. Right Next Door To hell
2. Dust N Bones
3. Don't Cry [Alt Version]
4. You Could Be Mine

Side 2:

1. Civil War
2. November Rain
3. Perfect Crime

Side 3:

1. Locomotive
2. Shadow Of Your Love
3. Estranged

Side 4:

1. Move To The City [Acoustic]
2. Dead Horse
3. Coma

[Beto 22 66]

 

1- Dust N' Bones

2- Don't Cry

3- Bad Obssesion

4- Double Talkin' Jive

5-  November Rain

6- Bad Apples

7- Dead Horse

8- Civil War

9- 14 Years

10- Yesterdays

11- Knockin' On Heavens Door

12- Pretty Tied Up

13- So Fine

14- Estranged

15- You Could Be Mine

 

[-W.A.R- 2,747]

The material is there but the issue is making it a cohesive album. You can cut all the filler and covers, but you're left with an album that is mostly grandiose epics and that would make it a slog to get through. You would have to remove a few of those and put some of the inferior filler stuff back in and that'll hurt it when comparing it to the lean AFD.

Could you make a good album? Yes. One that is on par with Appetite? Probably not. However that was never the aim of UYI - Axl wanted a big sprawling album(s).

Edited March 29 by -W.A.R-

[Chester 524 432]

I like UYI as is, but would agree musically it would have been better without the filler. 

 

the double album was smart in retrospect due to the fact that the band was falling apart and that they needed a huge pay day to cash in on the first albums success- so a double albums was the way to go. 

 

that bring said, double album is definitely NOT the way to go if they ever release new music again.  keep it short and sweet, no filler.  I was going to say release an LP every 12 months, but this is GNR so that's never gonna happen.  music today is like the news- very short cycle 

[pbj_jam 24]

Off the top of my head.(not a tracklist)

 

Breakdown

Estranged 

Locomotive

Yesterdays

Dead Horse 

Ycbm

Civil War 

Pretty tied up

Get in the ring

Dont damn me

Add two songs and yes on par with afd I Think so

[smokingarthur 156]

The past and the “what if” have no identity. We live in the now. And right now I’m glad that the Illusions are plural….

[ShadowOfTheWave 810]

Eliminate Bad Apples/Coma/Locomotive, add Estranged/Dead Horse/Don't Damn Me.

[ronartest2004 63]

Illusions had too many good tracks for it to be just 1 disc, but not enough good tracks for it to be 2 discs.

 

[North Korean Democracy 147]

1. Right Next Door to Hell
2. 14 Years
3. Live and Let Die
4. Civil War
5. Yesterdays
6. Perfect Crime
7. Bad Obsession
8. Don't Cry
9. Pretty Tied Up
10. Locomotive
11. DTJ
12. November Rain
13. Don't Damn Me
14. Estranged
15. You Could Be Mine
16. Dead Horse
17. Coma

-Singles:

YCBM (B-sides: Dust N' Bones, Back Off Bitch)

Don't Cry (B-sides: Don't Cry Alt, You Ain't the First)

LALD (B-sides: Bad Apples, Garden of Eden)

November Rain (B-sides: Breakdown, The Garden)

Civil War (B-sides: Get in the Ring, Shotgun Blues)

Yesterdays (B-side: So Fine)

Estranged (B-side: a recording of Sorum fucking a dolphin)

KOHD was released as a stand-alone single in 1990
My World remained in Axl's vault forever