Use Your Illusion--filler myth

[RichardNixon]

This weekend I listened to both Use Your Illusion 1 and 2, front to back, for the first time in several years. I've always heard comments like "endless filler," but I don't think so. Even lesser songs like "Shotgun Blues" and "You Ain't the first" are good. Then there are terrific songs like "The Garden" and "Garden of Eden," and "So Fine" which are just kind of written off. 

 

 

[darkside259]

so fine is soooo lame

[Free Bird]

28 minutes ago, RichardNixon said:

This weekend I listened to both Use Your Illusion 1 and 2, front to back, for the first time in several years. I've always heard comments like "endless filler," but I don't think so. Even lesser songs like "Shotgun Blues" and "You Ain't the first" are good. Then there are terrific songs like "The Garden" and "Garden of Eden," and "So Fine" which are just kind of written off. 

 

 

The Garden is written off? By whom? To me it’s one of the greatest rocker on the Illusions. GNR's psychedelic trip. 

 

[jamillos]

I agree, there are no fillers, and the length is cool. Just some slightly weaker songs... like So Fine. 

[darkside259]

so fine, my world and bad apples in my opinion 

[Rovim]

The Garden is one of those Gn'R tunes that never gets old, I always come back to it. The whole thing is brilliant. I don't really understand how Slash managed to come up with the main solo: somehow he manages to keep the direction of the melody (like all of his UYI solos) but also explore so many interesting ways to move forward. It's like the opposite of a David Gilmour solo almost. (not to take anything away from his brilliance) very unpredictable and just wild guitar playing. 

UYI does have a lot of filler imo, don't see it as a filler myth. I think the band was just so talented that almost everything they did worked, but I like all the UYI songs. My World is not really a band effort.

[Gordon Comstock]

Back Off Bitch is the only filler song on UYI I, but UYI II has the most filler of any GNR album.

I like Don't Cry (alt) but it's completely unnecessary, Get In The Ring is good instrumentally but the cheesy lyrics ruin it (like Back Off Bitch), Shotgun Blues and So Fine are mediocre, and then there's My World...

[RichardNixon]

I think even a so-so song like "Shotgun Blues" is saved by Slash's solo.

[darkside259]

i mean wtf is my world axl said something about this? is so bizarre 

[Stay.Of.Execution]

All killer, no filler

[Frankfurt93]

All killer - no fillers, best albums in the history of music.

Don't think so?  Go check out any Stones, Queen, Floyd album, Sgt. Peppers...

Only filles My World and Bad Obsession.

[Atlas19]

No fillers to me. 2 amazing albums

[Dean]

2 hours ago, darkside259 said:

so fine is soooo lame

One of Slash's best solo's!

[UncleJosh]

Only fillers to me are My Word and You Ain't The First.  Should have been regulated to B-Sides or better yet back to the vault.

[SoulMonster]

A case could be made that the band released almost everything they had because they feared this would be the last album they ever made, hence they were less discriminatory about what they put on those albums. And then whether you feel those songs they released which they might not have released otherwise, are "fillers" or not, is entirely subjective. Personally, I think there are lots of fillers on those albums.

[darkside259]

1 hour ago, Dean said:

One of Slash's best solo's!

damn now i have to listen so fine again to check 

[darkside259]

4 minutes ago, darkside259 said:

damn now i have to listen so fine again to check 

well i give it a lsioten and its not so bad how i remember it, migh be bad live i guess

[James Bond]

The only songs I really don't care for on UYI I are Back Off Bitch (absolutely killer solo though) and I've never bonded with The Garden for whatever reason.

With UYI II there's more I don't like (Shotgun Blues, Get In The Ring, Breakdown, So Fine, and My World) but the rest of the album I probably like as a whole more than UYI I.

Not that I think Breakdown is a bad song or anything - I've just never got on with it for whatever reason. Shotgun Blues and Get In The Ring just feel so thoroughly average to me.

[darkside259]

27 minutes ago, James Bond said:

The only songs I really don't care for on UYI I are Back Off Bitch (absolutely killer solo though) and I've never bonded with The Garden for whatever reason.

With UYI II there's more I don't like (Shotgun Blues, Get In The Ring, Breakdown, So Fine, and My World) but the rest of the album I probably like as a whole more than UYI I.

Not that I think Breakdown is a bad song or anything - I've just never got on with it for whatever reason. Shotgun Blues and Get In The Ring just feel so thoroughly average to me.

shotgun blues could be a killer live back in the days like perfect crime

[mystery]

1 hour ago, SoulMonster said:

A case could be made that the band released almost everything they had because they feared this would be the last album they ever made, hence they were less discriminatory about what they put on those albums. And then whether you feel those songs they released which they might not have released otherwise, are "fillers" or not, is entirely subjective. Personally, I think there are lots of fillers on those albums.

They're fine albums where most of the "fillers" are interesting listens with the exception of My World. There's arguably fillers though, for me they're: Shotgun Blues, Get in the Ring, My World, Don't Damn Me, Back Off Bitch, Garden of Eden, and Bad Apples. If you take those songs off both albums I believe you have an even 12 songs for each. I'm not saying they're bad (My World is) but they feel like they're filling out the album rather than being A-Side material.

They could've used those songs as B-Sides and they'd be fine. I'm sure people will disagree but none of those songs are still being performed currently. Back Off Bitch was performed in the early days and like once on the UYI Tour, Bad Apples was performed twice very early on the UYI tour before the albums came out, Garden of Eden was performed like twice in early 1993, and My World, Get in the Ring, Don't Damn Me, and Shotgun Blues have never been performed live. 

[Tom2112]

Ah there are definitely some less great moments on both albums. Taking a few years away from the albums does give everything a new lease of life but upon repeat listens the cracks in the not so good songs become apparent.

I can listen to every song on both albums happily enough (my world included). I do think one album with 16 songs was the way for the absolute beast of all beast follow up albums though... I just wouldn't have enjoyed the bickering over which songs get cut if I was making the call.

[Bitchisback]

I don't think there is much filler on the illusions but I think there is a pretty big gap between the best songs and the songs that are not quite the best. I think that is more just a compliment towards the big guns tho because those songs are really really special 

 

Garden of Eden and Don't Damn Me are two of my favorite GnR songs!

 

I really do think tho if they just took the best of the illusions and released them as one album (and left the covers off) it would have been every bit as big and legendary as Appetite.  And then they could have released a b-sides a year later with the remaining songs. Or whatever.  

[DoMw94]

I wonder if the whole double album idea would've been better received if they didn't release both at the same time. Maybe one at the start of the tour and one at the end?

Would people still deem them full of filler if they were spread out by a couple of years?

[mystery]

8 minutes ago, DoMw94 said:

I wonder if the whole double album idea would've been better received if they didn't release both at the same time. Maybe one at the start of the tour and one at the end?

Would people still deem them full of filler if they were spread out by a couple of years?

Red Hot Chili Peppers kind of did this with Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen this year; System of a Down also did something similar with Mezmerize and Hypnotize in 2005. Spacing them a few months apart would have worked but I think releasing one in 1991 and the other in 1993 would have been too long for a public that was hungry for Guns N' Roses material. Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 has always felt like their White Album to me and kind of like one release even though they were released separately.

People also kind of forget the mindset of a lot of 90's albums seemed to be including as many songs as possible to fill CD space. It might not all be the best material but including 14-17 songs made it a value for people buying albums at a time where album sales were still important to the music industry. There's a lot of albums from that era that had 60-75 minute runtimes where previously it'd be 9-12 songs with a 40-45 minute runtime. 

[Free Bird]

There are a few filler on both records but too many great songs for only one release. I think they did the right thing and wrote history with that decision. 

I think the weakest songs (not necessary bad songs at all) are LALD, You Ain't The First, Garden Of Eden, Shitgun Blues, Breakdown, So Fine and My World of course. When listening to them I enjoy every single one of it with the exception of My World.