George Antonio 2008-11-24

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Some say that this was the end of Guns N' Roses. The dual output of the "Use Your Illusion" albums. They say Axl Rose was to theatrical; and instead of focusing on the music, he was too concerned about creating a visionary masterpiece. Well, aren't some of the greatest geniuses in history, visionaries? And, if you still think that Axl didn't focus on the music as much, take a listen to UYI #1 and you'll see that not everything you hear is the truth.

1. Right Next Door To Hell - This is the classic GnR way to begin an album! Hard hitting right off the bat. Although this song itself may be considered one of the weakest songs on the album, it still shows that the band has that raw edge! 4/5

2. Dust N' Bones - I love this song becuase it has two great GnR elements tied into one song. A rawness and a "don't care" attitude, yet it has that softer, visionary feel to it where I think the "Illusion" album really takes off. Both the bass playing and guitar work are exceptional here as well! 4.5/5

3. Live And Let Die - What would GnR be if they didn't have at least one good cover on an album? This time, they pick the Paul McCartney classic, and boy do they let it all hang out!! There is no denying Slash's guitar work here as he just shreds it up! Not the best all aroun cover I've heard, but very GnR-like! 5/5

4. Don't Cry (original) - This is a stand-out ballad for the album! Although I perfer the alternate version whic appears on the second album, this is right up there! The vocals are haunting, and you really get the sense that there is some real heartache going on. Filled with a lot of imagery, and as evidence by the music video, very theatrical as well. Awesome song, again showing the bands versatility. 5/5

5. Perfect Crime - I love this song! GnR get back to their raw basics on this track and Axl holds nothing back. On the other side too, the listener can hear the very subtle growth between this album and AFD. Great song, with fun, killer hooks all around! 5/5

6. You Ain't The First - For me this is one song where the album just seems to be lost. I can see where the band tries to make it fit, but something is off just a bit. Not a bad song overall, just not a terribly good song that sticks out. Very rare for the band that, despite the bad placement, still plays very well here. 3.5/5

7. Bad Obsession - This is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. Just has a sick groove to it that is hard to describe. I would say its very mediterranean sounding. Very cool vocals that really describe where the band was at during this time! 5/5

8. Back Off B!tch - To me this song is a follow-up to the previous track. You know what? It too, is killer! I love the guitar work by Slash on here, and again Axl seems angry and very passionate about what he has to say! Great song! 5/5

9. Double Talkin' Jive - To continue, I also feel that this is a follow-up tp BoB. If this is truly the case, than this string of songs make for the true meat of the album! I truly enjoy how the band was able to put this song together; seems to flow nicely and, while fun, there seems to be a lot of emotion into it as well. 5/5

10. November Rain - The grandiose EPIC of the album! The Queen-esche rock opera that made people stand up and say "Wow, Axl has amazing song writing skills!" While others stood up and said "Wow, this is the downfall of the true GnR." There is no denying the power behind this track. From Axl's vocals, to the killer guitar solo from Slash, to everything else! This song is amazing and really captured I believe, what the whole "illusion" sessions were about! 5/5

11. The Garden - Fresh of the heels of the "November Rain" epic, comes "The Garden"; one song I never could truly get into. For me there was just too much trying to be crammed into one track and just seems jumbled. Not overly bad, but a weak link on the album. 3.5/5

12. Garden Of Eden - This track again took me awhile to really sink my teeth into, but soon enough, I can see that it is a very solid rockin' track! Solid guitar playing here and the bass stands out very well! One can sense the mixture of AFD attitude, and UYI storytelling. Good song. 4/5

13. Don't Damn Me - A very, very cool song! Caught my attention right away and I believe it is a hidden gem on this epic story of an album! The vocals are very tight, and the ban just seems on their game 100%. Great song to rock out to!! 5/5

14. Bad Apples - Another song that took me awhile, but again turned into being a very solid rocker, and one that I look foward to hearing every time! One could argue that Axl was talking about himself and the impendig end of the band when he screeches, "One bad apple can spoil the whole damn bunch!" Killer guitar work, and just a fun track! 4.5/5

15. Dead Horse - if it were me, I would have a=switched the placement of this song and "Bad Apples." It just seems to me, coming off the heels of the solid rocker, this song just seems to fall a bit. However, the following track more than makes up for it, and this song isn't that bad overall. Good guitar work. 3.5/5

16. Coma - A grand, grand end to the first part of this new GnR journey. A song that you think ends about three or four times and just keeps coming right back kicking your teeth in! A very awesome track, that while on the long side, signals the next part of Using one's own Illusion!!!

There you have it, UYI 1. There are in my opinion more rockers on here than on part two, so if you want the GnR with a bit more attitude and less flashyness, you'd perfer part one. But, if you're a real fan of Guns...get them both!

Paul Lawrence 2008-06-13

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Yep, the full five stars here and I'll tell you why;

One reason is that this work feels optimistic, even when it's addressing pretty dour issues, it's an expansive work by a band that worked hard with their production team and developed their sound further than they'd had the opportunity to on their debut. They sold a squillion of these things at the time and the way the album works on a number of levels is part of the reason why. One level is the pure molten metal songs like Don't Damn Me and Dead Horse and Garden of Eden which show that when the faux nastiness is left behind and a genuine feeling of unclean sneer is available then you will connect with people. It shows how metal can make you think and can at times open up some unpleasant internal cans of worms. And then there are the tracks that make this a cool done-me-wrong good time blast like Dust n' Bones, You Ain't The First and Bad Obsession. Not to mention the good time humour of Back Off Bitch. In fact it's pretty hard to pick a single drop of the ball here. Even the cover of Live And Let Die is pretty good and really, if your going to sing a song like that would you find it more believable coming from these guys with Axle Rose in full roar than Mr Sensible Shoes McCartney? I'm mean really...

As to the band, these guys are so famous it's hard to come up with anything original to say other than that there is/was a certain synergy within this band. After all I'm sure that Duff, Izzy and Sorum are good musos but it's hardly relevant, these are just strong songs. They speak their piece well and with verve and commitment and that's enough to carry the day. And as for Slash, well as I write in 2008 the guy is probably the most recognisable guitarist on the planet to the average punter. And while I feel that his most brilliant riffs are perhaps on Appetite the guy here shows a solid and varied palette from which to paint. Which means the rhythm section can get on with the job of laying either a solid as oak blues base for a song or a crunching metallic bed of nails, whichever is required.

Five stars all the way and a hugely important album that any music fan with even a modicum of rock in their veins should acquaint themselves with.

Rudolf Schmidt 2008-05-19

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

There's an excellent sequel to _Appetite For Destruction_ trapped within the two bloated discs that are _Use Your Illusion_. Here it is:

01. You Could Be Mine
02. Pretty Tied Up
03. Dust 'n' Bones
04. Locomotive
05. Don't Cry (Original)
06. Don't Damn Me
07. Back Off Bitch
08. Estranged
09. Shotgun Blues
10. 14 Years
11. November Rain

Download, burn, enjoy.

Electro-Industrial madness 2008-03-07

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Guns N Roses have many excellent albums but when it comes down to variety Use Your Illusion is full of variety. Both parts 1 and 2 are full of variety. But I am reviewing part one here and it is a masterpiece just like the second part. Not that their other albums aren't masterpieces.
Ok, this cd is as perfect as Guns N Roses gets if there is such a thing as perfection. Every track has a mood of its own and that is what makes the Use Your Illusion discs so special. There are songs that make you laugh, cry, party, depressed, happy, angry, anarchist, quirky. It's all here. Get them both. Every rock, metal listener and quite franky any music lover should have this in their collection.

ZombieLuv 2008-03-04

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I'm only 17 years late on this review but it's better late than never. I LOVE this CD. I am addicted to all of my GnR music. This collection is poetry meets metal, symphony meets scream. It's absolute perfection, anyone who disagrees is.....well, a fool.