Use your illusion
| Use Your Illusion I. | ||||
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Studio album by 
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Publication |
17th September 1991 |
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| Label (s) | Geffen Records | |||
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Title (number) |
16 |
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running time |
76:04 |
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| occupation |
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Mike Clink, Guns n 'Roses |
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Studio (s) |
A&M Studios, Record Plant Studios, Studio 56, Image Recording, Conway Studios & Metalworks Recording Studios |
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| Use Your Illusion II | ||||
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| Guns N 'Roses studio album | ||||
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Publication |
17th September 1991 |
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| Label (s) | Geffen Records | |||
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Format (s) |
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Hard rock , blues rock |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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running time |
75:21 |
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| occupation |
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Mike Clink, Guns n 'Roses |
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Studio (s) |
A&M Studios, Record Plant Studios, Studio 56, Image Recording, Conway Studios & Metalworks Recording Studios |
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Use Your Illusion I (English for: "Use your imagination") and Use Your Illusion II are two studio albums releasedon September 17, 1991 by the US hard rock band Guns n 'Roses . This is the group's third and fourth studio album. The two albums gave the band a significant boost in popularity, but were individually not as successful as their debut album Appetite for Destruction . A total of eight singles were released between 1991 and 1993, and a tour of the same name also took place between 1991 and 1993. A total of ten music videos were created for the 30 songs on both albums.
Emergence
In 1989 , band leader Axl Rose announced that they would soon release four albums at the same time. In the course of time this promise had to be corrected down to two single albums and the release date was repeatedly pushed back. These shifts went so far that the scheduled Use Your Illusion tour (1991-1993) was started before the albums were released.
On September 17, 1991 both albums were released with the label: This Album contains language which some listeners may find objectionable. They can F?! * OFF and buy something from the New Age section. - released at the same time as announced and caused a real run on the record stores. Within a week, a total of 1.5 million copies of both albums were sold. Both in the US Billboard charts and in the charts of many other countries, the albums climbed in positions 1 and 2.
Guest musician
As a guest musician appeared among other things:
- Alice Cooper ( The Garden )
- Michael Monroe
- Shannon Hoon
- Nikki Randall
Music genre
The albums are no longer as rough and hard as the debut album Appetite for Destruction , but contain elements of blues , classic hard rock and also pieces of almost epic proportions, such as: B. the ballad November Rain on Use Your Illusion I or Estranged on Use Your Illusion II , each around nine minutes long. The longest song on both albums is Coma with over ten minutes.
Both albums in comparison
Similarities
Basically, the two albums are more different than the same. The only thing that both works have in common is the date of publication and the cover motif (which, however, is colored differently). Both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II each contain a cover version (the Wings cover Live and Let Die on the first album, the Bob Dylan song Knockin 'on Heaven's Door on the second album). There is also a version of the song Don't Cry .
In Canada, both albums reached number one in the charts, the group did not achieve this in any other country. In the US, both albums were platinum-rated seven times, and in the UK they were both platinum-rated.
differences
Both albums differ on the one hand in the color scheme of the album cover of the same motif, on the other hand they also differ musically. Use Your Illusion I is heavier and more guitar-heavy, while Use Your Illusion II is a lot more bluesy. The first album contains 16 songs, Use Your Illusion II on the other hand 14. While Use Your Illusion I ends with the longest song of the two albums ( Coma ), the last one on the second album is the shortest ( My World ) of the total of 30 songs Find.
The musical differences between the two albums mainly go back to when the songs were written. The first album contains mostly - but not exclusively - songs that were created before the release of their debut album, Use Your Illusion II , however, concentrates more on the tracks that were created after Appetite for Destruction . Accordingly, the first Illusion album is more shaped by the style of the debut than the second album, which, due to the younger production, processes more the later influences, for example from changed band members who were also involved in the songwriting. Don't Cry, for example, was the band's first song ever and appears in different text versions on both albums.
Use Your Illusion II , which was marginally more successful, made it to number one in the album charts in the USA, Austria and Great Britain, but Use Your Illusion I only made it to number two in each of the countries mentioned. While Use Your Illusion II released five singles, Use Your Illusion I only had three singles , all three of which were released in a row after the first single You Could Be Mine , which was released in the summer of 1991.
Cover design
The cover motif chosen for both studio albums is an excerpt from the mural The School of Athens by Raphael . This was created in the 16th century and shows in its entirety a long space from the central perspective. In this picture you can see numerous scientists and philosophers in a kind of gathering. The greatest width of this painting is aligned to more than 7.70 meters. The image section is the same on both albums, but the color scheme is different. The first album is rather warm with red and yellow colors, while the second album is colder in blue and purple. The Estonian-American artist Mark Kostabi was responsible for the design of both album covers.
Track list
Use Your Illusion I.
- Right Next Door to Hell (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Timo Caltia) - 3:00
- Dust N 'Bones (Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Slash) - 4:56
- Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) - 2:59 (Original artist : Wings)
- Don't Cry (Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 4:40 (Original Version)
- Perfect Crime (Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 2:23
- You Ain't the First (Izzy Stradlin) - 2:35
- Bad Obsession (Izzy Stradlin, West Arkeen) - 5:28
- Back Off Bitch (Axl Rose, Paul Huge) - 5:03
- Double Talkin 'Jive (Izzy Stradlin) - 3:23
- November Rain (Axl Rose) - 8:56
- The Garden (Axl Rose, West Arkeen, Del James) - 5:22 (feat. Alice Cooper)
- Garden of Eden (Slash, Axl Rose) - 2:41
- Don't Damn Me (Slash, Dave Lank, Axl Rose) - 5:18
- Bad Apples (Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 4:28
- Dead Horse (Axl Rose) - 4:17
- Coma (Slash, Axl Rose) - 10:16
Use Your Illusion II
- Civil War (Slash, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose) - 7:36
- 14 Years (Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 4:17
- Yesterdays (West Arkeen, Del James, Billy McCloud, Axl Rose) - 3:13
- Knockin 'on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) - 5:36 (Original artist : Bob Dylan)
- Get in the Ring (Slash, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose) - 5:29
- Shotgun Blues (Axl Rose) - 3:23
- Breakdown (Axl Rose) - 6:58
- Pretty Tied Up (Izzy Stradlin) - 4:46
- Locomotive (Slash, Axl Rose) - 8:42
- So Fine (Duff McKagan) - 4:04
- Estranged (Axl Rose) - 9:10
- You Could Be Mine (Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 5:48
- Don't Cry (Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) - 4:40 (Alternate Lyrics)
- My World (Axl Rose) - 1:22
Individual songs
Use Your Illusion I.
→ see also: Don't Cry , November Rain
- Dust N 'Bones : This is the first song on the album in which Izzy Stradlin can be heard as the singer instead of Axl Rose. It's also the first song that Dizzy Reed played on the piano. Musically, Dust N 'Bones is amplifiedby a guitar with a talk box, an instrument that Aerosmith - according to Rose one of the greatest influences on Guns N' Roses - regularly uses.
- Live and Let Die : The song is a Paul McCartney and Wings cover and in the original version it is the theme song of the film James Bond 007 - Live and Let Die . The music video was last shot with the guitarist in November 1991 shortly before Izzy Stradlin left.
- Don't Cry : This song is considered to be the first song written by the band in their history and was played at various live concerts years before the album was released. On Use Your Illusion I is the version included with the original text, while the title is represented on the second album a more recent, rewritten version. Don't Cry was originally intended to be the first single from the Illusion segment, but you Could Be Mine was ultimately chosenas the first single forcommercial reasons, as this song was part of the soundtrack of the James Cameron film Terminator 2 - Judgment Day and they wanted to equate the release of the song with that of the film as much as possible.
- You Ain't the First : Unlike most of the songs on the album, there are no electric guitars to be heard here. Instead, acoustic guitars are used here, similar to the style on the album GN 'R Lies . There is also a tambourine played by Tim Doyle, which gives the song a slight folk-rock touch. The only piece of the band to be heard here are three different lead singers: Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose and Shannon Hoon.
- Back off Bitch : This song was written before the Appetite-for-Destruction time and according to a Rolling Stone interview with Axl Rose in 1992 it was already "ten years old" when it was released. In fact, the song was performed live at concerts before the debut album was released.
- Don't Damn Me : This track is the only one from Use Your Illusion I that has never been played live by the band.
Use Your Illusion II
→ see also Knockin 'on Heaven's Door , You Could Be Mine
- Civil War : This title appeared in 1990 on the sampler Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal . It is a protest song against the war in general.
- 14 Years : This piece is one of the few songs in which the guitarist Izzy Stradlin can be heard completely as the singer, he sings the chorus here with Axl Rose.
- Get in the Ring : The song Get in the Ring is an attack on journalists and magazines who, in the opinion of the band or Axl Rose himself, were opponents of Guns N 'Roses. In the text they are asked to meet the singer “in the ring” so that he can beat them up. Notably be Andy Secher ( Hitparader ), the Circus Magazine , Mick Wall ( Kerrang ) and Bob Guccione Jr. ( Spin Magazine called). They are accused of telling lies about the band and thus robbing the fans of their hard earned money. The reason for attacking Mick Wall was an article that the journalist wrote on April 21, 1990 in Kerrang! No. 286/287 about an interview with Axl Rose. As a result, the band refused to ever play for Kerrang again ! to be available if Wall does not solve the problem.
- Breakdown : Singer Axl Rose once said that the vocal track at the end of this song was the only thing thatdid not satisfyhim in connection with the Use Your Illusion albums. Guitarist Slash also reported that this song was one of the most difficult songs the band has ever recorded.
- Locomotive : In this songthe title of the album is namedwith the text line “ You can use your illusion , let it take you where it may ”.
- You Could Be Mine : This piece was released as the first single before the release of the two albums and was also used on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Terminator 2 - Day of Reckoning , which is why the single release of this song was the release of the originally planned Don 't Cry was preferred.
Publications
Formats
The vinyl editions were each published as a double album . With playing times of over 75 minutes each, both albums could be pressed onto one CD each.
Compilation album
On September 17, 1998, exactly seven years after the release of the two albums, a combination of both albums was released on a single CD in the USA. This contains the following songs:
Use Your Illusion I.
- Live and Let Die ( Paul McCartney , Linda McCartney ) - 3:04 (Original artist : Wings)
- Don't Cry ( Axl Rose , Izzy Stradlin ) - 4:44 (Original Version)
- You Ain't the First (Izzy Stradlin) - 2:36
- November Rain (Axl Rose) - 8:57
- The Garden (Axl Rose, West Arkeen, Del James) - 5:22 (feat. Alice Cooper)
- Dead Horse (Axl Rose) - 4:17
Use Your Illusion II
- Civil War (Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan ) - 7:42
- 14 Years (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) - 4:21
- Yesterdays (Axl Rose, Arkeen, James, Billy McCloud) - 3:16
- Knockin 'on Heaven's Door ( Bob Dylan ) - 5:20
- Estranged (Axl Rose) - 9:23
- Don't Cry (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) - 4:43 (Alternate Lyrics)
Concert videos
In December 1992, two live videos, also published simultaneously, appeared for the first time, which were released under the same title as the two albums. It is a part of a live recording of the concert recorded on February 22, 1992 in Japan, which was released separately on DVD for the first time in 2003 with the same sales strategy. The videos run for three hours (90 minutes per video) and contain the following titles:
Use Your Illusion I.
- Introduction: Tokyo ! Banzai motherfuckers! From Hollywood ... Guns N Roses!
- Nightrain
- Mr. Brownstone
- Live and Let Die
- It's so easy
- Bad obsession
- Attitude
- Pretty tied up
- Welcome to the jungle
- Don't Cry (Original)
- Double talkin 'jive
- Civil War
- Wild horses
- patience
- November Rain
Use Your Illusion II
- Introduction
- You could be mine
- Drum Solo & Guitar Solo
- Theme from The Godfather
- Sweet Child o 'Mine
- So fine
- Rocket Queen
- Move to the City
- Knockin 'on Heaven's Door
- Estranged
- Paradise City
Singles and Videos
Don't cry
Don't Cry is part of the so-called trilogy together with November Rain and Estranged . These three music videos were produced with great effort. The video was shot in the summer of 1991 in various locations in Los Angeles . In terms of content, the video can be given a lot of room for interpretation , as the individual scenes cannot be assigned to a specific statement . At the beginning of the video, for example, Axl Rose is shown pulling a painful face through a snowy landscape and holding a revolver in his left hand. A change of scene then takes place. In the next scene he is in a mansion and holds a pistol in his hand. His girlfriend ( Stephanie Seymour , with whom he was actually dating) tries to snatch the gun from him. A tussle ensues in which Seymour ends up holding the gun with an exhausted expression on his face. Another change of scene takes place and the couple can be seen picnicking in a cemetery. Another change of scene: You can see Axl Rose desperately trying to get to the surface in the water, but being pulled down by his girlfriend.
Then you see the band playing on the roof of a skyscraper. The special thing is that Shannon Hoon , singer of the band Blind Melon , sings together with Rose. Dizzy Reed wears a t-shirt that says " Where's Izzy " (as an allusion to the fact that Izzy Stradlin did not show up for the video shoot because he had announced his departure from the band shortly before). After a few seconds you can see the band in a piano bar. Axl Rose is playing a piano while flirting with a blonde when his girlfriend enters the bar. Seymour attacks the blonde, throws her to the ground and throws glasses at her. It degenerates into a tussle. Then you can see the band playing on the roof of the skyscraper again.
You can then see Duff McKagan and Slash having an argument with two women. A bottle is thrown at Duff McKagan and Slash, who is driving his car on a country lane, is attacked by a woman in the passenger seat. He is racing towards a ravine with a Mustang. Shortly before the crash, you can see a sarcastic grin on Slash's face. The vehicle falls down and explodes. Slash reappears. This time he plays his guitar and then throws it down the gorge.
Suddenly you see Axl Rose three times at the same time in a kind of clinic. Once he is lying on a couch as a patient, while twice he stands next to this couch in different clothes. The two standing doppelgangers of the singer briefly discuss, whereupon one of them turns around, walks into a mirror and disappears through it. Then you can see Axl Rose striving for a falling sunbeam in his own grave. Then you see him lying on the couch of a psychotherapist and being calmed down by her. Then he gets out of a car in the cemetery with black sunglasses and goes to his own grave. 1990 is carved on the grave slab as the year of death. Sitting in his grave, he looks up at the light, a bird flies and a baby comes up out of the water. The video ends with the long drawn out word “tonight”. The creativity of the band can also be seen here, because the drawn out syllable "igh" gives the impression that the song ends with the word "cry".
November Rain
The second part of the trilogy tells the story of Don't Cry . For many, the video, with its visual implementation of the song's emotions, is considered a milestone in music video history. With a budget of around $ 1.5 million, it is still in the top 20 most expensive music videos of all time. The video is fragmented into several parts and is based on the short story Without You by Del James .
The video begins with a very short opening scene. You can see Axl Rose taking sleeping pills and going to sleep while it is raining outside and there is a thunderstorm. The video also consists of a performance by a playing orchestra and rose on the piano in a crowded theater. It is one of the main elements of the video and accompanies the third component in alternating scenes, namely the actual story of a church wedding, celebrated by Axl Rose and his then partner Stephanie Seymour . Slash, who also wears his famous top hat and smokes in church, fails to take care of the wedding rings. You can see the priest's thoughtful facial expressions and the relief after Duff McKagan helped out with the wedding rings. After getting married, Slash is the first to leave the church and finds himself in a deserted steppe landscape, where he then plays one of the solos in the song.
Then you see Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour again walking out of a church towards the car. Further changes of scene follow, you can see the wedding celebrations and how the couple cut the wedding cake. Then a torrential rain breaks out. All the guests run into each other in panic, and in the end a mess is left behind. Another change of scene follows, which is initiated acoustically. Instead of the further course of the wedding celebrations, one suddenly sees Stephanie Seymour lying in a coffin and a grieving Axl Rose in the first row of the church. The funeral procession leaves the church. The funeral then takes place in the cemetery, which in turn is hit by heavy rain. Then you see Rose asleep in his bed, you can tell he's having a nightmare, and he wakes up frightened. In the last scene of the video, Axl Rose can be seen crouching alone at the grave, drenched in the rain. The video ends with a bouquet of flowers on the grave. The music video won the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best camera work.
Estranged
Estranged is the third and final part of the trilogy , but is commonly referred to as Part IV of the Trilogy because the music video has a different concept from the previous ones. This is due to the fact that Axl Rose has since separated from Stephanie Seymour and therefore no continuation of the actual development strand is possible.
This video is by far the most expensive and complex that the band has shot in its history. It was created, among other places, in Axl's Villa , during a concert in the Munich Olympic Stadium , in the Bahamas and in Los Angeles between June 26th and August 19th, 1993.
reception
The double publication has been criticized many times. The band was accused of having commercial motives for this two-pronged release. In addition, the greater mass suitability of the songs caused displeasure among the "old" fans. Many were and still are of the opinion that the importance of Use Your Illusion in the history of rock music would have been much greater if the best quality songs from the two albums had been combined and released as a single album. In total, both albums sold around 35 million times.
Trivia
- The German label Wanker Records is releasing a CD sampler under the name Killer in Your Radio (three episodes until June 2007, including White Zombie and the Ramones ), which always appears with the artwork Use Your Illusions painted by Mark Kostabi in alternating basic colors.
- The Cologne indie rock band Locas in Love released their critically acclaimed double album Use Your Illusion 3 & 4 on Warner Music in 2015 , which apart from the obvious reference in the title has nothing in common with the first two Use Your Illusion parts, neither musically nor in the artwork . In interviews, Locas In Love often expressed themselves enthusiastically about the excess and megalomania of the GnR illusion saga.
See also
- List of the best-selling music albums certified by BVMI in Germany
- List of hard rock and metal albums that reached number one in the Austrian charts
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mick Wall: Star Trippin '- The Best of Mick Wall 1985-91, pages 171-188; M&G Publishing Ltd., 2006; ISBN 0-9552780-0-7