There was a reason that hundreds, scratch that, thousands of "kids" waited at midnight at Tower Records' stores around the country for a chance to buy G N' R's "Use Your Illusion I" & "Use Your Illusion II." They had become the biggest rock band in the world and their closest contemporaries, at that time, were Skid Row, The Cult & Metallica. But Guns N' Roses ruled the rock n' roll landscape and sold millions upon millions of cd's with sold-out shows world-wide. However, the recording of these records and the subsequent 2+ year world tour tore the band apart.
Years later, listening to these two records points directly to where the cracks in the pavement began. Adler had been replaced by "hired-gun" Matt Sorum, who was a tank on the drum-kit but Adler's departure was missed. Dizzy Reed, a KEYBOARDIST, was brought on board as another "hired-gun," if not a full-time member. But the biggest problem was the divide taking shape between Axl & Slash/Duff/Izzy. Slash, Duff & Izzy wanted to keep things lean, loose, dirty, aggressive and fun! As evident by the songs 'Right Next Door to Hell,' 'Dust N' Bones,' 'You Ain't the First' and 'Double Talkin' Jive.' All great hard-rock songs. However, Axl had delusions of grandeur and saw Guns N' Roses as an epic rock band sweeping the country-side a la Led Zepplin but with plenty of Queen, Elton John & Beatles-esque balladry. The rest of the band wanted it dirty and raw, a modern-day and more aggressive version of The Rolling Stones. Guess who won? "Use Your Illusion I" featured a cover of Paul McCartney's The Wings' 'Live & Let Die,' an original version of 'Don't Cry,' 'November Rain,' 'The Garden,' 'Coma' and a ton of filler such as 'Bad Obsession,' 'Back Off Bitch,' 'Don't Damn Me' and 'Bad Apples.'
Many of the songs that ended up on both this release and "Use Your Illusion II" were written before "Appetite for Destruction." And, at a grand total of 30 songs, G N' R emptied the cupboard with these simultaneous releases. Not necessarily a bad thing. The "Illusion" records are commonly referred to as the band's "art" albums. A completely fair description, but the band did not become famous for "art." They became famous for dirty rock n' roll and, sadly, those days were long gone after the release of this album.
http://www.examiner.com/x-13064-Austin-Rock-Music-Examiner~y2009m7d18-Review-Use-Your-Illusion-I-by-Guns-N-Roses
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