Use Your Illusion Song by Song Thread

Way more classic tracks when you combine the two albums. AFD is great, but the best of UYI is just better.

 

Eh, I'll agree to disagree

 

I’m probably as guilty as anyone of pushing the song-by-song aspect of this fine thread “off the track” - but it would be cool if we stuck with the songs in their album order. Yeah?

 

Fair enough.

 

Yeah

 

No. Steven was in limbo in June 1990. Matt was in the band but so was Steven (albeit on very borrowed time). Half in, half out. His firing wasn't addressed publicly until Axl was interviewed by Kurt Loder in August 1990 on Famous Last Words.

 

2 things:

1) If The Cult and GnR we’re looking to hire a new and competent drummer, then Sorum absolutely fits the bill; he’s solid. If that was ultimate goal, then neither band needed to set the bar very high at all. And clearly, they did not. But with Sorum, GnR got “new” (which from judging the posts, Axl and Slash wanted desperately, so anyone other than Adler met that requirement) and by my ears, he is also “competent.”

But there is a longer list of what Sorum is not: stylistic, creative, exciting or irreplaceable. Put these songs in the hands of any other “new” and “competent” studio drummer, and they will either sound exactly the same, or better. But they will NOT sound worse, and that sucks.

2) I’m not convinced Adler could’ve handled all of the more intricate and complex material either in his state, but Sorum most certainly didn’t do anything with it of note except play it. Sorum didn’t ruin GnR, he just didn’t make them better musically.

 

So... “Perfect Crime.” Any thoughts on what the lyrics are about? They’re pretty strange. I can’t quote them here, for obvious reasons. Is Axl talking about an encounter with some kinda street person? It’s a damn weird & incomprehensible song.

 

I think that "the rockers" especially could have benefitted from Adler on drums. There are a few tracks that I think Matt shines on though, mainly the ballads like Estranged and November Rain where the heavy dark sound works well

 

I mentioned the lyrics in my review, I haven't a clue. But it's such a damn fine tune I guess it doesn't matter...lol

 

Axl: There's a song we have 'Perfect Crime', it says keep the demons down, and its like most people do that, in one form or another, try to keep everything down and not understand why they're certain ways or why they feel certain ways.

 

Rough mixes of UYI songs. No Doctor cross-talk or girls clamoring for Axl. Only a small bit of the actual guys in the band going "clear."

 

Another raw UYI mix. Guitars louder, sharper. Izzy is higher in the mix. Drums rawer and groovier, no reverb, no weird mixing on drums.

 

Pretty Tied Up demo. No "cool ranch dressing" pun. Izzy's rhythm guitar and sitar higher in mix. Guitars and instruments overall mixed more raw. No reverb on drums so they actually do have "groove." Longer outro.

 

Rough mix of Don't Damn Me. No effects on Axl's vocals. No reverb on drums. Izzy higher in mix. Dizzy's keyboard part absent:

 

Rough mix of Double Talkin' Jive. Check out how loud and raw Matt's drums are. Less robotic cause they haven't been mixed to death yet. Izzy's vocals slightly higher in the mix. Guitars less polished.

 

That is somehow both illuminating and maddeningly vague at the same time.

I picture the “old timer” in the lyrics as being the same sort of grizzled street veteran who initially welcomed Axl to the jungle. Seems to be a song about keeping your head above a whole ocean of bs. Survival mode.

 

Garden of Eden raw mix. Matt's drumming has swing and no reverb and no 80s style processing. You can hear Izzy's rhythm in left channel. Guitars are not processed to death. Less overdubbing of Axl sighing and such.

 

Back Off Bitch circa 1986-1987 AFD lineup demo:


Back Off Bitch was written by Axl and his friend Paul Huge in 1982. Huge would co-write another GN'R song called Shadow of Your Love and then join the band in 1994.

 

Includes "Aint Going Down" an unreleased song from the UYI sessions

 

I gotta say, these albums came out at a great time in my life and bring back fond memories. I was a year out of high school and just having the time of my life. Great times in my youth. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those carefree days. I saw them on the 1992 stadium tour with Metallica and Faith No More in NJ. I remember meeting some girl at the show and making out with her most of GnR’s set. That is until Axl stormed offstage after getting hit by something from the crowd Ahh memories...lol

 

Perfect Crime

Just a great blast of down-n-dirty rock and roll. Slash keeps the solo short and simple.

I'll take a stab at the lyrics...

Axl is looking at being a rock star, and figures it's "the perfect crime". You don't go to college, spend your days hanging out and playing music, while groupies pay your bills (and provide other benefits).

Meanwhile, he's being followed by this blind old man "scrounging for money", who used to be "laughing at the suckers as [he] pissed it away". The old man is an aging rock star who blew through his fame and money. He's warning his young self, "don't f*** with me".

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, though.

If I say it's almost perfect, will you let me off the hook?

Seriously, I think "Think About You " is a nice rocker, with the misfortune of being on one of rock's greatest debuts. "Don't Cry" is a big upgrade IMO.

 

Adore Perfect Crime...but, yes, it's lyrics are fairly inscrutable. Whatever it is he's babbling on about, it flows really well...

 

I love Perfect Crime. It packs a lot of great little sections into a short track. I think everything about it is cool and I’ve never understood why it isn’t rated higher.

 

You Ain't The First:

We now arrive at the second Izzy sung tune on the album, You Ain't The First, also credited solely to Izzy, and Shannon Hoon makes his third appearance on the record.
The song begins with Axl counting off the track before it starts at :05, and it's got kind of a cool barrooom blues vibe to it, certainly something different. There is also some decent slide by Slash.
Overall, this track isn't that bad, but it isn't really anything special either, I can take it or leave it.