Use Your Illusion Song by Song Thread

Since "Civil War" was released prior to the album that justifies its exclusion despite it being one of the stronger tracks throughout this set. No need for any edits, this is 70 minutes of "New and Improved" Guns N' Roses..

SIDE 1 (17:09)
You Could Be Mine (5:48)
14 Years (4:17)
Don't Cry (4:42)
Perfect Crime (2:22)

SIDE 2 (16:09)
Locomotive (8:42)
Dust n' Bones (4:55)
You Ain't the First (2:32)

SIDE 3 (16:58)
Double Talkin' Jive (3:19)
November Rain (8:53)
Pretty Tied Up (4:46)

SIDE 4 (19:28)
Estranged (9:20)
Coma (10:08)

 

I made a 50 minute version which involved some editing. The seven track version above also needs some judicious chopping. One difficulty I had was the different sound on the albums which meant I couldn’t use the 2 and a half songs from UYI1 that measured up.

 

My World

Axl just had to have the last word, didn't he?

This is a fitting end to UYI. Axl telling the band that Gn'R is his world, and they can F off.

...oh, and it's also one of the worst songs in the history of recorded music.

 

My UYI compilation. I'll call it Abuse Your Delusion. I'll kick it old school with album sides.

Side A:

You Could Be Mine
Perfect Crime
Dead Horse
So Fine
The Garden
Garden of Eden
Civil War
Don't Damn Me

Side B:

Shotgun Blues
14 Years
Don't Cry (alt)
November Rain
Double Talkin' Jive
Estranged
Yesterdays

The studio versions come to exactly 75 minutes. I'd excise some of the piano in Estranged, and the first refrain of "I never wanted it to diiiiiieee-ayiiiee". That should cut a good minute.

@Musicman1998 Thanks for a fun thread! I know you had a problem with the drums on UYI (as do I), but I'm surprised you'd call the whole project crap. Despite its flaws, I think it's a glorious mess. There's some great stuff here.

Gn'R were at the height of their powers, but also falling apart as a band. They were exploding and imploding at the same time...it's like witnessing the creation of a black hole.

 

I wouldn't call the whole project crap, this album definitely definitely had some strong tracks, but I stand by saying this is a bloated mess of an album

 

I think we can all agree that it's bloated.

 

I think it’s pretty awesome that we’ve been able to get to 50 pages of a thread that’s not about The Beatles, Monkees, Dylan, Floyd, etc...

This thread = not bloated.

 

Yeah, that's incredible!

 

If it were unlisted, I think people would get a kick out of it, as a little joke track.

 

My album exactly

 

I would add Yesterdays

 

I've not participated but have greatly enjoyed reading this thread, thank you all. Here's my single LP version that I would have much more easily digested in 1991 and I think, over time, could have grown into something of a minor classic. A few other songs could have been b-sides, some others could have been saved for a mythical next album, and the remaining 15 or so could have made them a ton of money as part of a 20th anniversary reissue that most people would have listened to a few times and then forgotten.

A
You Could be Mine 5:48
14 Years 4:27
Yesterdays 3:13
Don’t Cry 4:44
Civil War 7:36

B
Locomotive 8:42
November Rain 8:57
Estranged 9:20

 

A
You Could be Mine 5:43
Bad Obsession 5:28
Perfect Crime 2:24
Dust n Bones 4:58
Don't Cry 4:45

B
Right Next Door to Hell 3:02
Double Talkin Jive 3:24
You ain't the First 2:36
14 Years 4:21
Estranged 9:23

 

Side A:

Right Next Door To Hell 3:02
Civil War 7:42
Dead Horse 4:18
Yesterdays 3:16
November Rain 8:57

Side B:

Don’t Cry (original) 4:44
You Could Be Mine 5:42
Estranged 9:24
Coma 10:13

 

My 90 or so minute version, on 2 CD's, 2 cassettes, or 4long vinyl sides . In my imaginary scenario, it would've been would've been sold all together as one album. I actually prefer this running order to my 75 minute one. A nice balance between the more commercial and the artier stuff.

Disc 1 (47 minutes):
"You Could Be Mine"
"Perfect Crime"
"Dust N' Bones"
"Yesterdays"
"Breakdown"
"Bad Obsession"
"Don't Damn Me"
"Double Talkin' Jive"
"November Rain"

Disc 2 (44 minutes):
"Pretty Tied Up"
"Garden Of Eden"
"Estranged"
"You Ain't The First"
"Locomotive"
"Don't Cry (Original)"
"Coma"

 

I admit I'm still not 100% satisfied with my sequencing but here is my one disc version with an approximate running time of about 75 minutes.

You Could Be Mine
14 Years
Don't Cry
Civil War
Double Talkin' Jive
November Rain
Locomotive
Estranged
Pretty Tied Up
Yesterdays
Don't Damn Me
Coma

Now for a double album

Side A (22+)

Right Next Door To Hell
Civil War
Don't Cry
Breakdown

Side B (22+)

14 Years
Garden of Eden
Estranged
You Could Be Mine

Side C (23+)

Yesterdays
Pretty Tied up
Don't Damn Me
Coma

Side D (23+)

Locomotive
Perfect Crime
Double Talkin' Jive
November Rain

 

A

1. You Could Be Mine (5:43)
2. Dust n Bones (4:57)
3. Double Talkin Jive (4:59)
4. November Rain (8:58)

B

1. Perfect Crime (2:20)
2. Don't Cry (4:37)
3. Estranged (4:34)
4. Coma (10:18)

• Civil War remains a stand alone single
• Live and Let Die is the B-Side to November Rain
• 14 Years is the B Side to Don't Cry
• The Garden is the B Side to Estranged

 

Chinese Democracy Song by Song Thread

 

Thanks for thread @Musicman1998 Really enjoyed going back over these albums.

 

I'd buy this set.

 

No problem, I loved doing this thread, I think this is one of my best ones yet.

 

I agree. It was a great opportunity to take these two out for a few spins.

 

Well since the thread went through all the songs and I barely contributed, I'll submit an article I wrote for Alternative Nation on its 25th anniversary that compares the two. I broke them down by categories to try to be more thorough:

Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion 1 vs. 2: Debating Which Album Is Better - AlternativeNation.net

25 YEARS: CHOOSE YOUR ILLUSION: USE YOUR ILLUSION I VS II, edited by Brett Buchanan

This weekend marks 25 years since the release of Guns N’ Roses’ iconic Use Your Illusion albums. Everyone has their favorites, but after 25 years, shouldn’t we find out once and for all which album is best? It is a lot of material to handle at once, but with the CD age in full swing, GNR took advantage of the longer CD running time. It showed incredible ambition and it paid off. The albums had massive critical and commercial success.

But which songs were best? Let’s run down that list 25 years later.

Note: These categories are not exact because these songs can fit numerous categories, which shows the breadth of Guns N’ Roses’ scope.

USE YOUR ILLUSION I versus USE YOUR ILLUSION II

THE GUNS: Aggressive hard rock 6 vs. 4

• Right Next Door to Hell, Perfect Crime, Back Off Bitch, Bad Obsession, Double Talkin’ Jive, Garden of Eden

Versus…

• Get in the Ring, Shotgun Blues, Breakdown, My World

Let’s face it, Illusion (I) always had songs that more closely resembled a definite follow up to Appetite For Destruction: in the sense that more of the songs are straightforward and aggressive hard rock. The sheer force of the band really comes through on every selection here.

Illusion (II) does not follow the same path, the tracks are more varied, so there are less compact and tight songs. “Breakdown” is over 7 minutes long, but it works like an ‘Appetite’ song because it is a solid, straight classic rock song that boasts furious extended Slash soloing. “My World”, the toughest to categorize, is a “gun” because of its lyrical venom, but it is not regarded as a fan favorite.

VERDICT: (I)

THE ROSES: The softer side 2 vs. 2

(I) You Ain’t the First, The Garden

Versus…

(II) Yesterdays, So Fine

“You Ain’t the First” is a great throwback – ramshackle, country waltz, while “The Garden” is thornier than the other “roses.” It is catchy with an fine emotional slide guitar riff.

“So Fine” is a nice ballad by Duff but doesn’t match either (I) “rose”, but it’s solid while “Yesterdays” is one of the strongest songs on the 2nd album.

VERDICT: (I)

ROCK N’ ROLL: Classic rock 3 vs. 3

(I) Dust n’ Bones, Bad Apples, Dead Horse

Versus…

(II) 14 Years, You Could Be Mine, Pretty Tied Up

The rock and roll songs were lighter songs on these albums than ‘Appetite,’ with more piano and a less intense rhythm section. All but “Bad Apples” are stellar rock and roll songs that can hold up with the best classic rock from any era. Still, the (II) selections “14 Years” and especially the lead single “You Could Be Mine” are way too strong for the (I) tracks to overtake.

VERDICT: (II)

COVER SONGS: (I) Live and Let Die

Versus…

(II) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

Both songs were rock classics almost 20 years earlier for Paul McCartney & Wings, and Bob Dylan. While neither is suited for their style at the time, GNR was able to take the orchestral sections of “Live and Let Die” and present them as menacing guitar riffs that go well with the lyrics.

Their approach to “Knockin On Heaven’s Door” is somewhat successful, but feels heavy-handed and loses some of its original intent from the personality of the cover.

VERDICT: (I)

DON’T CRY

(I) DON’T CRY (single)

Versus…

(II) DON’T CRY

The fan favorite (and better version) is the single.

VERDICT: (I)

EPICS: Ambitious Multi-Suites 3 vs. 3

• 
  
  
  • (I) Don’t Damn Me, November Rain, Coma

Versus…

• 
  
  
  • (II) Civil War, Locomotive, Estranged

Initially, I thought there was no contest in favor of (II), but in putting it as a 3 vs. 3, it is very close. While I think “November Rain” showed tremendous growth, even more so than “Estranged”, “Civil War” is a bit stronger than “Coma,” and they are both knockout tracks when hearing the albums in sequence. These are only six tracks but, when added together, they approach almost an hour of the album. Along with their ambition, they demonstrate the most growth in their rock repertoire.

VERDICT: (II)

FINAL VERDICT: Use Your Illusion II is the better aural experience.

Despite the tension surround the makings of the albums, they were still remarkable and secured Guns N’ Roses as one of the most legendary bands of all time. 25 years later, sales for the individual albums are close to 20 million: absolutely astounding.

There were 4 years of hype about a followup to Appetite For Destruction, and when the Use Your Illusion albums finally arrived, both were at the top of the Billboard chart at #1 (II) and #2 (I), beating out everyone and yet again cementing Guns N’ Roses as the biggest rock band in the world.

What’s your favorite Use Your Illusion?

 

Tried to do an edit. Lost Knockin', alternate Don't Cry, So Fine & My World. Quite genuinely still love the rest, and if pushed would probably stick the alternate Don't Cry back in......

 

Which is your favorite UYI?