HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Use Your Illusion I & II – Guns N’ Roses

“What we’ve got here is, failure to communicate.” The quote sample which forms the intro to Civil War, the opening track to Use Your Illusion II. While the quote taken from 1967 Paul Newman classic Cool Hand Luke sets up Civil War perfectly and ushers in the second half of an ambitious release; it can also be extrapolated as a quote to frame the GUNS N’ ROSES camp at the time. 1987’s debut Appetite For Destruction set the band off into the stratosphere. They oozed the spirit of rock n’ roll from every aspect of their very being, they resembled more of a snarling street gang than a band. However, the style was clearly backed up by substance and tracks such as Welcome To The Jungle, Night Train and the giant single Sweet Child O’ Mine formed the framework of a soundtrack that kicked back at the over inflated glam and hair metal scene of eighties LA. GUNS N’ ROSES were raw and hungry and connected with a global fanbase.

Success and acclaim went hand in hand with ego and excess. The rock world was eager to see where they would go next after such an explosive beginning, they were the golden goose as far as many in the industry were concerned and a sure-fire hit was surely on the cards with whatever they came up with next. 1988s follow up G N’ R Lies was received with mixed reviews from critics. A short, punchy studio offering at just over 30 minutes in length the five-piece packed in a lot. Patience remains one of their finer ballad moments and certainly stood out from the music.  However, this was overshadowed by the controversy from Axl Rose with his inclusion of lyrics that many cited as both racist and homophobic.  At the time these claims were strenuously denied, however the explanations were weak and looking back the singer has acknowledged the merit of the accusations and conceded that the language was deliberately inflammatory. What was apparent is that at least lyrically, there was an element of controversy for the sake of it and playing up to the dangerous labels being attributed to the band.

September 17th 1991, GUNS N ROSES set out with an audacious double album release. Use Your Illusion I & II were launched on the same day shelves to a background of critical acclaim and a fanbase clamouring for the next instalment in the GUNS N’ ROSES saga. The album was set up with ambitious song writing, video releases to dominate the MTV generation and a follow up tour of grand proportions. It seemed that nothing was to be too far out of the box. While these boxes and more besides were ticked, what the world also got was a front row view of a band having a spectacular implosion.

Musically, the Use Your Illusion instalments represent a turning point for the band. There is more ambition and intricacy demonstrated on the song writing. Lyrical content takes in a broad spectrum of influences and topics, covering themes from politics to addiction from the pretty to the vulgar. Leaps were also made in terms of the musicianship and production with the two albums offering up some of the standout moments of GUNS N’ ROSES’ career. Ballad epics such as Don’t Cry (both versions), So Fine and Estranged highlighted their emotive maturity. The monumental November Rain with its extravagant orchestral backing and soaring guitar work courtesy of Slash. It was reported to be the longest song in history to enter the top 10 of Billboard’s Top 100 until it was surpassed in 2021 by TAYLOR SWIFT’s All Too Well. The accompanying video was an MTV smash delivering on a grand cinematic promise that lived up to the music. It was also the centre point of a trilogy featuring Don’t Cry and Estranged, the resulting videos were enormously expensive culminating in a budget of approximately $7 million. Yet there were lapped up by MTV with constant replays and the fans poring over every detail in the seemingly random events (a green Axl and misplaced wedding rings with some dolphins thrown in), all of this had the desired effect of generating record sales. It’s also a prime example of the excesses that were now part and parcel of the GUNS N’ ROSES world.

The musical shift from previous releases was also the result of line up changes. Former CULT drummer, Matt Sorum, replaced long term member Steven Adler. His drumming style differed distinctly and the shift in rhythmic groove is clearly evident, there is a straighter rock n roll attack than the previous swing grooves. Dizzy Reed was also included on piano, his influence is more clearly heard on the second half of the release, yet is still evident on Use Your Illusion I. At the time of release, it was received with broadly positive reviews and while it sold well it did under perform compared to hopes and expectations. Subsequently both haves have gone platinum several times. Many of the more negative reviews focussed on the grandiose nature of the production and the use of filler particular in Use Your Illusion II, the inclusion of an alternate take of Don’t Cry was seen as unnecessary. Closing track My World was also seen as a negative and today is still seen as abstract inclusion. Where it doesn’t fit at all with the feel and direction of the album. It’s one thing to think outside the box, quite another to burn down the whole box factory.

Cracks were beginning to appear in what was once a unified front. Producing the album was almost complete when the band decided that the mix was wrong and that it would need to be re-done. This was accommodated but set release back from a slated May date to the eventual September date. It was also apparent that a rift was appearing and there was camp Axl and camp rest of the band. It is widely reported that if Slash liked a mix Axl didn’t and vice versa. Much was made of rumours fuelling talk of deeper divides between the members. Axl was the most outspoken of the band and frequent interviews were taken out of context to bump magazine sales. This was the topic of the rallying cry of Get In The Ring, the pseudo live track from Use Your Illusion II that name checks publications and journalists that the band felt were fuelling the flames of discontent within the camp. While much can be made of the background talk of the albums during production, what is not up for debate is the resulting impact of the accompanying world tour. While that could warrant a whole book with chapters devoted to its successes and controversies, it is suffice to say that it was a spectacle that showcased the volatile nature of a great rock band at its height before it’s dramatic decline.

The recent deluxe re-releases shine a light on an important album from an important band. The inclusions of more tracks (97 in total 63 previously unreleased) seem rather unnecessary given the wealth of material already available. However, the recording of November Rain now featuring a full fifty-piece orchestra as opposed to pads and samples is superb. Showing that not only is it one of those tracks that deserves this kind of treatment but also shows that GUNS N’ ROSES have never lost their penchant for excess. The behind-the-scenes details might help determine more information on the communication failures and provide more for the superfans to delve into. For everyone else we get to re-experience the epic Use Your Illusion releases, perhaps they might redo the videos in HD?

Use Your Illusion I & II was originally released on September 17th 1991 via Geffen.

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