Classic Rock Albums: Use Your Illusion I

The rock world had waited four long years for a Guns N' Roses follow up album to the colossal debut Appetite For Destruction. And with fans and critics alike eager for new material, the band unloaded not one, but two albums in September, 1991 --- Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

With these albums, especially Use Your Illusion I, the band demonstrated much growth and expansion of style, including elements of country, blues, and progressive rock, while maintaining the hard rock edge which made Guns N’ Roses famous in the first place.

This was a period which saw the band, along with many other hard rock groups that were born in the '80s, come at a crossroads. With the rise of grunge, industrial metal, indie, and other varying forms of rock and metal music, the early '90s rock scene waited for absolutely no one. Guns relished the opportunity, and it was solely down to the band's ambition and willingness to evolve, that kept them relevant and able to ride the wave.

Much like Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, these albums included older recordings mixed in with new material. The band also included a well-known cover on each album and each also has at least one track sung by band members other than lead singer Axl Rose.

Little did anyone know (or even consider) at the time, the Use Your Illusions would be the final studio albums with this classic line-up in tact, and Guns would not release another studio album for 17 years until Chinese Democracy, in 2008.

Although Use Your Illusion II outsold Use your Illusion I, marginally, the first of the two albums is widely regarded by fans and critics as the stronger record of the two. Use Your Illusion I starts off with a song intentionally aimed at Rose’s neighbour in Hollywood who had recently sued him, called “Next Door To Hell” - this one one of the tracks that was considered for Appetite For Destruction. It also contains “Back Off Bitch” and “Bad Obsession” (two more tracks that were written in the band's early days) --- “Bad Obsession” later features Michael Monroe, of Hanoi Rocks and a big influence on the band, playing the harmonica and tenor saxophone.

“Don’t Cry” is a calm and steady song, which became a big radio hit. It is regarded as one of Rose's deepest and more meaningful tracks, and is the first part of the band's trilogy of songs that conveys Axl's troubles with love. “Live and Let Die” is perhaps one of the best rock covers ever recorded, made iconic with Axl's ferocious scream throughout the build-up sections of the track. “The Garden” has a bluesy beginning with a moderate acoustic accented by a long slide electric. It then kicks in more intensely for the heavier and doomier chorus sections which feature Alice Cooper on vocals. It is often seen as one of the more underrated tracks on the album.

Some very interesting tracks include the punk-influenced, fast and furious “Garden of Eden”, and the slow, chilled, country style “You Ain’t the First”. “Dead Horse” which starts with Axl on acoustic, eventually kicks in to become a good old fashioned, catchy, hard rock number. But, without a doubt the most technical and famous song on either album, and perhaps the best song ever by Guns N’ Rose, is “November Rain."

Costing well over £1 million for an eight minute video, this really is a great song, worthy of the money spent on it --- one of the best rock ballads ever written, for sure. With its theatrical, orchestral backdrop, and some of the finest guitar work by Slash which helped secure his spot as a rock legend, “November Rain” may well be one of the best songs of the entire decade of the nineties. It is certainly one of the most iconic.

Timing is everything in all facets of life - and music is certainly no different. Guns N' Roses rode the wave of transition with two superbly crafted albums, that showed the band's diversity and skill. From hard, gritty rock numbers, to the more melodic piano led epics, Use your Illusion I (and II) struck a fine balance of the two, and made sure the original Guns N' Roses signed off on the ultimate high.