193. Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I and II
[Some people see these as separate albums, some as one double album. Call it what you'd like. I'd prefer to just get these reviews over with in one shot. Also, I understand that my negative opinion of these albums is a minority opinion. Last time I wrote about these albums - and Axl - on an old blog, I got death threats. They were amusing and frightening at the same time]
My history with Axl and company is a long and complicated one. I imagine that most metal fans who hooked on to the early GnR bandwagon followed the same path I did. Think of the seven stages of grief in reverse. From acceptance (Appetite for Destruction = welcome to my record collection) to denial (I swear to you I never owned The Spaghetti Incident), we watched – and in some ways participated in – the slow death of a once great band. But it wasn’t their years of putting out head banging, fist pumping music that was the greatest show. No, it was watching Axl Rose trying in vain to raise the phoenix from the ashes that offered the most jaw dropping, car-wreck kind of entertainment this side of the November Rain video. But that’s another story and another review called Chinese Democracy.
I was looking forward to these albums. It had been about three years since Lies (which did not float my boat the way Appetite did). I think of each new album we wait for from a band we love is like the promise of hot, dirty sex after your partner has been away for a while. Well, my lust for the band kind of faded upon the release of these discs. It was then I realized that GnR was the equivalent of the girl who teases you with her perky breasts for years and when you finally manage to get under the hood, you grab hold of three inches of padded bra. All that music before Use Your Illusion was just a ruse to get us to this point. They gave us the good stuff first so they could later on sit back and make this pretentious, melodramatic drivel that they called art. There was nothing left to them. Empty D cups.
From the Harlequin romance of November Rain to trying-too-hard Civil War, the Illusion albums left me feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, which is not an easy thing to do when there are 30 songs to choose from. Bottom line is, my relationship with GnR boils down to a fabulous one night stand with Appetite, and a lot of too-drunk-to-fuck booty calls after that.
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March 25th, 2009
Hmmm.
I’m not sure if it’s fair to compare these albums (or, well… ANY albums, by any band, ever) to Appetite.
You’re right to think that much of the content here is unsubstantial, but I think what it really boils down to is two major things:
1)Axl left the reservation.
2)Steven Adler imploded and was kicked out of one of the hardest partying bands in history (which is an amazing feat).
1) By this point in their career, Axl had long checked out of reality and was living in a cloud floating above his high horse that was balancing precariously on his pedestal. Fuck that douchebag.
2) Of all the things that are different between AFD and UYI, the most obvious change, and that with the greatest sonic impact, was the change from Adler to Matt Sorum on drums. Sure, Sorum is technically a great drummer, but he’s very one-dimensional. Perhaps that was an extension of Axl exerting total control over the creative process, but really, listening to The Cult and Velvet Revolver leads me to believe that Sorum is just that kind of drummer. Adler himself was kind of a one-trick-pony (more cowbell!) but he had the attitude behind the set that Sorum lacked, and as most fans recognize, attitude is what set this band apart from the rest of the pack.
Everyone knows that Slash is a hero of mine, but I honestly believe that the heart and soul of GN’R was Adler’s drumming and Izzy’s songs. When they lost Adler to drugs and when Izzy had finally become fed up with his childhood friend, the writing was on the wall for the band.
Still though, there are some shining moments on these albums. Don’t Cry is a one of my favorite songs of all time (I prefer the Alternate Lyrics version from UYI2). Perhaps it’s because I’m a guitarist, and because I idolize Slash, but there is a ton of great material here, so long as you don’t try to compare them to Appetite.
Have you read Slash’s autobiography? I HIGHLY recommend it. It was the first book I had voluntarily read since high school and it was a very entertaining read. I think you’d enjoy the perspective it provides on the history of the band and the meltdown of Axl Rose.
March 25th, 2009
You’re the second person to recommend Slash’s book to me today, so I’m going to read it.
Love your take on this album and you’re right on a lot of counts, especially re: Izzy.
March 25th, 2009
OK, I agree that they are not albums, but rather collections of songs with little connection, but they weren’t all bad. Estranged? No?
March 26th, 2009
I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. Appetite was like the Printing Press of 80s hard rock/metal. It was an invention waiting to happen and GnR just happened to make it. If they hadn’t someone would have put out that album (I mean, not exactly that one, but one with as much impact). As much as I liked (and like) everything off AFD, I hated the band. UYI was validation for my opinion. Screw GnR, LA Guns was a much better band anyway.
March 28th, 2009
IF you have loose standards, this double album yields one album of good songs, but still a pale comparison to Appetite for Destruction.