Use Your Illusion II

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

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This is a very different beast from "Appetite", or even UYI Vol 1. Whilst Guns always could rip it up and tear it out with the best of them (and they do so brilliantly on Vol 1's "Perfect Crime", "Right Next Door To Hell", "Bad Obsession" and so on), on this album there's a concerted effort to display musical and emotional growth. Axl was always a broader musican than Slash - a fact evident from the fact that on this moderately-paced album, Slash only has 3 or 4 writing credits. This is very much Axl's baby, although the quibbling over credits (unlike "Appetite", which is band-credited) already suggests the loss of band solidarity. This album is less of a stomping hard-rock album and more of a classic rock album, where the act is established and they can now stretch their wings. Slash has already said that the UYI albums are their equivalent of the White Album.

The songwriting is I think consistently stunning. There's more, and more varied, emotion too. God only knows why "Estranged" isn't more recognised - it's one of the pinnacles of their acheivement, a cold, disconsolate beginning, shifting (via one of Slash's finest ever lines) to a sneering, callow hauteur, then a sad, yearning instrumental, to a open and warming ending, closing on an almost desperate note. "So Fine", sung wonderfully by Duff, has shivers and sighs of pure emotion, a rock ballad of unusual exquisiteness. "Locomotion", like "Estranged", considers the end of relationships and the realisation of emotional emptiness, Axl's nasal, almost-sneering delivery suggestive of the immaturity he's singing about. "Breakdown", another song that's oddly underappreciated, again suggests a man on the edge of his tether, yearning for the innocence and certainties of younger, simpler days (note the country-style intro - similar to Axl's piece of straw in the "Welcome To The Jungle video - he was an Indiana boy after all!) - which "Yesterdays" does explicitly but with far less style. "Pretty Tied Up", a classic piece of Izzy, is typically Stones-y and also features some outstanding sitar. And so on - the album is filled with classic moments ("Civil War", "You Could Be Mine").

Some have suggested that you could make one killer album from the two volume of Use Your Illusion. I think that would miss the point. Firstly, the two albums gave them the space to stretch their wings musically, which "Appetite" being far more condensed and focused didn't. Who would have expected sitar, spanish guitar, bizarre electronica, and so on? Secondly, the two albums very much have their own character. Volume One is far more aggressive and vitriolic, Volume Two is much more reflective and sensitive. GN'R always had both sides to them - hence their name, typically Yin/Yang.

This album is almost a return to a more 60s/70s rock album and succeeds on every possible level. Treat yourself.

Four years after the chaos exploded, the madness, paranoia, and expectation grew to silly heights. Guns n Roses had already conquered the world with their first album, so what was there left to do? Prove they weren't one hit/decade wonders and come up with a second smash hit, or rest on their laurels by giving us a similar album from the perspective of millionaires rather than poor little white boys? Of course they would do both, not only giving us two albums, but two sides spread between both new records. Not only is each album an epic in it's own right, but put both together and you have an over the top rock excess extravaganza. The problem with the two sides is that one is brilliant- the sign of a band taking it's original fire and ideas and progressing, while the other is average- the sign of a band who has burned out and can only churn out inferior copies of past hits. I was lucky enough to get both of these albums together near release, while most young fans could only afford to pick one. I think both have an even mix of great, bad, and average and it's hard and or pointless to choose a favourite.

`Civil War' opens the album in famous style with a clip from Cool Hand Luke. This morphs into a thoughtful anti-war lyric with moody vocals and guitars before the crunching guitars blitz in. Slash lets rip with some wah wah solos- he experiments much more with sounds and effects on this album. The song continues switching between tender and angry parts before a final gallop of guitars, screams, and pianos. This kicks off the album is a stronger, more mature style than part one.

`14 Years' brings out the Izzy blues side for the first time of the album in a piano driven song which has fairly interesting lyrics depending on how you interpret it- it could be about an ex wife/girlfriend, it could be a backlash against the critics saying the band would never succeed, it could be Izzy's final goodbye to Axl after all the annoyances they had caused each other over the years and bands. This is a decent song which stays above average because it sounds so damn cool.

`Yesterdays' keeps the momentum going, another good song on the softer side about leaving your past troubles in the past and getting on with the present. Again the melding of guitar and piano works well and the lyrics are among the band's most tender.

`Knockin On Heaven's Door' proves again what the band could do with other material, making this one better than the original. The whole song has a great moody feel, different from Dylan's, Axl squeezes emotion out of every syllable, while the guitars have a water pure tone. I'm not sure about the phone call part or the extended ending- the phone is ok but the end goes on for too long- I think it would have been a much more effective song had it been shorter.

`Get In The Ring' is amongst the best songs over the two albums, even if it is childish and silly. Nevertheless it remains a charming boot in the nuts of media and critics which you can attach to any band or performer who has suffered from the pointless chagrin of the machine. Everything is fast, angry, with frantic guitars and a defiant conclusion. Of course it would have been a stronger argument if everything hadn't collapsed 5 minutes later.

`Shotgun Blues' is a decent enough classic rock song, closer to average than great. Supposedly it is Axl's challenge to Vince Neil for `a fight' though this was at a time when Axl wanted to fight everyone so it could well be about you or me. Aside from the silly stuff it's fast with plenty of opportunities for head-banging.

`Breakdown' has a funny hick introduction and is one of the songs which has grown on me over time. It may lack the emotional punch of the other epics like November Rain and Estranged but on further listens it turns out to be almost as good as those. The song is structured intelligently, the music has more subtlety and experimentation than others, and there are lots of great melodies. Along with Locomotive this one is fun to request at your local metal/rock club and see the hardcore fans/weirdos who come up to dance with you. There are decent Slash solos, and a fast paced chase ending. The lyrics may speak of another broken relationship, although the conclusion is something...else, and they are thoughtful throughout.

`Pretty Tied Up' is a Sitar fuelled mix of bondage and decadence lyrics with the usual good guitars and melodies. This one is again above average thanks to the energy and intent and one which they continue to play live.

`Locomotive' is a great song, possibly the best `forgotten' one from the album with overlapping progressive riffs, big verses and choruses and various parts and melding together. The lyrics here are among the best on an album of great lyrics speaking again of a broken relationship, the train wreck, the crushing Locomotive, the ever moving onwards sensation to an unknown destination. On the dancefloor it's a treat watching people who don't really know the song trying to keep up. The ending deserves special mention as everything softens and shifts almost into an entirely different song. This song speaks quite a bit about illusions and could almost be seen as a fitting title track.

`So Fine' is a Duff song and quite a gentle tribute placed between two huge epics. He sings of Johnny Thunders, although it can (and usually is) read as a simple love song to a woman. It is fairly close in tone to Patience, not as good, but has an effective sleepy late night bar drawl which picks up pace a few times. Guitars and pianos combine well and the vocals are different than the typical G'n'R song.

`Estranged' leads in brilliantly from the last song with a chilling intro. This soon combusts into the next stage and military drums, sonar like guitars, ominous piano clash together to evoke all types of feelings from Axl's sublime lyrics. Concerning Axl's loneliness, separation, depressed state it is as close and honest a look at the man that we will ever get. The final few minutes are among the best the band recorded and show perfectly how far they have come since Appetite. Mature lyrics, subtle music, yet the huge emotional lyrics are still present, the guitars are still effective and not just tacked on and the vocals are strong.

`You Could Be Mine' was used to good effect in T2 and as a standalone song it is one of the best on both albums. It is volatile, jagged, and is one of the few songs which sounds like it could have been on Appetite. The lyrics are again not going to please many feminists, the guitars will please all axe wielders, the pace will please the moshers, and the melodies should please everyone. This really should have been the last song on the album.

`Don't Cry' one part 2 is the alternate version, with different lyrics and a few musical differences. Both versions are among the best songs across the two albums. The song is tightly constructed, building and peaking at all the best places, the solo and picking work are great, and Axl's vocals are rarely more heartfelt. This is one of the album's most melodically memorable songs with big chorus and haunting verses. The lyrics are open hearted and open ended, covering guilt, death, loss, love, and sorrow although with the video you could interpret it as being a message from beyond the grave.

`My World' is an odd piece of throwaway guff an Axl experiment that he supposedly didn't tell anyone else about. It's a minute long garbled mess of soundbites, Axl speak, and women groaning. I liked this when I was ten but I've rarely listened to it since. Delete this, and switch Don't Cry and YCBM around for a much better tracklist.

Part 2 is arguably more coherent and condensed than the first album. There are fewer songs and we get to the point quicker. It seems the darker of the two and has less rock moments. It still suffers from having too many songs, but luckily most of the songs here are above average. I'm not sure whether the theory of taking the best from each and making one album would have worked, the madness and ego has always been part of the band. Obviously newbies should start with Appetite, but nothing should prevent them from buying this and Part 1.

What proved to be their last album was one of their finest. Having said that they only made three albums full albums of new material (Appetite, Illusion 1 & Illusion 2). Lies and Spaghetti were mere fills during major tours.

Illusion 2 gave us the newer material that the band had at the time as Illusion 1 was made up old songs that never made Appetite. I remember waiting for the albums to be released and going to Wembley Stadium the week before they were released. The new songs songed good live but I found them to be even better on record. GNR were a band of highs and lows, but when they were good they were the best on the planet at the time. Illusion 2 seemed to capture the band at the height of their powers and is an album not to be missed. Rock songs at the time had to be short and sweet with the epic's being a thing of the past. This album though changed things and people realised once again that a long song was not a bad song. Estranged, Breakdown, Pretty Tied Up, Locomotive and Civil War being the highlights. Pretty Tied Up once again showing the darker side of GNR in their lyrics. This is still an album that should be part of any rock lovers collection.

This is one of the highlights from one of the all time great rock bands.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Twenty years on. UYI 2 has still got it!
I caught the bus into town, right after school, on the Monday that this was released (along with this) back in 1991, such was my teenage anticipation. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Little Cat Voom

3.0 out of 5 stars Get in th Ring!
This DVD features Guns N'Roses in 1992 during their massive world wide Use Your Illusion tour.
I am a big Guns N' Roses fan and saw them at the end of the Use Your Illusion... Read more

Published 8 months ago by j.r

3.0 out of 5 stars average
lets face it guns and roses made one good album being appetite for destruction this and its other half have some descent tracks on them but there are a lot of fillers i think they... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Mr. G. Richards

4.0 out of 5 stars Guns n' Roses dvd
The product took a while to get here, but it still got here within the estimated dates. A few little glitches when playing, but nothing unbearable.

Published 11 months ago by Boo

5.0 out of 5 stars Under No Illusions
After creating possibly the finest debut album in rock history, Guns N' Roses found themselves with the all-important question: How do you follow-up something like 'Appetite For... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Mr. R. Howe

4.0 out of 5 stars Overblown, overproduced and really quite stunning.
With this being part two of a double album, there is of course a considerable amount of filler contained within. Read more

Published on 10 Aug 2009 by R. Davies

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Classic, Totally Guns n Roses, chapter of Rock History!
This album is a whole chapter of Rock History.

Along with Appetite for Destruction is the identity of Guns n Roses. Read more

Published on 28 Jun 2009 by George Spiros

3.0 out of 5 stars It`s a old one!
This is a old CD, and hopefuly there will come a new one soone!

The music it`s ok, but Guns And Roses has only a few goood melodies, and it`s bad, because they are... Read more

Published on 19 Mar 2009 by Bjorn-ragnar Reinertsen

5.0 out of 5 stars By this for Civil War alone
This album is an epic, November Rain and Civil War are among the grestest rock songs ever whilst Yesterdays and Locomotive are pretty damn fine. Read more

Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Dave Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN UYI VOL 1...
Both are strong albums, but where as Vol.1 is in your face Hard Rock/Metal , this is more experimental, dare I say, progressive! Read more

Published on 28 July 2008 by Adam Jackson

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