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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Rose For The Gun, 30 Dec 2006
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.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Use Your Ilusion World Tour 1992 - In Tokyo - Vol. 1 & 2, 27 Dec 2003
NOTE: This is a review of both Disk 1 & 2 (sold seperately).Firstly, for those of you who don't know, Guns N'Roses were (are? not seen them in their new guise I'm afraid, so I'm talking pre-1994) the biggest and most dangerous band in the world. They were also the best by far. In the early 90s the music scene was dominated by Grunge, with such bands as Nirvana & Pearl Jam stealing the limelight from stadium rockers. Guns N' Roses were, with the possible exception of the Rolling Stones or the Chili Peppers (Slane Castle, brilliant!)the greatest live band of all time. These DVDs show a full concert from Japan in 1992, at the height of their massive World Tour, and when the Gunners were at their peak. Ironically, the DVDs are set out in very much the same way as the UYI albums were. Disk 1 tends to concentrate more on the fast paced rockers (Mr. Brownstone, Bad Obsession, Live & Let Die etc.) whilst Disk 2 contains the more 'epic' stuff (Rocket Queen, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Estranged etc.) which I think is brilliant as depending on your mood you can either sit back and relax to their classic, solo infused stuff or the shorter rockers. There's also a brilliant (if somewhat too long) guitar/drum solo on Disk 2 for those of you who're into that kind of thing. Another great highlight is Civil War, towards the end of the first disk complete with several costume changes from Axl and a great solo (when aren't they?) from Slash. The DVDs are brilliant overall, there's so much to enjoy from the head bangin' stuff everyone knows (Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City etc.) right up to the brilliant (and underrated) So Fine & Estranged on Disk 2. All in all an essential (and I don't use this word lightly) purchase for any Gunner with a DVD player. Absolutely brilliant throughout, and for the Stones fans out there (and who isn't?) there's even a great little rendition of their classic Wild Horses on Disk 1, performed as a duet by Gilby & Slash. My only regret about the concert as a whole, is the fact Izzy isn't in it, but that's obviously no technical flaw, I just don't feel Gilby ever knew the shoes he was trying to fill. Don't hesitate, just buy it, you will not be dissapointed.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good rock album!!, 19 Dec 2002
By A Customer
Guns N Roses had two problems to contend with when issuing this CD. One they knew of - matching the success of Appetite for Destruction was not going to be easy. The other problem was unknown at the time of recording - grunge was on its way and the face of rock music was about to change forever. That this CD was knocked off the top spot of the American charts by Nirvana's Nevermind tells a tale in itself.So what of this album. Strip away all of the hype and the above problems and what do we get? What can I say - when this CD is good, its VERY good. Knockin On Heavens Door, You could be mine and the cracking Civil War are all classic recordings. The problem is with the filler. Get In The Ring is just Axl being angry at everybody. So Fine and Shotgun blues are distinctly average tracks. Overall, if GnR had combined the 2 UYI albums, I truly believe they would have made the album of the century. As it is, we have an album of highs and lows - although, to be fair, the high points do outweigh the lows. If you are new to GnR - buy Appetite..it is a stonking album from beginning to end. If you loved appetite, you will like this - but not as much.
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