Use Your Illusion II - Guns n' Roses

This album was released on the same day with it's predecessor, Use Your Illuion I. The dual release did also raise a lot more interest aswell as a lot more sales. Rather than it's predecessor, this album focuses on a much calmer and bluesier side to Guns 'n' Roses who, at the time, were better known for their sleazy hard rock attitude to music. The first track, Civil War, kicks off with a political progressive track which builds up nicely as a crescendo and puts you into the atmosphere of war quite well. As with any Guns 'n' Roses album, there are several songs which are still regarded as 'classics' today such as Yesterdays and the ...  Read the complete review

*** PLEASE READ MY REVIEW FOR USE YOUR ILLUSION 1 FIRST **** THE BAND As this is a 2 part review please see my review for Use Your Illusion 1 for band details and history. I don't want to bore you by repeating myself. THE ALBUM Use your Illusion 2 Released 1991 on Geffen Produced by Guns n Roses and Mike Clink. TRACK LIST 1. Civil War 7.36 mins This is Roses' bash at an anti-war song and its not a bad effort. It starts with a piece of dialogue from the movie 'Cool Hand Luke'. Add a bit of whistling by Axl and some stellar guitars from Slash and you have one of the best tracks on the album. ...  Read the complete review

I don’t believe for one moment that you didn’t like Guns ’n’ Roses. They were the best and the most high profile of LA’s rock groups and they could write a mean tune when the occasion called too. Come on admit it! It’ll make you feel better, I promise. “Ah but G’N'R have but four songs: the fast one, the slow one, the barroom stomp and the cover” you say, and I salute you for saying it but it’s what they can do with those songs that counts. So don’t be coy, just give in & we won’t think any less of you. OK. Now that you rock & are proud of it, let’s try to discuss this epic album. ...  Read the complete review

It's a strange marketing ploy to release two albums at the same time - risking commercial suicide some might say - but for Guns n Roses and their Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 albums, it did seem to work. Of course the sales figures were never likely to match those of their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, but each of the Use Your Illusion offerings had successful single releases, proving their individual merits. The first four tracks, Civil War, 14 Years, Yesterdays and Knockin On Heaven's Door, are all pretty slow-tempo, thought-provoking and lyrically wonderful - although obviously Bob Dylan has to take the praise for Knockin On Heaven's Door, but I do ...  Read the complete review

If you were about 12-13 in 1993 and this wasn't your favourite album of all time, there was something very wrong with you. I mean look at Gun's N' Roses, there was no better way to rebel against parents. They drunk, they took drugs, permanently had groupie's hanging off the end of their machine heads....but one thing made this album the ultimate soundtrack to the disaafected angst of a 13 year old.....'Get in the Ring'. Now, you really have to hear this track to understand the power of it and in a post-Eminem world it sounds a little like an old age pensioner having a go at someone for pushing in front of them in the bus queue, but then ...  Read the complete review