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Use Your Illusion I
entered the Billboard Charts at no.#2 upon it's release on
September 17, 1991. Due to the recession they were to be sold
separately giving hungry classic Guns N' Roses fans the opportunity
to at least be able to afford one, but the hunger was mightier
than the recession and fans lined up at 12:00 mid-night nation
wide to buy both sending Use Your Illusion I straight into Gold
status with in the first two hours of its release. A lot of the
material on this CD was written during the pre-Appetite days such
as "The Garden", "Bad Obsession" and
"Don't Cry" {original versions.}. This CD also features
major guest appearances by Michael Monroe, Alice Cooper and
Shannon Hoon. This CD, though it didn't measure up to Appetite for
Destruction fans, is as close as it gets to Appetite for
Destruction. This CD also spawned the band's best selling single
to date, by passing "Sweet Child O' Mine",
"November Rain" which was accompanied with an epic movie
like video at a cost of 1.2 million dollars. The key songs on this
CD may well be the singles in this case such as "Dead
Horse", "November Rain", "Don't Cry"
{original versions.} and their cover of Paul McCartney's
"Live and Let Die". But "Perfect Crime",
"Don't Damn Me" and "Coma" are a must have for
any Axl Rose fans!
Fast Facts: "Don't
Cry" was the song that got classic Guns N' Roses signed to a
major record label even though the song would not be available on
CD for another five years. There are actually three versions of
this song. The second appears on Use Your Illusion II and the
third appeared on the CD single in 1992. Axl Rose called,
"Don't Cry" their ace card.
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Use Your Illusion II entered the Billboard charts at
no.#1 upon its release on September 17, 1991. Axl Rose described
this CD as "...the south rises again...". This CD sold
over 500,000 copies with in the first two hours of its release.
Though it did not measure up with Appetite for Destruction fans it
did measure up with Guns N' Roses fans. The Use Your Illusion CD's
were meant as a double compilation, but due to America being in
the midst of a recession at the time the Gunners felt it would be
better to have them sold separately. Though most took it as a way
for Guns N' Roses to make more money that just was not the case.
The key songs on this CD are not the promotional singles. They
are "Civil War", "Get in the Ring",
"Break Down", "Estranged" & "Shotgun
Blues". It also includes the studio version of "Knockin'
on Heaven's Door" featuring The Waters {back up singers}.
Fast facts: "Civil War" is the only track on this CD
that Steven Adler performs on.
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Live Era '87-'93 was
released in the fall of 1999. It is another double CD collection,
but it's of what the classic Guns N' Roses were! A live band! This
CD is filled with crucial live performances like "Used to
Love Her", "You're Crazy", "Nightrain",
"Rocket Queen" and "Sweet Child O' Mine". This
CD also offers major disappointments as well. Classic Guns N'
Roses were notorious for their dangerous, provocative on stage
performances. None of which have been captured on to this CD.
Generations to come will never know the classic Guns N' Roses that
past generations have grown to know at least through this
compilation. Other disappointments was the version of "Knockin'
on Heaven's Door" that was featured {A much earlier
performance would have been great justice}, there was no
"Civil War", no Axl rants, no antics and sarcastic Slash
remarks! But no complaints here! It's definitely a CD to own if
you really dig 'em live.
Fast Facts: The version of
"Yesterdays" that is featured on this CD is the exact
version featured as the B-side to the "Yesterdays"
single in 1992.
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Strings of Fire was
released in 2000 and if Live Era '87-'93 didn't tell you the end
of classic Guns N' Roses was real then this CD did. Listening to
this CD is like listening to the ghosts of classic Guns N' Roses.
They tyraded off of the Sunset Strip to New York's CBGB's to
Alpine Valley to Paris and back! They stepped into our world,
kicked us in the mind and then...they were gone. The shock turned
to anger and into sadness for classic Guns N' Roses fans the world
over. This CD is filled with acoustic brilliance by such artists
as Brent Truitt and Josh Podolsky. It's purely acoustic GN'R music
with one touch of electric {lead solo in Don't Cry}. If you love
the Lies track "One in a Million", but can not tolerate
the lyrical content then you'll be glad to hear that "One in
a Million" has been included in this compilation by Josh
Podolsky. Every track is brilliantly done and perfected by these
artists. This CD features absolutely no vocal content and includes
11 tracks such as "Welcome To The Jungle", "Double
Talkin' Jive" and "Shotgun Blues".
Fast Facts: Though this is an
acoustic tribute to classic Guns N' Roses this CD does feature
Aerosmith's "Mama Kin".
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