Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by Guns N’ Roses, released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion II. It was the band’s first album to feature drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler following Adler‘s departure in 1990 (although he was featured again on “Civil War”, which appears on Use Your Illusion II), as well as keyboardist Dizzy Reed.
Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 685,000 copies in its first week, behind Use Your Illusion II‘s first-week sales of 770,000. Use Your Illusion I has sold 5,502,000 units in the United States as of 2010, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Each of the Use Your Illusion albums have been certified 7× Platinum by the (RIAA). The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992.
The Use Your Illusion albums represent a turning point in the sound of Guns N’ Roses. Although the band did not abandon the aggressive hard-rock sound it had become known for with 1987’s Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I demonstrated a more diverse sound, incorporating elements of blues, classical music, heavy metal, punk rock, and classic rock and roll.
This is exemplified by the use of piano on several tracks by singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, as well as on Use Your Illusion II. Use Your Illusion I contains two of the three songs, “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry“, whose videos are considered a trilogy. The third song, “Estranged”, is on Use Your Illusion II.
Another factor in the different sound compared to the band’s earlier work is the addition of former The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler. Adler was fired from the group due to heroin addiction. Guitarist Izzy Stradlin said:
“Adler’s sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel. When that was gone, it was just… unbelievable, weird. Nothing worked. I would have preferred to continue with Steve, but we’d had two years off and we couldn’t wait any longer.”
A number of songs on the album were written in the band’s early days and can be found on a popular bootleg album of early demo tapes known as The Rumbo Tapes. “Back Off Bitch”, “Bad Obsession”, “Don’t Cry” (referred to by Rose during the ensuing tour as ‘the first song we ever wrote together’), “November Rain” and “The Garden” are considered part of this group. There is also a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings‘ “Live and Let Die”.
Besides the stylistic differences, another new aspect in Use Your Illusion I was longer songs. “November Rain”, an epic ballad, is nearly nine minutes long, and “Coma” is more than 10 minutes. Another change was the presence of tracks sung by other members of the band (even though certain songs from Appetite for Destruction and G N’ R Lies featured other members on duet vocals): lead vocals on “Dust N’ Bones”, “You Ain’t the First” and “Double Talkin’ Jive” are performed by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin. In addition, “14 Years” and “So Fine” from Use Your Illusion II were sung by Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan, respectively.
Tracklist:
SIDE ONE
- Right Next Door to Hell (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Timo Kaltio)
- Dust N’ Bones (Slash, Stradlin, Duff McKagan)
- Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
- Don’t Cry (Original) (Rose, Stradlin)
- Perfect Crime (Rose, Slash, Stradlin)
SIDE TWO
- You Ain’t the First (Stradlin)
- Bad Obsession (Stradlin, West Arkeen)
- Back Off Bitch (Rose, Paul Tobias)
- Double Talkin’ Jive (Stradlin)
SIDE THREE
- November Rain (Rose)
- The Garden (ft. Alice Cooper) (Rose, Arkeen, Del James)
- Garden of Eden (Rose, Slash)
- Don’t Damn Me (Rose, Slash, Dave Lank)
SIDE FOUR
- Bad Apples (Rose, Slash, Stradlin, McKagan)
- Dead Horse (Rose)
- Coma (Rose, Slash)
Guns N’ Roses
W. Axl Rose: lead vocals, piano, choir, synthesizer, programming, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, sound effects on “Garden Of Eden”
Slash: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, Dobro, classical guitar, talkbox, six-string bass, backing vocals
Izzy Stradlin: rhythm guitar, backing vocals, choir, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, lead vocals on “Dust N’ Bones”, “You Ain’t the First” and “Double Talkin’ Jive”, percussion on “Bad Obsession”
Duff McKagan: bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar on “You Ain’t The First”, choir
Matt Sorum: drums, percussion, backing vocals, choir
Dizzy Reed: keyboard, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
Shannon Hoon: backing vocals on “Live and Let Die”, “November Rain”, “You Ain’t the First”, and “The Garden”; co-lead vocals on “Don’t Cry”
Johann Langlie: programming on “Live and Let Die”, “November Rain” and “Garden of Eden”; sound effects on “Coma”
Michael Monroe: harmonica and saxophone on “Bad Obsession”
Reba Shaw: backing vocals on “November Rain”
Stuart Bailey: backing vocals on “November Rain”
Jon Thautwein: horn on “Live and Let Die”
Matthew McKagan: horn on “Live and Let Die”
Rachel West: horn on “Live and Let Die”
Robert Clark: horn on “Live and Let Die”
Tim Doyle: tambourine on “You Ain’t the First”
Alice Cooper: co-lead vocals on “The Garden”
West Arkeen: acoustic guitar on “The Garden”
Bruce Foster: sound effects on “Coma”
Production and design
Mike Clink: production, engineering, nutcracker on “Dead Horse”
Jim Mitchell: additional engineering
Bill Price: mixing
George Marino: mastering
Kevin Reagan: art direction, graphic design
Mark Kostabi: album artwork
Robert John: photography
Allen Abrahamson: assistant engineer
Buzz Burrowes: assistant engineer
Chris Puram: assistant engineer
Craig Portelis: assistant engineer
Ed Goodreau: assistant engineer
Jason Roberts: assistant engineer
John Aguto: assistant engineer
L. Stu Young: assistant engineer
Leon Granados: assistant engineer
Mike Douglass: assistant engineer
Talley Sherwood: assistant engineer
Shannon Hoon (September 26, 1967 – October 21, 1995)
