Use Your Illusion

Use Your Illusion
Compilation album by Guns N' Roses
Released	September 17, 1991[1][2]
Recorded	December 1989-August 1991, A&M Studios, Record Plant Studios, Studio 56, Image Recording, Conway Studios & Metalworks Recording Studios
Genre	Hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, punk metal, progressive rock, art rock, blues rock
Length	63:50
Label	Geffen
Producer	Guns N' Roses and Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses compilation chronology
Use Your Illusion (1998) Greatest Hits (2004)

Use Your Illusion is a Guns N' Roses compilation album drawing from the Use Your Illusion I and II albums. It has only been released in the United States, consisting entirely of songs without profanity (save for one use of "bullshit" on "14 Years"). However, not all songs without profanity were chosen to appear on this compilation, as "So Fine" and "Breakdown" from Use Your Illusion II contain no profanity. The album was primarily sold at Walmart and Kmart, two retail outlets that refused to stock the unedited Use Your Illusion I and II due to explicit lyrics.

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" appears in an edited version without Josh Richman's speech, removed for unknown reasons. Therefore, the track length is reduced to 5:20, instead of 5:36 from the version included on Use Your Illusion II. Richman's speech was instead included in the Greatest Hits compilation album.

The cover art of the album simply combines the color schemes from the covers of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which were originally designed by Mark Kostabi.^[3] The image is a detail of the Raphael painting "The School of Athens". The album is certified Platinum (1,000,000 sales) by the RIAA.

Track listing

Use Your Illusion I

1. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) – 3:04
2. "Don't Cry" (original) (Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose) – 4:44
3. "You Ain't the First" (Stradlin) – 2:36
4. "November Rain" (Rose) – 8:57
5. "The Garden" (Rose, West Arkeen, Del James) – 5:22
   • featuring Alice Cooper
6. "Dead Horse" (Rose) – 4:17

Use Your Illusion II

7. "Civil War" (Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan) – 7:42
8. "14 Years" (Stradlin) – 4:21
9. "Yesterdays" (Rose, Arkeen, James, Billy McCloud) – 3:16
10. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan) – 5:20
11. "Estranged" (Rose) – 9:23
12. "Don't Cry" (alternate lyrics) (Stradlin, Rose) – 4:43

Personnel

Guns N' Roses

• W. Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano, choir and synthesizer programming on "November Rain", acoustic guitar on "Dead Horse", backing vocals on "You Ain't The First" and "14 Years"
• Slash - lead guitar, acoustic and slide guitar on "The Garden", dobro on "You Ain't The First", acoustic guitar on "Civil War"
• Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar on "You Ain't The First", lead vocals on "You Ain't the First" and "14 Years"
• Duff McKagan - bass guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar on "You Ain't The First", percussion
• Matt Sorum - drums, backing vocals, choir on "November Rain"
• Dizzy Reed - keyboards, piano, organ on "Yesterdays", backing vocals

Additional Personnel

• Steven Adler - drums on "Civil War"
• Shannon Hoon - backing vocals on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 12
• Alice Cooper - lead vocals on "The Garden"
• Johann Langlie – programming on "November Rain"
• Reba Shaw, Stuart Bailey - backing vocals on "November Rain"
• Jon Thautwein, Matthew McKagan, Rachel West, Robert Clark – horn on "Live and Let Die"
• West Arkeen – acoustic guitar on "The Garden"
• Mike Clink - nutcracker on "Dead Horse"
• The Waters – backing vocals on "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"

References