Use Your Illusion

Use Your Illusion
Compilation album by Guns N' Roses
Released	August 25, 1998[1][2]
Recorded	January 1990 – August 1991
Studio	A&M Studios Record Plant Studios Studio 56 Image Recording Conway Studios Metalworks Recording Studio
Genre	Hard rock
Length	63:50
Label	Geffen
Producer	Guns N' Roses Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses chronology
"The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) Use Your Illusion (1998) Welcome to the Videos (1998)

Use Your Illusion is the name of two releases by American rock band Guns N' Roses: a 1998 compilation album, drawing from the Use Your Illusion I and II studio albums featuring songs without explicit lyrics, and a 2022 box set anniversary edition of both albums.

The first compilation was only released in the United States, and 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.^[3] The second compilation featured remastered versions of both albums alongside several live shows in honor of the album's 30th anniversary.^[4]

Overview

"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.^[5] Like the original two, the image is a detail of the Raphael painting "The School of Athens".

Track listing

Use Your Illusion I

1. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney) – 3:04
2. "Don't Cry (Original)" (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin) – 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" (Rose, 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)" (Rose, Stradlin) – 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", "Live and Let Die"
• 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"
• Tim Doyle – tambourine on "You Ain't the First"

Remastered box set

Per the Guns N' Roses website, the Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe) has 7 CD's and 1 DVD with the following:

CD 1

Use Your Illusion I - Original Album Remastered

1. Right Next Door To Hell
2. Dust N’ Bones
3. Live And Let Die
4. Don’t Cry (Original)
5. Perfect Crime
6. You Ain’t The First
7. Bad Obsession
8. Back Off Bitch
9. Double Talkin’ Jive
10. November Rain*
11. The Garden
12. Garden Of Eden
13. Don’t Damn Me
14. Bad Apples
15. Dead Horse
16. Coma

CD 2

Use Your Illusion II - Original Album Remastered

1. Civil War
2. 14 Years
3. Yesterdays
4. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
5. Get In The Ring
6. Shotgun Blues
7. Breakdown
8. Pretty Tied Up
9. Locomotive
10. So Fine
11. Estranged
12. You Could Be Mine
13. Don’t Cry (Alt. Lyrics)
14. My World

CD 3

Live In New York

Ritz Theatre – May 16, 1991

1. Pretty Tied Up*
2. Bad Obsession*
3. Right Next Door To Hell*
4. Mr. Brownstone*
5. Dust N’ Bones
6. Live And Let Die*
7. Paradise City*
8. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Civil War*
9. Drum Solo*
10. Slash Solo*
11. You Could Be Mine*

CD 4

Live In New York* (cont’d) - Ritz Theatre – May 16, 1991

1. I Was Only Joking / Patience*
2. Only Women Bleed / Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door*
3. Don’t Cry (Original)* [features Shannon Hoon On Vocals]
4. You Ain’t The First* [features Shannon Hoon On Vocals]
5. My Michelle*
6. Estranged*
7. Double Talkin’ Jive*
8. Sweet Child O’ Mine*
9. Welcome To The Jungle*

CD 5

Live In Las Vegas - Thomas & Mack Center – January 25, 1992

1. Nightrain
2. Mr. Brownstone*
3. Live And Let Die*
4. Attitude*
5. It’s So Easy*
6. Bad Obsession*
7. Welcome To The Jungle*
8. Double Talkin’ Jive*
9. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Civil War / Voodoo Child (Slight Return)*

CD 6

Live In Las Vegas (cont’d) - Thomas & Mack Center – January 25, 1992

1. Don’t Cry (Original)*
2. Wild Horses*
3. Patience*
4. You Could Be Mine*
5. So Fine*
6. November Rain*
7. Intros / Drum Solo*
8. Slash Solo*
9. Speak Softly, Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)*
10. Rocket Queen

CD 7

Live In Las Vegas (cont’d) - Thomas & Mack Center – January 25, 1992

1. Sail Away Sweet Sister*
2. Sweet Child O’ Mine*
3. Move To The City*
4. Hotel California / Only Women Bleed / Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door*
5. Yesterdays
6. My Michelle*
7. Estranged*
8. Mother* / Paradise City

Blu-Ray Video

Live In New York - Ritz Theatre – May 16, 1991

Concert: 1.44:1 Pillarbox / 1080p / 24fps

Audio: Dolby Atmos 48kHz 24-bit / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 96kHz 24-bit / PCM Stereo 48kHz 24-bit

Regions: All

Run Time: 2hr 6min

1. Pretty Tied Up*
2. Bad Obsession*
3. Right Next Door To Hell*
4. Mr. Brownstone*
5. Dust N’ Bones*
6. Live And Let Die*
7. Paradise City*
8. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Civil War*
9. Drum Solo*
10. Slash Solo*
11. You Could Be Mine*
12. I Was Only Joking / Patience*
13. Only Women Bleed / Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door*
14. Don’t Cry (Original)* [features Shannon Hoon On Vocals]
15. You Ain’t The First* [features Shannon Hoon On Vocals]
16. My Michelle*
17. Estranged*
18. Double Talkin’ Jive*
19. Sweet Child O’ Mine*
20. Welcome To The Jungle*

* Previously unreleased

Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe)
Compilation album by Guns N' Roses
Released	November 11, 2022 (2022-11-11)
Recorded	1990–1991
Label	Geffen
Guns N' Roses chronology
Hard Skool (2022) Use Your Illusion (Super Deluxe) (2022)

References