10 Things You May Not Know About G N' R's Use Your Illusion Albums
For the past few weeks, the music world has been firmly entrenched in Nirvana nostalgia. Hell, even Rocks Off took a crack at it, looking up all the expensive memorabilia on eBay related to the band. But in September 1991, another album hit the store shelves that had a lot of impact too, for better or worse.
Guns N' Roses finally unleashed their double album, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on September 17, 1991, after years in production. The albums, sold separately, were marvels of rock excess, and the tour behind the works began months before they even hit stores.
The band's original line-up would only release one more album together, 1993's covers record The Spaghetti Incident?, before splintering in the mid-'90s after years of inactivity. Axl Rose's version of the band just announced a November 4 date at the Toyota Center here in Houston with Buckcherry. Tickets went on sale this morning, in fact.
Earleir this week, the band was also nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and we can't wait to see who will be onstage to accept the honor if they get elected into the hall. We assume their will be a lot of terse looks and wooden hugs.
The Illusion albums are a lot to take in, with 25 songs, a litany of style changes, and enough pomp and circumstance throughout to make Freddie Mercury smile. To be honest, it's not all amazing, and there are some things that still confound fans, even after two decades.
You could call it the band's Exile On Main Street, their "White Album" and their Waterworld all rolled into one package. It was massively successful and came at a time when the band was the biggest band on the planet, loved by teens, cool parents, and Arnold Schwarzenegger alike.
Here be a few facts about the Illusion albums, including a set list from the tour, which was infamous for extremely late starts, due to Rose's whims. Even still, it looks like you got almost 30 songs from one of the best and tightest rock bands in history.
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