Guns n' Roses
Use Your Illusion II

It is certainly a fact that the Guns n' Roses were one of the most important bands of the '80s. Their career was brief, but filled with success. (Or rather, brief if you consider the REAL Guns, because they still exist with only Axl Rose from the old lineup). Effectively dissolving in '94, with the expulsion of Slash, one of the most charismatic guitarists ever in my opinion, the Guns have practically not released any new CDs since '91, 15 years of waiting then. So, we arrive in '91. The band is at the peak of success, having sold millions and millions of records with Appetite For Destruction and G'N'R' Lies, with sold-out concerts everywhere, tickets snatched up in a half-hour. Then begins a tour, the longest ever, with 192 concerts in 27 different countries and over 7 million people attending, in total, their concerts. All this to promote the multi-selling "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II." Two excellent discs in my opinion, inferior to Appetite without a doubt, but showing the Guns matured musically and also in ideas, with more complex and sweet lyrics. (Estranged and November Rain)...

And today, I want to review what I liked most of the two, which is the second one. Already the cover, in my opinion, is very beautiful, taken from a painting of the same name by a painter whose name I can't remember. Both CDs come out with this cover, only the colors change, both in '91... Yet they outsell the highly praised "Nevermind" by Nirvana. Mainly because the Guns were the number 1 group in the world in terms of popularity at the time, but also because I think this "Use Your Illusion II" is even better than Nirvana's major debut. But let's go in order, in this CD you can still feel the mind, in my view genius, of Izzy Stradlin, guitarist and second voice along with bassist Duff McKagan, writer of wonderful lyrics and exceptional melodies, practically all his those for guitar and many also those for voice, despite the fact that the majority of the lyrics are by Axl or Slash. Here his hand, Izzy's, is felt strongly, clearly and decisively, even though before the publication he decided to leave the Roses. And "Use Your Illusion II" are the Guns, strong, rough, raw and punk just enough in some songs, like "You Could Be Mine," "Get In The Ring," or "Pretty Tied Up" and definitely sweet, heartfelt songs, like the alternative lyrics of "Don't Cry" or the wonderful "Estranged," which has a guitar riff that takes you away, and the very heartfelt by Duff McKagan "So Fine," dedicated to a deceased musician. Then we see a great Dylan song, perfectly remade and perhaps even more beautiful than the original by the Guns. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and the only "political" song by Guns n' Roses, "Civil War," with Axl and crew screaming their dissent against war, with a "revolution" more physical than thought. Two catchy little songs but nothing more follow the first of the disc, which seem more pop-rock than hard-rock but do not bore, and we reach the very beautiful duo formed by "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Get In The Ring" already mentioned previously. Then comes a pause with two songs I define as obscene and among the worst of Guns n' Roses like "ShotGun Blues" and "Breakdown" that fortunately don't last too long, or at least pass quickly. We reach "Pretty Tied Up," last song of the CD written solely by Izzy, which in my opinion is a small gem, especially for the choruses in the refrain which I think give a genius touch to this song. Then we reach "Locomotive," a still stagnant song, certainly better than "Shotgun Blues and Breakdown," but nothing exceptional. We arrive at a wonderful quartet, which I have listened to and re-listened to and re-listened to, thus almost grinding it, a quartet composed of "So Fine, Estranged, You Could Be Mine and Don't Cry," the Lyric Version of "Don't Cry" is certainly less beautiful than the one on "Use Your Illusion I" but remains a small pearl, but the true pearls are "Estranged" and "You Could Be Mine," very different songs, a ballad and a song that in "Appetite" would not even have embarrassed his majesty "Welcome To The Jungle" and the other would not embarrass his majesty "November Rain," two wonderful songs, among the most beautiful of the Guns and undoubtedly to be included in the Greatest Hits, where they are notably absent. The album ends with an almost rap song "My World," which lasts little but has the right aggression to charge and inflate you.
I gave 4 stars to this CD, maybe I exaggerated... It is a disc that certainly deserves a score of 7, on a scale from 1 to 10, if not a 7.5, so don't be surprised by the four stars and consider them as 3 and 3/4. It seems to me a sincere album, Axl confesses his psychological problems in "Estranged," they return to being bastard heartbreakers in "You Could Be Mine." It is an album in my opinion clearly superior to "Use Your Illusion I," or at least more colorful. While in 1 there are only three noteworthy songs ("November Rain, Don't Cry, Live and Let Die") or at least in comparison to 2, where they stand out "Civil War," "You Could Be Mine," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "Estranged," "Pretty Tied Up," "Get in the Ring," and "So Fine."

A complete CD, in conclusion, even better than "Nevermind," a CD highly praised that year, it features street, blues, ballads, a live song and even a rap, always in "Guns n' Roses style." I loved this CD very much, also because the Nirvana, the rival group of the Guns at the time in sales despite the different genres, I discovered them later with "In Utero," so at the time I preferred the Guns, having waited three years from "Lies" to the two "Use Your Illusion" and I was very satisfied. The Guns have softened up, in these two CDs, and quite a lot, but on the other hand, a more commercial move was needed to beat the emerging grunge, with more complex lyrics, even sweeter in some cases, but the guitars of Slash and Izzy are felt, Axl still has the vitriolic voice and Matt Sorum, making his debut with the Roses, makes a good impression. And with this I am done, ready to be crucified or hailed by the "critics." Happy New Year.