Guns Roses Ritz

The twin polarities upon which Use Your Illusion has always derived its unique energy from are its absolute bigness and its unparallelled sense of vindictive martyrdom. This deluxe set—which doubles the length of the combined two original albums by including two full live sets—is definitely big, but without the inclusion of additional studio tracks (no demos, b-sides or outtakes) doesn't expand on the original in any meaningful way. Which means that Illusion is still trapped in its own unique 1991 amber. From its odd sequencing—which alternates between melodramatic grandiosity, midtempo sleaze, and energetic rockers built solely on bitterness and spite—to the stultifying airlessness of the recording (all of the band members cut their parts separately), Illusion still feels like an overdetermined mess that somehow manages to consistently deliver the goods though sadly, goods steeped in an aimless rage that these days reads less like anti-authoritarianism and more like toxic narcissism. This is an album that gets out a "fuck you" in its first two minutes, and devolves from there into a master class on petty beefing: Whether it's "Right Next Door To Hell," "Get In the Ring," "My World" (ugh), "Back Off Bitch" (ugggghh), or any of the other tracks where poor Axl Rose blames all of his problems on everyone else in the world, the constant airing of tiny grievances is far more deadening than the set's length. All of this made Use Your Illusion a deeply cynical yet completely sincere work.

Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. This band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million units in the United States. This live performance has been recorded at the New York Ritz in 1988. The LP and CD features the best songs from this performance.

The twin polarities upon which Use Your Illusion has always derived its unique energy from are its absolute bigness and its unparallelled sense of vindictive martyrdom.

Live in New York, The Ritz, le 16 Mai 1991, un show légendaire "warm-up" de la tournée Illusion, avec Shannon Hoon en guest, une setlist complètement différente de la tournée et Axl qui se casse la jambe pendant You Could Be Mine. Le chanteur devra d'ailleurs porter un moulage spécial sur les premières dates de la tournée. Les images de ce show apparaissent dans le clip "You Could Be Mine".

USE YOUR ILLUSION II 2CD Deluxe Edition presents the album remastered for first-time ever on CD1. CD2 features 13 unreleased live tracks from London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, New York & Las Vegas on the UYI 1991/1992 tour all newly mixed. Special guest appearances by Steven Tyler & Joe Perry on two tracks. Expanded artwork with unreleased photos & images.