LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES SEPTEMBER 17, 2019-ON THIS DATE IN 1991 GUNS N’ ROSES RELEASED TWO ALBUMS DOUBLE ALBUMS ‘USE YOUR ILLUSION I’ & ‘USE YOUR ILLUSION II’. HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTS SURROUNDING BOTH ALBUMS:
-THE SHIPPING OF THE ALBUM SET A RECORD IN 1991, WITH 4 MILLION COPIES OF THE ALBUMS SHIPPED FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY RELEASED FOR RETAIL SALE . THAT MARKED THE LARGEST SHIP OUT IN POP HISTORY IN THE US.
-AS OF MARCH 2018 EACH ALBUM HAS SOLD OVER 18,000,000 COPIES.
-HIDDEN IN THE LINER NOTES IS “F*** YOU ST. LOUIS.” THE CITY CHARGED AXL ROSE FOR INCITING A RIOT IN 1991 WHEN HE CUT A SET SHORT AND ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.
-SLASH IS THANKED IN THE LINER NOTES FOR “KILLER GUITAR MELODIES”
-THE ALBUM WAS RACKING UP RECORD SALES DESPITE THE FACT MAJOR RETAILERS LIKE WALMART AND KMART REFUSED TO SELL THE RECORDS BECAUSE THEY CONTAINED PROFANITY
-CLOCKING IN AT 8:57 MAKES ‘NOVEMBER RAIN’ THE LONGEST SONG EVER TO MAKE THE TOP TEN OF THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART. THE SONG PEAKED AT # 3
-EVEN THOUGH THEIR VERSION OF ‘KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR’ WAS ON THE ALBUM, IT ACTUALLY CAME OUT A YEAR EARLIER WHEN IT APPEARED ON THE ‘DAYS OF THUNDER SOUNDTRACK.’
-GN’R’S VERSION OF ‘LIVE AND LET DIE’ WAS NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY AWARD IN 1993
-‘CIVIL WAR’ IS A PROTEST SONG ON WAR AND INCLUDES THE LINE “WHAT’S SO CIVIL ABOUT WAR,ANYWAY?”
-‘CIVIL WAR’ IS THE LAST GN’R SONG TO FEATURE STEVEN ADLER. ADLER WAS KICKED OUT OF THE BAND DUE TO HIS DRUG ADDICTIONS.
– ‘DON’T CRY’ IS A SONG THAT WAS WRITTEN ABOUT MONIQUE LEWIS. HER FACE IS TATTOOED ON AXL’S RIGHT BICEP. SHE WAS ONCE HIS GIRLFRIEND AND WAS ALSO ROMANTICALLY LINKED TO IZZY STRADLIN.
– ‘YOU COULD BE MINE’ IS ABOUT IZZY’S FAILED RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER EX-GIRLFRIEND, ANGELA NICOLETTI
– ‘YOU COULD BE MINE’ WAS FEATURED IN “TERMINATOR 2:JUDGEMENT DAY.”
IT WAS ADDED TO THE MOVIE ON THE INSISTENCE OF ARNOLD SCHWARTZENEGGER. IT WAS NOT INCLUDED ON THE SOUNDTRACK.
-‘RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO HELL’ WAS WRITTEN AS A RESULT OF AXL ROSE’S BEEF WITH A NEIGHBOR. GABRIELLE KANTOR. SHE HAD AXL ARRESTED, CLAIMING HE HIT HER WITH A WINE BOTTLE. HE DENIED THE CHARGE, CLAIMING SHE WAS A CRAZY FAN. THE CONDO WAS LATER GIVEN AWAY IN MTV’S “EVICT AXL” CONTEST.
– IZZY STRADLIN WAS INSPIRED TO WRITE ‘ALL TIED UP’ AFTER VISITING A DOMINATRIX. WHEN HE AND A BUDDY WENT TO VISIT HER, SHE HAD A FAT MAN IN WOMEN’S UNDERWEAR TIED UP WITH DUCT TAPE AGAINST THE WALL. THE MAN WAS ALSO WEARING HIGH HEELS AND HAD AN ONION STUFFED IN HIS MOUTH.
BOTH ALBUMS WERE FULL OF GREAT SONGS. HERE’S A TREAT FROM ‘ILLUSION I’
AND ANOTHER GREAT SONG FROM ‘ILLUSION II’
