With an album title of Use Your Illusion I, you might think that the angry, hard-partying Guns N’ Roses we knew was a carefully crafted image to sell records to disaffected youths, concealing a group of mild-mannered, health-conscious musicians. Sadly, this was not the case, and the toll of living out that image was already fracturing the band.

Although the Use Your Illusion discs were released more than four years after the band’s previous LP, many of the songs are leftovers from the Appetite For Destruction era or earlier. It is easy to see why these did not make the cut the first time; for the most part they do not live up to the high standards set in 1987. Appetite For Destruction contained three fantastic hard rock songs, while Use Your Illusion I has only one great song, and it is in a different genre entirely.

There are a few good riff-rock tunes that continue the band’s early tradition: “Right Next Door To Hell”, “Double Talkin’ Jive”, “Dust N’ Bones”, and “Perfect Crime” are as good as the weakest tracks from Appetite For Destruction. “Don’t Damn Me” would make this list as well, but the sentiment of the rocker who wants neither praise nor damnation but simply to make music sounds good coming from Ozzy (“I Don’t Know”), but sounds hollow coming from Rose’s massive ego. “Bad Apples” is similarly good musically, but the hodgepodge of mixed metaphors makes poor lyrics.

“Garden Of Eden”, “Bad Obsession”, “Back Off Bitch”, and “Dead Horse” have their moments as well. “Garden Of Eden” is the most breakneck thrashing the band has ever performed, but it lacks the spirit that should make it work. The harmonica part and some rare slide guitar from Slash save “Bad Obsession” from mediocrity, but his solo that echoes and expands on the vocal line in “Dead Horse” does not make up for the acoustic introduction.

Although a bit of a musical departure for the Gunners, Axl’s magnum opus “November Rain” utilizes their strengths very well. Rose’s voice is actually more suited to this grandiose balladry than the quick and dirty songs that make up most of the band’s catalog. Slash’s greatest gift is his ability to make that smooth Les Paul lyrical even as he shreds, and this is one of the finest examples of its use. The rhythm guitar that is otherwise critical in their work is relegated to the background, but the piano and symphonic orchestration provide a surprisingly effective song structure.

The cover of “Live And Let Die” hardly changes anything from the Wings original, but it comes out a more powerful, exciting song. “Coma” has potential with a great main theme, but it is not good enough to sustain the song through 10 long minutes, or to excuse the heartbeat sound effects and sampled speech.

“You Ain’t The First” is filler, and “The Garden” is, quite simply, terrible. “Don’t Cry” combines many of the same elements that made “November Rain” work, but the result is much less satisfying.

Coming from any other band, Use Your Illusion I would be a great release, but most of it pales in comparison to what we know Guns N’ Roses is capable of.

This was part of my summer memories with my friends, the Ciceroni’s, the Salisbury’s and the Monnin’s. I had so much fun, and played pool with them to the music off this cd over and over. The songs are great and good for working too.