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Episode 74 covers Guns N’ Roses’ fourth studio album, 1991’s Use Your Illusion II. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. Bolstered by the lead single “You Could Be Mine”, Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. charts, ahead of Use Your Illusion I’s first-week sales of 685,000.[3] As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[4] Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.[5] It was also No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of Use Your Illusion II as well as share personal stories of discovering the album. Tune in next week for Episode 75 as we cover Guns N’ Roses’ sixth and final studio album, 2008’s Chinese Democracy.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark This record is two or three moves away from a truly great record. It better represents the maturity they were striving for.
Chris A good bookend record, surprisingly, and a good deepcut record. Axl is back and forth and is hard to pin down though.
Alex Stronger and more diversity than Use Your Illusion I. Less middle-of-the-road filler. I might like this album more than UYI1 because it is shorter.
Kevin I must have listened to a different album than my co-hosts. I might be able to be convinced on some of these songs, but others are still forgettable.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Civil War" | 7:42 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "14 Years" | 4:21 | L | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Yesterdays" | 3:14 | F | L | L | F | |
| 4 | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover) | 5:36 | F | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "Get in the Ring" | 5:42 | T | L | F | F | |
| 6 | "Shotgun Blues" | 3:26 | L | F | F | F | |
| 7 | "Breakdown" | 7:04 | L | L | L | L | |
| 8 | "Pretty Tied Up" | 4:48 | L | L | L | L | |
| 9 | "Locomotive" ("Complicity") | 8:42 | L | B | L | L | |
| 10 | "So Fine" | 4:08 | F | F | L | T | |
| 11 | "Estranged" | 9:23 | B | L | L | L | |
| 12 | "You Could Be Mine" | 5:43 | L | B | B | B | |
| 13 | "Don't Cry" (Alternate Lyrics) | 4:45 | T | T | T | T | |
| 14 | "My World" | 1:24 | T | T | T | F |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. Bolstered by the lead single “You Could Be Mine“, Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. charts, ahead of Use Your Illusion I’s first-week sales of 685,000.[3] As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[4] Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.[5] It was also No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week.
It is the last Guns N’ Roses album to feature rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin. It also includes “Civil War“, the last track to feature drummer Steven Adler in any capacity. This album, along with the counterpart of the album, was the last Guns N’ Roses album to feature original material until 2008’s album Chinese Democracy.
