1055. Guns n' Roses / Use Your Illusion II. 1991. 3/5.

From the outset, the appearance of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on the same day created mayhem amongst fans of Guns n' Roses who had been waiting with anticipation for new material from the band. Two albums meant a lot of juggling when it came to listen and giving all of the material a fair chance to grow with love. Over time I came to enjoy the mix of material on Use Your Illusion I, and over time I came to consider just where it was that Use Your Illusion II couldn't quite match up to it.

There are two great songs on this album, ones that have resonated through time and still stand out as the best here every time they come on. The album opener “Civil War” is a classic, with its opening monologue taken from the movie “Cool Hand Luke”, the moody start to the hard and emotional ride beyond, it is one of the songs that shows the other side to Guns n’ Roses, not just the crass and pissed off side, the one where the band’s lifestyle comes through in the lyrics. “Civil War” shows a mature side, a meaningful side to the band’s song writing, and for me it is one of their best songs. The other is “You Could Be Mine” which found its way onto the soundtrack of “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”, and it too shows the technical side of the band and its musicians. It is a heavy, rollicking song that reaches for the pinnacle, and tests the limits of any singer’s vocal chords. Hard hitting drums, awesome guitars and great lyrics make for a terrific song and the best the band can offer.
Beyond this there are other layers of songs that fill the album, some are good and others are really only average. Unlike the other album I don't believe the songs tie together as well here as they do on it, and whether that is because most of this is 'newer' material is not something I can answer.
Sitting in the middle would be songs such as the piano ragtime sensibilities of "14 Years" which I alternately enjoy or dismiss depending on my mood at the time. "Yesterdays" again is heavily based around the piano and the tempo probably precludes my total enjoyment of the track. The cover version of "Knocking on Heaven's Door" doesn't do it for me like its sister track from Use Your Illusion I, "Live and Let Die", probably only for the fact that I've never really liked the song anyway. It's okay for the mix of songs available.
"Get in the Ring" is an abusive laden sledge fest at critics and hangers on over the career of the band, with little left to the imagination as to what they really think of those people mentioned. Once again, as with "Yesterdays" I can really get into this song on some days and on others I can quiet happily skip it if I'm not in the mood. "Shotgun Blues" is closer to the sound the band gave us on their first album and is more recognisable as a result. "Breakdown" is fine but a bit long on the run time. "Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock 'n' Roll Decadence)" has its moments where it is fun to listen to, and for the most part so is "Locomotive (Complicity)", but once again it just goes on way beyond the length of time it needs to.
"So Fine" is written by and sung by Duff McKagan, and apart from that novelty the song is about average for the rest of the album. For my taste it is too slow and maudlin at the beginning to be an enjoyable track before it breaks out towards the end.
"Estranged" is a long winded, overblown extravagance of a song that goes nowhere and takes an eternity to do so. I have never found anything even remotely terrific about this track. With so many of these tracks it feels like they have been extended purely to try and get the album up to its maximum length of 78 minutes that a CD would hold in those good old days of the early 1990's. Sure, quantity can be better, but only if it is quality.
"Don't Cry" is the second version of this song, with alternate lyrics from the twin track that appears on Use Your Illusion I. I haven't ever been a fan of either version. "My World" completes the album in reasonable fashion without being able to rescue it from its own averageness.

As I said in my review of Use Your Illusion I, taking the best songs from both albums and combining it into just one would have been a much better idea, and produced a much better product. With that in mind, I don't think there would have been a great deal of material from this album that would end up on a combined effort. Much of this feels and sounds forced, and without great inspiration. Others may disagree, but unless there is some stimulant involved I can't get overly excited about what is contained within.

Rating: "I'm a cold heart-breaker, fit to burn, and I'll rip your heart in two". 3/5