Use Your Illusion I is an album by Guns and Roses. It was the first of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, and although released at different times, it is very similar in style to Use Your Illusion II.

The Use Your Illusion albums represent a turning point in the sound of Guns and Roses. Although they did not abandon the hard rock tendencies so vivid in their first album, Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I demonstrated, for the first time, more or less, elements of blues, classical music, and country. For example, lead singer Axl Rose plays piano on several tracks of both albums. In addition, with the Use Your Illusion Tour, both the music and stage presence of the band became more theatrical, in the tradition of progressive rock. This fact is evidenced by the numerous music videos produced in conjunction with these albums. Use Your Illusion I contains two of the three songs, November Rain and Don't Cry, whose videos are generally held by fans to be a trilogy (the third song, Estranged, is on Use Your Illusion II). It was songs like November Rain which brought Guns N' Roses popularity among music fans who didn't usually listen to hard rock or heavy metal.

Besides stylistic differences, another new aspect seen in Use Your Illusion I was lengthier songs. November Rain, an epic ballad, is over 8 minutes long, and Coma is nearly 10 minutes long.

There are significant differences to be noted between Use Your Illusion I and II. The cover art of these two albums, identical except for color, is very representative of these differences: Use Your Illusion I is red, and has, for the most part an angier, heavier sound; Use You Illusion II is blue, and has a softer softer, even more bluesy sound.

Track Listing

  1. Right Next Door To Hell
  2. Dust N' Bones
  3. Live And Let Die
  4. Don't Cry (Original)
  5. Perfect Crime
  6. You Ain't The First
  7. Bad Obsession
  8. Back Off Bitch
  9. Double Talkin' Jive
  10. November Rain
  11. The Garden
  12. Garden Of Eden
  13. Don't Damn Me
  14. Bad Apples
  15. Dead Horse
  16. Coma