Album · 35 years old this year
Use Your Illusion I
Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by Guns N' Roses, released on 17 September 1991 through Geffen Records. It arrived on the same day as its companion, Use Your Illusion II, and the two were issued as a pair. This was the first Guns N' Roses album to feature keyboardist Dizzy Reed and drummer Matt Sorum, who took over from Steven Adler after his departure in 1990.
The band had already set off on the Use Your Illusion Tour in May, four months before the albums appeared, as delays held up their release. The record entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, selling 685,000 copies in its first week, just behind its companion. It has since been certified 7× Platinum in the US and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance, as did its single "Live and Let Die" a year later.
Use Your Illusion I: tracklist, credits and charts
16 tracks · 1:16:05Tracklist
- 1Right Next Door to HellKaltio, Rose, Stradlin3:03
- 2Dust N’ BonesMcKagan, Slash, Stradlin4:58
- 3Live and Let DieLinda McCartney and Paul McCartney3:04
- 4Don’t CryAxl Rose and Izzy Stradlin4:45
- 5Perfect CrimeRose, Slash, Stradlin2:24
- 6You Ain’t the FirstIzzy Stradlin2:36
- 7Bad ObsessionWest Arkeen and Izzy Stradlin5:28
- 8Back Off BitchHuge, Rose, Slash5:03
- 9Double Talkin’ JiveIzzy Stradlin3:24
- 10November RainAxl Rose8:57
- 11The GardenArkeen, James, Rose5:22
- 12Garden of EdenAxl Rose and Slash2:42
- 13Don’t Damn MeLank, Rose, Slash5:19
- 14Bad ApplesMcKagan, Rose, Slash, Stradlin4:28
- 15Dead HorseAxl Rose4:18
- 16ComaAxl Rose and Slash10:14
- Produced by
- Mike Clink, Guns N’ Roses
- Recorded at
- A&M (Hollywood), Conway (Los Angeles), Image Recording (Hollywood), Metalworks (Mississauga, Ontario), Studio 56 (Los Angeles), Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- 13 January 1990 – November 1990
- Mixed by
- Bill Price
- Mixed at
- Skip Saylor Recording
- Engineered by
- Mike Clink, Jim Mitchell
- Label
- BMG
- Length
- 1:16:05
Line-up
- Duff McKagan · bass guitar, background vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, choir vocals
- Slash · guitar, bass guitar, background vocals, talkbox, resonator guitar, slide guitar, classical guitar, acoustic guitar
- Matt Sorum · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals, choir vocals
- Izzy Stradlin · guitar, background vocals, lead vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, choir vocals
- Axl Rose · lead vocals, background vocals, keyboard, effects, piano, synthesizer, choir vocals, acoustic guitar
- Dizzy Reed · piano, organ, background vocals, choir vocals, clavinet
- Robert Clark · horn · guest
- Matthew McKagan · horn · guest
- Jon Thautwein · horn · guest
- Rachel West · horn · guest
- Shannon Hoon · background vocals, lead vocals, choir vocals
- Tim Doyle · tambourine · guest
- Michael Monroe · saxophone, harmonica · guest
- Johann Langlie · synthesizer, effects · guest
- Stuart C. Bailey · background vocals, choir vocals · guest
- Reba Shaw · background vocals, choir vocals · guest
- West Arkeen · acoustic guitar · guest
- Alice Cooper · lead vocals · guest
- Mike Clink · other instruments · guest
- Bruce Foster · effects · guest
- Susanne Filkins · background vocals · guest
- Patricia Fuenzalida · background vocals · guest
- Michelle Loiselle · background vocals · guest
- Rose Mann · background vocals · guest
- Diane Mitchell · background vocals · guest
- Monica Zierhut-Soto · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Don't Cry” · 2 September 1991
- “Live and Let Die” · 9 December 1991
- “November Rain” · 24 February 1992
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · Combined | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 · Combined | 2 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · Combined | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| Austrian Albums · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| European Albums ("Billboard") · 1991–2022 | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums · Combined | 2 |
All 28 charts
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1991–2022 | 3 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · Combined | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Swedish Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Swiss Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (SABAM/IFPI) · 1991–2022 | 4 |
| German Albums · 1991–2022 | 4 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · Combined | 4 |
| Danish Albums (IFPI) · 1991–2022 | 6 |
| Hungarian Albums · Combined | 6 |
| US Tastemaker · Combined | 9 |
| US Hard Rock · Combined | 10 |
| French Albums · 1991–2022 | 13 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · Combined | 14 |
| Scottish Albums · Combined | 20 |
| Portuguese Albums · Combined | 28 |
| UKDigital · Combined | 29 |
| Polish Albums · Combined | 31 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 5× Platinum |
| Australia | 4× Platinum |
| Austria | 2× Platinum |
| Belgium · 2005 | 2× Platinum |
| Brazil · 2024 | Diamond |
| Brazil | Platinum |
| Brazil · 2024 | Gold |
| Canada | Diamond |
| Denmark · 2018 | 2× Platinum |
| Finland | Platinum |
| France · 1995 | Platinum |
| Germany | 2× Platinum |
| Italy · 2019 | Platinum |
| Japan · 1994 | 2× Platinum |
| Mexico · 1999 | Platinum+Gold |
| Netherlands · 1994 | 2× Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Norway · 1993 | 2× Platinum |
| Poland · 2023 | Gold |
| Spain · 1992 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1992 | Platinum |
| Switzerland | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Platinum |
| United States | 7× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
91.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
12k
ListenBrainz listeners
266k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
201k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 17 September
Every year →
More from Guns N’ Roses
Full discography →
Live ?!★꩜ Like a Suicide
1986
Appetite for Destruction
1987
EP
1988
G N’ R Lies
1988
On Tour Now!
1991
Use Your Illusion II
1991
The “Civil War” EP
1993
“The Spaghetti Incident?”
1993
Use Your Illusion
1998
Live Era ’87–’93
1999
Greatest Hits
2004
Chinese Democracy
2008
Appetite for Democracy: Live at the Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas
2014
Hard Skool
2022
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
Gish
The Smashing Pumpkins · 1991
Arise
Sepultura · 1991
1916
Motörhead · 1991
More on BMG
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1991-09-16 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 September 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 September 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 17 September 1991 | |
| US release | 17 September 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
29 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| — | AD | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 1991 | US | BMG | other | |
| 1991 | AU | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 1991 | US | Columbia House | 77749749184902 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Geffen | 6001211401437 | other |
| 1991 | HK | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 1991 | US | Geffen | 720642441510 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 16 September 1991 | DE | Geffen | 720642441527 | original |
| 17 September 1991 | US | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 17 September 1991 | JP | Geffen | 4988067000866 | other |
| 17 September 1991 | US | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
| 14 October 1997 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775471122 | other |
| 22 November 2008 | JP | Geffen | 4988005537454 | other |
| 7 July 2015 | FR | — | 720642441527 | other |
| 2016 | US | Geffen | 720642441510 | other |
| 2022 | XE | Geffen | 602445117116 | other |
| 22 September 2022 | US | Geffen | 602445125708 | other |
| 11 November 2022 | XW | Geffen | 602448591340 | other |
| 11 November 2022 | XE | Geffen | 602445117307 | remaster |
| 11 November 2022 | AU | Geffen | 602445117116 | deluxe |
| 11 November 2022 | JP | Geffen | 4988031540596 | deluxe |
| 11 November 2022 | US | Geffen | 602445117116 | deluxe |
| 11 November 2022 | AF | Guns N Roses P&D | 00602448508126 | deluxe |
| 11 November 2022 | AF | Guns N Roses P&D | 00602448591333 | other |
| — | — | Geffen | 720642441527 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1418, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1425×1418 | upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1418, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 511×500 | upscaled |