Use Your Illusion I

Use Your Illusion I is the third album, paired with its same-day sequel, on which the ambition of Guns N' Roses swelled all at once. Matt Sorum (drums) joined in place of Adler and Dizzy Reed (keyboards) became a full member; with Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan plus the two, the band co-produced with Mike Clink. It keeps the dangerous charge of the debut while greatly widening song length, arrangement and emotional range. That the rush of “Right Next Door to Hell” and the grand nine-minute drama of “November Rain” sit on one record says much about the scale of this period. From the cover of Paul McCartney's “Live and Let Die” to Izzy's lead vocal on “Dust N' Bones” and the over-ten-minute closer “Coma,” the swing is vast. Released together, this album and its sequel took the top two spots on the US chart, the first time one act held both at once. It is a record that refuses to fear excess and pushes the frame of rock outward.