Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I (World Tour 1992 in Tokyo)

Starring:W. Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Dizzy Reed
Studio: Geffen Records
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

It could have been done better.
The only official "original" gunners concert we'll get to see
Strong Performance (4.5)
Recorded in '92 using '29 technology
Could have been a little better,but not bad

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I (World Tour 1992 in Tokyo)
Starring: W. Axl Rose , Slash , Duff McKagan , Matt Sorum , and Gilby Clarke
Manufacturer: Geffen Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DJZAX
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Customer Reviews:

It could have been done better........2007-01-03

The video is ok, the audio is not that good. If you want to crank some G N R play a cd.

The only official "original" gunners concert we'll get to see.......2006-06-08

My review is for the entire Use Your Illusion concert (both UYI I and II DVDs). I'm yet another massive Guns n' Roses fan. I have been for many years. I'm 24 now but back when the UYI tours were on, my parents wouldn't let a 9 year old go to their concert, especially given the lyrical content of many of their songs. Needless to say that when I saw this DVD of the concert featuring the "original" gunners, I had extremely high expectations. This was to be an up-close and personal view of the gunners doing what they do best (rock on!!) and we all know that we'll never see Axl teamed with Duff, Slash, Matt and Gilby again.

Before I bought this DVD I read almost all the other reviews of this concert on amazon. I instantly decided to take the plunge and buy both discs and see for myself what I thought. I agree with many comments made by fellow reviewers and disagree with many others, however I'd also like to add my own views.

Pros
* As stated earlier, this is my only chance to see a real gunners concert raw and uncut featuring the "original" lineup. (When I say "original" I'm refering to the lineup before Axl's new arrangement. Personally I prefer Izzy Stradlin as a rhythm guitarist to Gilby Clark.)

* The track selection is superp! While you can never please everyone I'd say that no critical songs were missed. Personal favourites of mine not performed include Don't Damn Me, Think About You and Coma.

* As expected, the band is amazing. Slash's solos are exceptional, both Gilby and Matt provide a great rhythm section and Duff provides the killer bass. I personally like the second half of Move to the City with the jazz section and the piano/Dizzy Reed's keyboards. I also love the raw rocking tunes. Double Talkin' Jive is amazing.

Cons
* No special features, ie bonus interviews (other than the footage at the start showing the band backstage).

* The sound quality could have been a bit better. I agree with other reviewers when they can't see why a concert from 1992 can't be remastered in Dolby 5.1.

* Axl's voice is so unpredictable (he was hit and miss with many of the notes, ie Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine). Even back then Axl's voice appears to be severly strained (sometimes he sounds like he has razor blades stuck in his throat).

* Other reviewers complain that the band lacked energy and the crowd was rather flat. While I'd say that the band seemed pretty energised to me, I'd love to know why out of all the concerts they could have chosen to record, they picked Tokyo (where the locals are pretty passive by nature).

All in all I'd say that the concert is very, very good but the DVD production could have been better. I would gladly have paid top dollar to be at that concert.

Finally, to all the people complaining that the concert was sold on 2 seperate DVD's, think of it this way, I spent $60 ($30 each disc) for a concert I can enjoy over and over again. Sounds like pretty good value to me.

Strong Performance (4.5).......2006-03-31

Contrary to several of these reviews, I personally think this is a great Live DVD of Guns n' Roses, offering a very solid performance on their Illusion World Tour. Far superior to the Illusion 2 DVD, this shows GNR playing classic "Appetite" songs with great rock fierce, as well as doing several cuts from Illusion albums and rocking out in all of them.

The show kicks off with an electrifying performance of "Nightrain", and the band is on the mark, with good lyrical deliveries from Axl and a good solo. "Live And Let Die" is also an excellent performance with the band in good sound. "Mr. Brownstone" and "It's So Easy" are heavy Appetite tracks performed with great intensity, the latter being the better of the 2 performances. Axl gives an awesome delivery for "It's So Easy" at the end. I consider "Bad Obsession" to be the worst performance on here, but it is okay. Duff McKagan pioneers "Attitude" giving the vocals. "Pretty Tied Up" has some great moments with Slash shining on the guitar, and Dizzy Reed's background piano sounding perfect in this song. It drags on too long though. Gilby Clarke (Izzy Stradlin's replacement for the remaineder of the tour) and Slash perform "Wild Horses" by Rolling Stones. "Double Talkin' Jive" is pure fiery rock, with the whole band jamming for a good minute before gearing into the track. "Don't Cry" is a very nice performance, with the transition from Slash's guitar to Axl's voice sounding sensational. "Civil War" is one of the heaviest performances in the set and the guitar riffs are exceptional. "Patience" is definitely one of my favourite performances on here, and was probably Axl's best performance of the night. "November Rain" closes out very well, and Axl begins it with a 3 minute piano impromptu.

Overall, this is in my opinion a very solid performance from the band, however simply would not appeal to casual fans of GNR. This is specifically for diehards only. You really have to appreciate the pure raspiness of Axl's voice and the ugly playing of the group to enjoy this DVD. Recommended to big fans of the group.

Recorded in '92 using '29 technology.......2005-10-08

OK, I am definitely a GNR fan. But Geez, this is cheesy. I can look past the Nigel Tufnel Shorts with the "armadillos in our trousers" look. I'm totally impressed with the Richard Simmons-esque running about the stage that Axl Does - I'd be pretty damned out of breath too if I tried it. Too bad I'd be forgetting my primary job, which would be singing. I can look past all of that. It's a great set list, great setting. It's even filmed pretty decently, with camera men and an editor who don't need Ritalin. Overall, I think the band puts on a pretty damn good performance.

My biggest gripe is the sound. It sounds like an audience recording. Worse, it sounds like someone recorded it from a nearby high rise (Tokyo has a lot of those) on their chicklet-sized cell phone. After about eight transfers, it made it onto DVD. Come on, the only soundtrack is Dolby Stereo? From 1992? Gimme a break! I have The Who, Black Sabbath, and Marshall Tucker DVDs from a decade and a half before that are in 5.1. This DVD had me checking all my wiring and the power to my subwoofer to see if everything was OK. Wanna know what the sound on this DVD is like? Go wear a pair of earmuffs and sit in your car and listen to the audio CD.

I guess for 9 bucks I can't complain TOO much. It's just SO frustrating considering how good and enjoyable this could have been were it recorded properly.

Could have been a little better,but not bad.......2005-09-22

I was very glad to see a Guns N' Roses concert DVD come out. We all know how GN'R have been left in ruins,and it is always nice when an old band releases DVDS of them in concerts. This is a direct transfer from an original VHS tape that was released in 1992,and the producer of this DVD did a pretty good job at transferring the original VHS performance to DVD.

The DVD itself? Could have been a little better,but not bad. A little dull at times,but the good parts are really good. There are no bonus interviews on this DVD,but you do see an introduction that is behind the scenes before the actual concert starts and a couple behind the scenes looks after a performance. Good work there. The performances of "Nightrain","Mr. Brownstone",a cover of the Paul McCartney/Wings classic "Live and Let Die","Attitude"(a Misfits cover),and "Patience" are a little bit boring,but performances of songs like "It's So Easy","Welcome To The Jungle","Don't Cry","Double Talkin' Jive","Pretty Tied Up","November Rain",and "Civil War" are all really good good performances. Axl Rose shows off his talent as a showman during the performances of "It's So Easy" and "Civil War",and "Double Talkin' Jive" leading into "Civil War" sounds(as well as looks) just plain awesome. Don't expect the crowd in this DVD to keep up the excitement during performances of songs on here(some of which are on Guns N' Roses' "Live Era" record),and while this DVD would have been better if the crowd acted excited,the DVD itself is still alright. Don't expect to see "Sweet Child O' Mine","You Could Be Mine",etc. performed live,but a DVD that shows Guns N' Roses supporting UYI2 in Japan was also released,so buying that DVD along with this one would be a good supplement to this DVD(and both of them are sort of Guns N' Roses greatest hits--hits and fan favorites--live and in concert on a DVD). The best thing about this DVD is that even though the special feautures do pop up right after a performance of a song before you see the next song that is performed,you can go to the menu,click on the song selection,and then pick the performance of the song that comes up right after the performance of the last song you saw,and then you don't have all that much to complain about. An improvement from the original VHS release that came out in 1992.

Become a die hard Guns N' Roses fan before you purchase this DVD,but despite it's faults,this is a decent DVD. I recommend getting it cheap and used,but except for the weak parts of this DVD,this is a good purchase for die hard Guns N' Roses fans.

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I (World Tour 1992 in Tokyo) (Jewel Case)