Customer Reviews

Live Era '87-'93

5 star:		(142)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

For six years, between 1987 and 1993, Guns N' Roses ruled the rock world. It was six years of accusations of being racist, riots, tempter tantrums, swearing on live TV, urinating on planes, very public feuds with other bands, and of course, unbelievably great rock n' roll. From the days of when GN'R brought authenticity back to rock n' roll, when Bon Jovi were considered the premier rock band, to surviving the onslaught of grunge, GN'R were rock gods. In 1999, five years after the semi-original Guns N' Roses rocked an arena for the last time, the posthumous "Live Era '87-'93" hit the stores.

While "Live Era" is quite good, it could have been better. Guns N' Roses was a great band, and put on an exciting live show, there's no denying that. "Live Era" is filled with classics, from each release, minus "The Spaghetti Incident" (1993). The band sounds great and performance on each track is top-notch. That said, "Live Era" is flawed in two ways-its chronology and production.

As the back of the CD states, the songs on this CD were "recorded across the universe between 1987 and 1993." For some bands, like Nirvana or Motley Crue, it wouldn't be any problem to compile a live album with songs from different years. With Guns N' Roses, however, it doesn't quite work. That's because the original Guns N' Roses went through four distinct phases:

Phase I: 1986-1990: Axl Rose- vocals, Slash- lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin- rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan- Bass, Steven Adler- Drums. This lineup, generally regarded as the definitive one, recorded "Appetite for Destruction" (1987) and "GN'R Lies" (1998). This lineup was basically Aerosmith on speed, with an element of punk and the Rolling Stones.

Phase II: 1991: Axl Rose- vocals, Slash- lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin- rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan- Bass, Matt Sorum- Drums, Dizzy Reed- Keyboards. The addition of the very proficient, yet slightly bombastic Matt Sorum and keyboard player Dizzy Reed made GN'R's sound slicker, less rough-around the edges. With this lineup, the band ventured out and experimented considerably, with the very ambitious epic "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (1991).

Phase III: 1992: Axl Rose- vocals, Slash- lead guitar, Gilby Clarke- rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan- Bass, Matt Sorum- Drums, Dizzy Reed- Keyboards. In addition, many backup musicians, such as female backup singers and a horn section were added. GN'R purists often regarded this period as the weakest link in the bands career. It is said that GN'R became very bloated during this leg of the tour and all the horns and added singers watered down the bands sound. I tend to disagree with that assessment. It was an interesting phase in the band's career and many of the songs, like "Move to the City" and "November Rain" sound enhanced with the extra musicians. Unfortunately, in 1992, when compared to the stripped down, unadulterated rock n' roll of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses huge backup entourage seemed excessive and bloated. Still, it was just an experimental phase, something that people often forget. As a live guitarist, Gilby Clarke outshined Stradlin.

Phase IV: 1993: Axl Rose- vocals, Slash- lead guitar, Gilby Clarke- rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan- Bass, Matt Sorum- Drums, Dizzy Reed- Keyboards. All the excess musicians are gone. While not as raunchy as the early days, GN'R comes full circle and goes back to playing pure rock n' roll. Many of the songs are played even more stripped down, acoustically.

The problem with "Live Era" is that there will be one song from the AFD/Lies era, then one song from the horn era, then back to the AFD/Lies era, and then will leap into '93, before going back to '91 and so on. While the songs are great, no doubt, the album overall is a little disjointed. It would have been better if disc 1 were strictly from the '87-'90 AFD/Lies era,, and disc II were from the experimental, '92 horn era.

The other problem with "Live Era" is it sounds overproduced. The songs sound tampered with. There is some speculation that Axl Rose even re-recorded his vocals (although this is just speculation). They should have just left the songs as is, without trying to touch them up.

While this list of criticisms seems long, it is not meant to imply that "Live Era" is a bad album. Indeed, the songs are still classics and if you are a fan of the band "Live Era" is well worth owning.

As I listened to this CD, I wondered if I had hyped it too much in my mind. I saw GnR in Baton Rouge in 1992. They blew the roof off of the Assembly Center. They rocked for 3 1/2 hours. This CD does not have 1/10 the energy of that show. Who selected these cuts? What about Coma, Don't Damn Me, Double Talkin' Jive, Garden of Eden, Civil War, etc. Anything but Move to the City. Where are the elaborate intros to Sweet Child, Paradise City, Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Why do we hear Axl asking the crowd to move back from the stage. Why not one of his trademark rants? Where and when were these songs recorded? Across the Universe? What is that? I can only hope they correct their mistakes and put out another live CD. This time I will listen to it first.

When I first listened to Guns N' Roses The Live Era '87-'93 I was amazed. Not since Appetite For Destruction have I heard such a powerful cd. I enjoyed that it had several of Guns N' Roses songs that were wild as well as calm (Nightrain, Mr. Brownstone, November Rain, Don't Cry) My very favorite part of the cd, is that Axl explains some of his songs, Used to Love Her: is a joke, Estranged is a like a walk in the park..., there is even a part where Axl tells people to stop smashing others.

Unlike some other live albums Axl and the band sound great.

Also this has some really cool band pictures.

Live Era is a fantastic collection of live Guns N' Roses tracks. "Recorded across the universe between 1987 and 1993" as the booklet says, it presents a pretty awesome portrait of the band as a live act. For those of us who were too young to catch G N'R in their prime, this set is most welcome. The song list is great, just about any Guns song you most want to hear live is included. Every track from Appetite For Destruction except for two ("Think About You" and "Anything Goes") are performed on this CD, as well as some of the best tracks from Use Your Illusion. "Patience", "Used To Love Her" and "Move To The City" from G N' R Lies are here and a cover of Black Sabbath's piano-based "It's Alright".

The performances are high energy and hard rocking. Axl is in good voice (most of the time), Slash plays with his usual intensity, Izzy (sometimes Gilby Clarke) provides the solid rhythm guitar and Duff and Steven/Matt anchor the band very well. The only problem really is the fact that the performance dates and locations are not listed, so what performances these are is anybody's guess. Still, it's great stuff and should be welcome in any rock fan's collection.

Guns N' Roses was an electrifying hard rock band and these two discs give us a glimpse of what this rock behemoth sounded like at the peak of their power. Hopefully more live performances will be released from the vaults in the future. As the success of the recent Greatest Hits collection shows, the world is hungry for more Guns N' Roses.

While this double cd set may be a said memory of a band that imploded under pressure, it is also a thrill ride, hightlighting a band that dominated their time. While it was recorded across the world, geffen did a great job of making it feel like one big show.

Disc 1 kicks off with Nightrain, a fast, adrenaline rush thatwill get you jumping around the house. Next comes a AFD classic, Mr. Brownstone. Its an average version of the song, but the highlight is the 2 minute soundclip of Axl trying to get the crowd to back up after the song. Next comes another AFD classic, Its so Easy, which is a thumping reminder of the bands past. Next comes the
GnR trademark song, Welcome to the Jungle, featuring a heart pounding intro by Axl. Next comes a underrated song sung by Izzy, Dust n Bones, which is by far better than the recording. Next comes the song My Michelle which on record was a dark song, but live seemed not quite so intimidating. Then you get You're Crazy which features a monotone sounding Axl. After that you get one of Gnr's most controversial songs, Used to Love Her, with a funny yet disturbing intro. Then comes the only Lies hit, Patience, with a very excited crowd that sings along louder than Axl. Next is It's Alright as an okay intro to the monster hit, November Rain, which ends CD 1 on a nice note.

Disc 2 starts with a boring version of Out Ta Get Me, then a better than recording version of the ever ironic song, Pretty Tied Up. Next is the happy song, Yesterdays. Then you get the low point of the set, Move to the City, which includes a 5 minute solo section by the unecessary horn section. After that the rest of the cd is amazing, which is the reason of my rating. You get You Could Be Mine, Rocket Queen, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin on Heavens Door, Dont Cry, Estranged and Paradise City.

While disc 1 is aimed for the hardcore fan that knows the songs that werent hits, disc 2 is aimed for everyone with a run of monster hits. Any Gnr fan, hardcore or casual should definetely pick up this set, which hightlights the last great rock band, Guns N' Roses.

Some of the songs on the CD's have more energy than the original studio versions. "Pretty Tied Up" is amazing, so is "Out Ta Get Me", "Dust n' Bones", "Nightrain" and "Welcome to the Jungle". Axl's voice sound's almost robotic on Rocket Queen (a good thing). Don't Cry is mesmerising. PLUS you get the track "ITS'S ALRIGHT", a cover, which you don't get on the standard 5 albums (I love it - more emphasis on the vocals and piano). My favourite GNR song, estranged, is sung a little harshly, but you'll appreciate owning two versions of the same song. At first I was a bit put off buying it, because of the distracting cheers at the beginning of each track, but it helps you to relive the experience.

Unfortunately, they took most of the songs from appetite and only 8 songs from BOTH use your illusion CD's (30 songs)!! Some really good tracks aren't on here: "Civil War", "One in a Million", "Coma", "14 Years", "Double Talking Jive", "The Garden". What you do get is a superfluous piano intro on November Rain; Axl sounding drunk while whistling the tune of patience; and also Sweet Child o' Mine isn't sung as well as normal. I'd reccommend Live Era to anyone who owns GNR's other albums (lies, appetite, illusion I & II) and wants more. If you just want to buy this as a compilation CD of GNR's best tracks, get one of your nerdiest computer friends to burn you a new customised CD and you can have any tracks you want.

Wow! I was totally blown away by this album! Its absolutely brilliant. The sounds of the crowd and Axl and the band speaking automatically transport you there, you feel as if you're there with them as you sing your heart out to your favourite GnR songs! This album is a must for any true fan, and hopefully fans of the future. This is the sort of album that will show the new generation of music lovers why we all love this band! Keep on Rockin'!

Live Era 97-93 includes many of GNR's greatest tracks. I was dissapointed they left out "Civil War" the theme to the "Godfather" and other covers that they usually played at their live gigs. Don't get me wrong, this is a good set and a must have for any GNR fan, but I was very disappointed with the sound quality of the discs. I have heard much better quality for live shows on discs compared to "Live Era." Too many times on the discs, the GNR's music is drowned out by the crowd noise and it was very difficult to hear Axl.

This live two cd set is a good summary of the band's entire career, from the exhilirating early days of '87-'88 to the bloated end. I must give Guns N' Roses credit for including some of the weaker material, as they did with disc 2, to present an accurate overview of the band's entire career. But, as a fan, it is a bit sad to hear the ruins of a once great band.

They should have concentrated heavily on early performances, as disc one does. The first four tracks are particularly devastating, and Dust N' Bones and Patience contain interesting work. The band really struggles, however, with November Rain, a sign of things to come. Overall, however, this is a good disc.

The second disc begins with promise as well, with a rocketing Out Ta Get Me, but the rest of the disc is disappointing, mixed with a few highs and many lows. Paradise City, the closing track, is a perfect example of this. The intro is taken at a fast pace and really cooks, but then the band launches into the riff and gets bogged down. This leads to a very jumbled ending that does not represent the thrashing pace on Appetite for Destruction. I couldn't even sit through Sweet Child O' Mine, which is very lackadaisical.

The bottom line: If you want a Guns N' Roses album, stick with Appetite for Destruction. Along with early Led Zeppelin, it is the best form of high enery rock. Don't let nostalgia and yearning for a real rock n' roll band trick you into buying this live set. Stick with the studio albums you already have or look for the imports.

During Guns n' Roses' first 6 years, the band were associated with having very good live performances. Prior to this album all the live songs of GN'R were available illegally through bootlegs but this cd brings us all the songs that made them, possibly the greatest hard rock band in the world in great quality, legally. The cd includes pretty much the whole Appetite For Destruction album (which sold 20 million albums)which is pretty much to its advantage. Nightrain is amazing live as well as mr Brownstone and Rocket Queen. The live version of Used to Love her is very very good as well as the racy Dust N bones and the Awesome Pretty Tied up. This album is great and it is very difficult to pick a favorite song. If you are a GnR fan buy this cd, it is awesome and it is what we have been waiting for for six years. If you have never heard GnR before than this is a great cd to start off with. ps look out for their new album 'Chinese Democracy' coming out early next year.