The Top 100 Singers of All Time

Singers: Top 100

This list has been updated several times, most recently in 2026 after the Consequence.net ranking of the top 100 vocalists of all time. More than 70 lists – some of which focus on singers and some of which focus on greatest frontmen and women – have been aggregated to create this list. Lists which purport to be “the best of all time” are usually flawed in several ways. First of all, they tend to focus on the rock era, oblivious that there was music before the 1950s. Second, they not only lean on that era, but tend to favor rock and roll artists. Third, those artists are overwhelmingly from English-speaking countries, namely the United States and the United Kingdom. While the third circumstance is still overwhelmingly obvious on this list, I have done my best to pull lists to represent different genres and eras as much as possible. It still isn’t perfect, but it does offer more diversity and representation than you’ll typically find on a best-of list. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories. Queen’s Freddie Mercury, image from Britannica.com 1. Freddie Mercury 2. Frank Sinatra 3. Aretha Franklin 4. Elvis Presley 5. Robert Plant 6. Janis Joplin 7. Stevie Wonder 8. Michael Jackson 9. Whitney Houston 10. David Bowie Even though the sources behind this list heavily favor white male singers who front rock bands, the list makers still showed “Respect” to Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Image from rollingstone.com. 11. Marvin Gaye 12. Ella Fitzgerald 13. Ray Charles 14. Mariah Carey 15. John Lennon 16. Paul McCartney 17. Prince 18. Mick Jagger 19. Billie Holiday 20. Sam Cooke Many of the names on this list wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for “The King of Rock and Roll.” Image from fanpop.com. 21. Bono 22. Jim Morrison 23. Elton John 24. James Brown 25. Otis Redding 26. Axl Rose 27. Tina Turner 28. Céline Dion 29. Bob Dylan 30. Roy Orbison Divas like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera show they deserve a place on this rock-heavy list. 31. Kurt Cobain 32. Nat “King” Cole 33. Stevie Nicks 34. Louis Armstrong 35. Johnny Cash 36. Roger Daltrey 37. Karen Carpenter 38. Bruce Springsteen 39. Smokey Robinson 40. Patsy Cline Even a rock-heavy list can’t hold back jazz singer icons like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James. Image from music-wallpapers.net. 41. Nina Simone 42. Little Richard 43. Al Green 44. Etta James 45. Steven Tyler 46. Luther Vandross 47. Christina Aguilera 48. Steve Perry 49. Dolly Parton 50. Barbra Streisand R&B legends like James Brown, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke make the list. Image from johannasvisions.com. 51. Beyoncé 52. Joni Mitchell 53. Thom Yorke 54. Iggy Pop 55. Björk 56. Chris Cornell 57. Bing Crosby 58. Morrissey 59. Jeff Buckley 60. Neil Young Pre-rock era crooners like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, and Nat “King” Cole couldn’t be denied. Image from queens-politics.com. 61. Bob Marley 62. Van Morrison 63. Adele 64. Tony Bennett 65. Ozzy Osbourne 66. Gladys Knight 67. Dusty Springfield 68. Amy Winehouse 69. Madonna 70. Eddie Vedder Country stars like Johnny Cash, Dolly PartonGeorge Jones, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams made the cut even without rock and roll credentials. Image from abcnewsradioonline.com. 71. Dean Martin 72. Ann Wilson 73. Jimi Hendrix 74. Rod Stewart 75. George Michael 76. Maria Callas 77. Perry Como 78. Diana Ross 79. Hank Williams 80. Michael Stipe Despite the shortcomings of lists such as these, don’t let that take away from rock gods like Robert Plant, Jim Morrison, and Mick Jagger who absolutely belong on this list. Image from thehelplessdancer.wordpress.com. 81. Patti Smith 82. Jon Bon Jovi 83. Debbie Harry 84. Ronnie James Dio 85. Joe Strummer 86. Bon Scott 87. Luciano Pavarotti 88. Bruce Dickinson 89. Lou Reed 90. George Jones World music gets almost no love from the list makers, but at least Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley and French singer Edith Piaf make the list. Image from aarkangel.wordpress.com. 91. Tom Waits 92. Mary J. Blige 93. Judy Garland 94. Jackie Wilson 95. Tom Jones 96. Curtis Mayfield 97. Mel Tormé 98. Edith Piaf 99. Chuck Berry 100. Brian Wilson Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories First posted 7/17/2012; last updated 4/28/2026.

Guns N’ Roses et al: Top 50 Songs

Guns N’ Roses et al Top 50 Songs

The rock band Guns N’ Roses formed in Los Angeles, Califirnia, in 1985. The original members consisted of Axl Rose (vocals: 1985-), Saul “Slash” Hudson (guitar: 1985-1996, 2016-), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar: 1985-1991), Duff McKagan (bass: 1985-1997, 2016-), and Steven Adler (drums: 1985-1990). Their first album, Appetite for Destruction, featured the #1 hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and top 10 hits “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.” is the best-selling debut in U.S. history with 18 million copies sold (30 million worldwide). The follow-up release, G N’ R Lies, combined the group’s 1986 EP Live Like a Suicide with four new cuts and sold 10 milion copies worldwide fueled by the top 10 song “Patience.” They followed that up with the simultaneous releases of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II in 1991. The albums combined for 35 million copies worldwide and featured two more top-10 hits – “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain.” After the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, all the members except Axl Rose left the band eventually as he spent fifteen years working on the follow-up, 2008’s Chinese Democracy. In the meantime, Slash, Gilby Clarke (guitar: 1991-1994), and Matt Sorum (drums: 1990-1997) worked together in Slash’s Snakepit. Slash and Sorum also worked with McKagan in Velvet Revolver (2003-2008). Slash and McKagan came back into the fold in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime tour, which grossed more than half a billion dollars over the next three years, becoming the third highest-grossing concert tour on record. Other members over the years have included DJ Ashba (guitar: 2009-2015), Brain (drums: 2000-2006), Buckethead (guitar: 2000-2004), Frank Ferrer (drums: 2006-), Robin Finck (guitar: 1997-2008), Richard Fortus (guitar: 2002-), Josh Freese (drums: 1997-2000), Chris Pitman (keyboards: 1998-2016), Dizzy Reed (keyboards: 1990-), Melissa Reese (keyboards: 2016-), Tommy Stinson (bass: 1998-2014), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitar: 2006-2014), Paul Tobias (guitar: 1994-2002). For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. This list includes material by Velvet Revolver, Slash’s Snakepit, and Izzy Stradlin & the JuJu Hounds since they all featured former GNR members. Songs are by Guns N’ Roses unless noted otherwise. DMDB Top 1%: 1. Sweet Child O’ Mine (1987) 2. Welcome to the Jungle (1987) 3. November Rain (1991) 4. Paradise City (1987) DMDB Top 2%: 5. Patience (1988) DMDB Top 10%: 6. Don’t Cry (1991) 7. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (1987) 8. Civil War (1990) 9. Live and Let Die (1991) DMDB Top 20%: 10. You Could Be Mine (1991) 11. Nightrain (1987) 12. Fall to Pieces (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 13. Mr. Brownstone (1987) 14. Estranged (1991) 15. Since I Don’t Have You (1993) 16. Yesterdays (1991) 17. Slither (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 18. Hair of the Dog (1993) 19. Sympathy for the Devil (1994) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 20. Rocket Queen (1987) 21. Chinese Democracy (2008) 22. It’s So Easy (1987) 23. Used to Love Her (1988) 24. Ain’t It Fun (1993) 25. The Last Fight (Velvet Revolver, 2007) 26. Better (2008) 27. One in a Million (1988) 28. Look at Your Game, Girl (1993) 29. Pretty Tied Up (1991) 30. Shadow of Your Love (1986) 31. Coma (1991) 32. I Will Not Go Quietly (Don Henley with Axl Rose, 1989) 33. So Fine (2008) 34. Shuffle It All (Izzy Stradlin & the JuJu Hounds, 1992) 35. Double Talkin’ Jive (1991) 36. My Michelle (1987) 37. She Builds Quick Machines (Velvet Revolver, 2007) 38. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (1993) 39. Move to the City (1986) 40. Out ta Get Me (1987) 41. Heartbreak Hotel (1986) 42. 14 Years (1991) 43. Garden of Eden (1991) 44. Set Me Free (Velvet Revolver, 2003) 45. Dirty Little Thing (Velvet Revolver, 2004) 46. Oh My God (1999) 47. Beggars & Hangers-On (Slash’s Snakepit, 1995) 48. Dead Horse (1991) 49. Dust N’ Bones (1991) 50. Street of Dreams (2008) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Guns N’ Roses DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Velvet Revolver Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 11/11/2022.

Boston: The Band People Love to Hate

Brad Delp, 1951-2007

Brad Delp was born June 12, 1951. He was the voice of Boston on four of their five studio albums sporadically released over more than a quarter century before his suicide in 2007. Boston’s most noted accomplishments happened right out of the gate. The 1976 eponymous debut ranks in the NARM/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Definite 200 Albums list and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified it for sales of 17 million, placing it just outside the top 10 best sellers of all time.

The group’s first single, “More Than a Feeling,” has been dubbed by the Hall as one of the Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and has been cited as an instrumental source for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (page 17, The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, 1954-1999).



So why is Boston such a despised band? The derision seems especially targeted at Tom Scholz, who is referred to at SportsJournalists.com as “the paragon of pretentious studio perfection until Axl Rose took the mantle for all times.” Boston is also mocked for copying a slew of its classic rock counterparts. Ironically the band “reviled by some as the creators of corporate rock” (www.thirdstage.ca) began as one of the most DIY efforts in rock history, as MIT graduate Tom Scholz assembled most of the debut album in his basement.

There’s something about an anal, egotistical task master that just doesn’t scream “rock and roll.” Notorious time delays between albums don’t help. The general consensus is that rock and roll is meant to be immediate; it should be rough around the edges and played live, not tweaked and prodded for nearly a decade in the studio.

However, most fans like bands just because they like them, not because they pass certain tests. As critic Sarah Rodman says at thirdstage.ca, “sometimes holding up your lighter, rocking out, and playing air guitar is a fun thing to do. And if you’re going to do it with any band, I would choose Boston over almost any other band from that time period.”




Click photo for more about the band’s debut album.



For more information, including special recognitions for acts, songs, and albums, check out individual entries in the DMDB music makers’ encyclopedia for Boston, Brad Delp, and Tom Scholz. Also check out the Boston’s DMDB page for a detailed bio and links to reviews of their albums and related material.

The Best Frontmen and Women of All Time

Note: This blog entry was modified on 7/2/11. Click here to see the original post, now archived on the DMDB Facebook page in the Notes section.



Wow. The latest list from Q Magazine (think British Rolling Stone – if RS actually devoted all their attention to music) is maddening. As a music list fanatic, I frame each list in context. It is important to know that Q debuted about the same time as the Britpop movement (helmed by acts such as the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays) in the late ‘80s. As a result, they have an understandable bias toward the acts that helped them establish their cred and, perhaps even more importantly, sell magazines.

Hence it is no surprise that the mag salivated over the Blur vs. Oasis rivalry of the ‘90s like the National Enquirer drools every time Brad and Angelina break wind. Q is similarly giddy over every noise that Thom Yorke and Radiohead fart out. I’m not a big fan, but there is no arguing with the success and influence they’ve mustered and Q embraces that like a proud parent.

It also is forgivable that Q has wet themselves all over again, thanks to the new breed of Britpop faves in the last decade. The over-hyped Coldplay leads the pack, but other bands, including Keane, Kasabian, Muse, and Razorlight also figure prominently.

This is all well and good when reporting on new music – what’s hot, what’s going to be hot, and what won’t really be hot at all. However, when making big and bold proclamations like “the best ever” or “greatest of all time,” biases should be set aside. Some of the aforementioned bands might merit inclusion on best-of lists somewhere. Even the best of these, however, don’t belong at or close to the top – not in the context of ALL TIME. Those lofty heights should be reserved for the established giants.

In this case, the list is for the greatest frontmen of all time. Even the title is a misnomer since it implies that 1) everyone on the list is male, and that 2) these males all front bands. The presence of both solo stars and female singers invalidates the term. Granted, “singer” is too simplistic – the term “frontman” suggests a quality beyond vocal talent; it is also about a stage presence that captivates an audience. I don’t have a better term yet; “singers who know how to command an audience” seems a bit too wordy, but I’m working on it.

Anyway, without further ado (‘cause God knows I’ve overloaded with you “ado”), here’s their list:




Q Magazine’s “Top 100 Greatest Frontmen” (May 2010 issue)


Liam Gallagher “picked” as the best frontman of all time.


1. Liam Gallagher (Oasis)
2. Bono (U2)
3. Freddie Mercury (Queen)
4. Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz)
5. Chris Martin (Coldplay)
6. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
7. Bob Marley
8. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
9. John Lennon/ (The Beatles)
10. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)


Q readers says Matt Bellamy is better than the Beatles’ John Lennon AND Paul McCartney. So there.


11. Robbie Williams (Take That)
12. Debbie Harry (Blondie)
13. Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)
14. Morrissey (The Smiths)
15. John Lydon (Sex Pistols/Public Image Ltd.)
16. James Brown
17. Bruce Springsteen
18. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
19. Tom Meighan (Kasabian)
20. Joe Strummer (The Clash)


Robbie Williams is prepared to challenge Mick Jagger to a sing-off any day, any time.


21. Chuck D (Public Enemy)
22. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
23. Ian Curtis (Joy Division)
24. Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses)
25. Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
26. Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon)
27. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)
28. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
29. Roger Daltrey (The Who)
30. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)


Even Thom Yorke can’t get his head around the idea of being ranked higher than Elvis Presley.


31. Jack White (The White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather)
32. Mark E. Smith (The Fall)
33. Iggy Pop (The Stooges)
34. Elvis Presley
35. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana)
36. Ian Brown (Stone Roses)
37. Nick Cave
38. Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine)
39. Paul Weller (The Jam/Style Council)
40. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

41. Keith Flint (Prodigy)
42. Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music)
43. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
44. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi)
45. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
46. Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
47. Bon Scott (AC/DC)
48. Michael Hutchence (INXS)
49. Sly Stone (Sly & The Family Stone)
50. Eminem

51. Rod Stewart
52. Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
53. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)
54. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
55. David Bowie
56. Shane MacGowan (Pogues)
57. Prince
58. Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays)
59. Jay-Z
60. Richard Ashcroft (The Verve)


Yes! Chris Martin says that I, Richard Ashcroft, am the best singer of all time. He should know what he’s talking about – he’s ranked #5 while nobodies like Elton John are ranked below me.


61. James Hetfield (Metallica)
62. Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie & The Banshees)
63. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
64. Courtney Love (Hole)
65. James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers)
66. Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
67. Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)
68. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
69. Joey Ramone (Ramones)
70. Peter Gabriel (Genesis)

71. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)
72. Terry Hall (The Specials)
73. Elton John
74. Lemmy (Motorhead)
75. George Clinton (Funkadelic/Parliament)
76. Marc Bolan (T-Rex)
77. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
78. Kelly Jones (Stereophonics)
79. Little Richard
80. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

81. Alice Cooper
82. Pete Doherty (The Libertines)
83. Kevin Rowland (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)
84. Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen)
85. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives)
86. Bjork (Sugarcubes)
87. Mike Patton (Faith No More)
88. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
89. Gene Vincent
90. Brandon Flowers (The Killers)


I’m Kevin Rowland and I’m a better frontman than David Lee Roth.


91. George Michael (Wham!)
92. Noddy Holder (Slade)
93. Johnny Borrell (Razorlight)
94. Andre 3000 (Outkast)
95. Black Francis (Pixies)
96. Henry Rollins (Black Flag)
97. David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
98. Ian Dury (The Blockheads)
99. Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks)
100. Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction)


I’m not sure what planet Q lives on where Liam Gallagher outrates Freddie Mercury and James Brown is inferior to Chris Martin, but there you have it. In Q’s world, seeing Mick Jagger prancing about singing “Satisfaction” holds less appeal than seeing Robbie Williams (America can now sigh a collective “who?”). And who the hell would pay to see Robert Plant front Led Zeppelin when they can see Matt Bellamy with Muse? And don’t you really want to see Kasabian’s Tom Meighan instead of Roger Daltrey belting out Who songs? And let’s face it, if you gotta choose, aren’t you gonna opt for the Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones over Ozzy Osbourne and Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell over David Lee Roth?


That’s right. I’m Tom Meighan and I beat Roger Daltrey on the Q poll. Screw your generation! We’re talkin’ ‘bout my generation now!


For those unfamiliar with Dave’s Music Database, let me clue you in to what happens next. It goes something like this – I find a list like the one above. Its imperfections spark frustration and I seek out other similar-themed lists. Then I average these lists together to create a still-imperfect list, but one which weeds out some of the most glaring errors. The end result is featured as a “best of…according to Dave’s Music Database.”

Note: that list was originally part of this blog entry. The DMDB list of The Top 100 Singers of All Time has now been updated and appears on the DMDB Facebook page. Click here to see the original post as archived on the DMDB Facebook page in the Notes section.

Here’s the commentary that followed the DMDB list and the differences between it and the Q list:

So just how flawed is the Q list? Well, more than half the Q list got bumped from the DMDB list. You’ll just have to contend with a list that opts for Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles instead of Damon Albarn, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams, and Tom Mieghan. If that has you singing the blues, well, at least try to do it with stage presence.



Aretha Franklin got no “respect” on the Q list.

The DMDB list still absurdly short changes any singer who dared utter a note before Elvis came along – apparently Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Etta James, and many others existed before time began, at least according to some of the lists gathered by the DMDB. What other explanation is there for these vocal greats missing the cut on so many of these “all time” lists?

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Links:

DMDB Facebook page

Original post for The Best Frontmen and Women of All Time (5/13/10)

The Top 100 Singers of All Time (updated version)

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Guns N’ Roses chart with “November Rain”

November Rain Guns N’ Roses

Writer(s): Axl Rose (see lyrics here) Released: February 18, 1992 First Charted: September 28, 1991 Peak: 3 US, 13 CB, 4 GR, 2 RR, AR 15, 4 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.6 UK, 2.29 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 227.151 video, 919.48 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “November Rain” hit the album rock chart in September as soon as Guns N’ Roses released their highly anticipated Use Your Illusion albums. However, it wasn’t released as an official single until February 1992 and it wasn’t until June that it finally hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually peaking at #3. With a running time of nearly nine minutes, it is the longest song to reach the top 10. WK The original version was 25-minutes long. SF Guitarist Slash said they band jokingly called it “the ‘Layla’ song.” WK Lead singer Axl Rose started working on the song in 1983 SF and it was first recorded in 1986 prior to the band’s monstrous Appetite for Destruction album. That version has since been released on an expanded, box set-version of that album. Lead singer Axl Rose wanted to tackle the song again, giving it “a sweeping string arrangement,” WK but the rest of the band were reluctant, wanting to focus on more direct rock songs. WK The video was one of the most expensive ever made, costing more than a million and a half. SF It was the first made prior to the founding of YouTube in 2005 to pass the one-billion-views mark. WK Rose is portrayed as marrying then-girifriend Stephanie Seymour and later grieving at her funeral. The video, as well as the song’s original lyrics, are based on the short story “Without You” by Del James. SF NPR’s Stephen Thompson called the song “one of the ultimate hard-rock power ballads.” NPR New Zealand listeners of radio station The Rock ranked it #1 of all time in 2006. WK Resources: SF Songfacts NPR NPR (6/28/2018). “Hear a Never-Before-Heard, Piano-Only Demo of Guns N’ Roses ‘November Rain’” by Stephen Thompson WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 2/1/2021; last updated 4/30/2024.

Guns N' Roses release the Use Your Illusion albums

Use Your Illusion (I & II) Guns N’ Roses

Released: September 17, 1991 Peak: 2 US, 2 UK, 12 CN, 2 AU, 3 DF Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.3 UK, 17.8 world (includes US and UK) Genre: hard rock

Released: September 17, 1991 Peak: 12 US, 11 UK, 12 CN, 13 AU, 12 DF Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.3 UK, 18.6 world (includes US and UK) Genre: hard rock

Tracks (Use Your Illusion I): Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Right Next Door to Hell Dust N’ Bones Live and Let Die (9/28/91, 33 US, 26 CB, 26 GR, 26 RR, 20 AR, 5 UK, 56 CN, 10 AU, 13 DF) Don’t Cry (original version) (9/17/91, 10 US, 7 CB, 9 GR, 13 RR, 3 AR, 8 UK, 11 CN, 5 AU, 16 DF) Perfect Crime You Ain’t the First Bad Obsession Back Off Bitch Double Talkin’ Jive (10/21/22, --) November Rain (9/28/91, 3 US, 13 CB, 4 GR, 2 RR, 15 AR, 4 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU, 2 DF) The Garden (with Alice Cooper) Garden of Eden (1/17/94, --) Don’t Damn Me Bad Apples Dead Horse Coma Total Running Time: 76:09 Tracks (Use Your Illusion II): Civil War (8/4/90, 4 AR, 11 UK, 45 AU, 1 DF) 14 Years Yesterdays (10/17/92, 72 US, 58 CB, 13 AR, 8 UK, 52 CN, 14 AU, 33 DF) Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (9/28/87, 18 AR, 2 UK, 56 CN, 12 AU, 4 DF) Get in the Ring Shotgun Blues Breakdown Pretty Tied Up (3/21/92, 35 AR) Locomotive So Fine Estranged (12/11/93, 16 AR, 40 AU, 16 DF) You Could Be Mine (6/21/91, 29 US, 3 AR, 3 UK, 30 CN, 3 AU, 16 DF) Don’t Cry (alternate version) My World Total Running Time: 75:55 The Players: W. Axl Rose (vocals, piano, etc.) Slash (guitar, backing vocals) Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals)

Rating (Use Your Illusion I): 4.088 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Rating (Use Your Illusion II): 4.038 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Awards (Use Your Illusion I): (Click on award to learn more). Awards (Use Your Illusion II): .

About the Albums: “The ‘difficult second album’ is one of the perennial rock & roll clichés, but few second albums ever were as difficult as Use Your Illusion.” E1 Guns N’ Roses exploded in 1988 with Appetite for Destruction, making them the biggest rock band in the world. After the 1989 GN’R Lies interim package which slapped four new songs together with GNR’s Live Like a Suicide EP from 1986, they released not one, but two albums. They were packaged separately, but with the names Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, they were generally treated as a double album. The general consensus has been that the pair of albums was a bloated, over-the-top follow-up. This is “a shining example of a suddenly successful band getting it all wrong and letting its ambitions run wild.” E1 “It can be a chore to find the highlights…amid the overblown production and endless amounts of filler.” E1 A nice argument has been made that a single-disc album not only would have reigned the band in, challenged AC/DC’s Back in Black as the biggest and best hard rock album ever, and, most importantly that it might have kept the group from splitting apart. DF However, it didn’t happen that way and from a chart and sales standpoint, the general public didn’t appear too disappointed. The two albums have sold a combined 14 million in the United States and 35 million worldwide. Nine of the albums’ songs charted on the album rock charts from 1990 to 1994. “Tensions between Slash, Izzy Stradlin, and Axl Rose are evident from the start. The two guitarists, particularly Stradlin, are trying to keep the group closer to its hard rock roots, but Rose has pretensions of being Queen and Elton John, which is particularly odd for a notoriously homophobic Midwestern boy.” E1 “Conceivably, the two aspirations could have been divided between the two records, but instead they are just thrown into the blender.” E1 Those two sides make themselves apparent in the first two official singles supporting the albums. Three months before their release, the single You Could Be Mine emerged from the movie Terminator II. While not as strong as GNR classics like “Welcome to the Jungle” or “Paradise City,” the song serves as a showcase for the group’s more muscular tendencies. On the other end of the scale, the power ballad Don’t Cry was released as a single at the same time as the albums dropped. While unnecessarily released in two versions – one on each album – it still did a respectable job of reminding listeners that Guns N’ Roses also had a softer side, such as they’d showcased on “Patience.” A year before the Use Your Illusion albums dropped, fans also got a taste of the “grandiose epics” E2 to come. The band made an anti-war statement with the nearly-eight minute Civil War, initially released in July 1990 on the various artists’ compilation Nobody’s Child which raised money for Romanian orphans. There were also “ambitious set pieces” E1 like the “multipart Estranged” E2 and November Rain, which was released as a single in February 1992 after gaining traction as an album cut at mainstream rock radio. The latter proved to be one of the band’s most durable songs and provided one of the most epic videos of all time. “Stradlin has a stronger presence on I, contributing three of the best songs – Dust n’ Bones, You Ain’t the First, and Double Talkin’ Jive – which help keep the album in Stonesy Aerosmith territory.” E1 and makes it the “harder-rocking record.” E1 “Use Your Illusion II is more serious and ambitious than I, but it’s also considerably more pretentious” E2 with “no less than four songs that run over six minutes.” E2 There are also songs with “a nervy energy” E2 such as “the ferocious, metallic Perfect Crime” E1 and “the charging funk metal of Locomotive.” E2 14 Years has “a lean, Stonesy rhythm” E2 while “Duff McKagan’s Johnny Thunders homage, So Fine…[is] entertaining.” E2 Speaking of homages, the group also offer up a couple of high-profile covers. A live version of Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was first featured in 1987 as a B-side for “Welcome to the Jungle.” A studio version of the song was recorded for the Days of Thunder soundtrack in 1990. The band also offer their take on “Live and Let Die,” originally recorded in 1973 by Paul McCartney & Wings. It ended up reaching the top 40. One could interpret the tackling of not one, but two, legends of rock and roll as pure hubris on the part of the GNR boys or genuine tributes. Quite likely, it’s a bit of both. Amidst the gems, however, there is also “a dippy psychedelic collaboration with Alice Cooper and a song that takes its title from the Osmonds’ biggest hit.” E1 There’s also “no forgiving the ridiculous Get in the Ring, where Axl Rose threatens rock journalists by name because they gave him bad reviews.” E2 The second album ends with “the bizarre closer, My World, which probably captures Rose’s instability as effectively as the tortured poetry of his epics.” E2

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Guns N’ Roses E1 Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide (I) E2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide (II) DF Disenfranchisedfm.com Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 9/17/2012; last updated 2/12/2023.