After reading through some of these posts for the past hour...

[Counterfeit_God]

About how great and how raw Appetite for Destruction was, and how "perfect" it was how it was produced...

It seems that I am truely in the minority in thinking that Use Your Illusion II is the greatest masterpiece that this band ever recorded.  Seriously, take out My World-and you have a perfect album.  Granted there are some cheesy semi-childish lyrics in there at times, but the music is pure perfection.

I've prefered UYI2 over AFD for years, and i was just kind of wondering how many people are actually with me on this one.

[Evil Ash]

I agree!

[kockstar99]

I love that album UYI2....

I cant say I think its better than AFD tho since they are completely different.... I love them both equally...  

what a fucking bad ass album UYI2 is tho... fucking right!!

[metallex78]

I love the youthfulness (is that a word??? hehe) and innocence of AFD, but the band truly found itself on the UYI albums.

One thing I've noticed though from posting on several GN'R boards over the years, is that the general consensus amongst UYI fans seems to be that UYI2 is the better album of the two. And it's all down to personal preference, but I think UYI1 is leaps and bounds better than UYI2.

Which isnt to say UYI2 is bad, far from it, but on UYI1 Slash's guitar riffs and solos have much more bite and sting and Axl's lyrics are much more harsh and in-yer-face and I love that side of the band. And Coma is 10 minutes of musical bliss

[Nacho Man Randy Salsa]

UYI 1   >    UYI 2
UYI 1   >    AFD

Nuff said.

[BucketRose]

AFD is far superior....UYI is too slick....its missing its balls.  From the time it was released, I've always felt that UYI should have been boiled down to one disc.  There are so many instantly forgettable songs on UYI....some of them I haven't even given a listen to for years.  Some great songs on UYI...but as I said...AFD will ALWAYS be the album people think of when anyone mentions GnR, and rightly so.  

[Skeletor]

AFD is far superior....UYI is too slick....its missing its balls.

That is partially true, but I'd say it's clear that the band is just more mature on the UYI albums. Perhaps one's preference between AFD-UYI tells something about that person

UYI2 would be perfect if you'd take out My World and the childish/dumb Get in the Ring.
I doubt Shotgun Blues would be sorely missed either..

[BucketRose]

"Perhaps one's preference between AFD-UYI tells something about that person"

********

I'm sure it does.  And it says more about a person's sexual preference than anything else.  

[whitegatorz]

I agree that UYI 2 is there best album, in my opinion.  But AFD had a couple of songs that the general public has never probably heard or got into.  Anything Goes, You're Crazy, Think About You.  I mean us as GN'R fans love this songs but some people might consider these songs filler.  So there might room for error on every album.  I agree that My World and Shotgun Blues aren't very "provacative" (as Slash said in that interview yesterday) but every other song seems to capture my attention all 28 of them.  I think the double album was a good idea.

[Guns N Ballz]

Personally, I've been having a love affair with Lies. I love the acoustic stuff because it seems so much more powerful! Great for singing along to as well. One of my guilty pleasures is that I enjoy One In A Million. I know there are some harsh things said in that song but I can't help it. Its just a kick ass song. And the acoustic You're Crazy? Brilliant! Used To Love Her has to be my favorite GNR song right now. And Patience? If you ever want to melt a girls heart . . .  

[Eva GnRAxlRosette]

The Illusions albums show the evolution of the band.
Which I prefer (UYIs vs AFD) depends on my mood at the time.

One thing I will never complain about though is that this or that shoulda been 'left off"
I'm craving new material... and am glad for ever bit of old material that we have...
including My World!

[AxlN'Slash]

What can is say???

i get in moods like during the fall,dead leafs on the ground i can go for AFD as well as stuff like Zao,Underoath,and more of the brutal stuff but during X-mas and those months i could go for UYL1&2 and stuff like Pedro the Lion,Elliott Smith, and other singer songwriter stuff ....what the hell misewell throw Lies in thier as well...it just depends

[Booker Floyd]

Use Your Illusion II is GNRs second-best album, but Appetite For Destruction is my favorite album ever.

UYIs main attraction is obviously the ballads, because only one rocker from either disc can stand among those on AFD, and that "You Could Be Mine," which is beautiful beyond words.  The sound of the guitars on that song, Axls vocals, and the fucking rhythm...it couldnt be more perfect.  And obviously "Estranged" is the GNR masterpiece to a lot of people...and no question, it is stunning.  Then theres the overlooked triumph that is "Locomotive" which combines the driving rock of classic GNR and turns it upside down with a haunting finale similar to "November Rain".  "Civil War" is a great song, and so are most of IIs other tracks.  "Shotgun Blues" is a cool rocker, but its not on level of "YCBM," or anything from AFD.  "So Fine" is enjoyable in a humorous sense, and "My World" is a noteworthy oddity, but ultimately they dont add up with the others to compose an album that matches AFD.  And a second "Dont Cry" was really not needed on the album.  So, I agree, Use Your Illusion II is an awesome album that features some of GNRs best, but Appetite For Destruction is in a league of its own.

[Skeba]

UYI 1   >    UYI 2
UYI 1   >    AFD

Nuff said.

I'll have to agree with that. I love all of the albums, but I think UYI I is the best one they've released. It's really close with Appetite though. Really close. But I'm one of the few, if not the only one who thinks that the sound on UYI's is a bit better than on the Appetite because you can hear the separate instruments better, and the drums are a bit clearer.

[F*ck Fear]

When I listen to cd's I listen to the whole thing start to finish.....AFD is a fucking amazing album,but so are the UYI cd's......The only song I don't like from UYI cd's is My World(if you can call that a song).The cd's as a whole rock!

[rocktar81]

I don't like from UYI cd's is My World(if you can call that a song)

Sometimes Axl is able to write classic songs like november rain and estranged, an then, suddenly, he writes horrible disgusting things, you can't even call them "songs". it's just horrible, so horrible that it ruins all the good stuff around. I absolutely hate when he is in his "techno-rock" songwriting process. It's like he is not the same guy. Unfortunately, it seems to go on and go on day after day with silkworms , oh my god etc... etc...

look at "the blues": the original version (Rio) is very light, very simple, it is wonderfull. perfect tempo. JUST PERFECT SONG. and then, in 2002, they put synth? EVERYWHERE , the tempo became absolutely boring and then it turned into a very average song at least. This is the perfect exemple of how to ruin a song.

[Doc Emmett Brown]

Which I prefer (UYIs vs AFD) depends on my mood at the time.

yep, I'm a moody person too.  I dont think of it as AFD vs. UYI.

Posted by: Ballz: The Dizzy Bar Whore Of 2TI  Posted on: Today at 03:46:54pm  
Personally, I've been having a love affair with Lies. I love the acoustic stuff because it seems so much more powerful!

Lies is fantastic!  Too bad it gets overlooked most of the time.  The songs from Live Like a Suicide show the band in their 'embryonic' stage as one review said. They sound so youthful and full of energy.  I think UYI could've been more like Lies.

[speed_stone]

no matter how perfect "appetite for destruction" is, the "use your illusion" albums have always been my favourites. i've been listening to them since i was 7 years old, and they were the first guns n' roses cd's i ever heard. i haven't stopped listening since. i even love "my world".   it's cool, fresh. and i like the fact that axl just put it on there, without letting the rest of the band know. but i've always been unable to decide which one is my favourite, though. they are both such strong albums, with such great material! i find it impossible to pick one. i don't agree at all with that they should've been boiled down to one disc. we would've lost so much great material. they are both amazing albums, and though "use your illusion 2" is more compact in ways, the material on "use your illusion 1" is equally strong and valuable.

[The Michelin-Man]

i think appetite is much much much better than both the illusions!

shotgun blues??? come, on!   what a foolish song!

appetite & lies = 100% brilliant.
uyi 1&2 = 90% brilliant.

appetite is the best album ever (from all bands together!)

[Slashly]

I think the Use your Illusions albums are Gn R?s master pice!!Although they have "my world"
AFD it?s a great album but it?s a non stop rocjer album.Dont get me  wrong.I love rocker song, but I think they7 could have put some ballad or a better song instead of anithing goes (wich I dont like much)
USI discs are the best albums, not only from guns n roses, but also the best albums ever!!!

[snow white]

both are brilliant.
as a complete album i think AFD is more comprehensive, it has less fillers, its more 'raw'.
UYI definitely has more fillers but it, IMO, it also has the better songs by far. the epics, november rain, estranged, dont cry, coma, civil war...the music is better, the lyrics are better, overall i find it more sophisticated.
i love the great songs on UYI more than the great songs on AFD, but i guess its all up to personal taste...

[slash rules]

AFD is not only guns best album, but it's the best rock album in the last 25 years. Illusions was strong, but AFD is in a class by itself.

[Evolution]

some days i feel uyi I or II is better some days afd.thats the beauty of gnr!

[Continental Drift]

I would say certain "moments" (ie "Estranged", "Coma". "You Could Be Mine", "November Rain", "Live and Let Die") on the UYI albums are as good, if not better, than anything on Appetite For Destruction. That being said, as a complete and cohesive unit, Appetite For Destruction far surpasses UYI- which is a bit too bloated, over-produced and rambling at times. AFD is perfectly streamlined- There isn't a single note or lyric on that disc that anyone would change. All five members were on the same page. No compromises needed to be made. Flawless.

UYI, on the other hand, is over-flowing with compromises. Songs that should have been 4  minutes long end up 7-9 minutes long (and lose much of their "effectiveness" as a result) so as to accomodate ALL of Axl's lyrics, ALL of Slash's riffs, ALL of Matt's drums etc. In many ways, UYI is an explosion of ego whereas AFD is an explosion of anger and passion. And to me that's why one album is one of the 2 or 3 (#1 in my book) greatest rock albums ever and the others are not.

Which isn't to say UYI aren't important albums. They are routinely ranked in the Top 50 Rock Albums of all time and rightly so. Also, the best tracks on the albums represented an important progression of the band's music that has allowed them to remain relavent in the rock scene even to this day. Those albums showed that Guns was capable of divirsifying their style and producing incredible art. A MAJOR reason why many people still hang around to see what Axl can come up with now.

[grog mug]

Estranged/You Could Be Mine are songs I will ALWAYS go back and listen too.  They are both so great and never get old.  Nothing sounds as good anymore everything is the same but GN'R will always stand out.....too bad they aren't around now damn it with no update!

[matt88]

Appetite is my favorite album cos it's a solid rock album nothin else...but UYI2 is very close 2 being with appetite. The difference of the styles of songs on it and the lyrics r excellent