This is exemplified by the use of piano on several tracks by singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, as well as on Use Your Illusion II.

Another factor in the different sound compared to the band's earlier work is the addition of former The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler.

[5][6] Guitarist Izzy Stradlin said: "Adler's sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel.

"Back Off Bitch", "Bad Obsession", "Don't Cry" (referred to by Rose during the ensuing tour as 'the first song we ever wrote together'), "November Rain" and "The Garden" are considered part of this group.

Another change was the presence of tracks sung by other members of the band (even though certain songs from Appetite for Destruction and G N' R Lies featured other members on duet vocals): lead vocals on "Dust N' Bones", "You Ain't the First" and "Double Talkin' Jive" are performed by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin.

[10] "Right Next Door to Hell" is a product of discord between Axl and his West Hollywood high-rise neighbor, Gabriella Kantor.

"Back Off Bitch" was written partially about Rose's girlfriend, Gina Siler, who moved with him to Los Angeles in 1982, and eventually kicked him out in 1983, due to his anger issues.

The opening line of the song "Found a head and an arm in a garbage can" refers to body parts that were actually discovered by the police in a dumpster in the vicinity of the studio.

It is rumored that the body parts found were of porn actor/director/writer Billy London aka William Arnold Newton.

[13] "November Rain" is an epic ballad written by lead singer Axl Rose and released as a single in June 1992.

There is a music video of the song, filmed in one static take (shot through a fish eye lens) which features a close-up of Rose singing into a ribbon microphone with the band playing behind him, whilst keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Teddy Andreadis (who played the harmonica for the band during the Use Your Illusion Tour) are seen dancing in the far background.

One version has strips of paper flying through the air, and is mostly found on music video sites like Yahoo!

After the final climactic chorus, the opening section is reprised before ending with an audio effect of the song being fast-forwarded.

Predictions in the industry were of sales reaching the likes of Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., this despite the fact that major stores K-Mart and Walmart refused to stock the albums due to the profanity present.

[29] Both albums ultimately underperformed expectations domestically but were still commercially successful, with Use Your Illusion I selling 5,502,000 and both being certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.

[32] Reception to Use Your Illusion I was mainly positive, and it is regarded as the heavier-sounding album of the two due in part to the influence of Izzy Stradlin.

David Fricke of Rolling Stone called Use Your Illusion I "so physically assaultive, verbally incendiary and at times downright screwy that it's hard to believe there's a sister disc out there just like it".

While he expressed reservations about its inflammatory lyrics, Fricke found the album strong on "riffs, hooks and body-slam sonics" and commended Guns N' Roses' "anything-worth-doing-is-worth-overdoing spirit".

[20] Robert Christgau gave the album a "one-star honorable mention" and named "Don't Damn Me" its best track.

[34] However, NME reviewer Mary Anne Hobbs felt that the Use Your Illusion albums contained only five strong songs, with "Double Talkin' Jive" being the sole highlight from I.

[23] Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine opined that Use Your Illusion I suffers from filler and "overblown" production but deemed it a stronger work than Use Your Illusion II, highlighting "November Rain" and "Coma" as "ambitious set pieces ... which find Rose fulfilling his ambitions".