| Live Era '87-'93 | 
 enlarge | Artist: Guns N' Roses
Label: Interscope Records
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $7.96
You Save: $12.02 (60%)
New (51) Used (23) from $6.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  215 reviews
Sales Rank: 3180
Format: Explicit Lyrics, Live
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 490514
UPC: 060694905142
EAN: 0060694905142
ASIN: B00003003R
Release Date: November 30, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Nightrain | | • | Mr. Brownstone | | • | It's So Easy | | • | Welcome to the Jungle | | • | Dust N' Bones - Guns N' Roses, Stradlin, Izzy | | • | My Michelle | | • | You're Crazy | | • | Used to Love Her | | • | Patience | | • | It's Alright | | • | November Rain |
Disc 2
| • | Out Ta Get Me | | • | Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock & Roll Decadence) - Guns N' Roses, Stradlin, Izzy | | • | Yesterdays - Guns N' Roses, Arkeen, West | | • | Move to the City | | • | You Could Be Mine - Guns N' Roses, Stradlin, Izzy | | • | Rocket Queen | | • | Sweet Child O' Mine | | • | Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Guns N' Roses, Dylan, Bob | | • | Don't Cry - Guns N' Roses, Stradlin, Izzy | | • | Estranged - Guns N' Roses, Rose, Axl | | • | Paradise City |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Guns N' Roses' career could be neatly summed up in a lyric from their song "Pretty Tied Up": "I just found a million dollars that someone else forgot." Indeed, GNR satisfied a grassroots public hunger for bigger-than-life hard rock at a time when legions of alternative bands were enjoying their first burst of overweening critical attention and commercial cachet. The last and most spectacularly successful band to prosper from Hollywood's burgeoning 1980s Sunset Strip glam-metal scene wrapped a couple decade's worth of sometimes tired clichés around a tight, assaultive musical attack that enticed millions yearning for poor role models. And if their edgy songs often blurred fantasy and reality, the best of them had a street-level honesty that couldn't be denied. A de facto greatest-hits collection culled from performances recorded around the world, Live Era best documents the early, ferocious performing prime of GNR's original quintet on its first disc, leaning heavily on their landmark Appetite for Destruction album to great effect. But the second volume often chronicles the band's steady decline into bloated self-parody and neo-Vegas "professionalism." This band needs a horn section like Slash needs another drink! --Jerry McCulley
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| Customer Reviews: Read 210 more reviews...
 Great but flawed November 5, 2005
24 out of 26 found this review helpful
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.
 Worth Every Penny December 10, 1999
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
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.
GNR November 29, 1999
13 out of 45 found this review helpful
I havent gotten this album yet but i have heard all of the songs. These 2 cds look great. They have all of the greatest GNR songs. This is just one amazing collection. GNR are the greatest band ever. Slash was the greatest guitarist ever. GNR rule so get this CD.
 Crushing Disappointment December 29, 1999
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
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.
An awesome album! December 1, 1999
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
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.
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