Guns N' Roses - Live: Era '87-'93 (CD)

All Music Guide

The doubledisc Live: Era '87'93 was designed to do two things satiate diehard fans longing for oldschool GNR and clear the decks for a new studio album. It sounds good in theory, yet it suffers in execution, since it relies on tapes "recorded across the universe between 1987 and 1993." That's not what GNR fans want they want the band in its nervy late'80s prime, when it seemed like they could selfdestruct at any second. Live: Era '87'93 offers the polar opposite with slick, professional tracks that sound pieced together from various performances. Axl's vocals are not only distant as though they were sung in a booth, separate from the band but also amazingly mannered, sounding for all the world as if they were redone in the studio. Meanwhile, the band's performances are either brushed up or heavily edited, so it's impossible to tell if any of this was recorded during Appetiteera shows. Certainly, much of this derives from the Illusions tour: there are backing vocals, horns, and just... what every fan wants lots and lots of Dizzy Reed. And if that isn't indicative of Axl's mindset, there is the priceless moment on "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," when he shrieks "Gimme some reggae" and the band collapses in a sunsplash groove. So, this is heavy on Axl pretensions and short on pure, brutal rock roll. At its best, however, it does come closer to vintage GNR than the Illusions did. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read more Less