Live Era '87-'93

The six years these performances represent include all lineups of the band until it broke under the weight of Axl Rose's temper and ego. Guns' unflinchingly rebellious music addressed life on the streets and among the band's most incendiary material were songs about the school of hard knocks ("Welcome to the Jungle"), drugs ("Mr. Brownstone"), and mortality ("Dust n' Bones"). The only time this dangerous edge became worrisome was when the band cut "I Used to Love Her," a catchy number that attracted the ire of many people because of its flip treatment of abuse in a relationship. Much of G N' R's oeuvre may have been fueled by the snarling guitars of Slash and Izzy Stradlin (and later Gilby Clarke), but later songs were impressive epics swept up in passion, including the larger-than-life "November Rain" and the lesser-known but equally impressive "Estranged." Beneath the tattoos and snarls, Guns N' Roses also had a more sensitive side that can be heard on the bittersweet "Yesterdays" and this package's only previously unreleased number, the transformation of Black Sabbath's "It's Alright" into a piano-driven solo piece sang and played by Axl Rose.