Guns N' Roses! (1 Viewer)

[Dan Stone]

I've seen a few of the Brazilian releases in Best Buys here in Washington before. That's why I'm thinking that may have been what you saw. Hopefully, I'm wrong and the new releases will in fact be true official releases of high quality.

 

[Dan Stone]

I did see the Use Your Illusions DVD in Best Buy that Brian had mentioned. While it did not say anything to the effect of it being from Brazil, it also did not mention Geffen anywhere on the package and certainly does not look like an official release. As Brian described, the writing on the outside of the package is all Spanish (or similar). I did not buy the disc as I already have the Use Your Illusions laserdisc and am only looking to get an official DVD release rather than what I suspect is a dubbed copy on DVD. Hopefully these releases next week are something different than what we're currently seeing on the shelf. If anyone gets more information, please post it here.

 

[Dan Stone]

Looks like what we've been seeing in Best Buy is not what is scheduled for release next week after all. Geffen did issue the following press release on October 15th:

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Guns N' Roses are finally, officially, on DVD with the first-time releases on the format of WELCOME TO THE VIDEOS and the concert performances USE YOUR ILLUSION I: WORLD TOUR - 1992 IN TOKYO and USE YOUR ILLUSION II: WORLD TOUR - 1992 IN TOKYO (Geffen/UMe), released October 28, 2003. WELCOME TO THE VIDEOS, originally released on VHS in 1998, features all 13 GN'R videos seen on MTV, some of the most popular and acclaimed videos ever aired, from the burst-of-energy "Welcome To The Jungle" to the inspired "November Rain" to the epic "Estranged." The music videos to six Top 10 hits, four of them gold, are included in the 70-minute compilation. Whether filled with concert and behind-the-scenes footage, performances-for-video or powerfully evocative narratives, Guns N' Roses music videos have been among the most emotionally provocative in rock.

A winner of the prestigious Video Vanguard Award from the MTV Video Music Awards, the band's video history began with a 1988 MTV Award as Best New Artist for "Welcome To The Jungle" (#7). The following year, "Sweet Child O' Mine" (gold and the group's only #1) won for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video. Both videos, as well as the next two, "Paradise City" (1988, #5) and "Patience" (1989, #4 and gold), were directed by music video pioneer Nigel Dick.

In 1991, GN'R expanded their repertoire with more grandiose videos directed by many-time MTV Award-winner Andy Morahan. For "Don't Cry" (#10, gold), the narrative was mixed with a rooftop performance (including the late Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon). After the band's cover of Paul and Linda McCartney's "Live And Let Die" (1991, Top 40), Morahan helmed "November Rain" (#3, gold). At the 1992 VMAs, the video won three awards, for Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects, and Best Editing -- and, most significantly, GN'R won the Video Vanguard Award.

Morahan then directed 1992's "Yesterdays" and "Garden Of Eden" and 1993's "Estranged." A massive undertaking, "Estranged" was shot all over the world, from a live performance in Munich, Germany, to a supertanker off Texas to a swim-with-the-dolphins experience in the Bahamas to the Sunset Strip.

In 1992, Guns N' Roses debuted on home video with USE YOUR ILLUSION WORLD TOUR - 1992 IN TOKYO presented in two separate packages, I and II. Each is a collection of live performances of their best-known songs. Unique to these videos are performances of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," the theme from THE GODFATHER and one hell of a Drum and Guitar Solo. Each USE YOUR ILLUSION video was certified gold.

Now the original band is seen and heard once again on DVD geared to long time fans as well as the new ones discovering one of the most influential rock bands of all time -- Guns N' Roses.