Acclaimed musician and audio remixer Steven Wilson has revealed that his extensive, 40-song spatial audio remix of Guns N’ Roses’ legendary Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II albums was completed and subsequently rejected by the band, leaving a potential landmark sonic reimagining of the classic records “sitting on my hard drive, unreleased and unheard.”
Speaking on a new episode of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Wilson, who has become the go-to expert for creating immersive Dolby Atmos mixes for iconic artists like The Who, Tears for Fears, and Van Morrison, detailed the ultimately doomed project.
“The challenges were the band didn’t like what I was doing,” Wilson stated bluntly (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I did it all, and then the band basically vetoed it all.”
The scope of the project was massive, encompassing the entirety of the sprawling double album plus a wealth of bonus material. “I think I worked on about 40 songs, including outtakes, B-sides and God knows what else,” he explained. According to Wilson, the rejection came down to a fundamental dislike of the new audio format itself.
“They didn’t like [Dolby] Atmos, they didn’t like the idea of their music being in spatial audio,” he said. “So that project is kind of just sitting on my hard drive… It’s such a shame. Amazing, amazing records.”
A single piece of Wilson‘s work did survive the veto. His remix of the epic ballad “November Rain” was included on the 2022 Use Your Illusion box set. That version was unique in that it featured a brand new, 50-piece real orchestra, replacing the original synthesized strings and offering fans a tantalizing glimpse of the project’s ambitious scope.
Wilson, a prog-rock icon in his own right, approached the project as a professional rather than a lifelong fan. He candidly admitted that he didn’t grow up with Guns N’ Roses, considering them the “next generation” after his preferred bands of the ’80s like The Cure and Metallica.
While fans can hear what might have been in the grand, orchestral sweep of the new “November Rain,” the full, immersive experience of the Illusion saga remains a lost treasure of rock history, locked away due to what Wilson chalks up to “band politics and God knows what else.”
Image credit: Kevin Westerberg
Ogorthul: Immersed in the bone-shattering world of death metal and beyond. I’m here to excavate the latest news, reviews, and interviews from the extreme metal scene for you.
