1991.07.DD - RAW - Guns Shoot at Mercury

GUNS N' ROSES, a band not unfamiliar with controversy, have run into even more problems with their two new double albums, 'Use Your Illusion I' and 'Use Your Illusion II'. The scheduled release date has been moved now to August 12, a delay brought about by the problem of shuffling the tracks to get 75 minutes of music on each of the LPs.

Disgruntled fans have become increasingly frustrated with the delays ever since hearing that one song, the balladic 'Don't Cry' (due to be issued as the second new single from the band in late July), was in fact a track from the band's very first demo, one of the songs instrumental in getting them signed to Geffen Records.

"I know that a lot of fans who have been following us since the early days want to hear this on record. But the reason we never

recorded it before was that when we first had an album out ('Appetite For Destruction') we wanted to keep something in reserve because we didn't know whether we were going to sell five copies or five million and didn't want to waste good material," explained Axl recently.

This is just the latest problem related to the new albums following a recent court case. Geffen took Cleveland radio station WMMS to court after it broadcasted a track from 'Use Your Illusion' before the release date. The station agreed to a federal court order prohibiting any further airplay of songs from the LPs and also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money. The story took an unexpected  twist when it was revealed that the tape was leaked to several radio stations, including WMMS, by an employee at a rival record company in exchange for promises of airplay for one of his latest singles.

Having successfully blocked WMMS from playing the track 'Bad Apple', Geffen General Manager Al Coury stated: "We have sworn testimony from radio station staff that the Guns n' Roses tape came from a Mercury national promotions man Douglas Burton.

"We've asked Mercury to provide us with information explaining who Burton obtained the tape from and who he distributed copies to," added Geffen lawyer Norman Bell. "We are also asking Mercury to reimburse us for legal fees and expenses incurred in obtaining the co-operation of the radio stations."

When asked what Geffen would do if Mercury refused to co-operate, Bell replied: "We'd sue them - and we'd sue them very quickly."

On a more musical note, the band's World Tour is rapidly reaching the proportions of a unique phenomenon. As many other major acts are struggling to sell tickets, the six-piece are breaking  records almost everywhere. They are currently roaring through North America, coming to Europe in August for a series of dates that will include Wembley Stadium on August 31, a show sold out weeks ago. So far, the names of the other two acts to appear that day have remained shrouded in mystery and doubt, with speculation touching on many possibilities. At time of going to press, Lenny Kravitz and Motörhead had emerged as favourites to occupy the slots, although Skid Row's name is still being bandied about.

With the first single from the LP, 'You Could Be Mine' already established as a hit (it is also featured in new movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and 'Don't Cry' set to go as the follow-up, not to mention the release of the two new albums and a tour likely to last well into 1993, the band have inevitably become the subject of a number of exploitive offshoots, including at least two unauthorised books. The latest of these is 'Appetite For Destruction - The Days Of Guns n' Roses' (published by Century Books). It has been penned by American author Danny Sugarman, best known for his many tomes on The Doors, and purports to put the GN'R phenomenon into the perspective of society, even comparing them with Greek mythological figures. And we thought it was only Rock 'n' Roll!