2003.10.15 - Press Release from Geffen - Guns N' Roses Debuts On DVD

Geffen Records

Guns N' Roses Debuts on DVD With Releases of WELCOME TO THE VIDEOS Featuring All the Band's Videos and Two Concert USE YOUR ILLUSION WORLD TOUR Home Videos

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.

Article in Billboard, October 15, 2003:
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Billboard Bits: Guns N' Roses, Kiss, Ahmet Ertegun

Guns N' Roses hasn't released a new album in a decade, but that isn't stopping Geffen from delving into the group's back catalog. On Oct. 28, the label will offer the first DVD editions of the 1998 home video "Welcome to the Videos," plus the separate 1992 home videos "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II: World Tour - 1992 in Tokyo."

"Welcome to the Videos" rounds up clips for such favorites as "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Patience," "Don't Cry" and GNR's cover of Wings' "Live and Let Die." The "Use Your Illusion" videos chronicle Tokyo performances from the tour in support of the two-part 1991 album of the same name, which debuted on the same day at No. 1 and 2 on The Billboard 200. No bonus features have been added to any of the three DVDs.

Guns N' Roses has been dormant since its disastrous fall 2002 comeback tour, which was derailed after frontman Axl Rose failed to show up for a concert in Philadelphia. The group's terminally delayed album "Chinese Democracy" appears no closer to release; a March posting on GNR's official Web site says, "stay tuned for news and information on 'Chinese Democracy' coming soon.'"

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

https://web.archive.org/web/20031221011637/http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2003649

Related article in NME, November 3, 2003

G N’ R RELEASE SHOCK!

Well, beats waiting for a new album...

Three classic Guns N’ Roses videos are being released on DVD.

With still no word of a release date for the new album ‘Chinese Democracy’, fans’ appetites are being sated with three films becoming available on DVD for the first time.

‘Welcome To The Videos’, originally released on VHS back in 1998, features all 13 of the band’s promo clips, including ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘November Rain’.

Released simultaneously are the concert films ‘Use Your Illusion 1’ and ‘Use Your Illusion 2’, both filmed live in Tokyo on the band’s 1992 world tour.

All three DVDs are available next Monday (November 10).

The tracklisting for ‘Welcome To The Videos’ runs:

‘Welcome To The Jungle’

‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’

‘Paradise City’

“Patience’

‘Don’t Cry’

‘Live And Let Die’

‘November Rain’

’Yesterdays’

The Garden’

‘Dead Horse’

‘Garden Of Eden’

‘Estranged’

‘Since I Don’t Have You’

https://www.nme.com/news/music/guns-n-roses-328-1379245