You Ain’t the First

This short but punchy song is one of those tracks that go unnoticed on the album but, when played, you understand why the musicians chose it for the set. It has a raw feel, as if it had been recorded in one take, with no time to polish details. The rhythm is built on a repetitive base but with an irregular touch that gives it personality, something not common in the hard rock of the era. The lead vocals come in naturally, as if telling a story among friends, without any pretension of grandiloquence. That said, the song cuts off abruptly, as if someone had decided it was enough.

They recorded it amid the creative chaos surrounding Guns N’ Roses in the early 90s. By the time they were ready to lay it down, the band had already changed drummers: Steven Adler had left in 1990 and was replaced by Matt Sorum, who brought a more precise style but without losing the unbridled energy that defined the group. The track was finalized alongside the rest of the material for Use Your Illusion I, an album released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion II. The engineers involved in the recording were many — from Allen Abrahamson to L. Stu Young — and the mixing was handled by Bill Price, who gave it that direct sound that makes it feel closer than other tracks on the album. At just 2 minutes and 36 seconds, it doesn’t aim to be epic, but it manages to convey something few songs by the band dare to: simplicity with attitude.