Locomotive (Complicity)

"Locomotive"
Song by Guns N' Roses
from the album Use Your Illusion II
Written1989–1990
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1991
RecordedJanuary 13, 1990 – August 3, 1991
Studio
Genre
Length8:42
Composer(s)Slash
Lyricist(s)Axl Rose

"Locomotive (Complicity)" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, appearing on their 1991 studio album, Use Your Illusion II. At eight minutes and forty-two seconds, the song is the second longest on the album behind "Estranged".

Background

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Manager Doug Goldstien mentioned in a book by Mick Wall about the song "Granted, I was with Slash and Duff when they were writing the music for Use Your Illusion, And 'Locomotive' and 'Coma,' they were doing that shit without Axl's participation. But I'd get these phone calls from the studio, and Axl would say, 'I fucking hate Slash. Have you heard this song 'Locomotive' yet? How the fuck am I supposed to write lyrics to this shit?' I'd go, 'Hey, man, I don't know. That's your gig, right? I do the management. You do the songwriting."[4]

Live performances

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Guns N' Roses played the song a few times on the Use Your Illusion Tour.[5] The planned to perform the song with Jeff Beck on June 6, 1992, in Paris, but Beck had to pull out due to a severe case of tinnitus.[6][7] During the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, the band played the song a total of three times.[8]

Reception

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The song has been met with positive reviews throughout the years since its release.[9] In 2021, the website Ultimate Classic Rock said this about the song "The band's newfound musical maturity was readily apparent in the haunting, "Layla"-esque coda to "Locomotive," replete with urgent piano chords, Axl Rose's multi-tracked crooning and one last yearning guitar solo from Slash. Bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum anchored the multi-part epic with airtight grooves, showing just how far Guns' rhythm section had come since their Appetite days."

In 2016, Spin ranked the song 4th out of 79 on their rankings of every Guns N' Roses song, saying "No other band could keep a song as big and volatile as this on the tracks — few moments in the GN’R catalog are as suspenseful or stunning as how Axl seems to lose the rhythm on the song’s chugging chorus".[10] The song ranked number 14 on Ultimate Classic Rock's rankings.[11] WMGK ranked the song as number 73 in 2018.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Rolli, Bryan (October 2, 2021). "Guns N' Roses 'Use Your Illusion': The Stories Behind Every Song". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Law, Sam (October 8, 2020). "The 20 greatest Guns N' Roses songs – ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Wall, Mick (2017). Last of the Giants: The True Story of Guns N' Roses (1st ed.). Lesser Gods. ISBN 978-1944713355.
  5. ^ "Guns N' Roses Average Setlists of tour: Use Your Illusion". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Soundgarden - June 6, 1992 | Paris, France (Pro Shot, Four Songs)". YouTube. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Maxwell, Jackson (February 17, 2023). "Watch Jeff Beck play Locomotive with Guns N' Roses at a 1992 soundcheck for a live collaboration that never happened". Guitar World. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "Guns N' Roses Average Setlists of tour: Not in This Lifetime". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Rolli, Bryan (September 25, 2021). "How Guns N' Roses Flexed Musical Muscle on Dazzling 'Locomotive'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  10. ^ "Every Guns N' Roses Song, Ranked". Spin. February 19, 2016. p. 2. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (December 10, 2015). "Every Guns N' Roses Song Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  12. ^ Banas, Erica. "Guns N' Roses: All 87 Songs Ranked". 102.9 WMGK. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
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