Guns N’ Roses Officially Release 1986 Piano and Vocal Demo of “November Rain”

Did you know that a buncha the songs on the Use Your Illusion albums were actually as old as, if not older than, the material on Appetite for Destruction? It’s true! “Don’t Cry,” “Bad Obsession,” “November Rain,” and probably some other songs I’m forgetting right now were all written in the band’s early days, considered for Appetite, and ultimately held for the later albums for whatever reason.

Fans have been trading pre-Appetite demos of these songs pretty much forever, but one of the early versions of “November Rain” will be included on the super-duper-deluxe-extra-special reissue of Appetite that comes out tomorrow. Aside from the absence of any instruments beside Axl Rose’s voice and piano playing, some of the lyrics are different from the finished song, and it’s about a minute-and-a-half longer than the Illusion cut. So, in other words, it’s interesting curiosity for nerds like me, but it’s not gonna replace “November Rain” ’91 on your playlist anytime soon.

Listen below. Pre-order the Appetite here reissue .