Velvet Revolver: Contraband
Sucker Educate Blues
Do It for the Youngsters
Large System
Unlawful I Track
Spectacle
Fall to Items
Headspace
Superhuman
Set Me Loose
You Were given No Proper
Slither
Grimy Little Factor
Loving the Alien
Essentially the most eagerly awaited album of 2004 got here from a grizzled gaggle of Gunners and a frontman whose CV learn like a toxicology document, however Velvet Revolver’s Contraband have shyed away from the curse of so-called ‘supergroup’ information in that it wasn’t indulgent. There was once a palpable need to ship on their promise, and a sense of edge that couldn’t be faked.
It was once Slash who introduced frontman Scott Weiland the lifeline of becoming a member of Velvet Revolver when the singer was once at an rock bottom. The guitarist’s former Weapons N’ Roses bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum had been already in position, but if an to begin with ambivalent Weiland got here on board he straight away raised the sport.
Slither and Set Me Loose (hurriedly written for the Hulk soundtrack) made the mosh pits explode whilst Fall To Items gave Velvet Revolver their own Candy Kid O’Mine second: a lighters-aloft anthem, whole with melodic bassline and skyscraping solo. As muscular and wiry as a featherweight boxer – or Weiland himself. The singer was once again.
Did they produce an album to do the legacy of Weapons proud? Or was once it simply some other under-achieving and short-lived side-project? Vintage Rock mag named it the most productive album of 2004, so most likely it succeeded on each counts.
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Different albums launched in June 2004
- Auf der Maur – Melissa Auf der Maur
- As soon as – Nightwish
- Outta Sight/Outta Thoughts – The Datsuns
- Rewired – Mike + The Mechanics
- Asshole – Gene Simmons
- The Empire Moves First – Unhealthy Faith
- Sonic Nurse – Sonic Formative years
- 3 Cheers for Candy Revenge – My Chemical Romance
- Darkish Topic – IQ
- Disclaimer II – Seether
- Scorching Fuss – The Killers
- Undermind – Phish
- Gettin’ in Over My Head – Brian Wilson
- A Ghost Is Born – Wilco
- Properties of the Molé – Ministry
- Inferno – Motörhead
- Energy of the Blues – Gary Moore
- Unbreakable – Scorpions
- Will to Demise – John Frusciante
- The Treatment – The Treatment
- The Eye of Each Hurricane – Neurosis
- The Gorge – Dave Matthews Band
- Hollywood Potato Chip – The Vandals
- In Between Evolution – The Tragically Hip
- This Magnificent Distance – Chris Robinson
- Mojave – Concrete Blonde
- Revival – The Reverend Horton Warmth
- Watch Out! – Alexisonfire
- We Are No longer By myself – Breaking Benjamin
- White2 – Sunn O)))
What they stated…
“Contraband is, if truth be told, tighter and warmer in building and assault than we had any proper to be expecting from a band that started off auditioning vocalists whilst being filmed for a VH1 truth display. Weiland and the emeritus Gunners don’t seem to be shy about flashing pedigree: Sucker Educate Blues opens the album with zooming-underwater bass, pneumatic gallop and flying chunks of superfuzz guitar – Urge for food for Destruction in miniature – whilst Weiland pulls out his police-bullhorn-style bark from STP’s Intercourse Sort Factor.” (Rolling Stone)
“The GN’R core – guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum – blare as though unleashing the entire power for which they have had no outlet since splitting with Axl Rose. Like a refurbished Corvette tearing down Sundown Strip, they are made up our minds to ROCK, dammit, they usually move about their process with a revved-up potency.” (Leisure Weekly)
“Contraband sounds beautiful just like you’ll be expecting of this type of collaboration. Lead unmarried Slither is a right away spotlight, its gasoline-drinking cocaine strut staining it because the offspring of Large Bang Child and Nightrain, whilst the album’s detours – Fall To Items, the beautiful Loving the Alien – are painted in dusty reds and browns, like idealized fever desires of escaping to the barren region with your beloved.” (AllMusic)
What you stated…
Mike Canoe: The early aughts (or noughties) had been an excessively dangerous time for laborious rock and heavy steel, arguably even worse than the nineties. The youngsters had been paying attention to indie bands that may were labelled “cushy rock” in some other decade and the song critic status quo was once nonetheless hung up on getting us to love The Strokes. The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Kasabian, and TV On The Radio all launched their debut albums in 2004 however all of them rocked in that ironic post-punk manner.
What was once a rock fan of their mid-thirties to do? Include Inexperienced Day as vintage rock?
In swaggers Velvet Revolver, able to make sleaze and decadence cool once more. With the common age of the band contributors pushing 40, right here had been the older brothers we had to convey again the rock and, simply as importantly, the thrill to song.
And, for one album, it labored.
Contraband (Attention-grabbing identify, that, suggesting that this type of laborious rock needed to be smuggled in illegally) works. Sure, it’s extra Stone Temple Pilots (and, by way of extension, 3 of the 4 main grunge bands) than Weapons ‘n’ Roses, nevertheless it nonetheless rocks. Covers little to no new floor, nevertheless it nonetheless rocks.
Large hit Slither remains to be a bop. The band hits their stride early with a pleasant trifecta of rockers with Large System, Unlawful I Track, and Spectacle and if you have the urge to wave your lighter (or mobile phone), ballads Fall To Items and Loving The Alien are there for you.
It was once amusing whilst it lasted. Since these kind of guys weren’t recognized for his or her steadiness, I’m in truth shocked they controlled to unlock a 2d album. For all I do know, that album, Libertad, could be as excellent as Properties Of The Holy however like lots of the global, I by no means listened to it.
Nonetheless, Contraband was once much more amusing than Chinese language Democracy which was once nonetheless two (or 1,000,000, so far as we knew) years away.
Adrian Bolster: It is a excellent album and I loved rediscovering it. Higher than I remembered it.
Greg Schwepe: Being an enormous fan of each Stone Temple Pilots and Weapons N’ Roses, after all I snatched up Velvet Revolver’s Contraband when it got here out (heck, I even had each Slash’s Snakepit albums and a Scott Weiland solo album). But some other “perfect of each worlds” supergroup mixture that includes contributors of platinum-selling bands who left their former crew, were given kicked out, or every other myriad of causes. Audioslave beat Velvet Revolver to the punch within the 2000s with the “hi there, let’s take a big-time vocalist and stick him in a band with a big-name guitar participant!” thought. “Howdy Scott, it’s Slash and I’ve were given Duff with me. Listen me out, I’ve were given an concept…”
And while you get this mixture, what can move unsuitable? Smartly, not anything truly on the subject of this debut. I’ve all the time truly favored Slash’s guitar, Duff’s ringing bass tone, and Scott Weiland’s swaggering vocal genre.
Perfect track? For me, arms down, it’s Slither. That chugging repetitive riff appears to be the defining track for this band. So, what does a band sound like with former GN’R and STP contributors? Slither… finish of tale. And sure, the remainder of the album is chockful of great laborious rock gemstones. For me, there was once no actual filler as Do It For The Youngsters, and Grimy Little Factor stored me attaining for the Quantity Up button.
However supergroups like this all the time appear to be short-lived for essentially the most phase. They both implode, their former bands make a decision to get in combination once more and take again a previously scorned member (Scott Weiland, I am taking a look at you), or somebody comes to a decision to make a real solo album (Slash, I am taking a look at you). And whilst it is a first rate laborious rock album, would the rest they made ever surpass albums their earlier bands made? No longer by way of a longshot, nevertheless it supplies some nice listening within the period in-between.
8 out of 10 for me in this one. And I am getting an advantage level for now not looking to get a hold of some foolish call combo the use of their former band names.
Chris Elliott: You marvel relatively what they had been the use of as audio system once they combined it – dustbins? It is a muddy mess – now not lo-fi – simply muddy.
Then given I assumed Stone Temple Pilots had been in regards to the biggest travesty conceivable. That is worse. For this track I’m going to be Eddie Vedder. Now I’m going to be a in reality terrible Cornell. It is monumentally terrible. Each 2d wasted, you are considering it’s essential to simply pay attention to Black Hollow Solar and revel in it.
Musically it is tremendous, spinoff and fully missing fireplace, however in comparison to the vocals it is nice. Sorry, I have been attempting to not write adverse opinions, however this merits a kicking. AI Grunge.
Clay Miller: I do not know what everyone is speaking about. I assumed this album was once wonderful. The second one album was once excellent however now not just about as excellent. There wasn’t a foul track in this debut.
Tony Bickerdike: Lovely first rate album. Fall To Items is likely one of the perfect rock songs. Then we have now Slither. Superior. A great intro that I’m now not positive may also be bettered. You Were given No Proper. A gentle track, when, listened to now, has transparent indications of the struggles Scott Weiland was once going via. The remainder tracks are strongly GN’R influenced and may just in finding themselves at house on an expanded version of Urge for food For Destruction. Undoubtedly an album worthy of inclusion in any laborious rock fan’s song assortment
John Davidson: Contraband arrived with a large number of expectancies and, on the time it virtually perceived to fulfill them. Why then has it fallen into relative obscurity?
Sucker Educate Blues arrives like a misplaced observe from the past due 80s, filled with sleazy guitars and a pummelling power, however like lots of the tracks at the album it turns into too repetitive and doesn’t become a vintage love it guarantees to. Large System does a lot the similar, as do the softer songs like Fall To Items and Loving The Alien.
Even supposing they’re all beneath six mins (and maximum of them beneath 5), most of the songs hang out for longer than they want to. Virtually as though fade-outs had been out of style however the band couldn’t bring to mind a method to end off the track.
The full tone of the album is a melange of influences. The grungy combine fits the vocal styling however the song-writing is extra vintage rock and I’m now not satisfied that it really works in addition to it must.
Weiland is a succesful singer however come what may lacks air of secrecy. He can mimic quite a lot of types and that brings versatility, nevertheless it makes the vocals much less unique than say a Chris Cornell and even an Axel Rose. How excellent would Loving The Alien be if it was once in truth David Bowie making a song it relatively than Weiland nodding in his normal route?
Total it is a excellent relatively than nice album – as such a lot of ‘supergroup’ efforts have a tendency to be.
A captivating experiment, and no doubt value a couple of listens however I favor Slash’s paintings with Miles Kennedy to any of the songs on Contraband.
Evan Sanders: Paying attention to this two decades after unlock, understanding the fates of the band contributors in addition to the continued Axl Rose drama, truly makes it a refreshing pay attention. In contrast to others within the thread, I in finding it to be extra of GN’R really feel with a distinct lead singer. I used to be even imagining Axl making a song lead on a couple of songs, similar to Sucker Educate Blues, Headspace, Slither, and Grimy Little Factor. To my wonder, I did not benefit from the energy ballad Fall To Items as a lot, discovering it extra formulaic than one thing like November Rain or Creep. It is not the most productive that any of those musicians put out, however it is a forged choice for many who had been craving at no finish for Axl Rose to rejoin his pals or for the ones mourning what can have been with Stone Temple Pilots. 6/10
Philip Qvist: I will be able to’t imagine that this album was once launched two decades in the past, however I assume it is true – time does certainly fly.
I take note once I first noticed Velvet Revolver on MTV, when the Slither video seemed on their channel in mid 2004. I to begin with idea it is usually a GN’R reunion as soon as Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum seemed within the video – however the look of Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner put that idea to leisure. Nonetheless, I used to be inspired with what I had observed and heard, and inside weeks, after some fast analysis on the internet, I had bought the Contraband CD.
As I’ve already discussed, it is an album that picked up a large number of acclaim on the time nevertheless it now turns out to have slipped into the forgotten class – perhaps overshadowed by way of Scott Weiland’s difficulties and next loss of life.
Sufficient of all of that despite the fact that; what do I bring to mind the album? The musicianship is top-notch, the songwriting is somewhat robust and we have now an album that sounds extra just like the STP relatively than GN’R. It definitely rocks – despite the fact that I doubt it broke new floor, rather then to announce that rock was once nonetheless very a lot alive within the 2000s.
My favorite tracks are Sucker Educate Blues, Fall To Items, Slither, Set Me Loose and Loving the Alien. Even supposing there aren’t any duds on Contraband, my one minor quibble is that the album is simply too lengthy – and that a few tracks must were culled from the overall product.
Regardless of that, I nonetheless just like the document; it is no doubt on my checklist of Most sensible 20 Albums from that decade – and if Vintage Rock named it as their Perfect Album for 2004, then who am I to argue? An 8/10 from me.
Hermen Dijkstra: Some forged songs. To me it’s dated, time was once harsh for the hype.
James Southard: Improbable album.
Brennan Davis: Sucker Educate Blues, Large System, Slither… superior! Combines one of the vital perfect of GN’R with STP.
Brian Hart: Let me get started by way of announcing I’m an enormous GN’R fan and all the time beloved STP. That being stated, I in finding this album excellent however a ways from nice. Slither is a monster and Set Me Loose is fantastic. Fall To Items is likely one of the perfect ballads of the 2000s. Large System rocks as neatly. After that, I the album falls into mediocrity.
Slash is my all-time favourite guitarist and I really like the entirety he has ever produced. On the other hand, I in finding his SMKC and Snakepit releases a ways awesome to Velvet Revolver. For unknown causes (despite the fact that dependancy did rear its head throughout VR), I simply don’t suppose this band or album ever clicked on all cylinders. And Libertad was once an enormous sadness and a lot more inferior than Contraband. It’s a forged debut and very listenable however you probably have skills like Slash, Duff, and Weiland in a single band, I simply really feel like this one fell wanting expectancies. I’d give this album 3 out of five stars.
Martin White: I take note being excited to listen to this album when it was once launched, as I beloved the only Slither. On the other hand, I used to be truly dissatisfied with it, considering it was once generic and uninteresting. I by no means paying attention to it once more till this week. I do not know what I used to be considering again then. This album is superb, and I stopped up paying attention to it thrice again to again.
Ultimate ranking: 7.43 (89 votes forged, overall ranking 662)
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