Velvet Revolver: Contraband
Sucker Prepare Blues
Do It for the Youngsters
Massive Machine
Unlawful I Tune
Spectacle
Fall to Items
Headspace
Superhuman
Set Me Free
You Acquired No Proper
Slither
Soiled Little Factor
Loving the Alien
Probably the most eagerly awaited album of 2004 got here from a grizzled gaggle of Gunners and a frontman whose CV learn like a toxicology report, however Velvet Revolver‘s Contraband averted the curse of so-called ‘supergroup’ data in that it wasn’t indulgent. There was a palpable need to ship on their promise, and a sense of edge that couldn’t be faked.
It was Slash who provided frontman Scott Weiland the lifeline of becoming a member of Velvet Revolver when the singer was at an all-time low. The guitarist’s former Guns N’ Roses bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum have been already in place, however when an initially ambivalent Weiland got here on board he instantly raised the sport.
Slither and Set Me Free (hurriedly written for the Hulk soundtrack) made the mosh pits explode whereas Fall To Items gave Velvet Revolver their very personal Sweet Child O’Mine second: a lighters-aloft anthem, full with melodic bassline and skyscraping solo. As muscular and wiry as a featherweight boxer – or Weiland himself. The singer was again.
Did they produce an album to do the legacy of Weapons proud? Or was it simply one other under-achieving and short-lived side-project? Basic Rock journal named it the very best album of 2004, so maybe it succeeded on each counts.
Each week, Album of the Week Membership listens to and discusses the album in query, votes on how good it’s, and publishes our findings, with the goal of giving folks dependable critiques and the broader rock neighborhood the prospect to contribute.
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 Strikes First – Unhealthy Faith
- Sonic Nurse – Sonic Youth
- Three Cheers for Candy Revenge – My Chemical Romance
- Darkish Matter – IQ
- Disclaimer II – Seether
- Scorching Fuss – The Killers
- Undermind – Phish
- Gettin’ in Over My Head – Brian Wilson
- A Ghost Is Born – Wilco
- Homes of the Molé – Ministry
- Inferno – Motörhead
- Energy of the Blues – Gary Moore
- Unbreakable – Scorpions
- Will to Loss of life – John Frusciante
- The Treatment – The Treatment
- The Eye of Each Storm – 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 Not Alone – Breaking Benjamin
- White2 – Sunn O)))
What they stated…
“Contraband is, the truth is, tighter and warmer in development and assault than we had any proper to count on from a band that started off auditioning vocalists whereas being filmed for a VH1 actuality present. Weiland and the emeritus Gunners should not shy about flashing pedigree: Sucker Prepare Blues opens the album with zooming-underwater bass, pneumatic gallop and flying chunks of superfuzz guitar – Urge for food for Destruction in miniature – whereas Weiland pulls out his police-bullhorn-style bark from STP’s Intercourse Kind Factor.” (Rolling Stone)
“The GN’R core – guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum – blare as if unleashing all of the vitality for which they’ve had no outlet since splitting with Axl Rose. Like a refurbished Corvette tearing down Sundown Strip, they’re decided to ROCK, dammit, they usually go about their job with a revved-up effectivity.” (Entertainment Weekly)
“Contraband sounds just about such as you’d count on of such a collaboration. Lead single Slither is an instantaneous spotlight, its gasoline-drinking cocaine strut staining it because the offspring of Massive Bang Child and Nightrain, whereas 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 desert with the one you’re keen on.” (AllMusic)
What you stated…
Mike Canoe: The early aughts (or noughties) have been a really unhealthy time for onerous rock and heavy steel, arguably even worse than the nineties. The children have been listening to indie bands that will have been labelled “delicate rock” in one other decade and the music critic institution was 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 method.
What was a rock fan of their mid-thirties to do? Embrace Inexperienced Day as basic rock?
In swaggers Velvet Revolver, able to make sleaze and decadence cool once more. With the common age of the band members pushing forty, right here have been the older brothers we wanted to deliver again the rock and, simply as importantly, the enjoyable to music.
And, for one album, it labored.
Contraband (Fascinating title, that, suggesting that this sort of onerous rock needed to be smuggled in illegally) works. Sure, it’s extra Stone Temple Pilots (and, by extension, three of the 4 main grunge bands) than Weapons ‘n’ Roses, however it nonetheless rocks. Covers little to no new floor, however it nonetheless rocks.
Massive hit Slither continues to be a bop. The band hits their stride early with a pleasant trifecta of rockers with Massive Machine, Unlawful I Tune, and Spectacle and in case you might have the urge to wave your lighter (or cellphone), ballads Fall To Items and Loving The Alien are there for you.
It was enjoyable whereas it lasted. Since most of those guys weren’t recognized for his or her stability, I’m actually stunned they managed to launch a second album. For all I do know, that album, Libertad, is perhaps nearly as good as Homes Of The Holy however like many of the world, I by no means listened to it.
Nonetheless, Contraband was much more enjoyable than Chinese language Democracy which was nonetheless two (or one million, so far as we knew) years away.
Adrian Bolster: This can be 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, in fact 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). One more “better of each worlds” supergroup mixture that includes members of platinum-selling bands who left their former group, received kicked out, or another myriad of causes. Audioslave beat Velvet Revolver to the punch within the 2000s with the “hey, let’s take a big-time vocalist and stick him in a band with a big-name guitar participant!” thought. “Hey Scott, it’s Slash and I’ve received Duff with me. Hear me out, I’ve received an thought…”
And while you get this mixture, what can go fallacious? Nicely, nothing actually within the case of this debut. I’ve at all times actually preferred Slash’s guitar, Duff’s ringing bass tone, and Scott Weiland’s swaggering vocal model.
Greatest tune? For me, palms down, it’s Slither. That chugging repetitive riff appears to be the defining tune for this band. So, what does a band sound like with former GN’R and STP members? Slither… finish of story. And sure, the remainder of the album is chockful of good onerous rock gems. For me, there was no actual filler as Do It For The Youngsters, and Soiled Little Factor saved me reaching for the Quantity Up button.
However supergroups like this at all times appear to be short-lived for probably the most half. They both implode, their former bands resolve to get collectively once more and take again a previously scorned member (Scott Weiland, I am you), or somebody decides to make a real solo album (Slash, I am you). And whereas it is a first rate onerous rock album, would something they made ever surpass albums their earlier bands made? Not by a longshot, however it supplies some nice listening within the meantime.
8 out of 10 for me on this one. And I get a bonus level for not making an attempt to give you some foolish title combo utilizing their former band names.
Chris Elliott: You surprise fairly what they have been utilizing as audio system once they combined it – dustbins? It is a muddy mess – not lo-fi – simply muddy.
Then given I believed Stone Temple Pilots have been in regards to the largest travesty doable. That is worse. For this tune I will be Eddie Vedder. Now I will be a really terrible Cornell. It is monumentally terrible. Each second wasted, you are pondering you could possibly simply take heed to Black Gap Solar and luxuriate in it.
Musically it is fantastic, by-product and fully missing fireplace, however in comparison with the vocals it is nice. Sorry, I have been making an attempt to not write unfavourable critiques, however this deserves a kicking. AI Grunge.
Clay Miller: I do not know what everyone is speaking about. I believed this album was wonderful. The second album was good however not practically nearly as good. There wasn’t a nasty tune on this debut.
Tony Bickerdike: Fairly first rate album. Fall To Items is likely one of the greatest rock songs. Then we’ve got Slither. Superior. A tremendous intro that I’m unsure could be bettered. You Acquired No Proper. A fragile tune, when, listened to now, has clear indications of the struggles Scott Weiland was going by means of. The remaining tracks are strongly GN’R influenced and will discover themselves at house on an expanded version of Urge for food For Destruction. Positively an album worthy of inclusion in any onerous rock fan’s music assortment
John Davidson: Contraband arrived with quite a lot of expectations and, on the time it nearly appeared to fulfill them. Why then has it fallen into relative obscurity?
Sucker Prepare Blues arrives like a misplaced monitor from the late 80s, filled with sleazy guitars and a pummelling vitality, however like many of the tracks on the album it turns into too repetitive and doesn’t develop right into a basic prefer it guarantees to. Massive Machine does a lot the identical, as do the softer songs like Fall To Items and Loving The Alien.
Despite the fact that they’re all below six minutes (and most of them below 5), lots of the songs cling round for longer than they should. Nearly as if fade-outs have been out of trend however the band couldn’t consider a solution to end off the tune.
The general tone of the album is a melange of influences. The grungy combine matches the vocal styling however the song-writing is extra basic rock and I’m not satisfied that it really works in addition to it ought to.
Weiland is a succesful singer however by some means lacks charisma. He can mimic numerous kinds and that brings versatility, however it makes the vocals much less distinctive than say a Chris Cornell and even an Axel Rose. How good would Loving The Alien be if it was truly David Bowie singing it relatively than Weiland nodding in his basic path?
General it is a good relatively than nice album – as so many ‘supergroup’ efforts are typically.
An fascinating experiment, and undoubtedly value a number of listens however I favor Slash’s work with Miles Kennedy to any of the songs on Contraband.
Evan Sanders: Listening to this 20 years after launch, figuring out the fates of the band members in addition to the continuing Axl Rose drama, actually makes it a refreshing pay attention. Not like others within the thread, I discover it to be extra of GN’R really feel with a special lead singer. I used to be even imagining Axl singing lead on a number of songs, akin to Sucker Prepare Blues, Headspace, Slither, and Soiled Little Factor. To my shock, 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 isn’t the very best that any of those musicians put out, however it’s a strong possibility for many who have been craving at no finish for Axl Rose to rejoin his mates or for these mourning what may have been with Stone Temple Pilots. 6/10
Philip Qvist: I can not imagine that this album was launched 20 years in the past, however I assume it is true – time does certainly fly.
I keep in mind after I first noticed Velvet Revolver on MTV, when the Slither video appeared on their channel in mid 2004. I initially thought it might be a GN’R reunion as soon as Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum appeared within the video – however the look of Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner put that thought to relaxation. Nonetheless, I used to be impressed with what I had seen and heard, and inside weeks, after some fast analysis on the web, I had bought the Contraband CD.
As I’ve already talked about, it is an album that picked up quite a lot of acclaim on the time however it now appears to have slipped into the forgotten class – probably overshadowed by Scott Weiland’s difficulties and subsequent demise.
Sufficient of all of that although; what do I consider the album? The musicianship is top-notch, the songwriting is comparatively sturdy and we’ve got an album that sounds extra just like the STP relatively than GN’R. It definitely rocks – though I doubt it broke new floor, aside from to announce that rock was nonetheless very a lot alive within the 2000s.
My favorite tracks are Sucker Prepare Blues, Fall To Items, Slither, Set Me Free and Loving the Alien. Though there are not any duds on Contraband, my one minor quibble is that the album is simply too lengthy – and that a few tracks ought to have been culled from the ultimate product.
Regardless of that, I nonetheless just like the report; it is undoubtedly on my listing of High 20 Albums from that decade – and if Basic Rock named it as their Greatest Album for 2004, then who am I to argue? An 8/10 from me.
Hermen Dijkstra: Some strong songs. To me it’s dated, time was harsh for the hype.
James Southard: Incredible album.
Brennan Davis: Sucker Prepare Blues, Massive Machine, Slither… superior! Combines among the better of GN’R with STP.
Brian Hart: Let me begin by saying I’m an enormous GN’R fan and at all times beloved STP. That being stated, I discover this album good however removed from nice. Slither is a monster and Set Me Free is unimaginable. Fall To Items is likely one of the greatest ballads of the 2000s. Massive Machine rocks as nicely. After that, I the album falls into mediocrity.
Slash is my all-time favourite guitarist and I like the whole lot he has ever produced. Nonetheless, I discover his SMKC and Snakepit releases far superior to Velvet Revolver. For unknown causes (though habit did rear its head throughout VR), I simply don’t assume this band or album ever clicked on all cylinders. And Libertad was an enormous disappointment and rather more inferior than Contraband. It’s a strong debut and very listenable however when you might have skills like Slash, Duff, and Weiland in a single band, I simply really feel like this one fell wanting expectations. I’d give this album 3 out of 5 stars.
Martin White: I keep in mind being excited to listen to this album when it was launched, as I beloved the only Slither. Nonetheless, I used to be actually dissatisfied with it, pondering it was generic and uninteresting. I by no means bothered listening to it once more till this week. I do not know what I used to be pondering again then. This album is great, and I ended up listening to it 3 times again to again.
Closing rating: 7.43 (89 votes forged, whole rating 662)
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