Contraband
Studio album by Velvet Revolver
Released	June 8, 2004
Recorded	August - December 2003 in Los Angeles, California
Genre	Hard rock
Length	56:57
Label	RCA Records
Producer	Josh Abraham
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Entertainment Weekly (B-) link Rolling Stone link Mojo link Blender link Amazon (Positive) link
Velvet Revolver chronology
Contraband (2004) Melody and the Tyranny (2007)

Contraband is the first album by Velvet Revolver, which was released on June 8, 2004 through RCA Records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. It is considered to be one of the most successful albums released from a super-group, garnering multi-platinum certifications worldwide. CD cover of Contraband by Velvet Revolver This is an album cover. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Velvet Revolver (abbreviated to VR) is a Grammy Award-winning hard rock supergroup with three former members of Guns N Roses — Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum plus Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner of the 80s punk band Wasted Youth. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for August, 2003. ... December 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Events December 31, 2003 In Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian signs a law that allows referendums to be held. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Josh Abraham is a Jewish music producer who has worked with many leading bands including Velvet Revolver, Staind, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Courtney Love, Static-X, Deadsy, Orgy, and 10 Years. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Mojo is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Stars10080. ... Look up blender in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Amazon can refer to The Amazon River Amazon Rainforest Amazon (people) Ancient women warriors A female gladiator. ... Velvet Revolver (abbreviated to VR) is a Grammy Award-winning hard rock supergroup with three former members of Guns N Roses — Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum plus Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner of the 80s punk band Wasted Youth. ... Melody and the Tyranny will be an EP released by Velvet Revolver as a precursor to their eagerly anticipated album Libertad. ... Velvet Revolver (abbreviated to VR) is a Grammy Award-winning hard rock supergroup with three former members of Guns N Roses — Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum plus Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner of the 80s punk band Wasted Youth. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups composed of members who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists. ...

This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. Copy control logo Copy Control is the generic name of a copy protection system, used from 2001 until 2006 on several digital audio disc releases by EMI and Sony BMG Music Entertainment in several regions (Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia). ...

Recording of the album

Velvet Revolver formed when three Guns N' Roses musicians - Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) - combined to play at a benefit concert for fellow musician Randy Castillo in 2002. They decided to form another band and recruited guitarist Dave Kushner who had previously played with Suicidal Tendencies, Wasted Youth, and Dave Navarro. Kushner had gone to school with Slash and had worked with McKagan before. The quartet was known as The Project pending the selection of a permanent name. Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English/American guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... Duff McKagan (born Michael Andrew McKagan on February 5, 1964) is an American musician and bassist, who is best known for his thirteen-year tenure in the hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... Matt Sorum (born Matthew William Sorum, November 19, 1960, in Mission Viejo, California) is a hard rock drummer and percussionist. ... A benefit concert is a concert featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. ... Randolpho Francisco Castillo Albuquerque, New Mexico (December 18, 1950 – March 26, 2002) was best known as Ozzy Osbournes drummer in the 1980s and early 1990s. ... David Kushner (born November 16, 1965 in Los Angeles) is a famed guitarist. ... Suicidal Tendencies is an American hardcore punk / crossover thrash band formed in 1981 in Venice, California. ... Wasted Youth, a Canadian magazine Wasted Youth, an American band in early 80s Wasted Youth, a British band in early 80s Category: ... “David Navarro” redirects here. ...

The quartet then set about recruiting a lead singer with the recruitment process filmed by VH1. Several lead singers auditioned including Josh Todd of Buckcherry, Kelly Shaefer of Neurotica and Travis Meeks of Days of the New but they were unsuccessful. Scott Weiland had become friends with McKagan and had played on the same bill as Kushner when Stone Temple Pilots were known as Mighty Joe Young and Kushner was in the Electric Love Hogs. Weiland heard the material and offered his services as the lead singer and the band clicked. Slash suggested the name Revolver for the project and Weiland suggested the addition of Velvet to the title. VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... Joshua Todd (born April 04, 1974 in Los Angeles) is the lead singer of Buckcherry. ... Buckcherry is a Los Angeles rock band, formed in 1995. ... Neurotica is the 4th record from Redd Kross released on Big Time Records (an RCA Records subsidiary) in 1987. ... Travis Meeks Travis Meeks (born April 27, 1979 in Charlestown, Indiana), is an American musician, and is the lead singer and guitarist for Post-Grunge band Days of the New. ... Days of the New is a post-grunge rock band from Charlestown, Indiana (later relocated to Louisville, Kentucky), formed in 1995. ... Scott Weiland (born Scott Richard Kline, October 27, 1967, Santa Cruz, California [1]) is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist. ... Stone Temple Pilots (abbreviated STP) was a popular Grammy Award-winning American rock band in the 1990s and early 2000s, consisting of Scott Weiland (vocals), brothers Robert (bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo (guitar), and Eric Kretz (drums, percussion). ...

Velvet Revolver recorded its first track "Set Me Free" for The Hulk soundtrack in 2003, along with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Money" for The Italian Job. The band played their first live gig at the El Rey in Los Angeles in July 2003. It recorded its first album Contraband in the latter part of 2003 with recording complicated by Weiland's court appearances for drug charges and his subsequent sentencing to undertake rehabilitation. The Incredible Hulk The Hulk, often called The Incredible Hulk, is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... The Italian Job is a 2003 action-adventure film, directed by F. Gary Gray. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

In February 2005, RCA Records released a "Tour Edition" of the album in Europe, which included a bonus disc containing three songs: "Surrender"(originally by Cheap Trick), "No More, No More" (originally by Aerosmith), and an acoustic version of "Fall to Pieces". This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the band Aerosmith. ...

The United States release of the disc uses the MediaMax CD-3 system for copy protection, while Macrovision CDS-200 is used for the European release. MediaMax CD-3 is a software package created by SunnComm and sold as a form of copy protection for compact discs. ... Copy prevention, also known as copy protection, is any technical measure designed to prevent duplication of information. ... Audio CD copy protection scheme from Macrovision, designed to prevent copyright infringement. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Chart success

Contraband debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart, selling over 250,000 copies. Notably, this marked the best-ever debut for a new rock artist in the SoundScan era. The album would later sell over 2.9 million copies in the United States, and 4 million worldwide.

The first single, "Slither," topped a composite world modern rock chart in June, and later hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart for 8 weeks. The follow-up, "Fall to Pieces," was a major crossover hit that reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart for 11 weeks.

In 2005, Velvet Revolver won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. At the ceremony, they were asked to play the music for a cover of The Beatles "Across the Universe." The live recording was a hit on iTunes, with all proceeds going to charity. Months later, VR was also asked to play the music for a cover of Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." The single was to aid victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, with all proceeds going to Save The Children Foundation. The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. ... The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake,[1] was a great undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) December 26, 2004 with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. ...

Critical response

Metacritic.com has given Contraband an average score of 65 based on 14 reviews, indicating that the critical response has been "generally favorable".^[1] Metacritic is an Internet website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ...

Mojo rated the album as "a perpetually guilty pleasure." (June 2004 page 107) Q Magazine said it was "astonishingly good" rating it as four stars. (Jul 2004, page 127) Mojo is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ...

Rolling Stone rated it as 4 stars out of 5 said "it is a rare, fine thing: the sound of the perfect A&R sales pitch turning into a real band. Now we can find out if these guys can stay together, and go somewhere new." Best tracks: "Sucker Train Blues", "Slither", "Do It For The Kids", "Big Machine", "Fall to Pieces"^[2] This article is about the magazine. ...

ShakingThrough.net rated it as 3.5 stars although it said: "Contraband, the debut result of said pairing, never does transmute its elements into something new and exciting. Mostly, it sounds like no more and a little less than one might hope for from such a union." Best Tracks: "Slither", "Spectacle", "Headspace", "Superhuman"^[3]

Entertainment Weekly rated it as 67 saying "Even at its best, Contraband feels secondhand, and much of it is also hobbled by a disconnect between band and singer."^[4] Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ...

All Music Guide rated it as 3 stars out of 5 saying "With Contraband, Velvet Revolver has pulled off something tidy, fashioning music that manages both hedonism and maturity. It upholds legacies while grading a new route." Best tracks: "Big Machine", "Fall to Pieces" "Slither"^[5] The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ...

Blender said it was "A showcase for Weiland's vocals" (#27, page 148). Playlouder rated it as three candles out of five saying it sounded more like Stone Temple Pilots and "anyone who'd hoped for Guns N' Roses mark II (or III) will be very seriously disappointed." Best track "Fall to Pieces"^[6] Blender is an American magazine that bills itself as the ultimate guide to music and more. ... PlayLouder PlayLouder is a digital music and media company that operates one of the most popular alternative music websites in the United Kingdom. ...

Track listing

All songs written by Scott Weiland, Slash, Dave Kushner, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum except where noted. Scott Weiland (born Scott Richard Kline, October 27, 1967, Santa Cruz, California [1]) is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist. ... Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English/American guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... David Kushner (born November 16, 1965 in Los Angeles) is a famed guitarist. ... Duff McKagan (born Michael Andrew McKagan on February 5, 1964) is an American musician and bassist, who is best known for his thirteen-year tenure in the hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... Matt Sorum (born Matthew William Sorum, November 19, 1960, in Mission Viejo, California) is a hard rock drummer and percussionist. ...

1. "Sucker Train Blues" – 4:27
2. "Do It for the Kids" – 3:55
3. "Big Machine" – 4:25
4. "Illegal I Song" – 4:17
5. "Spectacle" – 3:41
6. "Fall to Pieces" – 4:30
7. "Headspace" – 3:42
8. "Superhuman" – 4:15
9. "Set Me Free" – 4:07
10. "You Got No Right" – 5:33
11. "Slither" – 4:08
12. "Dirty Little Thing" – 3:57 (Weiland, Slash, Kushner, McKagan, Sorum, Keith Nelson)
13. "Loving the Alien" – 5:48

BIG MACHINE is the thirteenth album by Japanese hard rock band Bz, released on September 17, 2003. ... Fall to Pieces is a song by Velvet Revolver that appears on their debut album Contraband. ... Set Me Free is the debut single by Velvet Revolver from their debut album, Contraband. ... Slither is the debut single by Velvet Revolver from their debut album Contraband. ... Dirty Little Thing is a hard rock song by the supergroup Velvet Revolver, released as the third single off the bands debut album Contraband. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ...

Bonus Track (UK release only)

14. "Bodies (live)" (Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Sid Vicious, Paul Cook)

Bodies is a Sex Pistols song about abortion from the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols. ... John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (born January 31, 1956), also known as Johnny Rotten (a nickname derived from the state of his teeth) was the iconoclastic lead singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd (PiL) and an Irish individualist anarchist. ... Stephen Phillip Jones (b. ... For the professional wrestler, see Sid Eudy. ... Paul Cook, born on July 20, 1956, is an English drummer and former member of the Sex Pistols. ...

Bonus Disc

In the Australian Tour Edition (also available outside Australia), there is a bonus disc packaged with the original.

1. "Surrender" (Rick Nielsen) – 4:25
2. "No More No More" (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry) – 5:39
3. "Negative Creep" (Kurt Cobain) – 6:49 (some versions contained an acoustic version of "Fall to Pieces" instead of this track)
4. "Slither" [music video] – 4:11
5. "Fall to Pieces" [music video] – 4:34

Surrender is a Cheap Trick song originally released on January 30, 1978 on the album Heaven Tonight. ... Richard Nielsen (born December 22, 1946 in Rockford, Illinois) is the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Cheap Trick. ... No More No More is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. ... Stephen Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York), better known as Steven Tyler (and often nicknamed The Demon of Screamin) is an American musician and songwriter. ... Joe Perry may refer to: Joe Perry (American football) (born 1927) Joe Perry (musician) (born 1950) Joe Perry (snooker player) (born 1975) Joseph Perry (bishop) (born 1948) (real estate develoment) (born 1967) Category: ... Negative Creep was originally on Nirvanas 1989 debut album, Bleach. ... Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. ... Fall to Pieces is a song by Velvet Revolver that appears on their debut album Contraband. ... Slither is the debut single by Velvet Revolver from their debut album Contraband. ... Fall to Pieces is a song by Velvet Revolver that appears on their debut album Contraband. ...

Singles

• "Slither", released in May 2004
• "Fall to Pieces", released in August 2004
• "Dirty Little Thing", released in November 2004

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ...

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Personnel

• Scott Weiland - vocals
• Slash - lead guitar
• Dave Kushner - rhythm guitar
• Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
• Matt Sorum - drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Douglas Grean - keyboards on tracks 6,10 and 13

Scott Weiland (born Scott Richard Kline, October 27, 1967, Santa Cruz, California [1]) is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist. ... Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English/American guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... David Kushner (born November 16, 1965 in Los Angeles) is a famed guitarist. ... Duff McKagan (born Michael Andrew McKagan on February 5, 1964) is an American musician and bassist, who is best known for his thirteen-year tenure in the hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... Matt Sorum (born Matthew William Sorum, November 19, 1960, in Mission Viejo, California) is a hard rock drummer and percussionist. ...

Production credits

• Josh Abraham, Producer
• Rocco Guarino, Assistant Engineer

References