Post your own Contraband review here

[D]

well shit!

i was lookin forward to goin and buyin this damn thing today

guess ill have to wait! that sucks!

u people are so lucky to live in a city that has record stores and bars and shit to do

dry county, no clubs nothin to do, no mall just a walmart a movie theater and some restaurants

no wonder 75 percent of my town is on drugs!

[St.heathen]

Illegal i song is fucking infectious - slightly Janes addiction with slight Bowie killer melody.  Fall to pieces has a very "Yesterdays" feel about it.

Sucker, Headspace and Loving the alien are fucking great songs.

That was a decent honest review Booker, there are times on some of the songs where you think ah if they had just spent a little more time on it, it would have been perfect.  

But that's how this band wanted to work - fast and furious and get it out there. I can imagine the songs really come alive when played live though, which is what this band is really about isn't it?  

It's a good solid album which has something very infectious about it - i think it's going to grow and grow on people.

Did everybody get a VR loyalty Certificate with their copy?

 

[D]

i just dropped 16.47 over at amazon.com and i have it ordered!

hopefully it will be here for the weekend!

im excited to get this because i know its gonna be worth it after a few listens

after i heard it the first time on mtv.com there was no way in hell i was buying it

but then i got to thinking of the last 2 cds ive bought

bon jovi TLFR and prince musicology and i felt the exact same way about those at first as i did on my first listen of contraband

TLFR and musicology stay in mycd player till this day and i know after i listen to contraband learn the lyrics and let the lyrics get in my head ill absolutely love it

i mean fuck it took me 50 listens to like oh my god

and it took me fuckin 11 years to like garden of eden

so im sure contraband with a few listens will be an awesome album!'

ill post a detailed review after i listen to it a few times properly at high volume this weekend

[Izzy]

i just dropped 16.47 over at amazon.com and i have it ordered!

hopefully it will be here for the weekend!

im excited to get this because i know its gonna be worth it after a few listens

after i heard it the first time on mtv.com there was no way in hell i was buying it

but then i got to thinking of the last 2 cds ive bought

bon jovi TLFR and prince musicology and i felt the exact same way about those at first as i did on my first listen of contraband

TLFR and musicology stay in mycd player till this day and i know after i listen to contraband learn the lyrics and let the lyrics get in my head ill absolutely love it

i mean fuck it took me 50 listens to like oh my god

and it took me fuckin 11 years to like garden of eden

so im sure contraband with a few listens will be an awesome album!'

ill post a detailed review after i listen to it a few times properly at high volume this weekend

If i were u i would be in my car to the nearest CD shop - u need to get this album!

After 5-6 listens i can say its the album of the year so far - the songs are excellent, and in concert...well they must be truly amazing

 

[Mutherfunker]

Ixnay on the overreactionay there Izzy...

I bought the album yesterday and it sounds fucking cool when you're driving 70-80 down a motorway. Definitely the best way to listen to the rockers  

Better than when I listened to it on the stream by far with some great riffs. Good solid album, I like it a lot but it's nothing spectacular or mind blowing.

On a side note, I think it will sell poorly in the UK. There is no publicity for it whatsoever. I had so actually search for it in HMV, Virgin and WHSmith to find it (I was checking out which shop had which versions). It's not even displayed with the other new albums coming out. To top it off, in HMV it went straight into a half price sale!!!

@#$%Muther

[Izzy]

Ixnay on the overreactionay there Izzy...

Eh?

On a side note, I think it will sell poorly in the UK. There is no publicity for it whatsoever. I had so actually search for it in HMV, Virgin and WHSmith to find it (I was checking out which shop had which versions). It's not even displayed with the other new albums coming out. To top it off, in HMV it went straight into a half price sale!!!

Your right - i struggled to find it too, why it wasn't with the 'new' albums is strange

There has been limited publicity too, okay they've been in 'Total Guitar' every week but they've barely been mentioned in the main music magasines - plus no posters, adverts etc

[Booker Floyd]

As the expectations and initial disappointments fade, I will surely enjoy the album more for what it is and those "good" songs will surely grow on me, but my sentiment will remain.

...About two listens later and I can already see I was right.  I still stand by my criticisms, but the CD was far more enjoyable the second and third time around.

"Loving The Aliens" would be my favorite.  The song is fucking beautiful.  A crying Slash solo in the vein of "Estranged" and "Street Child," guitars echoing "Sweet Child O' Mine," heartbreaking vocals, poignant lyrics...The music, sure enough, paints a dreamy, outer-space atmosphere (thanks mostly to the beeping guitar).  This would be a great fourth single (assuming Contraband sees four singles.)  Its got the makings of a classic, and I hope its accepted as one.  I also hope most of the songs on their next album have this much ambition.    

"Sucker Train Blues" wont stop playing in my head, and Im warming up to "You Got No Right".  Its a transitional thing -- accepting the differences between the two versions, and its going to take more than a few listens...but it really is an awesome song.  I cant wait to hear these live, and I especially hope to hear a professional recording of the Smashbox "YGNR".

Id pick "Sucker Train Blues" for the third single.  

[St.heathen]

Ixnay on the overreactionay there Izzy...

I bought the album yesterday and it sounds fucking cool when you're driving 70-80 down a motorway. Definitely the best way to listen to the rockers  

Better than when I listened to it on the stream by far with some great riffs. Good solid album, I like it a lot but it's nothing spectacular or mind blowing.

On a side note, I think it will sell poorly in the UK. There is no publicity for it whatsoever. I had so actually search for it in HMV, Virgin and WHSmith to find it (I was checking out which shop had which versions). It's not even displayed with the other new albums coming out. To top it off, in HMV it went straight into a half price sale!!!

@#$%Muther

That's suprising to hear, because i was quite impressed with the kind of promotion they had in the record shops in Cardiff - it was really prominant.  SLither was being played loud in Virgin - as i walked in.  MVC had the cover pic in their window and you could get a VR t shirt with the cd.    

Although there didnt seem to be a choice in which cover you wanted. The shops only had the Red cover out.

Your right about the promotion though.  It seems like their label are waiting for them to get over here first - before pushing it.  Which is a mistake, they really should have got on the Later whith Jools Holland show if nothing else.  I saw Slither on CD:UK but that's all so far.  

[D]

on amazon i think i got the white cover was all they had

how many different colors are there?

[younggunner]

Theres 3 different colors...red,black,white....I picked up Contraband for $10 at Target. Not too shabby. I wasnt going to buy it but for 10 bucks why not.

After listening to the album about 8 times now, I still basically have the same feelings about it. Actually the only songs I really like are Illegal I,Headspace,FTP,YGNR and LTA. The rest to me is boring and nothing worthwhile.

Its a good rock record. If you want nothing more than that you will probably enjoy it. Its not the second coming to anything and it doesnt try to be stp or gnr. If I had to categorize the overall sound of the record I would lean more towards STP.Vocally{obiviusly} and Musically as well.

Originally I was excited to hear  what Slash did on the album. But after listening to it for about a week now, I have realized there isnt much of what I originally thought. Aside from the ballads, the rockers dont showcase Slash. In some of the songs the drums and Weiland are over his solos.

I dont understand how peopel can say certain songs are like songs from gnr yet they are the same peopel who say VR arent trying to be gnr or whatever.

Overall the album is ok. Some of the songs sounded much better live than studio. If you enjoy lyrics then this album doesnt deliver on that front. Some of its ok but most of it is all over the place. Actually Scotts "Thank You" notes are more inspiring than some of the "rockers".....

I wasnt sure what to expect from the band otrher than it had a real good chance to be an excellent album. These are very talented players with successful backgrounds. I am not dissapointed because it didnt sound like gnr, im not dissapointed because it doesnt sound like stp.

Im dissapointed because TO ME it failed to capture all of the talents in all of the songs as a band as a whole. Theres some good parts and pieces in some of the songs but except for maybe YGNR none of the songs captured everything at once. I believe Weiland didnt "step up" in some of the songs and I also believe SLash was sort of "controlled" in a way on some of the songs. None of the osngs seemed to have everything click...so thats my whole opinion.

Live they are excellent, on this album they are average ....Hopefully their next album they can capture all of their talents that they are truly capable of and make it work in every song...peace

[gnrvrrule]

Got the album at midnight last night and listened straight through.  My favorite songs, so far, are Slither, Set Me Free, Superhuman, You Got No Right, and Sucker Train Blues.  My main criticism of the album is in the diversity of the songs.  Many of the first 6 songs are too similar; I was hoping for more of that classic Gn'r sound I guess.  This includes the lyrics, which are all based on Weiland alone.  I think this album would be better with some Izzy songs or more lyrics by other members of the band.  Overall, I think the drumming is great, most of Weiland's singing is above average, Dave surprised me in a good way on guitar, and Duff blends right in.  Slash, although he has few guitar solos, does a great job as expected.  I think many of these songs will grow on me and I will like it even more in the future.  I'm pretty satisfied and give it a 4 of 5.  

[gypsy eyes]

Your right - i struggled to find it too, why it wasn't with the 'new' albums is strange

one word: UNDERGROUND!
you go underground and you'll find it everywhere! I can just name ten stores that have all VR stuff, from shirts to Contraband... I got my cd friday, before it was even released officially, even in the rest of the country... connections people, connections


Is it really that hard to find over there? for reals??
I'm belgian, they got it all over here, and we ain't exactly the biggest thing in music now

[gypsy eyes]

does this cd have a parental advisory sticker?

only store i can buy this cd at this morning is walmart and if it has a parental advisory ill have to wait till this weekend

cause yes i have to drive 40 minutes for a record store that sales parental advisory cds

let me know somebody or i may just order it off amazon.com

it has a label yeah, so small you can hardly see it
and it says there's an edited version available too... almost chocked when I read that!

[stp4life]

You GNR fans kill me!!  You treat GNR like they were the second coming of Led Zeppelin (who, btw, are the greatest rock-n-roll band - PERIOD!)  The CD kicks ass and so does the band. Saw them in NYC!

[badgirl]

Just listened to it. Loving the Aliens......great, but Booker, it sounds nothing like Gnr and THAT is why I am so VERY impressed with it. Straight classic David Bowie and Slash sounds more like Mick Ronson than "Slash". Whatever, truly a wonderful song that NEEDS to be the second single. Fall to Pieces is too expected and generic, almost too Gnrish. You Got No Right is good as well. Out of the rockers I prefer Illegal I on first listen and Dirty Little Thing. Not a big fan of many of the rockers yet-seem to be missing that "big sing along chorus". Overall, the record I expected outside of LTA, it really suprised me.

Totally agree with this part. It kills me that FTP is going to be the second single and the song that the band is depending on to propel them up. YGNR is a critical favorite and i haven't read one negative thing about it here, among the fans. It's defintely "digestible" enough to be an early single, i don't know why they are going with FTP.  

[Jizzo]

Here is my personal honest review of Velvet Revolver?s Contraband.

Picked it up last night (midnight)at Tower on sunset, tlaked to some cool people.

Artwork 3 out of 5. The covers are great featuring a very bond like female siloulete. The problem is under that, the
booklet, c.d.?s and cases are all the same. The booklet features all the lyrics and pictures of the band.

On to the most important thing the music.

1. Suckertrain Blues. A song about the apocalypse. Great riff. A very nice touch with the siren near the beginning.
Nice touch using the line ?Running with the Devil?

2. Do it for the Kids. Went too fast I?m out of luck, and I don?t even give a fuck. The best vocal intro I?ve heard in a
long time. Catchy melody and chorus. More or less a song about growing up.

3. Big Machine. My personal favorite. The most 80?s of any song on here. A hook laden good time.

4. Illegal I song. Worst Song on the record. It makes no fucking sense. I just couldn't connect, maybe someday

5. Spectacle. A song about getting laid, or more precisely a whore with no dreams getting laid and someone being
there even though you treated them like shit.

6. Fall to Pieces. The most GNR of any of the tracks. The type of song you play when your in the doghouse and you
need to win the girl back. Scott?s vocals are amazing, never sounding this good. Slash?s solo is one of the best I?ve
heard in along long time. This is Velvet Revolver?s Sweet Child. VR will become huge when this gets released as a
single in July.

7. Headspace. A good song about needing a change of pace. Its a song about hope, and not wanting to die.

8. Superhuman. A song about a whore and drugs. Could Scott have written another track about Courtney? The line
Rodeo Rodeo Rodeo Rodeo seems out of place but still Scott makes it sound good. Kinda reminded me of pretty tied
up, with the line, ?Throw the Rope around her neck?

9. Set Me Free. You all already know that I love this track. Maybe the best song of 2003 but not even close to the
best song on this record. ?So set me free?!!!!

10. You Got No Right. There is a point about 2 and a half or 3 minutes into the song where you have to say ?Slash is
the best Guitarist around? Much better than the version I remember from the Smashbox. A possible radio hit if the
band goes that way.

11. Slither. Do I even have to say anything. Everyone is familiar with this song, being the first official single.

12. Dirty Little Thing. Duff joked this song is about Paris Hilton and after listening to it, he wasn?t joking. ?Dead
Men wishing they had gotten together with you girl?. Mentions her sex tape. Easily could be a hit. Just hire a hot
blond and you?ve got a hit video.

13. Loving the Aliens. Its a great ballad. Its in a bad spot on the album, its a really downer as the last song on a
record.

Bonus Tracks from the Slither Single

1. Bodies (Live at the El Rey). The band does the Sex Pistols justice. Scott nails the tone perfectly through the lyrics.
And the intro from ?the voice? is really good. ?The hulk couldn?t make it tonight, but we got some comic book
characters for you, from Hollywood Velvet Revolver?

2. Negative Creep. A studio version of the early Nirvana track. ?Daddy?s little girl isn?t a girl nomore?. A good song
about taking a girl?s virginity

[badgirl]

Here is my personal honest review of Velvet Revolver?s Contraband.

Picked it up last night (midnight)at Tower on sunset, tlaked to some cool people.

Artwork 3 out of 5. The covers are great featuring a very bond like female siloulete. The problem is under that, the
booklet, c.d.?s and cases are all the same. The booklet features all the lyrics and pictures of the band.

On to the most important thing the music.

1. Suckertrain Blues. A song about the apocalypse. Great riff. A very nice touch with the siren near the beginning.
Nice touch using the line ?Running with the Devil?

2. Do it for the Kids. Went too fast I?m out of luck, and I don?t even give a fuck. The best vocal intro I?ve heard in a
long time. Catchy melody and chorus. More or less a song about growing up.

3. Big Machine. My personal favorite. The most 80?s of any song on here. A hook laden good time.

4. Illegal I song. Worst Song on the record. It makes no fucking sense. I just couldn't connect, maybe someday

5. Spectacle. A song about getting laid, or more precisely a whore with no dreams getting laid and someone being
there even though you treated them like shit.

6. Fall to Pieces. The most GNR of any of the tracks. The type of song you play when your in the doghouse and you
need to win the girl back. Scott?s vocals are amazing, never sounding this good. Slash?s solo is one of the best I?ve
heard in along long time. This is Velvet Revolver?s Sweet Child. VR will become huge when this gets released as a
single in July.

7. Headspace. A good song about needing a change of pace. Its a song about hope, and not wanting to die.

8. Superhuman. A song about a whore and drugs. Could Scott have written another track about Courtney? The line
Rodeo Rodeo Rodeo Rodeo seems out of place but still Scott makes it sound good. Kinda reminded me of pretty tied
up, with the line, ?Throw the Rope around her neck?

9. Set Me Free. You all already know that I love this track. Maybe the best song of 2003 but not even close to the
best song on this record. ?So set me free?!!!!

10. You Got No Right. There is a point about 2 and a half or 3 minutes into the song where you have to say ?Slash is
the best Guitarist around? Much better than the version I remember from the Smashbox. A possible radio hit if the
band goes that way.

11. Slither. Do I even have to say anything. Everyone is familiar with this song, being the first official single.

12. Dirty Little Thing. Duff joked this song is about Paris Hilton and after listening to it, he wasn?t joking. ?Dead
Men wishing they had gotten together with you girl?. Mentions her sex tape. Easily could be a hit. Just hire a hot
blond and you?ve got a hit video.

13. Loving the Aliens. Its a great ballad. Its in a bad spot on the album, its a really downer as the last song on a
record.

Bonus Tracks from the Slither Single

1. Bodies (Live at the El Rey). The band does the Sex Pistols justice. Scott nails the tone perfectly through the lyrics.
And the intro from ?the voice? is really good. ?The hulk couldn?t make it tonight, but we got some comic book
characters for you, from Hollywood Velvet Revolver?

2. Negative Creep. A studio version of the early Nirvana track. ?Daddy?s little girl isn?t a girl nomore?. A good song
about taking a girl?s virginity

Jizzo, that is the best and most intelligent review i have read on this board about the album.   I highlighted the parts i agreed with.
A few questions:
1. about FTP being like Guns, and to a degree i think it is, musically. But lyrically? we've all discussed the simplicity of the lyrics on this particular song (and i think it is not ineffective here) but certainly Guns songs (with the exception of Don't Cry) are hardly so simple. But perhaps if you are comparing it with Don't Cry, than i would see what you mean. The more i think about those two (rather than Sweet Child), i can see the similarities.
2. about YGNR- do you think it is one of the best songs on the album?
3. about Courtney Love: what makes you think the song is about her? did she and Scott have any sort of beef in the past (that i clearly don't know about)?
4. which song would you think would be good to end the album with? I liked LTA last, i like ending a hard album in a mellow mood. It reminds me of sex, you know? i don't think that was lost on these guys either? you work yourself up in the beginning, and you chill at the end.

[Falcon]

After listening to the record all day, It's gone from a 6/10 in my initial review to a solid 8/10.

NO song by song here, just a few observations...

I love Scotts trippy lyrics and veiled references throughout.  

Slash has come light years in his sense of timing  His short, stealth solos
are far more radiating than some of the wankfest meanderings of the past...

I hear more Janes Addiction in there than GNR.....

Matt's still one of the best groove/rock drummers around, thank God he stuck to his guns and kept it modern...

FTP is definately the closest, (maybe the only) GNR type tune...

I think it will appeal more to STP fans than GNR...

Best Buy had the CD on the "New Release" end cap and on it's own 4 sided carousel....$9.99...

It's a good listen, better than I expected now that I have the final product...

[Jizzo]

1. about FTP being like Guns, and to a degree i think it is, musically. But lyrically? we've all discussed the simplicity of the lyrics on this particular song (and i think it is not ineffective here) but certainly Guns songs (with the exception of Don't Cry) are hardly so simple. But perhaps if you are comparing it with Don't Cry, than i would see what you mean. The more i think about those two (rather than Sweet Child), i can see the similarities.

The fact that I can easily see Axl singing over that riff more than anyother song on the record. The tone slash plays is something that could fit into the illusions era playing he did

2. about YGNR- do you think it is one of the best songs on the album?

Its not my persoanl favorite, but its a great song. Its the best song from the standpoint of musical technicality, there is no song on the record that perfect

3. about Courtney Love: what makes you think the song is about her? did she and Scott have any sort of beef in the past (that i clearly don't know about)?

Its just a song about a girl with a drug addiction. It was more or less of a joke, since Scott already wrote "Too Cool Queenie" about her

4. which song would you think would be good to end the album with? I liked LTA last, i like ending a hard album in a mellow mood. It reminds me of sex, you know? i don't think that was lost on these guys either? you work yourself up in the beginning, and you chill at the end.

I would of thought that negative creep would of been a good ending, just from the simularities with the siren and the tempo, but now that you put it that way, I kinda have to agree with you

[badgirl]

I love Scotts trippy lyrics and veiled references throughout.  

Slash has come light years in his sense of timing  His short, stealth solos
are far more radiating than some of the wankfest meanderings of the past...

Yup, and  .