Could Contraband signal a revival of rock? We need it.

[matt88]

Nah they're to old.

They haven't brought anything new to the music world. And they really can't either. But hopefully some young rockers will be encouraged by their success and more rock(decent rock) will come our way hopefully.

[Booker Floyd]

Im sure Vr and RcA will do well financially but who cares? DOes that really determine if this band is good or popular?

Pretty much.

Slithers #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart for the 3rd week in a row.  Its also #1 on the Modern Rock chart.  Theyre selling out every show they play.  They were #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and a week later still in the top 3.  The album is getting mostly good reviews.  So I dont think "being good" or popularity is a problem right now...

[Rebecca Duff Rose]

We certainly are blessed with Contraband!!!!!!  

I thank VR sooooooooo much!  

For a new Rock Revolution!

You guys are the whizz!  

[younggunner]

Pretty much.

Not really. I said it will do well financially. And they will do fine touring wise. BUt in the grand scheme of things, music wise it doesnt give you an accurate assessment of the success of the album.

If the the total projects costs lets just say like 4 million{cost to make cd/promotion,etc} just for arguments sake.
Lets say they break even or go well past that early on during the first few months. But what if the album sales drop after that. Does that mean it was a success music wise?

My point is just because the band/album does well financially, initially, doesnt mean it will do well over the long haul.

If CB gets a shitload of singles out of the album and people are still buying the album 6 months to a yr from now then fine, no doubt, its a success.

BUt you have to gauge it when the smoke clears. The hype, the name, the promo, stp/gnr fans carried the album sales for the first few weeks. After that its all on the album and the singles to sell to the skeptical/questionalble/reg rock fan or whoever.

[Booker Floyd]

Pretty much.

Not really. I said it will do well financially.

Yes, and thats what record companies care about.

[the dirt]

Pretty much.

Not really. I said it will do well financially.

Yes, and thats what record companies care about.

Sure that's what rec companies care about...

But the question is wheather Contraband could be a signal of the revival of rock. I say I'ts possible.

And to actually spur on a movement does not reflect on the quality of the disc in many cases. It's a matter of drawing interest, and gaining a level of interest that hasn't been seen in a while.

[Falcon]

Pretty much.

Not really. I said it will do well financially.

Yes, and thats what record companies care about.

Exactly.

That's all that record companies care about.

An artist doesn't sell records out of the gate, funds are pulled and touring stops.  

Doesn't look like we have to worry about that here....

[younggunner]

Yes, and thats what record companies care about.

Whos disputing that

Again Im talking about the music/popularity side

[Booker Floyd]

Yes, and thats what record companies care about.

Whos disputing that

Again Im talking about the music/popularity side

Theyre getting good reviews, both for the tour and the album, and "Slither" is topping all of the main rock charts, not to mention doing well on the MTV countdowns.  So wheres the uncertainty on their popularity?

[younggunner]

So wheres the uncertainty on their popularity?

There is no uncertainty of thier popular right now. Ive adressed that already.

I said when the smoke clears thats when we can gauge what the album has really accomplished. If sales keep up, obiviously not like it opened but if it does well and remains in the charts and they can get 4 or 5 singles out of the album, then yes the album did well.

The hype, the promotion, the name, and the stp/gnr fan carried will and has carried the album inittially. But when the smoke clears the album will have to carry its own weight.

[Oddy]

they've created a good album, but its not gonna change the rock n roll world. All it is is just a good rock n roll album and thats all. i love the album though.

and VR can't be the revival of rock, they're just paving the way for unknown bands.

bands like one that i'll form sometime next year, start doin some gigs, word will spread, and the rest is history  

[jarmo]

Theyre getting good reviews, both for the tour and the album, and "Slither" is topping all of the main rock charts, not to mention doing well on the MTV countdowns.  So wheres the uncertainty on their popularity?

Look at the European album charts and you'll see.

Maybe that'll change when they tour over here, but right now VR is like STP (huge in USA, not so big in Europe).

I'm certainly not seeing a rock revival over here because of "Contraband".



/jarmo

[Hoosier]

i think thers has been a flirt with a "rock revival" for the last few years. lets make a list of bands doing (or have done) a modern rock n roll album.

velvet revolver
nickelback
van halen
audioslave
tesla

those bands alone are good enough for some sort of revival. what would happen if all the bands released their nest album in the same month? all (expect for VH so far) have had a hit single, so its not impossible for a new movement of some sort.

the thing  is, we ned a NEW band, someone fresh. and all it takes from them is one song. example: smells like teen spirit

[Falcon]

i think thers has been a flirt with a "rock revival" for the last few years. lets make a list of bands doing (or have done) a modern rock n roll album.

velvet revolver
nickelback
van halen
audioslave
tesla

No offense but...Tesla???

How 'bout we trade Tesla and VH for Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson..

Add the Foos to the list

[SLCPUNK]

I don't think there will ever be a "return" of rock like it used to be. Music is run based on numbers now. What makes the most money is what is popular, not what is the best product.

I keep seeing these "rock" bands on Letterman and Leno, and I keep waiting for them to rock. They suck. I mean...the suck!!! I usually will watch an entire performance and wonder...who actually likes this shit? I can't figure out who.

Rock making a big comeback? I doubt it though.

[Oddy]

don't worry, you can count on me to bring rock back.


oh i will, you can count on it.




i'll bring rock back to couple of drunks in a pub

[TyRod Tulip]

I heard FTP on WBCN early today.  I almost hit a tree when it came on.  After the song, the deejay said that they were getting a ton of calls requesting FTP.  He apologized and said they can't play it as often as they'de like because it has yet to be released (I'm not sure why that matters?)

Anyway, if this is any indication, then the release of FTP could have a pretty big impact.  I doubt we will see a change in music that we can call a "revival of rock and roll", but I think the album has 5 singles in it easy, and will be around for a while I think.

I'm sure RCA is glad they got VR in the fold.

-TyRod-

[Hoosier]

yea i think Fall to Peices is going to carry this album. its not a "rock changing song" but it should be one of the biggest hits of this year.

and just to add on about Tesla. i bought their new album 'Into the Now' for one song and my opinion on it now is that it is BETTER than CB. i play CB about every day and love it but Tesla has made an album that is very similar to Velvet Revolver, just some better (and harder/heavier) songs.

[Mr Cowbell ?]

i think thers has been a flirt with a "rock revival" for the last few years. lets make a list of bands doing (or have done) a modern rock n roll album.

velvet revolver
nickelback
van halen
audioslave
tesla

Nickelback is not a rock revival their first album was not bad. Now all there songs sound the same. THey have their guitars so much distorted or through into a Drop D sound you can't hear nice clean chords or you cant hear any riffs. VH is old and making the same kinds of Songs, they arent gonna return rock. They are gonna fill arenas with fans who want to HEAR THE OLD HITS. Telsa's new single was ok, nothing too exciting.

Both Audioslave and VR are good bands with some nice rock sound to them.  But I think it will take more then one band to change things. Like stated above. VR is gonna have to influence other bands to write and play ROCK. Not drop d distortion.  

Maybe add bands like Foo Fighters or THe Darkness to bands who play good ROCK. Marylin is ok too.

[Mattman]

Velvet Revolver ain't gonna save rock 'n' roll all by themselves.  They're too old to become the new band for a new generation.  A band that saves rock 'n' roll will be either like The Beatles and Nirvana, who led blitzkrieg revolutions in rock that totally changed the musical landscape in a short amount of time, or it will be like the post-punk period in which a large number of new rock bands slowly brought the music back to the fore.  Personally, I think that right now we already ARE experiencing a rock 'n' roll revival, but it's of the second, slower type.  What we've seen are a whole bunch of bands that are slowly bringing back what we like to think of as "real" rock 'n' roll.  None of them has become the next Nirvana and made a huge change, but together they're making a bit of a difference.

The future for rock is not as bleak as many of you guys think it is.  I can see a few developments right now that make me more hopeful than I used to be:

1) There's a whole bunch of new bands that, together, are culminatively reviving the presence of old-fashioned rock 'n' roll on the charts.  The Strokes, The Darkness, Jet, The White Stripes.  None of them are absolutely huge, but they're still there, and their impact is being felt.

2) Older bands (of this generation) are coming into a period of new creative highs much as bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones did in the early 70s.  Blink-182 has just put out a new, darker, more mature album in which they experiment with different sounds.  Green Day is making a "punk rock opera", which has never been done before.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers have gone from practitioners of randy punk funk to a melodic yet hard rock band influenced by the Beach Boys and The Beatles.  It all marks a new period of creative growth.

3) The rise of the supergroup.  Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Velvet Revolver.  They're all there, and while none of them has changed the world (name me one supergroup that has), they're all making some pretty rockin' tunes that have revived otherwise boring rock radio.

Velvet Revolver are simply adding more to the foundation of something which is already happening, which is a general rock revival spearheaded by a whole bunch of different bands that don't have a whole lot in common, but speak to the larger re-emergence of guitar rock.  Contraband doesn't need to save rock 'n' roll all by itself...it can help other bands bring it back.  And that's what it's doing.