Contraband (Velvet Revolver album)

Contraband is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Velvet Revolver, released on June 8, 2004 by RCA Records. A commercial success, Contraband debuted at number one on the American Billboard 200 chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.[1][2]

Contraband
Studio album by
Velvet Revolver
ReleasedJune 8, 2004
RecordedJune – December 2003
StudioNRG and Pulse Recording
GenreHard rock
Length56:47
LabelRCA
Producer
Velvet Revolver chronology
Contraband
(2004)		 Melody and the Tyranny (EP)
(2007)
Singles from Contraband
  1. "Set Me Free"
    Released: June 17, 2003
  2. "Slither"
    Released: May 24, 2004
  3. "Fall to Pieces"
    Released: September 13, 2004
  4. "Dirty Little Thing"
    Released: September 13, 2004

Background and recording

Velvet Revolver formed when 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 a band and recruited guitarist Dave Kushner who had previously played with Suicidal Tendencies, Wasted Youth, and Dave Navarro. 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. 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 while Weiland suggested Black Velvet Revolver which was shortened to Velvet Revolver.

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 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.

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".

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.

The album cover features a silhouette of American actress Rena Riffel.[3]

Scott Borchetta named his record label Big Machine Records after the Contraband song of the same name.[4]

Slash recorded "Sucker Train Blues" with a Fender Telecaster 1956 and a Fender Stratocaster 1965.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(65/100)[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
Blabbermouth.net[8]
Blender[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[10]
Mojo[6]
PopMatters[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Stylus MagazineD+[13]
Ultimate Guitar Archive(8.7/10)[14]
Yahoo! Music[15]

Metacritic.com has given Contraband an average score of 65 based on 14 reviews, indicating that the critical response has been "generally favorable".[6]

Mojo rated the album as "a perpetually guilty pleasure."[6][16] Q magazine said it was "astonishingly good" rating it as four stars.[17]

Rolling Stone rated it as 4 stars out of 5 and 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."[12]

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."[18]

Entertainment Weekly gave it a B−, saying, "[E]ven at its sharpest, Contraband feels secondhand, and much of it is also hobbled by a disconnect between singer and band."[10]

Allmusic 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"[7]

Blender said it was "A showcase for Weiland's vocals".[9] 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"[19]

In 2005, Contraband was ranked number 317 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[20]

Commercial performance

Contraband debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 256,000 copies in its first week of release.[1] Notably, this marked the best-ever debut for a new rock artist in the SoundScan era. The album would eventually 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 the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, an award Weiland had previously won for the Stone Temple Pilots song "Plush" in 1994. 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. In January 2005, Velvet Revolver were 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.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Scott Weiland, except where noted; all music is composed by Velvet Revolver, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
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" 5:35
11."Slither" 4:08
12."Dirty Little Thing"Velvet Revolver/Keith Nelson[21]3:57
13."Loving the Alien" 5:48
United Kingdom edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Bodies" (live Sex Pistols cover)Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Sid Vicious, Paul Cook 
Tour Edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Surrender" (Cheap Trick cover)Rick Nielsen4:25
2."No More No More" (Aerosmith cover)Steven Tyler, Joe Perry5:39
3."Fall to Pieces" (Acoustic Version)Scott Weiland4:09
4."Slither" (music video)Weiland, Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Dave Kushner4:11
5."Fall to Pieces" (music video)Weiland4:34
6."Dirty Little Thing" (music video)Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Keith Nelson3:58
Australian bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Surrender" (Cheap Trick cover)Nielsen4:25
2."No More No More" (Aerosmith cover)Tyler, Perry5:39
3."Negative Creep" (Nirvana cover)Kurt Cobain6:49
4."Slither" (music video)Weiland, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Kushner4:11
5."Fall to Pieces" (music video)Weiland4:34

Note

  • The version of "Set Me Free" on the album is different from the version on The Hulk soundtrack with different mixing and also contains a slightly different ending.

Personnel

Adapted from the album's booklet.[21]

Charts

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
2004 "Slither" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Modern Rock Tracks 1
The Billboard Hot 100 56
"Fall to Pieces" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Modern Rock Tracks 2
The Billboard Hot 100 67
"Dirty Little Thing" Mainstream Rock Tracks 8
2005 Modern Rock Tracks 18
"Fall to Pieces" Adult Top 40 25

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[45] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[46] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[48] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Velvet Revolver Shoots Straight to No. 1". billboard.com. June 16, 2004.
  2. "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  3. Contraband at IMDb
  4. Willman, Chris (October 26, 2015). "Big Machine's Scott Borchetta on Taylor Swift, the Fight Against Free and Remaining 'Bold and Disruptive' on 10-Year Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. "Contraband on SlashParadise". www.slashparadise.com. November 16, 2012.
  6. "Critic Reviews for Contraband". Metacritic. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  7. Loftus, Johnny. "Contraband Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  8. Kaye, Don. "Velvet Revolver - Contraband (RCA)". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on August 16, 2004. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  9. Collis, Clark. "Contraband Review". Blender. p. 148. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  10. Browne, David (June 4, 2004). "Contraband Review". Entertainment Weekly.
  11. Powell, David (June 30, 2004). "Velvet Revolver: Contraband". Pop Matters. Archived from the original on August 27, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2010.
  12. Fricke, David (June 24, 2004). "Velvet Revolver". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  13. Ross, R.S. (June 30, 2004). "Velvet Revolver - Contraband - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007.
  14. "Contraband Review". Ultimate Guitar Archive. February 13, 2008.
  15. Gennoe, Dan (June 24, 2004). "Velvet Revolver - Contraband". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on June 25, 2004.
  16. Mojo (July): 127. 2004. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. Q (July): 127. 2004. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. Velvet Revolver: Contraband [2004] Shaking Through.net: Music: Review]
  19. "Playlouder - Latest". Archived from the original on 2011-04-30. Retrieved 2004-06-20.
  20. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 83. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. Contraband (CD booklet). Velvet Revolver. RCA Records. 2004.CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. "Australiancharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  23. "Austriancharts.at – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  24. "Ultratop.be – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  26. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5971". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  27. "Danishcharts.dk – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  29. "Velvet Revolver: Contraband" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  30. "Lescharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  31. "Offiziellecharts.de – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  32. "Italiancharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  33. "Charts.nz – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  34. "Norwegiancharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  35. "Portuguesecharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  36. "Swedishcharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  37. "Swisscharts.com – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  38. "Velvet Revolver | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  39. "Velvet Revolver Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  40. "Årslista Album – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  41. "UK Year-End Chart 2004" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  42. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  43. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  44. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  45. "Canadian album certifications – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  46. "Japanese album certifications – Velvet Revolver – Contraband" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2004年9月 on the drop-down menu
  47. "British album certifications – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 February 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Contraband in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  48. "American album certifications – Velvet Revolver – Contraband". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 February 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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