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Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
Contraband was a step in the right direction. If they weren't getting that with Scott last time out then they should have fired him right then and there. There is potential on Contraband and it was a great start to Velvet Revolver. I don't understand how some don't see it. If you don't care just focus on the music there are some great riffs from our old friend Slash and some of the songs have a good rock groove to them. The solo and guitar work by Slash on You Got No Right it magic at least to my ears. 
- R.B. Huckleberry
- Rep: 2
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
I loved Contraband. I'm a fan of Weiland & STP, so between the ex-Gunners & Scott I was going to find something I liked. I never owne a copy of Libertad (I dunno why), and my wife brought one home for me today. I have no complaints about either album. They're both really good.
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
i was a huge fan of CB when it came out.. still am.
i was a huge fan of stp as well... so take that for what it is... the songs are great..it's exactly what i expected. i hold CD closer to my heart cuz of the drama involved.. and i almost always gave axl the edge over slash. i was kinda bummed out that the material that they wrote with izzy was pretty much scrapped.. (save "do it for the kids/bomb")..and some of the songs BEGGED for axl..( "big machine" )... 7/10
libertad was another story altogether...some interesting, catchy stuff.. but too fucking quirky for it's own good.. while contraband was clearly GNR territory musically ... libertad had no distinguising features.. it was like they tried to "forge their own sound" and ended up making a sexed up "shangri la-dee-da" it's not a bad record.. i just expected much more...5/10( and that's being generous bacause i like the musicians involved)
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
CB kicks ass. It's even better live too...the record was a little flat in terms of production guitar sound IMHO...but you see it live and Slash knocks your balls off.
I think Snakepit #1 is better though....that's got afd style riffs all over it!
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
I think both albums are more listenable than CD. Libertad has some great guitar work that you can barely hear between Scott's voice and the "tone" of Dave's guitar. As much as it pains me to say this, Bach would have made for a better choice as singer. I'm not a fan of Scott's voice or lyrics, so how much worse could Bach have been? I know they were afraid of being pigeon-holed, but at some point, you have to accept and embrace what you are.
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
i was a huge fan of CB when it came out.. still am.
i was a huge fan of stp as well... so take that for what it is... the songs are great..it's exactly what i expected. i hold CD closer to my heart cuz of the drama involved.. and i almost always gave axl the edge over slash. i was kinda bummed out that the material that they wrote with izzy was pretty much scrapped.. (save "do it for the kids/bomb")..and some of the songs BEGGED for axl..( "big machine" )... 7/10
libertad was another story altogether...some interesting, catchy stuff.. but too fucking quirky for it's own good.. while contraband was clearly GNR territory musically ... libertad had no distinguising features.. it was like they tried to "forge their own sound" and ended up making a sexed up "shangri la-dee-da" it's not a bad record.. i just expected much more...5/10( and that's being generous bacause i like the musicians involved)
I have never thought of Libertad as a sexed-up Shangri-La. Interesting.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
I liked it when it first came out but then I got into other music and realized how boring it was. There's no depth in it, and while it's light years ahead of Libertad, it's still much worse than any GNR cd (including ChiDem) or Snakepit's first album.
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
Some good ideas, but ultimately lacking. Vocals are terrible, but the worst part is the arrangements. So shallow and simple. I feel that's the case with all the ex-members post GN'R work. While CD isn't perfect I think it shows who they've always needed to put their combined talent together and make it greater than the sum of parts.
Some of the best songs on AFD were initially laughed at and thrown in the trash by these guys...
Re: Re-Visiting Contraband
Some good ideas, but ultimately lacking. Vocals are terrible, but the worst part is the arrangements. So shallow and simple. I feel that's the case with all the ex-members post GN'R work. While CD isn't perfect I think it shows who they've always needed to put their combined talent together and make it greater than the sum of parts.
By that, you mean Izzy right?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
I largely agree with what you're saying, GNR was more the sum of its parts than any other band I can think of before or since. A bunch of fuck-ups who found gold together. VR just doesn't add up to what the sum of its parts should have been. They put out two good albums, but nothing more than good, not mindblowing or anything like that. I would say the same about Chinese Democracy though.
I'm a Weiland fan so I don't mind the vocals, his lyrics are pretty god aweful a lot of the time though, STP or VR. I can see his hippie attitude towards life in general really not meshing with the rest of the guys songwriting wise, songwriting or touring wise.
