Contraband is the debut studio album by the hard rock band Velvet Revolver, released on June 8, 2004 by RCA Records. Contraband debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. Velvet Revolver was formed when Guns N’ Roses musicians Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) combined to play a benefit concert for fellow musician Randy Castillo in 2002.
They decided to form a band and they recruited guitarist Dave. Kushner, who had previously played with Suicidal Tendencies, Wasted Youth and Dave Navarro. The foursome then set out to recruit a lead singer with the recruitment process filmed by VH1. Several lead singers auditioned, including Buckcherry‘s Josh Todd, Neurotica‘s Kelly Shaefer, and Days of the New‘s Travis Meeks.
Scott Weiland had befriended McKagan and played on the same bill as Kushner when Stone Temple Pilots were known as Mighty Joe Young and Kushner was at Electric Love Hogs. Weiland heard the material and offered his services as 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 their first song 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 concert at El Rey in Los Angeles in July 2003. They recorded Contraband in late 2003 with recording complicated by Weiland‘s court appearances on drug charges and his subsequent sentence to undertake rehab.
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 US 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.
Tracklist:
- Sucker Train Blues
- Do It for the Kids
- Big Machine
- Illegal i Song
- Spectacle
- Fall to Pieces
- Headspace
- Superhuman
- Set Me Free
- You Got No Right
- Slither
- Dirty Little Thing
- Loving the Alien
United Kingdom edition - Bodies (live Sex Pistols cover)
Velvet Revolver
Scott Weiland: lead vocals
Slash: lead guitar, backing vocals
Duff McKagan: bass, backing vocals
Matt Sorum: drums, backing vocals
Dave Kushner: rhythm guitar
Design
Robin C. Hendrickson: art direction
Brett Kilroe: art direction
Dan Winters: photography
Production
Josh Abraham: production
Douglas Grean: keyboards on tracks 6, 10 and 13, vocal production, engineering, associate producer of “Set Me Free”
Nick Raskulinecz: production on “Set Me Free”
Andy Wallace: mixing
Chris Young: mixing assistance
Ryan Williams: engineering
Brandon Belsky: engineering assistance
Rocco Guarino: engineering assistance
George Marino: mastering
Scott Weiland (October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015)
