Velvet Revolver Load New CD

Velvet Revolver will release their debut album, Contraband, on May 18th, preceded by a new single, "Slither," which will make its way to radio late next month.

The hard-rocking supergroup features former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland backed by former Guns n' Roses members, guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum. Guitarist Dave Kushner rounds out the lineup.

"As a whole, the album is a true representation of the best aspects of STP's music, and the best aspects of Guns n' Roses, when they were at their best," Weiland told Rolling Stone late last year, "vicious, streamlined, living off strippers, and their music was great. It's a perfect marriage between the two."

Among Contraband's songs, McKagan called "Fall to Pieces" "an arena rocker," and Weiland said of "Slither," "[it's] a dark, prodding heavy one that definitely has an old STP vibe to it." "Sucker Train Blues," "Super Human," "You Got No Right," "Set Me Free" and "Headspace" are among the other ten songs to make the record from a pool of more than fifty. The group co-produced the set with Josh Abraham (Limp Bizkit, Staind). "It's an album," McKagan said. "It's twelve songs. It's not a single with eleven fillers. It's a journey."

Velvet Revolver are planning a full touring schedule for 2004, though no dates have been confirmed yet.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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