Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I'm listening right now to Slash's " It's five o' clock somewhere" .As VR's contraband has just been released, just wanted to compare both albums music wise, especially the guitar parts.


This not intended to create any controversy. Feel free to openly debate the thread.

I hadn't heard this album in at least 5 years. And I don't blame myself. Contraband compare to Snakepit sounds like Appetite for Destruction. Although I see some similarities...

Snakepit is boring, so is Contraband.
Endless albums. Snakepit bores the hell out of me. Contraband does at some stage, but it does change the vibe with " YGNR", Slither, Loving the alien....

Lineal guitar riffs
It's been 10 years and it seems like Slash's playing is still the same. I see no evolution. This may be a good thing for many people but I was expecting something different. I have no intention to talk about Slash's work with GNR, but such work seemed pretty ahead of its time. UYI's guitar work is far more ecclectic, modern and relevant than any of Slash's work after.

Vocals
Contraband is far better in that dept but still I see some similarities there as well. By reading how VR got together and how they start working on the songs, Slash and duff had written 60+ songs ( riffs) which were handed to Weiland so he could work on the lyircs and melodies based on the mentioned riffs. In Snakepit, I assume the same process was followed ( please correct me if i'm wrong) the melodies in both album lack something. I'm trying to find the word to describe, but the melodies in both albums are weak. With the exepcion of YGNR, slither SMF and LTA. Now, Why isn't the same pattern occurs with the GNR albums?  Why the melodies are so different? could it be because the song writing process was slightly different?

Bass Line
I cant hardly eve recognize the bass line except for Sucketrain blues. Snakepit is pretty much the same. The bass line is hardly uinrecognizeble.  The rythm guitar outshadows the bass.

Awful, awful songs
Take it Away ( snakepit) Big Machine(contraband)

Ok, I was jsut taking the piss in the last one, but you get the point. :beer:


Also, I find pretty interesting that Axl Rose is not in the Snakepit thank you notes. Yeah, he doesn't play in the album, but neither does Chris Cornell, Lenny Kravitz nor Layne Staley. This leads me to believe the Axl Vs Slash  feud had already started.  Maybe Slash had suggested the riffs of sankepit for the guns album and Axl had rejected them??? Thanx God he did anyway....

I'm on the other side of the planet than you on this one.

I disliked Snakepit's albums.

I love Contraband to the degree that it is my favorite album since AFD.

I agree regarding the Snakepit albums. They are awful.

Contraband is a much better album, although I thought it had some similarities though....

Then I must be on the other side of the galaxy than both of you, because I liked both Snakepit albums and I love Contraband.

I will concede that Rod Jackson is one of the worst singers alive, but the music on Ain't Life Grand kicks ass, making his vocals semi-bearable (for me at least).  Slash's riffs on such songs as "Serial Killer", and especially "Mean Bone" are really incredible.

I agree.  : ok:

I've noticed a similarity between "Speed Parade" and "Dirty Little Thing"  ...the tempo of the song and the solo seem similar to my ears.  Plus they both come right before the last song.

Plus both "Ain't Life Grand" and CB end with a song w/ "Alien" as the theme, although symbolized in very different ways.  

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't snakepit have two different singers?

only similiarities is slash was in both bands

come on serial killer is the worst god damn song, slash's snakepit are fuckin brutal because of the singer


now the music is unbelievable on what ive heard

but god damn that singer and those lyrics are deplorable


scott weiland is the fucking man! if u dont know that yet its time to wake up and fuckin recognize!

That's kind of a rough thing to say ROD JACKSON is horrible, I wouldnt chear him on at a kareokia bar. Scott doesnt deserve to be in the same sentence as ROD

Oh yeah?
sorry? but great lyrics:
i'm getting up
falling to pieces
i'm taking a shower
falling to pieces
i'm taking my breakfast
falling to pieces.....

The thing is that you compared Rod with Axl is simple.
Even those songs have more driven force than contraband,
the solo on Been there lately is way better than one on Suckertrain
and even the song is better. And there are many songs than are great.
 :peace:

Now, that's a blasphemy.
Well, if you're saying It's five o'clock somewhere, I agree with you.
And to the guy that say not to compare Rod with Scott, well I agree with you, while one was an underdog, and the other a veteran. I respect the underdog for writin' those lyrics, not the best, but at least not repetitive.
 :peace:

I hear NONE..
Apart from loving both Snakepit albums and CB....
Just my opinion but hearing people hateing the snakepit albums is bullshit...maybe the vocalists are different but the music rocks.......if Axl was singing on those songs everyone would love it.

Actually there's more, Matt played drums on the first album and Duff co-wrote one song.



/jarmo

Yes, Eric Dover sang on It's Five o Clock Somewhere and Rod Jackson sang on Ain't Life Grand.



Rod's studio vocals are bearable, mostly because the music is so kickass, it deemphasizes them a bit.  But I have a live bootleg of Slash's Snakepit from 2000 where (because of the way the bootleg was recorded) Rod's vocals are more apparent than the music, and he is a horrible singer.


You're right, because Scott kicks Rod's ass in the vocals department.

What a great thread!

Although i don't equate the horrible Snakepit albums to Contraband, they both ended up in the trunk of my car after a week of listening.

My problem is that I can't bear hearing Jackson so I can't get a good feel of the music on Ain't Life Grand.

If I could have somehow removed his voice thus listening to  the instrumentals themselves, I might be able to appreciate ALG more......but the vocals were so fuckin brutal.....I gave up!

Thank GOD for Weiland!!!

I can't see the similarities myself...

I despise the first Snakepit album but adore Ain't life grand - i think Rod Jackson is great on that, the music is fantastic, wonderful album

I also like Contraband :peace: