Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I don't know about Slash, because everything he does I find amazing in a sense, but I think Duff is really playing great right now and he may have gotten alot better since leaving guns. I also think Matt's playing has a much more signature sound to it in comparison with the UYI albums where he hits everything perfect but it comes off impersonal. Like a machine doing it almost. Anyone agree, think anyone got better, or think anyone got worse?

i can hear matt, hes great now, much bigger improvment. duff i cant really say caus i cant hear bass well. and slash is still same o' slash.

you are dead on....

Duff and Matt's playing has really improved and Slash's playing has evolve. I would still love to hear Izzy with Slash again though. Hopefully we get to hear those Izzy songs one day.

No doubt about it on Duff, he's gone  from a serviceable clanker to a focused player these days.
Sobriety is a good thing.... 

In Matt's case, I always felt the UYI material held him back, just too lite to showcase his hard hitting style and too structured to let him find a groove.

Absolutely.  Guns N Roses was never the right band for Matt Sorum.  Velvet Revolver is the right place for him.  With VR, Matt was able to write his own drum parts and develop his own chemistry with the band, rather than attempt to fill Steven's shoes, which he never did successfully.  So Matt is definitely at his best right now.

Slash and Duff have improved in the sense that they're grown up, sober, and much more focused.  That doesn't necessarily mean their material is going to be better than GNR music, but it means they're going to focus more on creating the best material possible, rather than just drinking and jamming.

Slash is Slash his playing has in my opinion stayed the same and with Matt it is hard to judge his playing with Guns because the drum parts were pretty much all written before he came into Guns, but Duff there is no comparing his playing is so much better in VR, then in Guns, not as much clanking going on, and his singing has greatly improved, it is amazing what sobriety can do for a person.

I think Slash is alot better these days. I am not judging it from Contraband though because I don't think it showcases him very well.  But I have seen him with the Snakepits and downloaded various performances. He has really perfected his tone and the way he uses the tones to make notes really dig into you. The biggest example of this for me was at the Roseland Camp Freddy show last year or whenever it was.

Matt - YES!!
Duff - maybe his playing is better, but i liked his sound better during Guns era...
Slash - yes, but too bad he doesn't show that on Contraband...

For me its all about Duff. His bass just owns the songs on Contraband. Gotta love the tone of the bass on Superhuman :peace:

I think it's kind of normal that musicians improve with time, because practice only makes you better...

Duff does amazing on Contraband..I agree with you!
Erin

Matt is for shure better now, i mean, he is more involved with VR than he was with Guns. he has more feeling now, not so technical... and Duff is amazing, he is fantastic, you can feel is hapyness and energy on that bass!!!! :drool:

  I think Duff is the one who really shines when he plays bass,  the songs always seem to have an added depth to them,
that even the new GNR  cant replace which, i know, is sad.    maybe Duff can play in both bands!