An Interesting Observation On Contraband...

[Booker Floyd]

Ive yet to listen to the album, and wont until Tuesday, so Im refraining from any discussion about the actual songs...

But Im reading the reviews and observed that the opinions vary wildly, which I believe is a good thing.  Ive seen nearly every song get a nod as somebodys favorite, and Ive seen nearly all of them mentioned as least-favorites.  One post reads "Loving The Alien" is amazing, my favorite track," another reads ""LTA" is boring, everything else is good."  One reads ""Fall To Pieces" is a classic," another - "FTP is awful 80s cheese".  ""Superhuman is the best track and "Big Machine" is catchy"/""Big Machine" is bland and "Superhuman" isnt very good".  Etc. etc. etc.

So it seems despite anybodys opinion, its an...interesting album at the very least.

Feel free to share your own "Favorite/Least-Favorite" song...As well as favorite lyric, best/worst single moment, etc.

[younggunner]

My feelings on the songs and album as a whole are basically the same. Theres some good parts and pieces but nothing over the top or complete. Except for YGNR.

The best rocker on the album is "Illegal I". It has punch and is something a lil different. Musically and vocally its good. Good vibe and you can feel the energy. Sounds like Janes Addiction and a little Led Zepellin. Fun Song.

The other "rockers" are descent. But they arent classic or even really that grimy rock the band has been talking about. Like another poster has said its more on the alternative side.
Headspace, and  Superhuman{except for the chorus} are good songs as well.
Like I said there are some good parts on the songs and they are catchy but I was expecting something different. Except for YGNR and maybe Illegal I, there nt one song that captures everything the band could offer. 1 song might have good guitars but lack lyrics and vice versa. Just sounds a lil rushed and the production wasnt great either.
Spectacle and Dirty Little Thing shouldt even be on the album.

As for the ballads. Overall they are much better than the rocker type songs. And thats probably the biggest surprise to me regarding this bands first effort.

The best song on the album is "You Got No Right". Its got the classic Slash solo that is great. And Weiland actually doesnt ruin the song. The intro to the song reminds me of the Beatles a little. This imo, is the best song on the whole album.

FTp is another good ballad. Its great musically and its catchy lyric wise. I wish the lyrics could have been better but overall its a good song.

LTA is good musically but Weiland kinda ruins it. It sounds liek an STP ballad{which is not a good thing}. What saves it is Slash's solo and guitar throughout the song.

Overall i would prob give this album a "C+ maybe B". I think its a fair grade. Like I said theres a lot of good parts and stuff but it just seems like it was rushed. Theres a handful of songs that standout and even those could have been better. But those aside, the rest of the songs particularlky the "rockers' are the same. Its definately better than the stuff thats out there so thats a positive. They have the right attitude so i hope in their next album they capture everything in every song.

When I first heard about this band getting together I was extremely excited. I love stp and Weiland. And Ive always loved slash and duff. I must admit I have lost a little love for Weiland though. It seems like he didnt step up. SLash stepped up in this album. I haved crititsized his work post gnr, but he def. stepped up in a big way. His guitar work on this album is excellent and I finally get to hear the Slash I know. For the most part he showcases his great talents on this album. So im happy about that. But weiland seemed liek he couldnt keep up with the band lyricly. HEs great at writing catchy chorus and stuff but it kinda gets old as you listen to the album. I really didnt feel the energy and emotion from him aside from some of the ballads.

Im happy to see slash and duff doing well. Like i said overall the record is good. And im proud of them.  I hope this band does well. They are  awesome live and you should def check them out. Its a great experience. Enjoy the album and Vr.....peace....

[Falcon]

I listened to the entire thing tonight..

My best description of the entire album is, in a word:

Focused.

It's a good listen.

[younggunner]

What are your thoughts on the "rockers" falcon?

[Falcon]

What are your thoughts on the "rockers" falcon?

Off the top of my head..

"Slither" is my favorite.  The best song on the record, the absolute perfect choice for the lead single.

"Suckertrain" is a great opening song, hits you right in the face..
2nd to the above...

"Big Machine" is a Sorum showcase, groove, groove, groove...

"Do it For the Kids" is angrier in the studio than live, much better on the record..

Still digesting the rest, but a few thought for you YG..

Not gonna ask me about the ballads?  C'mon, I love 'em, can't get enough

[Jizzo]

I'm inpressed, even with it being the clean version.

STB makes me want to go out and drive really fast. Plus it has the words running with the devil in the lyrics
Scotts fast rap on dirty little thing is amazing.
Big Machine is a song no one will understand is a negative because it makes you feel good.
Illegal I and Spectical don't stand out in my memory
Fall to pieces makes me want to call up my exgirlfriend beg for forgiveness then fuck
Headspace grows on you. Its catchy
Superhuman is a song about drugs, it doesn't suck
set me free, i like scotts added lines near the end
YGNR doesn't sound like the song I remember from the smashbox, but its amazing anyways
Slither. No need to say anything
Dirty Lil Thing. Definately a future fan favorite
Loving the aliens, my comp never plays it right, so i have to pass judgement later

[younggunner]

Not gonna ask me about the ballads?  C'mon, I love 'em, can't get enough

Theres a reason i didnt ask lol  

but ill ask anyway...your thoughts on the ballads particularly ygnr

[Falcon]

Not gonna ask me about the ballads?  C'mon, I love 'em, can't get enough

Theres a reason i didnt ask lol  

but ill ask anyway...your thoughts on the ballads particularly ygnr

YGNR is a decent tune, doesn't have the emotive feel of Fall to Pieces..

FTP is what it is, a flat out power ballad to the nth degree.  Scott pours his soul out to his chick, very personal.

Loving the Alien is the most listenable for me, interesting song...

To sum up, you might be hearing any/all of the ballads on this sucker at a prom near you...

[Mr Cowbell ?]

To sum up, you might be hearing any/all of the ballads on this sucker at a prom near you...

No all they play anymore are rap and hiphop. My four years of high school never once did I hear any GNR and 9 of 10 songs were either dance beats or rap. Theres no need for Vanilla Ice in 1999.

One of our themes was "THE JUNGLE" and they had signs on the entrance that said "Welcome to the Jungle" and still no GnR

[metallex78]

Ive yet to listen to the album, and wont until Tuesday, so Im refraining from any discussion about the actual songs...

But Im reading the reviews and observed that the opinions vary wildly, which I believe is a good thing.  Ive seen nearly every song get a nod as somebodys favorite, and Ive seen nearly all of them mentioned as least-favorites.  One post reads "Loving The Alien" is amazing, my favorite track," another reads ""LTA" is boring, everything else is good."  One reads ""Fall To Pieces" is a classic," another - "FTP is awful 80s cheese".  ""Superhuman is the best track and "Big Machine" is catchy"/""Big Machine" is bland and "Superhuman" isnt very good".  Etc. etc. etc.

So it seems despite anybodys opinion, its an...interesting album at the very least.

Feel free to share your own "Favorite/Least-Favorite" song...As well as favorite lyric, best/worst single moment, etc.

Very good point Booker, this is something I've noticed as well.
You could almost have the same discussion with a bunch of GN'R fans about the UYI albums. Some people love songs like Garden of Eden, others despise it etc etc. It's a mixed bag really!

I'm one of the ones that liked EVERYTHING that GN'R put out. I liked some songs more than others, but I rarely skipped album tracks when listening, so I look forward to hearing Contraband in it's entirety.

I too am holding out until next week to hear it all of it.

[GNRisAFD]

It gets better on a second listen. Here is a score out of 10 for each of the songs i rated.

Suckertrain-5.5/10
Do It For The Kids-7/10
Big Machine-7/10
Illegal-6/10
Spectacle-5/10
Fall to Pieces-7/10
Headspace-8/10 The best rocker with Dirty Little Thing
Superhuman-6.5/10
YGNR-8/10
Dirty Little Thing-8/10 My favourite off the album
Loving the Alien-7/10

[metallex78]

It gets better on a second listen. Here is a score out of 10 for each of the songs i rated.

Suckertrain-5.5/10
Do It For The Kids-7/10
Big Machine-7/10
Illegal-6/10
Spectacle-5/10
Fall to Pieces-7/10
Headspace-8/10 The best rocker with Dirty Little Thing
Superhuman-6.5/10
YGNR-8/10
Dirty Little Thing-8/10 My favourite off the album
Loving the Alien-7/10

Only 5.5 for Sucker Train Blues???
I've only heard a snippet of the main riff from the Making Of Slither special and if that is one of the weaker songs, all I can say is WOW!
I've heard the song likened to Right Next Door to Hell and Garden of Eden too, so I can't wait to hear the full version!

I can't wait until next week to hear the whole album!