Contraband still Kicks Ass

[D]

I dusted it off and listened to it at the gym today and I must say, this album still gets my blood pumping.

After listening for a year straight I finally stopped listening to it for the last few months but today it was still awesome, still rocking and still did the job to get me fired up to work out.


I hate that some cant see the true genius of this album.

After almost 2 years it still holds up, it still kicks ass and every song is still great.


I remember people sayin how all the Demos of GNR kill this album but that is not true at all.


YGNR and LTA hold their own with TWAT and Catcher


why YGNR wasnt released as a single will forever be a giant mystery to me, that song wouldve crossed over big time.

STB,DLT,DIFTK and Headspace are way better than CD and I actually like them better than IRS to be honest.

Anyone else still listen regularly?

[Booker Floyd]

Well, genius is certainly not the word I would use, but I agree with your sentiment.  Its a really strong, basic (in a very good way) rock record all the way through.  Not a single bad song, quite a few great ones.  I havent listened to it in a few months (mainly because I got XM in the car - it was on constantly beforehand) but Ive been meaning to put it back in rotation. 

I also agree with you about "You Got No Right," they flirted with the idea of making it a fourth single before going quiet and its unfortunate that they didnt.  In fact, the final phase of that albums cycle was unfortunate; making "Dirty Little Thing" a single was a real misstep.  Its a fantastic song - one of the albums best - but didnt work as a single.  "Sucker Train Blues" was the obvious #3 single and I have no clue what changed that plan.

But a greater mystery is why "Loving The Alien" remains unplayed and why no interviewer has every questioned them about this.

My favorites rank:

13. Headspace
12. Illegal i Song
11. Spectacle
10. Big Machine
9. Superhuman
8. Fall To Pieces
7. Do It For The Kids
6. Dirty Little Thing
5. Sucker Train Blues
4. Set Me Free
3. Loving The Alien
2. Slither
1. You Got No Right

[metallex78]

Yeah, I hadn't listened to it for a few months and put it on recently and it still sounds pretty damn good I must say!

[tomass74]

I havent listened to it in awhile.. I kind of burnt myself on VR for a bit, but I have been getting the bug again.  The songs still come on my computer once in awhile and sound great.. My singer actually just bought the CD a couple weeks ago and was playing it in his car.. Sounded fresh.. I was thinking it's time to bust it out again and crank it with the windows down with the good weather coming.... I'll rank the songs too.


1) Dirty Little Thing!!!
2)Loving The Alien
3)Slither
4)Big Machine
5)Superhuman
6)Suckertrain Blues
7)You Got No right
8)Illegal I Song
9)Headspace
10)Set Me Free
11)Fall To Pieces
12)Do It For The Kids
13)Spectacle

[mikegiuliana]

I usually drive with it, I rotate between old gnr n vr..

I love how from stbs to illegal eye there is non stop energy, fall to pieces kind of puts everything to a hault.. Songs 7 to 13 are excellent finishers for the album.. Set Me Free, ygnr, Slither, dlt, lta is an excellent block of songs..

[Smoking Guns]

The louder you turn it up, the better it sounds.  Suckertrain and DLT have great rocking riffs!  YGNR is a focking awesome song.  I don't get why it wasn't a single either.

[VRslash]

Contraband is the best rock n roll album to come out since illusion's. there are some exceptions tho. motley crue new tatoo. buckcherry's albums. a few more but realy GNR was that last big Rock band and thats 10 years ago. VR is the first rock band to make great rock, and thats why they are so big. and even tho the GNR people here say it sucks and scott is a fuck up. the rest of the world fucking loves the music and the band. i think falling to peaces is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. its a slower song like sweet child of mine but its still amazing. i think it all depends on the next album, if the next album is amazing they could be bigger then GNR. but we will see. scott is amazing and he can write some incredible lyrics. axl cant realy beat AFD or illusions so CD is only going to be so good imo. with out the heart of GNR its not going to be beater then the original.

[mikegiuliana]

Contraband is the best rock n roll album to come out since illusion's.

I am the biggest vr fan going, but I can not agree with that at all... Illusions were 1991 some much better albums then contraband have come out since then..  I would take Stp's core from 92 over contraband. snakepit albums too.. many great AICs albums, etc you get my drift

I hope whoever mixes this fucker makes scott's voice clearer like the old albums

[Carlos_f_Rose]

You got no right baby...  you would have barely seen me breathe....
funny..... right.. here I find....myself... inside...

[JDA]

I agree.  VR album still does kick ass.  Gotta love Scott on vocals.

[Butch Français]

hell yeah I agree D!
I still put the album on regularily, and it still holds up for sure!

[oldgunsfan]

I usually drive with it, I rotate between old gnr n vr..

I love how from stbs to illegal eye there is non stop energy, fall to pieces kind of puts everything to a hault.. Songs 7 to 13 are excellent finishers for the album.. Set Me Free, ygnr, Slither, dlt, lta is an excellent block of songs..

Contraband comes closest to giving me the same adrenaline rush I get when I listen to AFD in the last 19 years

[SADIS]

Bought my 2nd copy yesterday since my first one was worn out.......damn I've been spinning it full time since yesterday, damn I love that album!

[rgr1607]

I think it's a very mediocre effort. They can do much better, and hopefully they will in their 2nd album.

[oldgunsfan]

mediocre or not, it's better than about 90-95% of the rock albums that came out since 1991

[WeHeldTogether]

Yes, contraband is still indeed great.

Slither, You Got No Right, Loving the Alien, and Spectacle kick ass.

[oldgunsfan]

Yes, contraband is still indeed great.

Slither, You Got No Right, Loving the Alien, and Spectacle kick ass.

left out a few don't ya think

[AdZ]

Wow, four smilies to make up for.. a post about nothing.  Fantastic.

[Mikkamakka]

Contraband would be a classic album if the tracks from DIFTK to FTP weren't so mediocre. From DIFTK it's a mess - poorly produced and poorly written songs. The energy is great, but you don't know if it was the secong song or the fifth, they are so fuckin' similar. And then FTP... it was a huge disappointment for me. These 5 songs are just boring. But after them the album is pure magic! The riff of Headspace is a killer, Superhuman is one of my all time favourite songs, the fine YGNR, too. Set Me Free and Slither are classics, DLT would be a classic, too, but the main riff is a bit silly (but the solo rules!). And Loving the alien... Man, it took some time but the song grew on me. It's so special, I bet Scott wrote the majority of the song... LTA is some sort of psychedelic on giving up drugs, how Scott tries to rid of them and fails... Or maybe not...

Anyway

Contraband still kicks ass! 

[badapple81]

Contraband would be a classic album if the tracks from DIFTK to FTP weren't so mediocre. From DIFTK it's a mess - poorly produced and poorly written songs. The energy is great, but you don't know if it was the secong song or the fifth, they are so fuckin' similar. And then FTP... it was a huge disappointment for me. These 5 songs are just boring. But after them the album is pure magic! The riff of Headspace is a killer, Superhuman is one of my all time favourite songs, the fine YGNR, too. Set Me Free and Slither are classics, DLT would be a classic, too, but the main riff is a bit silly (but the solo rules!). And Loving the alien... Man, it took some time but the song grew on me. It's so special, I bet Scott wrote the majority of the song... LTA is some sort of psychedelic on giving up drugs, how Scott tries to rid of them and fails... Or maybe not...

Anyway

Contraband still kicks ass!?

I would actually pretty much agree with this summary... well in regards to the tracks between DIFTK and Fall To Pieces.

Those songs between DIFTK to FTP just didn't have the tempo and groove. For me, Headspace and Superhuman are also included in that list too though. STB, DIFTK, Dirty Little Thing, Set Me Free etc are more my type of rock songs.