Happy In Galoshes

[Syk]

Link

Scott Weilands new album can be previewed there. Just thought Id share with all the people who think this album is gonna be awesome!

[DirtyDeeds]

Happy in Galoshes? I'm glad they got rid of him.

[Carne_asaDA]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

[Syk]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Ehhh Im not too sure I agree with that. I like what Im hearing in the previews but it doesnt sound like VR material.

[Carne_asaDA]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Ehhh Im not too sure I agree with that. I like what Im hearing in the previews but it doesnt sound like VR material.

I don't mean it had to be exactly like this. But I think that these song should of been used along with the experimentation ideas. And I think that initally, this is what it was going to be when we heard that the second album was going to be "danceable" and "Prince influenced".

[Syk]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Ehhh Im not too sure I agree with that. I like what Im hearing in the previews but it doesnt sound like VR material.

I don't mean it had to be exactly like this. But I think that these song should of been used along with the experimentation ideas. And I think that initally, this is what it was going to be when we heard that the second album was going to be "danceable" and "Prince influenced".

I just dont hear VR when I hear any of those songs. I hear a Scott Weiland solo album.

[Carne_asaDA]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Ehhh Im not too sure I agree with that. I like what Im hearing in the previews but it doesnt sound like VR material.

I don't mean it had to be exactly like this. But I think that these song should of been used along with the experimentation ideas. And I think that initally, this is what it was going to be when we heard that the second album was going to be "danceable" and "Prince influenced".

I just dont hear VR when I hear any of those songs. I hear a Scott Weiland solo album.

Imagine those songs but with a heavier and crunchier sound from Slash and Dave's guitar tone. I would keep the electronic samples and the drum machine samples. If I could only remix this album.

[Syk]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Ehhh Im not too sure I agree with that. I like what Im hearing in the previews but it doesnt sound like VR material.

I don't mean it had to be exactly like this. But I think that these song should of been used along with the experimentation ideas. And I think that initally, this is what it was going to be when we heard that the second album was going to be "danceable" and "Prince influenced".

I just dont hear VR when I hear any of those songs. I hear a Scott Weiland solo album.

Imagine those songs but with a heavier and crunchier sound from Slash and Dave's guitar tone. I would keep the electronic samples and the drum machine samples. If I could only remix this album.

Haha if only...

[Carne_asaDA]

"Beautiful Day" sounds nice. Has a nice indie, lofty feel to it.

Edited November 3, 2008 by da_illest_in_402

[Kickingthehabit]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Paralysis and Missing Cleveland are very commercial— perhaps a little too polished for my taste, but both have good lyrics and interesting vocal melodies. In retrospect, I think Libertad's weakness is in that Scott abandoned his David Bowie chameleon-esque flamboyancy for the straight forward rocker image. It worked effectively on Contraband because the music was alternative and very heavy, but the pop sensibilities on the latter was relatively uninspired in terms of the songwriting. Presumably, Scott's solo album was written during his time with VR, so I agree it would have been interesting to see what Slash and co. could have added to this material, because it's very good. The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

I think the balance between the two sides is best captured in Gravedancer and Loving The Alien— two of their best songs, not surprisingly..

-Kickingthehabit

[Carne_asaDA]

This album should of been what VR's second record should of sounded like.

Paralysis and Missing Cleveland are very commercial— perhaps a little too polished for my taste, but both have good lyrics and interesting vocal melodies. In retrospect, I think Libertad's weakness is in that Scott abandoned his David Bowie chameleon-esque flamboyancy for the straight forward rocker image. It worked effectively on Contraband because the music was alternative and very heavy, but the pop sensibilities on the latter was relatively uninspired in terms of the songwriting. Presumably, Scott's solo album was written during his time with VR, so I agree it would have been interesting to see what Slash and co. could have added to this material, because it's very good. The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

I think the balance between the two sides is best captured in Gravedancer and Loving The Alien— two of their best songs, not surprisingly..

-Kickingthehabit

Yeah, I wished that they would of tapped into that same creative energy that they wrote LTA for their second album.

[DirtyDeeds]

The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

That's like.... the very worst thing on the whole album.

[Carne_asaDA]

The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

That's like.... the very worst thing on the whole album.

Oh c'mon AC/DC fan.

Have a bigger pallet.

[december pain]

I agree with what Da_Illest and Kicking the habit said, imagine if Slash and Co got there mitts on these songs and took them in a whole new direction, made them much heavier, etc.

Scott has got some great stuff here, and although its a little light and poppy for my taste, it still sounds really good. I'd love to see Slash put some balls into these songs.

[DirtyDeeds]

The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

That's like.... the very worst thing on the whole album.

Oh c'mon AC/DC fan.

Have a bigger pallet.

That song sounds like some whiny, aimed at 14-year-olds pop punk, though.

[Estranged Reality]

The whole album just leaked.

[Syk]

The whole album just leaked.

Anyone have a link?

[Estranged Reality]

The Bowie cover is surprisingly not terrible, even though the little giggling sounds that show up occasionally in the background remind me of My Morning Jacket's "Highly Suspicious."

So far, a good album.

[FunkyMonk]

On first listen only the familiar songs (Missing Cleveland, Paralysis, Crash. But REALLY good at that) really hit me as being good. Fame stood out and was a bit different, but still enjoyable nonetheless. Pictures and Computers and Big Black Monster also stood out to me.

I think that it's just because this is a first listen judgement, and I certainly hope that it's not just because the rest are just filler.

Edited November 4, 2008 by FunkyMonk

[Carne_asaDA]

The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

That's like.... the very worst thing on the whole album.

Oh c'mon AC/DC fan.

Have a bigger pallet.

That song sounds like some whiny, aimed at 14-year-olds pop punk, though.

With mature lyrics??

[mr. orangestone]

The combination of Just Sixteen-like riffage with Scott's spacey, abstract imagery would have worked..

That's like.... the very worst thing on the whole album.

Oh c'mon AC/DC fan.

Have a bigger pallet.

That song sounds like some whiny, aimed at 14-year-olds pop punk, though.

With mature lyrics??

those lyrics are kind of childish...always one of my least favorite on the album. and i'm a fan of both velvet albums, seen them live twice.

[Spoon87]

The whole album just leaked.

Anyone have a link?

[Kickingthehabit]

Creatively, this album has far more synergy than Velvet Revolver's last effort. The musicians from No Doubt provide a soulful, funky perversity that effectively complements Scott's impeccable indie pop sensibilities. Missing Cleveland, Paralysis, and Crash are the obvious staples on the album; they have interesting rhythmic styles with spirited choruses. Blind Confusion has a spacey, Kings of Leon stadium rock vibe, and Tangle With Your Mind sounds like a less revolutionary Bob Dylan concerned with love. She Sold Her System and Killing Me Sweetly are most representative of Scott's first solo album. They're lovely ballads with exotic instrumentation. Listen carefully to the latter, though, as Scott shamelessly rehashes its chorus from Son (track 8 on 12 Bar Blues)..

The Fame cover was a mistake. If you're a fan of Weiland, it's blatantly obvious he takes a lot of his artistic cues from Bowie, so the inclusion of such a well known single comes across as parody rather than tribute. Big Black Monster is also forgettable, despite its glorious song title for obvious reasons. The industrial-techno-jazz fusion does not work for me at all..

Beautiful Day is supernaturally brilliant. The song's haunting carnival atmosphere takes us on a strange journey permeated with a heavy Beatles influence. Pictures and Computers is a continuation of this strange amalgamation of genres. Both are decidedly experimental, but never bland or unsavory. Regrettably, Arch Angel adds nothing to the album; it follows the same tempo and instrumentation as the other - much superior - ballads. We close with Be Not Afraid, which is not so much a song as it is a proclamation of faith and survival. It is Scott's most vulnerable and narcissistic moment on the album..

Overall, I'd say Happy In Galoshes starts fantastically, but wanders into foreign territory with its more experimental material. This may alienate listeners who prefer straightforward pop songs, but if you fall into this category, you're likely missing the point of the album entirely. It is unusual, deliberately self-indulgent, and melodically schizophrenic; a very worthy album for the likes of an artistic chameleon. The production is a little too clean for my taste, but the album never makes any desperate lunges towards mainstream appeal, so I digress..

-Kickingthehabit

[Carne_asaDA]

This album was supposed to be Libertad.

But Slash said, "No nO No NO!!"

[FunkyMonk]

It certainly doesn't have as much "personality" as 12 Bar Blues had, and I don't think the tracks hold up to songs like Barbarella.

Tangle With Your Mind and Blind Confusion (the 2nd and 3rd tracks) come off as the weakest tracks to me, although I think that may just be because they're squeezed between Missing Cleveland and Paralysis which really steal the show from them. You just can't listen to this album and not take notice of those 3 tracks we had already heard. After a few more listens, Fame doesn't really fit, and for a Bowie cover it doesn't really seem that Scott is channeling as much Bowie as he usually does in other songs IMO, although it's not terrible, it just doesn't fit (would be better suited for a B-side). He just doesn't capture the song as well as you'd think, there's just something off about it. Not one of my favourite Bowie songs anyway...

Scott definitely couldn't have chosen a better backing band than the guys from No Doubt (except maybe if it was VR ). Now I quite like No Doubt anyway, they have always been a really tight band with their own style, and although they don't sound like their old No Doubt selves here, they certainly are very tight and really hold this album together (especially compared to the sound on 12 Bar Blues). Kudos to Scott for picking these guys up, it was an unexpected choice, but turned out great.

Give this album a few solid listens and pay attention to the songs in between the killer tracks that are Missing Cleveland, Paralysis and Crash; they may be the standouts, but that doesn't mean the other tracks are marginally weaker. And hey, even with Scott's weaker tracks you sometimes find yourselves liking them better because they have their own misguided groove about them.

Good album Scott .

Edited November 4, 2008 by FunkyMonk