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Why is Contraband SO much better than everything Slash and co. did later?


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Contraband is what modern rock should be.

Cack? Yes, I agree.

Contraband and Scraped and Shackler's Revenge are proof that Stradlin was the genius in that band.

He's not a genius. He's got a lot of ideas as a musician, but it's not like they're all great, or most even.

Besides, didn't he help VR with Contraband? Do It For The Kids was his riff? I think he was involved, but I'm not sure to what extent.

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Contraband is what modern rock should be.

Cack? Yes, I agree.

Contraband and Scraped and Shackler's Revenge are proof that Stradlin was the genius in that band.

He's not a genius. He's got a lot of ideas as a musician, but it's not like they're all great, or most even.

Besides, didn't he help VR with Contraband? Do It For The Kids was his riff? I think he was involved, but I'm not sure to what extent.

Besides he needs the others to really show his genius............I like his solo stuff but it doesn't come close to the material he collaborated on while he was in Guns IMHO............Based on all the old Guns members solo work I think it is safe to say the sum is greater than the individual parts when it comes to the their making music..............

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I took to Contraband at the time, but find it pretty boring now, but then again, I'm not really a great fan of anything much from the side projects. Contraband does sound like a band though, not a side project, which gives it something extra.

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It's funny. I blind bought Contraband when I heard Slash had a new band going. I absolutely hated it. Set Me Free is horrible. When Libertad came out, I loved it.

Years later, I'd choose Contraband 90% of the time. I like a lot of the riffs and the choruses are pretty solid. Loving the Alien is a great closer. I still hate Set Me Free, though.

I'm not a fan of Scott in general. I never really liked STP either. Not a fan of his voice.

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Contraband is what modern rock should be.

Cack? Yes, I agree.

Contraband and Scraped and Shackler's Revenge are proof that Stradlin was the genius in that band.

He's not a genius. He's got a lot of ideas as a musician, but it's not like they're all great, or most even.

Besides, didn't he help VR with Contraband? Do It For The Kids was his riff? I think he was involved, but I'm not sure to what extent.

They (Slash/Duff/Stradlin/Sorum) recorded a demo tape, however, Weiland jettisoned all of the ideas when he arrived.

Contraband is what modern rock should be.

Cack? Yes, I agree.

Contraband and Scraped and Shackler's Revenge are proof that Stradlin was the genius in that band.

He's not a genius. He's got a lot of ideas as a musician, but it's not like they're all great, or most even.

Besides, didn't he help VR with Contraband? Do It For The Kids was his riff? I think he was involved, but I'm not sure to what extent.

Besides he needs the others to really show his genius............I like his solo stuff but it doesn't come close to the material he collaborated on while he was in Guns IMHO............Based on all the old Guns members solo work I think it is safe to say the sum is greater than the individual parts when it comes to the their making music..............

That is a fair enough statement but, Izzy is the soul of GN'R. He adds the grease, the 'exile'. Without Izzy, GN'R was - is - merely a cheese machine (in various ways, whether that be Axl's 20mins ballads or Slash's leads).

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Contraband was a heavy ass rock album, with hints of classic rock and hints of modern rock, mixed with Scott going through drug hell, and the ex-GN'R guys really having something to prove to the world.

I think thats why it worked so well.

When they followed it up with the poppier Libertad, which has terrible guitar sounds, bland uninspired riffs for the most part, and a band going through the motions and no longer anything to prove, thats why they never matched Contraband.

Damn shame though, Contraband is a great album, start to finish.

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Interesting that Libertad rightfully seen as more of a "Scott-album" since he was involved from beginning and brought in his buddy O'Brien to produce. But Contraband by far the more deeply personal record--lyrically it's almost a concept album for how fucked up Scott's life was at the time. Lots of drug tales that only a junkie would know(Illegial 1, Superhuman) , stuff about his family(Big Machine, FTP) and just that crazy, trippy shit that no one in their right mind would come up with(STB, LTA).

Libertad gets bagged because it was more poppy and at that point the band had imploded, been deserted by the label and U.S. sales were in the $300K+ range which was a huge drop off from CB. But it's got some very nice tracks and if you include Messages, pretty miraculous how good it was considering the circumstances. Shows how good of a band it was that they could throw together something like that and sucks we never got to hear what that 3rd record woulda been like if they'd gotten their shit together...

Edited by Turn_It_Up
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I loved Contraband when it came out and saw them live twice but I never listen to it anymore, Slither for me was and still is the best track on that album. I love that Slash incorporates that into his live show.

For whatever reason i never got into Libertad when it came out and never gave it a chance, since reading this thread Ive downloaded it and and cant stop listening to it. Love She builds quick machines, the final fight and grave dancer.

Izzys solo stuff does nothing for me but i was quite into Gilby clarkes solo stuff, this is going back 8 years or so and loved Pawnshop guitars, especially Tijuana Jail, again never listen to them now tho.

Slash's recent stuff especially Apocalyptic Love gets regular play in my car tho and is definitley my favourite album of any GNR Member outside of Guns, despite some of the lyrics i.e Bad Rain.

Beggars and Hangers ontho deserves a mention, is probably the bluesiest rock riff from Slash that definitley beats anything on Contraband.

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