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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great effort by a bunch of stoned musicians!, June 8, 2004
Released June 8th, 2003, This is Velvet Revolver's first album.After Guns 'N Roses recorded and released the commercial and critical bomb "The Spaghetti Incident", Axl Rose and his band mates had different ideas about where the band should be heading, so the original instrumentalists disbanded with Axl Rose while Rose hired new instrumentalists. Meanwhile, Slash, Duff, Matt Sorum, and Dave Kushner set out to find a new singer, and their search even chronicled on VH1's "The Project". As if the stars had aligned, the Stone Temple Pilots had recently recorded the rather dull "Shangri-La-Dee-Da", which Scott Weiland was not very fond of, since it sounded more like a Barry Manilow album than the Grunge he originally was trying to do. So, after releasing the Greatest Hits compilation "Thank You", the Stone Temple Pilots officially disbanded. With Scott on the unemployed list, Slash and Weiland met in a club where they became fast friends. Then, after getting the band together, they immediately began jamming on a song that would eventually become "Slither". Around the radio's constant playing of "Slither" and all the buzz around this CD, will it hold up? Well, when you combine Guns 'N Roses style with the grungy sounds of Stone Temple Pilots, you get a combination that works throughout the album like a charm. Track Ratings: Sucker Train Blues-10/10: Starts off with a crazy guitar riff behind a police siren that perfectly sets the stage for the album, you're in for a crazy ride!Weiland's vocals immediately take center-stage, and he shows us he can still sing with the best of them! Great chorus that really enhances the song, plus as a treat you get great drumming from Sorum and a crazy solo from Slash! Do It For The Kids-10/10: Duff's bass line and Slash's riff sets the tone for this song, almost a sarcastic one.Weiland's vocals back up the instruments perfectly, and his chorus is one of the best on the album. This is a really angry song, just read the lyrics! Big Machine-10/10:Starts off slow with a little bass beat with Weiland whispering about "The Big Machine", then Slash's guitar jumps in and he drops a killer riff with Weiland's spooky vocals backing it up. Illegal i Song-10/10:Starts off with Sorum's killer drumming and immediately Slash jumps in with a dark riff that sets the stage and Weiland comes on, and his vocals are very angry, but they soften up considerably for the chorus where his vocals sound very soulful! Spectacle-10/10: Superb riff from Slash starts off this song, and I can't stop humming this song!Weiland's vocals aren't his best, but he sings the chorus as good as on any other song. Slash really steals the show here, with his crazy riff and his Guns N Roses-y solo that is amazing! Fall to Pieces-10/10: One of the slowest songs on the album, it certainly isn't bad because of that,and it's a very heartfelt song. An acoustic guitar starts it off behind Weiland's soul-searching vocals, and Slash continues it on with his combination of acoustic and electric guitar playing that is phenomenal, and his solo is truly beautiful. The chorus is great! Headspace-10/10:Right after we hear a relatively slow song, Velvet Revolver comes back full throttle with Slash's addictive riff and Sorum's inspired drumming, and Weiland's vocals are truly hard-hitting!Good chorus, and the lyrics for this song are great unlike some others! Superhuman-10/10:Starts off with a hard riff and loud base line, but slows down to just Weiland singing. But soon after the first chorus, it picks up to be a very hard-rocker! Slash's solo sounds very spooky and follows the song's tone to a tee! Set Me Free-10/10: Starts off with a crazy riff from Slash that's followed up by Duff's bass line and Sorum's drumming that sets the stage for Weiland's vocals, that sound almost like B.B. King surprisingly!The song picks up to become one of the hardest and fastest, so don't fret!Good chorus, and Weiland finds his normal voice for it. Inspired lyrics! You Got No Right-10/10: Probably the slowest song on the album, it has Weiland's heartbroken vocals that are perfectly followed up by the soulful instruments. A great ballad if you could say it was one, and the chorus is the best on the entire album!Slash's 40-second long solo is truly the highlight of the song, capturing the heart-broken tone the song conveys perfectly. Slither-15/10:There's no wonder they released this song as a single, it Rocks~! Starts off slowly with Duff's bass line, but Slash's guitar sweeps in to create one the best riff on the album!Weiland's vocals remind us of his Stone Temple Pilots' days unlike most songs, and that is a good thing! Slash's solo is probably the best on the album, and his guitarmanship steals the show in my opinion! The video sure is weird, but the song definitely rocks the hardest and the best on the entire album! Dirty Little Thing-10/10:Weiland's eerie vocals start off the song, and the chorus sounds really creepy! Definitely the darkest and doomiest song on the album,and the instruments portray that tone very well! Loving The Alien-10/10: Another slow song, Weiland's vocals sound very heart-broken, and Slash's acoustic guitar playing might even bring tears to the soft-hearted. Great solo from Slash,and this song perfectly end this great album on a soft note! Overall, this album ROCKS. This is the best thing any of these musicians have made in a long time, rivalling Appetite For Destruction and Core. Between the 3 ballads and the other tough rockers, this album basically suits any tastes of music!Hopefully, these guys will stay at it and continue to make great music in the coming years, and that means not going to Rehab guys!If you're a fan of Metal, Modern Rock, Grunge, or Guns N Roses or Stone Temple Pilots, there is no way you'll not love this CD!
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~ Velvet Revolver
~ Audioslave
~ Velvet Revolver
~ Guns N' Roses
~ Rage Against The Machine
is Velvet Revolver's 
