On this day (June 26) in 2004, Velvet Revolver’s first album, Contraband, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. The album received mixed reviews from critics. However, fans who were hoping for new material from Stone Temple Pilots or Guns N’ Roses were keen to hear what the supergroup had to offer. As a result, it was later certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.
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Velvet Revolver released their debut album, Contraband, on June 8, 2004. It debuted on the Billboard 200 a little more than two weeks later, topping the chart. It would retain the top spot for a single week. Before dropping the album, the band saw success with two pre-release singles: “Set Me Free, and “Sliter.” The former peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and No. 17 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The latter topped both charts. It also gave them their first, and highest, ranking on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 56.
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The singles allowed fans to see how Velvet Revolver blended the sounds of the bands from which it was built. The group featured former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland on vocals, former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner, and three former members of Guns N’ Roses. Slash (lead guitar), Matt Sorum (drums), and Duff McKagan (bass). Slash and McKagan were members of the original GNR lineup. Sorum replaced Steven Adler in 1990.
Recording Contraband Wasn’t Easy for Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver started the sessions for Contraband in June 2003. When Scott Weiland was sentenced to a six-month stint in an inpatient rehabilitation facility in late October, the band was still working on the album.
According to a Billboard report, Weiland crashed into a parked car and fled the scene of the accident. That led to him being charged with driving under the influence. At the time, he was already undergoing court-ordered substance abuse counseling. The Pasadena, California court sentenced him to a 10-day residential detox program followed by a six-month rehab stay on October 30.
The court allowed Weiland to attend recording sessions for four hours a day for ten days starting on November 7. A police officer provided transportation to and from the studio. He was also drug tested immediately after returning to the detox facility.
At the time, Velvet Revolver planned to release Contraband in February 2004.
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