Contraband  by Velvet Revolver

The Velvet Revolver appeared completely suddenly and out of nowhere, without anyone expecting the existence of this band. It all started when the former members of Guns 'n' Roses, Slash, Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum were reunited to play for a charitable cause, and that’s where the idea was born to proceed with forming a group and recording an album. The first song the group recorded was Set Me Free, which was featured on the soundtrack of the movie "Hulk" in 2003.

From there, the three, along with Scott Weiland (vocals) and Dave Kushner (guitar), wrote and recorded another twelve songs which constituted the material for the first album of Velvet Revolver, Contraband, which was released in June 2004. The album was an immediate success and attracted a large number of fans of hard rock music and alternative metal. The production of the album was done by the band members themselves and producers Josh Abraham and Nick Raskulinecz.

Contraband reached No.1 on the Billboard and achieved sales of around 2,000,000. Beyond its success in the USA, the album also reached the Top-10 in many other countries. In Australia, it reached No.2, in Germany No.7, and in Canada No.1.