Contraband is the first album by Velvet Revolver, which was released on June 8, 2004 through RCA Records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. It is considered to be one of the most successful albums released from a super-group, garnering multi-platinum certifications worldwide. This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. ### Recording of the album ### Velvet Revolver formed when three Guns N' Roses musicians - Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) - combined to play at a benefit concert for fellow musician Randy Castillo in 2002. They decided to form another band and recruited guitarist Dave Kushner who had previously played with Suicidal Tendencies, Wasted Youth, and Dave Navarro. Kushner had gone to school with Slash and had worked with McKagan before. The quartet was known as The Project pending the selection of a permanent name. The quartet then set about recruiting a lead singer with the recruitment process filmed by VH1. Several lead singers auditioned including Josh Todd of Buckcherry, Kelly Shaefer of Neurotica and Travis Meeks of Days of the New but they were unsuccessful. Scott Weiland had become friends with McKagan and had played on the same bill as Kushner when Stone Temple Pilots were known as Mighty Joe Young and Kushner was in the Electric Love Hogs. Weiland heard the material and offered his services as the lead singer and the band clicked. Slash suggested the name Revolver for the project and Weiland suggested the addition of Velvet to the title. Velvet Revolver recorded its first track "Set Me Free" for The Hulk soundtrack in 2003, along with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Money" for The Italian Job. The band played their first live gig at the El Rey in Los Angeles in July 2003. It recorded its first album Contraband in the latter part of 2003 with recording complicated by Weiland's court appearances for drug charges and his subsequent sentencing to undertake rehabilitation. In February 2005, RCA Records released a "Tour Edition" of the album in Europe, which included a bonus disc containing three songs: "Surrender"(originally by Cheap Trick), "No More, No More" (originally by Aerosmith), and an acoustic version of "Fall to Pieces". The United States release of the disc uses the MediaMax CD-3 system for copy protection, while Macrovision CDS-200 is used for the European release. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contraba...