MATT SORUM BLAMES SCOTT WEILAND FOR LIBERTAD‘S SHITTY SALES
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 3:30pm by Axl Rosenberg
If Velvet Revolver’s second album, Libertad, had a bed, it shat all over it. The sales would have been considered top-notch for your average metal band, but for mega super duper rockstars likes Guns Without Rose, it was bad enough for their major label to promptly drop them.
There’s a few reasons this might have occurred. Personally, I think that VR’s debut, Contraband, was good but not great, and I think once the curiosity factor (with regards to a supergroup) had passed, the band was kind of doomed. Being a major success means doing crossover business (e.g., attracting people beyond the hardcore fanbase that would’ve bought the album even if it was by Slash’s Snakepit 3), and I know a lot of people who bought Contraband, went “meh,” and then never bothered to check out Libertad.
But even if we assume that Contraband really was Appetite’s second coming, the band released a shit first single that impressed absolutely no one. And I seem to be the only person in the world who actually thought that Libertad was superior to Contraband. So it’s possible that being creatively lackluster is why the album undersold.
Keeping all of this in mind, here’s Matt Sorum basically saying that Libertad sucked, and that it’s all Scott Weiland’s fault:
“The second album, I think, we fell prey to more of what Scott wanted to do and we wanted to straight-up rock and roll… When we went to write the second album, it seemed to take a different road, which I always wanted to make a harder record, but I think we went a little lighter and the fans didn’t really care for [it] that much.”
I’m of several minds about this statement. On the one hand, I appreciate Weiland’s talent but I hate him as a person, and so I take pleasure from Sorum talkin’ smack on his addict ass. On the other hand, like I said, I actually liked Libertad more than Contraband, so if this is true, I guess I owe Weiland a drink (or a needle). And on the other other hand, if we, once again, assume that what Sorum says is true, then EVERYONE IN VELVET REVOLVER NEEDS TO LEARN TO STAND UP TO THEIR LEAD SINGER. Because to hear Slash tell it, Use Your Illusion is all Axl’s fault. How many times are these dudes just gonna roll over and do what their front man tells them?
Sorum seems optimistic that there will be another Velvet Revolver album, this one with a new singer, natch. I don’t see that happening until Slash’s solo album flops (if it does flop), so, for now, I hope everyone is enjoying that Duff McKagan’s Loaded album.
-AR
I blame the fact that both albums were some of the most boring-ass rock ever recorded. Never thought an album by these guys would make me snooze, but they did.
Don’t worry. Slash’s solo album will totally flop.
Are you kidding me?! Fergie is gonna be on that record. FUCKIN’ Fergie Motherfuckers! Are you crazy?! Of course it will be totally amazing!
Also, I heard the chick from Aqua sings on a hidden bonus track. I can’t wait.
You’re right. MY BAD.
I like the dude from Aqua better
How come I’m not surprised by your statement ?
The new Aqua song is terrible!
he’s right on. the first time i ever listened to that album i could immediately tell that weiland had way too much say on things. you can tell because he’s a heartless pussy who doesn’t know how to rock anymore. Slash even said they had all this good music written and weiland wouldn’t let them use it. he wants to do emo bullshit. slash and the boys just know how to rock hard. can’t wait to hear slash’s solo record. it’s gonna be his best work since snakepit.
Best since snakepit… wow. Low standards, huh?
by the way: slash’s solo album ain’t about record sales. of course it won’t sell well, mainstream douchebags don’t listen to real music. to good music. slash’s solo record is just gonna be about doing what he wants to do and playing good hard bluesy dirty rock n roll. which is what he does best
I really enjoyed the second Slash’s Snakepit album….actually I think it’s a pretty underrated album and that it’s a hidden jewek in Mr. Hudson’s discography.
Regards
I fall into the category of people who were stupid-excited to hear some of my favorite musicians get together and throw something down, and then I heard *Contraband* and was miserably underwhelmed. So when they came out with a crappy single for *Libertad,* I couldn’t muster the interest to investigate further. I’ll take your word that *Libertad* was better and not chance spending any more time wondering what more could have been.
See, *Contraband* totally sounded like what it was, which was the product of a year or so of pre-production with the band composing alone and Weiland’s vocals just thrown in over the top at the last minute. The arrangements were awkward from the standpoint that there was no meld between the differing styles and artistic sentiments. After *Contraband,* I was briefly less interested in who the band was at the time than who I thought they COULD be after a year or more of gel-ing through touring and the chance to write and arrange TOGETHER, as opposed to trying to jam disparate parts together by brute force. I say briefly – by the time *Libertad* came around, I had lost interest and didn’t care at all anymore. Oh, and I let the single they released for *The Hulk* to slide because they were just finding their feet, but they didn’t slip another one past me with the stupid single they released for *The Fantastic Four.*
Overall, the sniping comments each faction continues to make agains the other in the press don’t interest me. The reason why they failed doesn’t interest me. They tried and it didn’t work. On to the next thing, please. So horribly disappointing. Thank you, Duff, for bringing back Loaded. VR would have had more integrity had they just played weekend gigs around L.A. as Camp Freddy, Option B.
I thought the Hulk track was half way decent. Better than some of the crap on the record. I also think Loaded is a giant piece of garbage.
The suggestion was that with the members VR had and their histories, the music might be dangerous and edgy – but the second record was just middle of the road and passionless. I was actually surprised how badly they failed to deliver, I personally wanted it to be good. It was like LA fixtures patting each other on the back for just getting the thing finished.
Neither bad enough to offend or good enough to inspire many people to defend it as some kind of lost gem.
STP is better anyways…if anyone gives a crap.
Axl, how many hands do you have?
As for the debate (if you can call it that) between Contraband and Libertad, I’d say you could pull about 12 good songs from the two and make a good album. And I’d probably have to, off hand without recalling which songs are from which, guess that 8 would come from Contraband and 4 from Libertad. But that’s kind of the point – that I can’ t really recall too many songs. Too many are forgettable songs. Not great, not bad, some good, some average.
“Libertad” was far superior to “Contraband”, but it did have a lot of weak moments, including the single they released. Good lord, was I disappointed when that was the first track I heard from the album. The rest of it has some decent moments, but I ultimately agree with the previous commenter who said that you could probably get one decent album by combining the best tracks from both albums.
Oh, and then there’s VR in concert. Talk about a snoozefest. I’m glad AIC was the opener, because VR was way below expectations. They all seemed bored.
Matt Sorum sucks.
who make the best les pauls? duffs japanese knock off- burni (which they say is better than the real thing) or slashs epiphone or gibson les pauls?
I dont’ thing Scott had any influence. They kicked his ass out so how seriously were they really taking him. The album was awful and to blame one person is worse then saying one person made an album great. Sorum needs to keep his mouth shut, the guy drives me crazy.
I believe that Contraband was better.. now Libertad really got me bored to hell back at that time.. I wonder who the new VR vocals will be…I think they need to get to the heavy groves and forget freaking hard rock ballads….
Use Your Illusion I & II are some of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. Velvet Revolver was a band made up of a lot of talented musicians that were well past their creative prime. I think they still made some listenable stuff, but coming from the bands and having the prior success they had, they were never gonna live up to the expectations. I’ll say this, as big of an STP fan that I am, I though Weiland was completely tapped after Tiny Music. I wanted my money back after buying the tragedies that were No. 4 and Shangri La. VRs albums beat the crap out of those, which was all I was asking for.
18 Visions and Avenged Sevenfold did VR better than VR