2007.04.11 - Metal Hammer - Freedom Reigns (Duff)

Freedom Reigns

Velvet Revolver Announce New Album and UK Shows

Velvet Revolver's second album 'Libertad' is now set for release in late May or early June and the band have just announced some UK shows around the time they fly in to play Download.

The second album has been fraught with difficulties, not least of which was finding the right producer. Names tipped to work on the album included Pharrell Williams, Lenny Kravitz, Daniel Lanois and Rick Rubin.

Duff McKagan told Hammer: "We wanted to work with Rick Rubin. The problem is that Rick is one of these guys for whom deadlines and things like that have no meaning. We went out for dinner with him and we had written about 30 songs for the album. Then he came to see us and then left for Europe and the last thing he said to us was, 'Write more songs.' and we were like, 'uh, right.' At that rate it wasn't coming out until 2008!

Eager to follow up their Platinum-selling debut 'Contraband,' the band hooked up with Brendan O'Brien who had already worked with Scott Weiland on the Stone Temple Pilots' 1999 album 'No.4.'

"It was great, mostly because he knew the songs better than we did," says McKagan. "You can really hear the growth of the band on this album."

Initial reports suggested that it was a concept album, but the title - which is Spanish for freedom - wasn't inspired by any high-flown philosophical ideas.

"It was a t-shirt that I was wearing, a Day Of The Dead shirt that I got in Mexico," says Duff. "I was meeting Scott and wearing this shirt and he said, 'what a great title for the record'. I guess we've just sort of grown into the title now."

The songs have been cut down to only 13 songs, and although titles have been circulating online, the only two that Duff would confirm are definitely on the album were 'American Man' and 'Grave Dancers'. Other songs recorded include cover versions of Talking Heads' New York punk classic 'Psycho Killer' and Electric Light Orchestra's 'Can't Get It Out Of My Head.'

"There's songs about transvestites and all kinds of shit," he says.

Velvet Revolver play June 5 London Hammersmith Apollo, 7 Cardiff Arena, 8 Download, 10 Glasgow SECC, 11 Blackpool Empress Ballroom.