These sorts of records always seem to get made. Take a few members from different great bands. Does the name Asia sound familiar? If you got Slash in a band people are going to be interested. Plus there is the collective unconsciousness that is finely tuned into a second or third coming of Guns and Roses. The song "Big Machine" is the first signs of Velvet Revolver bring the big rock to the people. It is an interesting record all the way through and should appeal to those fans. I have seen them live and they are entertaining. But many ad hoc bands could be entertaining for a while. The question is whether Contraband is as good a record as the best of Guns and Roses and Stone Temple Pilots? Or is this just another Audioslave? Is it a marketing gimmick?