Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine What is in your CD player right NOW?

Originally posted by Pov:
I'm gonna have it going in my car stereo on our way up to Boston today:)-- I'll letcha know what I think of the whole album when I get back. Maybe Des will have an opinion, too!

( probably "Damn Pov, blasting that album for 2 hours straight...!")

[b]Sucker Train Blues, Loving the Alien and the first single, Slither are all great so far...[/b]

<font size="4">Velvet Revolver shoots straight to No. 1</font s>

Supergroup dethrones Usher

Thursday, June 17, 2004 Posted: 1:06 PM EDT (1706 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (Billboard) -- Rock supergroup Velvet Revolver has smuggled its debut release "Contraband" right into the top slot on the U.S. pop albums chart.

The group's RCA set sold 256,000 copies in the week ended June 13, according to Nielsen SoundScan data issued Wednesday, sending reigning champ Usher's "Confessions" to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 171,000 copies.

Velvet Revolver is a consortium of Guns N' Roses alumni Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland. Last week, first single "Slither" reached the top of Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which is based on radio airplay. The band is in the midst of its first North American tour.

The arrival of "Contraband" cuts short the return of Usher's "Confessions" to No. 1. After a one-week rebound that upped its total to nine weeks at the top, the LaFace/Zomba set has sold about 4.1 million copies to date.

Velvet Revolver led a charge of rock arrivals, as new sets from 311 and a compilation culled from last year's Warped tour also landed in the top 10 this week. "Greatest Hits '93-03," the first such collection from rock/rap quintet 311, bowed at No. 7 on sales of 63,000 copies. The Volcano/Zomba set opened in the same slot as the group's last studio album, 2003's "Evolver," which has sold 307,000 copies to date.

Right behind was the "2004 Warped Tour" double-disc compilation. The Side One Dummy set bowed at No. 8 on sales of 61,000 copies after being sold for under $6 at retailers Circuit City, Best Buy and Target. It's the best debut in the Warped tour compilation series, beating the No. 21 opening of the previous year's set, which moved 39,000 copies in its first week.

Former chart-topper Avril Lavigne fell one place to No. 3 with "Under My Skin" (Arista) on a 28 percent sales drop to 122,000 copies. Also down one slot was Gretchen Wilson's "Here for the Party" (Epic) and Prince's "Musicology" (NPG/Columbia), which landed at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Hoobastank's "The Reason" held onto No. 6 for the third straight week.

D12 fell two spots to No. 9 with "D12 World" (Shady/Interscope) while Slipknot's "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" (Roadrunner) tumbled five places to No. 10.

Among the other notable Billboard 200 debuts this week was the latest from SheDaisy. With 42,000 copies, the pop-country trio's third studio effort, "Sweet Right Here," is its best opening sales week to date. The Hollywood Records set bowed at No. 16, besting the opening of 2002's "Knock on the Sky," which debuted at No. 23 with 39,000 copies and has sold 218,000 copies to date.

Recently wed Latin star Marc Anthony entered the chart at No. 26 with the Spanish-language "Amar Sin Mentiras." The Sony set, which sold 35,000 copies, also topped Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. Anthony's last album, 2002's "Mended," entered The Billboard 200 at No. 3 with sales of 111,000 copies and has moved 645,000 to date.

U.K. rock act PJ Harvey scored its biggest sales week ever and its highest Billboard 200 chart position with "Uh Huh Her." The Island set sold 34,000 copies to open at No. 29. The Polly Jean Harvey-led band's last album, the acclaimed 2000 set "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea," entered at No. 42 with sales of 32,000 copies; it has sold 271,000 copies to date.

Also debuting this week was Fred Hammond's "Somethin' 'Bout Love" (Verity, No. 35), Bad Religion's "The Empire Strikes First" (Epitaph, No. 40), the Corrs' "Borrowed Heaven" (Atlantic, No. 51), the Calling's "Two" (RCA, No. 54) and Sonic Youth's "Sonic Nurse" (Geffen, No. 64).

Although overall U.S. album sales were down 1.8 percent to 10.8 million, about 15 percent behind the comparable week last year, sales for 2004 are edging out those of 2003 by 6.5 percent.