Velvet Revolver unsipired working with Rick Rubin

Velvet Revolver initially began working on its second album last year with Rick Rubin, the superstar producer who's currently overseeing Metallica and Linkin Park, and who has produced Audioslave, System Of A Down, Johnny Cash, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others. But the band parted with Rubin after a brief time and hired Brendan O'Brien instead. Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland told us why his band and Rick Rubin were not a good match: "If you're gonna work with a producer, unless you're gonna produce something yourselves, if you're gonna pay a producer, get in the trenches with us and work with us. The Rick thing didn't work out, and, you know, he was working on a couple of other things, Metallica and U2, and so we kind of became very uninspired."

Brendan O'Brien has also worked with Audioslave, Pearl Jam and Weiland's former group, Stone Temple Pilots.

Velvet Revolver hopes to release its sophomore CD, titled Libertad, in late April or early May. Weiland is also working on his second solo album, which he said will surface sometime in 2008 on his own label, Softdrive Records.