National Velvet

PISTOL WHIPPED Velvet Revolver (from left to right, David Kushner, Slash, Duff McKagan, Scott Weiland, and Matt Sorum) strong-arms Usher from the top spot

Rock fans reached for Velvet Revolver, smuggling the new combo's ''Contraband'' past Usher into the No. 1 slot on the Billboard album chart. The hard rock supergroup, consisting of former members of Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N' Roses, entered the chart on top and sold 256,000 discs, according to SoundScan. Usher's ''Confessions,'' which had occupied the top spot off and on for nine weeks, slipped to second place on sales of 171,000. Also down one slot each were Avril Lavigne's ''Under My Skin'' (No. 3, with 122,000 sold), Gretchen Wilson's ''Here for the Party'' (No. 4), and Prince's ''Musicology'' (No. 5).

Other new rock sets entering the top 10 this week were 311's ''Greatest Hits '93-'03,'' which debuted at No. 7, and the ''2004 Warped Tour'' collection, which debuted at No. 8 after going on sale for as little as $6 per copy. Also in the top 10 were Hoobastank's ''The Reason'' (holding in sixth place), D12's ''D12 World'' (sliding two slots to ninth place), and Slipknot's ''Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses,'' falling five spots to No. 10.