If Nirvana's Nevermind heralded alternative's ascendancy into the mainstream, Creed's mega-successful 1997 debut showed just how quickly--and craftily--alt.rock's musical hallmarks could be utterly co-opted by it. Fueled by vocalist Scott Stapp's Weiland-inspired growl, Creed rode the Seattle pop-suffused string of hits included here to become one of the 90's most successful rock acts--if one whose level of critical revile nearly matched its multi-million sales. This CD/DVD combo features 13 of the band's signature performances (including all eight of its number one singles), songs that often turn on a Christianity-inspired message that could be as opaque (the anthemic Higher) as it was overt ("My Own Prison," What's This Life For). The accompanying DVD completes the career retrospective, anthologizing nine of the band's videos along with previously unreleased live performances of "Torn," "Higher" and "Weathered." --Jerry McCulley
Creed, what can be said that hasn’t already. Singer Scott Stapp’s supposed “Christian” viewpoint, versus his showing up on stage drunk. Mark Tremonti’s leaving the band with fellow band mates Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips to form Alter Bridge. This band arguably brought the rock genre into popularity in the late 90s and at the start of the new millennium. They were one of the first new age mainstream rock bands, eventually having followers such as 3 Doors Down and Nickelback, who although were around at the same time as Creed became big only after Creed’s breakthrough. Creed was:
Scott Stapp-Vocals
Mark Tremonti-Guitar, Bass (tracks 9,10,11,12,13)
Brian Marshall-Bass (tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
Scott Phillips-Drums, Keys (tracks 9,10,11,12,13)
Pros-
-4 songs from each album makes it balanced
-Scott’s voice is solid
-The band has talent
-Mark Tremonti writes very strong riffs
-Brian manages to lay down some nice (not technical) bass lines
Cons
-Some tracks that should have been included are left out
-Where is “Riders on the Storm”
-Mostly a singles collection
-The soft verse-loud chorus-soft verse-loud chorus-bridge-soft chorus-loud chorus is repetitive
-The bass is better when Brian plays
For the review of the tracks I am going to divide the album up into three sections.
The Individual Tracks
My Own Prison (tracks 1,2,3,4)
Torn- Starts with a nice riff played by Tremonti, The band then joins him, and finally Scott joins them. The bass line underneath while not technical provides a nice groove to the song and with the drums, keeps the song moving. When the chorus comes in so does the distortion and Scott’s voice picks up his edge. The sing flows back into the verse and keeps the groove going. The chorus kicks back in and then leads into the bridge. The bridge is just a little palm muted riff that leads into a second bridge section with Scott singing over top. This molds back into the verse riff and then Scott sings over bass and guitar plying the chorus riff cleanly, it repeats with distortion, and then the song goes back into the intro riff until the end. 4/5
My Own Prison- This song starts with another interesting clean riff until the rest of the band and Scott comes in. Lyrically this is one of their better moments on the album. The riff continues and again the bass and drums keep the song moving. The chorus is sung by Mark and it is done really well. The song goes from the chorus into the verse again which molds into a distorted verse and Scott’s pseudo scream. This fuses into the chorus, which has Scott under it sustaining a note. After this chorus there is a very mellow and tasteful guitar solo. Scott sings another bridge section, that eventually goes into the chorus which repeats until the end. 4/5
What’s This Life For- The song begins with another clean and interesting riff from Tremonti. Scott then sings the first verse over just the guitar, and it sounds great. The chorus brings in the rest of the band and the distortion. The bass line is again solid and grooves and moves the song along. The chorus moves the song into an acoustic guitar and the band into the bridge, with Scott over top. It kicks into distortion and it also features one of the rare cases of Stapp cursing. There is a cool little drum fill that adds some flavor to the song. It then ends after the bridge. 4/5
One- One of the better songs on the album, it starts with another solid riff. The drums really drive this song more than the others, but the bass doesn’t let them have all the fun. Scott provides another solid vocal performance, and the song has a very solid feel to it. The chorus is distorted and features Scott’s vocal edge. The drums then pull us out of the chorus and back into the verse. The second time the chorus has a little harmonic riff going into it thanks to Mark. The bridge features some nice guitar work and the effects move between the speakers giving a cool effect. The chorus then comes back in, and repeats and then leads into a guitar solo full of effects to finish the song. 4.5/5
Human Clay (Tracks 5,6,7,8)
Are You Ready- The song begins with a riff dissimilar to anything else before it, then hits it with the heavy distorted work, which goes into the chorus. One of the heavier songs on the album, it is a pretty good song. Stapp’s voice delivers decent lyrics over less original instrumentals than what was in the first section of the album. The chorus and verses really have little distinction between them, however the bridge is cleanly played and soft. The second time through, the bridge is played distorted and out. The bridge riff is good, but the lyrics are a little corny, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Countdown to…” The song then goes back into the chorus. This then goes on and then goes back into a repeat of the bridge until the end. 3/5
Higher- The song that pretty much put these guys on the map, and the charts. It starts with some nice singing from Scott. The riff from Mark is good, but not as interesting as the riffs in the first section of the album, the bass and drums are also less interesting. The song hit’s a palm muted pre chorus section which goes into the chorus that everyone knows. The second verse comes in and Scott gives another good performance of good lyrics. Pre chorus leads back into the chorus and then we come upon the bridge. Which is really the pre chorus riff and vocals leading into a solo from Tremonti, which is nice, then Scott puts out some more solid vocals. The song fuses into the intro and then back into the bridge over the intro riff. This leads us into the chorus which repeats out to the end. 4/5
With Arms Wide Open-Ok, if you were to have not heard of Higher, then you heard this song, the other song that helped really put them on the map in the pop audience. The lyrics, while I didn’t look up to see if this was correct, seem to be about Scott becoming a father. The riff that opens into Scott’s vocals is again weaker than what has preceded it. The chorus of course is impossible to not know, and the drums and bass again sit back and play backup to Scott and Tremonti. The second chorus introduces the heaviness, and then goes into the bridge. Which is really just the intro at first but builds into a solo. The solo that Mark plays here is actually quite good, but short. This then lets Scott back in to take center stage, with Tremonti still soloing under him. The chorus is then put back in and the song then goes back to the intro and fades out. 4/5
What If- A little guitar intro goes into the song, and then the songs intro comes in. Again this song is heavier than what preceded. It is a good song and is better than Are You Ready at being a heavy song. The chorus has good lyrics to it as well as the verses and they are delivered well by Stapp. The instrumentals however are not spectacular but the riff is catchy. The chorus returns and much like the other songs we will head into a bridge as the formula puts that next. The riff in the bridge is neat and the effects that are used in it are nice. When the bass takes over the bridge riff alone behind Stapp, we see some of the bass work that was on the first section. The guitar joins back in, but the bass is still balanced high enough to be the important instrument. Then Scott begins the tedious section of the song, repeating “What if what if what if what if I” until finally he gets back into the chorus. This goes back into Scott screaming “What if what if what if what if I” and then after more repetition, the song ends. 3.5/5
Weathered (Tracks 8,9,10,11,12,13)
One Last Breath- Tremonti shows his talent for writing strong riffs again on this song, and it sounds like the softer songs from the first section. The bass is nice but not technical, although Brian does better. Scott sings well the words which we all have heard, as this was another big single for them. After the first chorus the drums come in, and Tremonti continues to play his riff. The second chorus is heavy and Scott changes the way he sings it to match the band. The bridge has good vocal work by Scott, which helps to forgive the generic instrumentals. After the bridge the guitar is heard faintly under violin chords, until Scott comes back in and puts the song into its heavy chorus again. After a repeat of the chorus the song hit’s a final chord, then the intro riff comes back and Scott repeats some lines he sang earlier. 4/5
Don’t Stop Dancing- One of my favorites on the album. The guitar work is basic chords, but Scott gives an amazing vocal performance and the lyrics are good. The band really does take a backseat to let Scott sell this song more so than the others on the album. There is a little bridge before the second verse and Scott continues to give an amazing performance. The distortion kicks in for the chorus and Scott continues to sing well over top, without adding his usual edge to his voice whenever the song gets heavy, The second chorus has Tremonti build into a very nice solo out of it. Simple yet very effective for the song. The bridge is, while not bad, begins a little shaky for Scott but he recovers and then gets back. The backing vocals on the song provided by Aimee Stapp (unsure if it wife or sister) are very good, and add to the song. Scott builds us back into the chorus and continues his solid performance, which leads to the end of the song. The song then goes back to the intro and Scott gives us one last great set of vocals to end it. 5/5
Bullets- Probably the heaviest song on the album, it begins with feedback and Scott saying some things. Before the guitars kick in and Scott gives us a scream. Again the instrumentals are not amazing, but the riff could fit on a metal album. Scott’s voice is a little different on this song and it is ok, but I don’t think it fit’s the song the way they thought it would. It has a very whiney sound during the verses that can be annoying, the chorus is Scott giving screams, and this is probably the most metal you will ever hear Creed. The bridge has a great metal riff at the start. Then it fades to drums and guitar effects. Scott comes back in with the whine still there, but less prominent. The bridge continually builds back into the chorus. The chorus is then repeated a few times, and then the band plays the song out with Scott adding a few more screams over top. 3/5
My Sacrifice- The first single off of Weathered, it is an ok song. The riff is reminiscent of With Arms Wide Open, although it is a little more involved. The song is very similar to With Arms Wide Open, and this hurts it. The lyrics are snag well, and they are decently written. The band is playing very basic parts behind Scott, and doesn’t show the same talent in other places on the album, especially Mark’s ability to write solid riffs. The song is very generic and follows the formula perfectly. As a single it is good, and it is one of their Greatest Hits, but it isn’t one of their best songs. The bridge is the most interesting part of the song, but even it isn’t enough to save the song. Scott repeats the chorus and follows the soft chorus-loud chorus ending formula to create a radio hit. 2/5
Weathered- This song ends Greatest Hits really well. The riff at the beginning is more representative of Tremoni’s ability, however it is the only interesting instrument. Scott has a more country-esque style to his singing, however I like it and think it fit’s the lyrics and the song well. This song then picks up a heavy chorus, and though it is formulaic, it is still nice. The song then has a second verse and Scott’s style is again well performed and adds to the song. The chorus comes in and then leads into the bridge. The bridge does seem a little out of place, because it is a little more metal-ish, but Scott changes vocal style from country to rock star again, and sells the section, which isn’t weak but just feels out of place. This bridge leads into the chorus smoothly, which is good. The chorus repeats a bit, and there we have it a strong track to end the album. 4/5
Bonus DVD- The bonus DVD contains a video for every song on the album, either a real music video, or concert footage. It isn’t amazing, but since the CD is priced at the same as other CD’s without the bonus DVD, it is a nice incentive to get a few extra buyers, especially if you love music videos and Creed.
Overall- This album is very solid, there are not any bad songs on it, and it really is their best work. If you are looking for the best of Creed without all the filler of the albums, this is what you want. It is balanced so you can also get a taste of each of the albums, and eras if you will. The early years (My Own Prison) the middle super popular years (Human Clay), and the late turbulent years, (Weathered). Each section has a distinct feel to it, and you may find yourself liking certain sections more than others (I prefer My Own Prison and Weathered).
4/5
