Weathered is the third studio album by American rock band Creed, released on November 20, 2001. It was the last Creed album to be released until Full Circle came out in October 2009, with Creed disbanding in June 2004. It is the only Creed album to be recorded as a three-member band, as bassist Brian Marshall departed in August 2000. Vocalist Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti wrote most of the material for the album during a three-week period in late 2000, following their successful tour to support their second album, Human Clay. Manager Jeff Hanson once again paired the band with longtime producer John Kurzweg, who rented out a private residence/recording studio in Ocoee, Florida owned by Jay Stanley, where the band would set up their studio inside to record the album. Recording sessions for the album began in July 2001, with Tremonti taking on bass guitar duties in Marshall's absence, and would last four months to complete.
Stapp described the album as "two records in one" and "a very extreme record", as it features some of Creed's heaviest and most aggressive songs, experimental tracks, as well as many of the band's most popular ballads. The lyrics on Weathered tackle familiar topics often addressed by the band including Christianity and faith, discrimination and unity, depression, loneliness, friendship, as well more current and personal issues such as criticism and persecution of the band by their critics and the press, substance abuse, dealing with the pressures that came with the band's popularity and living a rock star lifestyle, feelings of invisibility and insignificance, and Stapp's deteriorating physical and mental health which would continue to worsen throughout their hectic tour in support of the album.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, the band's second consecutive studio album to top the chart, and remained at the top spot for eight consecutive weeks, the longest consecutive run since The Beatles's greatest hits album 1 (2000) the year prior. Weathered also spawned six singles, including two top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles: "One Last Breath", which peaked at number 6, and "My Sacrifice", which peaked at number 4. It has since been certified 6× platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 6 million units in the US alone. Weathered received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the band for their nuance, refined sound and unapologetic emotion, while others criticized the album for its lack of creativity and for being far too serious and pretentious.
Background
Following the massive success of the Creed's second album Human Clay, the band began to experience turmoil during their tour in support of the album in the summer of 2000. Bassist Brian Marshall's problems with alcoholism and addiction were taking their toll on the band. Marshall began to spiral, leading to him physically threatening guitarist Mark Tremonti and even began attacking vocalist Scott Stapp verbally and online. After a band meeting they decided that Marshall needed to go to rehab and was let go from Creed, however Marshall never ended up going to rehab. The public initially thought Marshall was let go due to comments he made about Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during a radio interview with KNDD in June, claiming that Scott Stapp was a better songwriter, and criticizing Pearl Jam's recent albums for not having hooks.[1] Marshall was replaced for the remainder of the tour with Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot.
Scott Stapp's struggle with alcoholism, addiction and depression also began to worsen during this period. Stapp began drinking heavily to cope with his depression as well as with the pressure of his fame and the band's success. Violent altercations became the norm with Stapp, when in April 2001 he punched a man at a club in St. Augustine, Florida after he was badgering Stapp and reportedly told him "You should’ve stuck with Pearl Jam." However, no charges were filed. When asked about the altercation Stapp responded by saying "I was going to turn the other cheek, but Jesus never had to deal with this Pearl Jam crap."[2]
As Stapp's drinking addiction became more severe, he also became addicted to Percocet shortly after the release of the album following a car accident in the spring of 2002, as well as a host of other medications including Xanax and throat steroids like Decadron. Stapp's deterioration continued until he reached a point where he was "drinking from the time I woke up ‘til the time I went to sleep, and under the influence of pills as well." These addictions eventually culminated in a breakdown during a December 29, 2002, live show at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, ultimately leading to the band's eventual break up.[3][4]
Writing and recording
For the Weathered album, Creed approached the writing process differently than they did for their previous two albums. Prior to writing new material, the band made a rule that during the tour for Human Clay that no new songs could be composed. Scott Stapp says the reason for this was that he wanted the band to "live life and have experiences" before he and guitarist Mark Tremonti began writing new songs. Stapp and Tremonti also vowed not to listen to any music at all between the end of the Human Clay tour and the start of writing sessions for Weathered. Stapp said the reason for this was that he wanted to ensure that nothing would subconsciously influence the band's writing process. This was so that all the material would come from them. After finishing the final leg of their tour in December 2000, Stapp and Tremonti began writing new songs. After just three weeks, the songwriting duo had managed to write an entire album's worth of material by the end of the year.[5][6] Following a short holiday break, the band decided to take a laid-back approach to the recording and releasing of the album, deciding to spend the first several months of 2001 refining the new material before entering the recording studio.[6][7] Most of the writing for the album was done in Stapp's living room during four-hour sessions, four nights a week.[5][7] During the final days of writing material Tremonti and Stapp wrote while on Stapp's boat, a Sea Ray cruiser.[5]
On July 20, 2001, Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, and Scott Phillips entered J. Stanley Productions Inc., a private residence/recording studio in Ocoee, Florida, to begin the process of recording the album.[8] The home studio featured two in-home control rooms, Studio A, which was decked out with purple lights and purple lava lamps, which Jay Stanley claimed helped spark his creativity; and Studio B, where Creed held their recording sessions. The album was recorded and mixed in just four months using Pro Tools. The band also hired Full Sail University graduate Shilpa Patel, whom Jay Stanley referred to as the "Queen of Pro Tools", as a studio technician to help the band record and mix the album.[9]
During recording sessions for the song "Who's Got My Back?", the band enlisted the services of Cherokee musician Bo Taylor, an avowed Creed fan who Stapp brought in personally from a reservation who was fluent in ancient Cherokee chants, to do an ancient sounding Cherokee Indian prayer for the intro of the song. The band played a demo of the song for Taylor, and after a lengthy conversation about its meaning Stapp had Taylor do four to five chants in the studio until settling on the first take.[5][10] Stapp also brought in his sister Aimee to sing backing vocals on "Don't Stop Dancing", as well as the Tallahassee Boys' Choir. Jay Stanley, who was sporadically present during the recording sessions, recalls his initial impression of hearing early demo recordings of the songs, specifically the album's lead single "My Sacrifice".[9]
"I came and went [during the four months] checking on equipment, and troubleshooting gear…as I heard the demos coming together, I was impressed. The first time I heard "My Sacrifice" I knew it was going to be huge." — Stanley[9]
At the time, the group was halfway through recording its new album when the attacks of September 11, 2001, occurred. According to Producer John Kurzweg, the mood quickly changed and intensified following the attacks. Kurzweg said "We tried to go forward and do the best we could, but all the songs were written before. Not one lyric was changed."[5] In response to the terrorist attacks, touring bassist Brett Hestla, along with his band who were known simply as Virgos during this period, wrote a tribute song to those affected and involved in the massacre called "Brother Of Mine", which they included on their only album "The Path of Least Resistance". The song featured Tremonti and Philips on guitar and keyboards respectively. Another version of the song also featured Stapp sharing vocal duties with Hestla.
Music and lyrics
Stapp describes the album as "two records in one" and "a very extreme record", as it features some of Creed's heaviest songs such as the opening track and second single "Bullets", as well as some of the band's most uplifting numbers including their hit lead single "My Sacrifice", and the album's closing track "Lullaby".[5] Manager Jeff Hanson described the album as Creed's version of The Joshua Tree, feeling it would be the record that would set the band apart and have the epic scope and impact of the classic U2 album.[11] With bassist Brian Marshall no longer in the band, Tremonti played bass guitar for all the songs on the album in his absence.
The album opens with "Bullets", an anthemic and forceful heavy metal track that features some of Tremonti's fastest and most aggressive guitar work for Creed. Stapp wrote the lyrics about what he felt were unjust criticisms that the band had received throughout their careers from critics and the press. In the song, Stapp asks of them to "At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head!", inferring that if someone has something negative to say about them to do it to their faces.[12]
"Bullets" is followed by another one of the album's heavier tracks, "Freedom Fighter". It is the band's shortest song ever recorded, clocking in at only 2:36. In between the first and second verse of the song, a muffled voice can be heard reciting the lyrics from the bridge section of "Wash Away Those Years", from the Human Clay album.
The album's third track, the eight-minute epic entitled "Who's Got My Back?", is the band's longest song ever recorded and one of their most experimental tracks. The song was written by Stapp, who was inspired to reconnect with his own Cherokee roots and heritage on the track. The song opens with a Bo Taylor's Cherokee Indian prayer, that according to Stapp, was "so moving to me. It literally brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.""[5][10]
The band continues to explore dark themes on track five of the album with their hit single "One Last Breath", a song which Mark Tremonti cites as one of his favourite guitar lines and musical compositions for Creed.[13] According to Stapp, the song is about someone crying out for help, realizing the mistakes they've made in their past, and your friends being there for you to lean on. Stapp also expresses sentiments about how in the minds of "normal, well-adjusted" people, any thoughts of moving beyond this life are not real, and how these surreal thoughts are just flashes-in-the-pan and they would never act upon them.[14]
Track six, "My Sacrifice", sees the band segue into its uplifting numbers on the second half of Weathered. Lyrically, the song explores Stapp's own personal struggles with battling substance abuse, addiction and alcoholism and him coming to terms with his inability to stay sober despite his best efforts.[15] Musically, the song has a far more positive and uplifting sound comparable to the band's previous hit single "Higher".
"Weathered", the album's title track and final single, was written by Stapp about his feelings of sadness, bleakness and the pressures that came with living the rock star lifestyle while simultaneous having to conceal his rapidly deteriorating and unraveling mental state at the time from those around him.[3]
"Yeah, and I think you could see that clearly in the Weathered album. The title and the lyrics on that record absolutely relate to that - "I'm rusted and weathered, barely holding together, I'm covered with skin that peels and it just won't heal" - that was me sharing my heart and soul. I guess I'd learned how to flip the switch when I had to." — Stapp[3]
The final two tracks, "Don't Stop Dancing" and "Lullaby", close out the album on a soft note. "Don't Stop Dancing", the album's fourth single, is a power ballad where Stapp lyrically expresses feelings of invisibility and insignificance in the world. The song features Stapp's sister Aimee Stapp on backing vocals during the bridge and the Tallahassee Boys' Choir singing a background chorus. The album's closing track, "Lullaby", is one of Creed's softest numbers. It is an acoustic duet track featuring only Tremonti on guitar and Stapp on vocals, making it the band's only song not to feature drums or bass guitar. Musically the song is a soothing piece similar to that of an actual lullaby, while lyrically the song sees Stapp telling the listener to "Just give love to all".[16]
Artwork and packaging
Alternate cover artwork for Weathered with the enlarged solid white wordmark and album title, and Mark Tremonti's head carved facing to the right.
The artwork for the album was designed by Mark Tremonti's brother, Daniel Tremonti, who also designed all of the band's album covers. The front cover depicts an unknown man in the foreground holding a hammer and chisel while carving the faces of Stapp, Tremonti, and Philips into the wood of a heavily mossed tree. Some versions of the cover have Tremonti's head carved facing to the right, with the wordmark now centred and slightly larger, in solid white, and the album title, also enlarged, at the bottom with a black drop shadow.
As with the artwork for their previous album, Human Clay, the artwork for Weathered was incorporated into an online interactive game called Creed Quest. Daniel Tremonti devised the original concept and had been working with the band on design and marketing concepts since the Blue Collar Records version of My Own Prison. Tremonti's marketing and design firm, Three Mountain Group, was the game's developer. Soon after the release of the album in late 2001, banner ads and mysterious posts began appearing on Creed fan sites, which redirected users to a website called creedquest.com. Creed Quest officially launched on January 21, 2002, and after just a couple of weeks boasted over 40,000 participants. Creed Quest was broken down into eight weekly instalments, and was played on a points system, whereby points were accumulated by successfully completing tasks, challenges, answering questions about the band, and unraveling mysteries surrounding a different fictitious short story each week. Players with the most points were then eligible for weekly prizes and one grand-prize — a trip to Universal Studios Orlando for lunch with the band, among other activities. The foundation for Creed Quest had been laid years in advance prior to the release of Human Clay. Clues for the contest could be obtained in various Creed songs and album artwork, such as the clocks seen throughout the liner notes of Human Clay. Other prizes included signed items, watches, sunglasses, and props such as the granite slab with "Weathered" carved into it that is seen in the artwork of the liner notes of Weathered.[17][18]
Promotion, release, and commercial performance
To promote the album, the band made numerous television appearances, including a spot as musical guests on the November 17, 2001, episode of Saturday Night Live where they played "Bullets" and "My Sacrifice".[19] They also played the halftime show at the 2001 Dallas Cowboys' annual Thanksgiving Day football game on November 22. The band performed a medley of their songs "My Sacrifice", "Don't Stop Dancing" and their 1999 hit single "Higher".[20] On December 2, the band once again performed "My Sacrifice" at the 2001 My VH1 Music Awards and on the December 3, 2001, episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[21][22]
Weathered was released on November 20, 2001, becoming the band's second album to top the charts in the US, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold 887,000 copies in its first week of release,[23] making it the second highest selling album of 2001 for first-week sales.[24] By the end of 2001 the album had managed to sell over 4 million units in the US,[25] being certified 4× platinum by the RIAA on December 19,[26] and closed out the year of 2001 with sales of 555,092 units for the week of December 29.[27] The album remained in the top spot for eight consecutive weeks until the week of February 2, 2002, when it was finally knocked off the top spot by Alan Jackson's album Drive, which at the time made them only the 3rd artist in the Soundscan Era to have an album debut a number one and hold onto the spot for eight or more consecutive weeks.[28]Weathered finished number 2 on the 2002 US Billboard 200 year-end chart, and was eventually certified 6× platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 6 million units sold in just the US alone on January 6, 2003.[26] In 2001 the album was the 15th best-selling album globally, selling 4.9 million copies. [29]
Like its predecessor, the singles from Weathered were also commercially successful. The album's lead single, "My Sacrifice", which was released in October 2001, gave the band their third top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and their second highest-charting single on the Hot 100 (after "With Arms Wide Open") as it entered the top ten at the end of 2001 and peaked at number 4 in the week of February 9, 2002. It also topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for nine consecutive weeks, starting in December 2001. The album's second single, "Bullets", experienced moderate chart success, reaching number 11 and 27 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks respectively. "One Last Breath" was released as the third single in May 2002, and was a massive commercial hit both in the US and internationally. The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top five on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks, Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40. Worldwide, the song peaked at number 43 in Australia and number 29 in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom and Ireland—where the song was released as a double A-side with "Bullets"—it peaked at number 47 on the UK Singles Chart and number 41 on the Irish Singles Chart. "Hide" was released as an International single in the form of an EP with the album versions of "Bullets" and "Unforgiven", reaching number 65 in Australia. "Don't Stop Dancing" was released as the fifth single in October 2002, reaching 24 on the US Adult Top 40 and 48 in Australia. The album's final single, the title track, was releases the next month and peaked at number 7 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and 30 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
The album had four music videos created for it: "My Sacrifice" in 2001, followed by "Bullets", "One Last Breath", and "Don't Stop Dancing" in 2002. A two-disc version of Weathered was released and contained a VCD with three music videos made for Creed's second studio album Human Clay.
The album received mixed reviews, with some critics feeling that the album lacked creativity and liveliness, labeling Weathered as being "unimaginative", "predictable" and too serious and pretentious. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote in his 2 out of 5 star review that: "Their hearts are in the right place -- let it never be said that they're only in this for the money or the fame; they even advertise Stapp's With Arms Wide Open Foundation charity in the liner notes -- but the earnestness in their approach is magnified by their resolutely unimaginative neo-grunge." Although he praises the band's more experimental efforts noting the Cherokee Indian prayer on "Who's Got My Back" and bringing in the Tallahassee Boys' Choir for "Don't' Stop Dancing", he felt Creed had failed to break from their template and that the album was "simply another Creed record."[30]Slant Magazine also gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, with reviewer Sal Cinquemani praising the track "Bullets", but felt many songs including "My Sacrifice", "Freedom Fighter" and "Lullaby" were overly self-righteous and that "the song's message gets lost in the same hollow pit of obscurity as the band's previously uplifting efforts." He also praised the song "Who's Got My Back", but states that the song predictably trumpets into typical testosterone-rock.[36]
Some reviewers were more receptive to the album, commending the band's restrained, and morose approach as well as the nuance of the album. James Hunter of Rolling Stone gave the album 3 and half stars out of 5, citing tracks such as "My Sacrifice", "Who's Got My Back" and "Stand Here With Me" as album highlights. He writes: "Weathered is rock of unusual focus and arrest, a beautifully distressed dance of sustained style and unapologetic emotion."[35] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. She notes that although the album's lack of levity begins to take its toll over the course of the record, Weathered is still worth listening to "for those who want a dose of spirituality with their nu metal."[33] In his 8 out of 10 star review of the album, Thomas Kupfer of Rock Hard states: "The new album proves once again that Creed doesn't work according to the truisms of big business. As with its predecessors, the production was carried out under the guidance of producer John Kurzweg and the original sound was only refined with nuances." He asserts that the title track is the band's "most compact performance of the trio to date", as well as praising some of the calmer moments on the album including "Who's Got My Back".[34]
Tour
The Weathered tour kicked off on January 16, 2002, with an hour special VH1 "Opening Night Live" performance in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Philips Arena. The program also featured interviews by radio and television personality Aamer Haleem with Stapp, Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips in Florida.[37] After a successful opening night, the tour quickly hit its first snag just two weeks later when on January 30, Mark Tremonti's mother passed away, forcing the band to reschedule their February 1 performance in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the Continental Airlines Arena.[38] On February 19, 2002, Creed played at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the medals ceremony. The band mostly performed songs from Weathered as well as songs from their previous two albums.[39] American dates continued until February 23, when the band performed their rescheduled show in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The band then embarked on a half dozen international tour dates in March in Australia and New Zealand.[40][22]
The band returned to the US and had originally planned to do more shows in April, followed by a European tour in May and June, and then a full-scale North American run from July until the fall. But on April 19, Stapp was involved in a serious automobile accident when he was on his way to shoot the video for "One Last Breath". At around 1:40 in the afternoon, Stapp, while driving his Cadillac SUV on Interstate 4 in Florida, was struck from behind by a Ford SUV. Stapp's vehicle was rear-ended by the other vehicle that, according to Stapp, was going at "probably 50 or 60 miles per hour,". Stapp was sent flying forward in his vehicle, with his body hitting the steering wheel and his head hitting the windshield. The officer on the scene reported no injuries, but Stapp soon realized he had not gone unscathed while calling his manager after the accident. He suffered a concussion from the whiplash and from hitting the windshield. Although severely injured, Stapp still managed to show up the next day and shoot the music video, but the band's April shows as well as the European tour had to be cancelled. Things went bad to worse after an MRI later revealed the extent of Stapp's injuries including a bulging disk between two vertebrae in his neck, a smashed disk in his lower back, and an adjacent missing disk from a congenital condition that likely worsened the situation.[41][42]
Creed resumed the North American portion of their tour starting on July 11 in Norfolk, Virginia. During the fall portion of their tour, the band hit yet another bump in the road when Stapp was diagnosed with acute laryngitis due to the swelling of his vocal cords. Creed was forced to postpone nine dates at the beginning of their fall tour and almost had to pull out of a live performance at Alcatraz Island off of the San Francisco coast on October 10. However, the band still played the show since they had booked the show two weeks prior as a favor to VH1 when the previously scheduled artist canceled at the last minute. Before the show, Stapp was given a shot of anti-inflammatory medication Decadron, to temporarily ease the swelling of his vocal cords, and the set had to be shortened then what was originally planned. Stapp lamented that "This ambitious tour schedule ultimately proved to be too aggressive,".[43]
AllState Arena, Chicago Incident
As the band wrapped up their tour in December 2002, the band played one of their most infamous shows on the 29th at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, where Stapp suffered a mental breakdown on stage, forcing the band to cut the set short just three songs in. Prior to the performance Stapp, who was addicted to painkillers and battling alcoholism at the time, mixed his medication with alcohol causing him to become inebriated. As Stapp stumbled onto the stage, he was so intoxicated that he began rolling around, laying flat on his back while struggling to get back up, was unable to sing any of the lyrics to the songs, slammed his microphone on the ground, and at one point even passed out mid-performance. The audience began to heavily boo Stapp as he proceeded to leave the stage, only to return ten minutes later and miss all of his cues, causing the rest of the band to improvise by playing a number of unplanned solos. Although the band issued an apology to their fans via email, they soon found themselves involved in a lawsuit with two of the audience members from the show, Philip Berenz and Chad Costino, who alleged that Creed owed refunds to the 15,000 members of the audience, totalling $2 million in damages. Although the lawsuit was ultimately thrown out by the court, the band's reputation had been badly damaged.[44][45] Creed played their final show of the tour on December 31, 2002, with 3 Doors Down. In June 2004, the band announced their break-up.
