Revisiting human clay - Creed (September 1999)

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Human Clay - Creed

Wind-up

Produced by John Kurzweg

Released 28th September 1999

US Chart #1

UK Chart #29

Singles From Human Clay

01. Higher

02. To Whom It May Concern

 Limited Edition Tour EP (European Release)

01. Higher

02. To Whom It May Concern

03. Roadhouse Blues (Live)

04. What's This Life For (Acoustic)

Limited Edition Numbered CD (European Release)

01. Higher

02. I'm Eighteen

03. Roadhouse Blues (Live)

Also released as a Limited Edition 7" Yellow Marble Vinyl in the US and UK

Released 24th August 1999

US Chart #7

UK Chart #47

 01. What If (Album Version)
02. What If (Radio Edit)
03. I'm Eighteen
 Released January 2000
Did Not Chart

 Released as Limited Edition Red Vinyl 7" in the UK
A-Side: With Arms Wide Open (New Version)
B-Side: With Arms Wide Open (Acoustic Version)

and as a Enhanced CD in Europe

 01. With Arms Wide Open (New Version)
02.With Arms Wide Open (Strings Version)
03. With Arms Wide Open (Acoustic Version)
04. With Arms Wide Open (Album Version)
05. With Arms Wide Open (Video Strings Version)
Released 24th April 2000
US Chart #1
UK Chart #13

 Radio Promo Release Only
01. Are You Ready?
Released August 2000
 
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Creed are one of those bands that you either love or hate, it seems there is no sitting in the middle when it comes to them. You are either For them or you are Against them.

The band had formed in 1993 originally as a five piece (rhythm guitarist Brian Basher left the band in 1995) and once the line-up had settled it featured Scott Stapp on vocals, Mark Tremonti on guitar, Brian Marshall on Bass and  Scott Phillips on drums. They were originally called Naked Toddler but settled on the name Creed.

(Original Cover for their debut album My Own Prison)

In 1997 they released their debut album My Own Prison on their own label - Blue Collar Records and with the help of airplay on Florida Radio stations they managed to sell 6,000 copies in the area in the first 2 months.

A copy had fallen into the hands of Diana Meltzer from Wind-up Records who was keen to sign the band and did so after seeing them perform live in Tallahassee.

The album was then remixed and cleaned up a bit and given a bit of a more radio friendly sound and re-released 26th August 1997. The sales of 6,000 on their own label would be blown apart when it became a #22 album in the States selling enough (six million!) to be certified six times Platinum!

Whilst My Own Prison was still selling pretty well (it would spend over 110 weeks on the Billboard Chart) the release of their second album Human Clay would further their careers as it would debut at #1 in the States and in the two years that followed would sell over 10 million copies. It has to date been certified Platinum 11 times and is one of a number hard rock albums that was certified Diamond.

People like to put bands into Categories/Genres and of course the question to be asked is where exactly do Creed fit? Well, as I often have no comprehension as to what all these Genres and Sub-Genres actually mean, to me they are a hard rock band. I've seen them listed as Post-Grunge (again not totally sure what it means other than the fact they were not from Seattle and so didn't fit the "Grunge" mould). Ultimately though it shouldn't matter because either the music is good or it's totally pants, and on this note I say that it's good.

The singles Higher and With Arms Wide Open were huge hits for the band reaching #7 and #1 respectively. With Arms Wide Open won a Grammy for Best Rock Song and the album also won the Favourite Pop/Rock Album at the American Music Awards.

Listen to more from Creed 

With Arms Wide Open - A Retrospective.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 34 - Who's Got My Back?

I've always been drawn toward song titles that come in the form of a question. One reason is probably I, like many, am often seeking answers to life's great questions and every once in a while you do happen to find them in a song! Not always mind you, and it's not necessarily a good thing to put your trust in a man who makes his living playing guitar all around the world! I'm not a huge fan of Noel Gallagher and Oasis but he did impart a great bit of wisdom once in his song Don't Look Back In Anger:

"Please don't put your life in the hands
Of a Rock 'n' Roll band
Who'll throw it all away"

There's a lot of wisdom in that lyric I tell you!

Anyway, the question that Creed poses in this amazing song from the Weathered album, and before you say "Creed? Seriously?", it's important to point out that I could easily have used (Just Who is) The Five O' Clock Hero? by The Jam but then we would not have spent the moments thinking about something important!

I really like the lyric of this song because it deals with the subject of where we find security when life all around seems to be falling apart and it appears that we are alone to deal with the consequences. In the first verse you get that picture of fear, a wallowing in "the covenant broken" - a broken promise, a failure on someone's part to do what they said they were going to do, and the result doesn't look pretty or feel pretty for that matter - "leaving us with no shoulder to rest our head on". It's an unpleasant feeling that some people have even when they are part of a crowd they still feel lonesome and wonder "Who' Got My Back?"

Where the first verse looks like despair, in the second there is a ray of hope - "There's still time" and there's almost a promise - "All that has been devasted can be recreated". Of course we have to be realistic because there are some things that just cannot be "recreated" no matter how much we long for the clock to be rewound and maybe get a second chance to deal with the situation that brought about this present calamity in our lives (things like the loss of a loved one). But where we assumed that there was "no shoulder to rest our head on" it's like a light goes one and we see people around us who will aid in picking up the "broken pieces of our lives" and suddenly, as they give themselves "to each other" they become the ones on whom we "rest our head on". It reminds me of that line in U2's song 'One' - "We get to carry each other".

My own way of dealing with the question "Who's Got My Back?" is to reflect upon the faith I have, I understand that not everyone has faith themselves. For me it's the realisation that there is someone more powerful than I am who really does have my back because I am in his hand and that is the safest place to be, also it's the understanding that around me he has put some good folk who are supportive and do indeed have my back, and I'm grateful for each and every one of them. They know who they are.

 "Who's Got My Back?"
Run...hide
All that was sacred to us
Sacred to us
See the signs
The covenant has been broken
By mankind
Leaving us with no shoulder...with no shoulder
To rest our head on
To rest our head on
To rest our head on

Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
So what is the truth now?

There's still time
All that has been devastated
Can be recreated
Realize
We pick up the broken pieces
Of our lives
Giving ourselves to each other...ourselves to each other
To rest our head on
To rest our head on
To rest our head on

Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
So what is the truth now?

Tell me the truth now...Tell us the truth now

Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
So what is the truth now?

If I could also point you towards another song that I think is particularly helpful then click here.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Happy Birthday to Scott Stapp

Happy Birthday 

to 

Scott Stapp

Click on the links to enjoy the music.

 Proof of Life (Album Playlist).

Slow Suicide (Promo Video)

Consequence of Sound Interview.

WAAF 97.7FM Boston Interview.

Acoustic Performance for Rock933HV.
Acoustic Performance of 'Dying to Live'.
'Jesus Was A Rockstar' - Philadelphia 4th April 2014.
'Bullets' - Atlanta 9th April 2014.
'Overcome' - Irving Plaza NY 2nd April 2014.
'Sublime' (Unplugged).
'A Prayer For Sunrise'.
'The Great Divide' - Jay Leno Show.
'Relearn Love (Radio Version)'.
 

 Slow Suicide.
What If.
Justify.
My Own Prison.
New Day Coming.
Higher.
Hit Me More.
One Last Breath.
'Only One' .
My Sacrifice.
With Arms Wide Open.
Dying To Live.
Proof of Life.
 

Happy Birthday The Edge and Scott Stapp

Born this day in 1961, Dave Evans or The Edge as he is known to the masses. Happy 52nd Birthday.

Van Dieman's Land.

Numb.

Born this day in 1973 and celebrating his 40th Birthday today, Scott Stapp, frontman for Creed.

With Arms Wide Open - Creed.

The Great Divide - Scott Stapp.

Creed

They're back in business again. After an 8 year lay off Creed are back rocking the place up. The new album 'Full Circle' is not really much of a departure from the old stuff and no doubt those who hated them first time around will be up and at them again. But for those who were loyal to the band it is indeed a welcome return. In their absence it's bands like Nickelback who have taken their mantel, but Stapp and Co. are back to reclaim it!

Overcome (Official Video)