Weathered
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.
This article is about the album by Creed. For the 2014 EP by Angie Miller, see Weathered (EP).Weathered
November 20, 2001
July–August 2001
- J. Stanley Productions, Ocoee, Florida
- Transcontinental Studios, Orlando, Florida
50:05
- John Kurzweg
- Kirk Kelsey
- Creed
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[edit]
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]
Promotion, release, and commercial performance[edit]
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.
Creed
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