Greatest Hits (+DVD) - Creed > Reviews > Creed; The Cash Cow Strikes Once More.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Completely unoriginal
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	One hit and lots of B-sides
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Unmemorable
Value for Money	Poor

Advantages:	Tremonti, 2 or 3 individual songs
Disadvantages:	Stapp, generic, repetitive, stale, uninventive

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

1999 saw the release of 'My Own Prison', the debut album from US rockers Creed. For a band that blatantly ripped-off the likes of Pearl Jam on an almost track-by-track basis, their success was startling.

Forgoing their debut, the bands two follow up releases, 'Human Clay' and 'Weathered' started to show cracks in the foundations, and whether it was down to the staggering 20 million sales, or the more likely fact that vocalist Scott Stapp happens to be a total tosser, Creed soon disbanded and went their separate ways.

Guitarist Mark Tremonti was always the star of the piece; a truly fantastic talent, his recent emergence as part of new outfit Alter Bridge (whom also feature former Creed drummer Scott Phillips and bass player Brian Marshall) serves notice that parting ways may well have been for the better as far as he's concerned.

Despite going their separate ways, the bands former record label Wind-Up decided upon releasing a Greatest Hits package, one which would supposedly showcase exactly why Creed shifted 20 million units, spanning just 3 albums. That said, Tremonti himself was said to be disgusted over the idea of said package, and thusly refused to have anything to do with it.

After all the who-ha between the label and the band members themselves, 'Creed - Greatest Hits' hit stores around Christmas time last year; a move which obviously had no ideal about cashing in on the pressie market. No, of course not. As a casual fan of the band (alright, I liked 2 songs), I decided to give it it's due and lay down a fiver for it.

The first thing to take into consideration is that the band only produced 3 studio albums, thusly the label had merely 35 songs to work with when producing the album; and once whittled down, we're left with a career spanning disc of a ridiculously sparse 13 tracks, of which 2 or 3 are wretched filler.

'Torn', lifted from the bands debut album shows the band at their undoubted best. With Tremonti's abilities all to evident, Stapp delivers one of his most vocal performances, berating himself for some non-apparent reason - "Torn, I'm filthy. Born in my own misery" - the chugging riffs make the song, giving it reasonable leverage to lift it above par.

The self-titled 'My Own Prison', taken from the album of the same name, follows on. As if working in some chronological order, the label seem to have missed the fact that by placing the bands earlier (and better) work toward the beginning, the album becomes all to intolerable toward the end; leaving it rather pointless.

'What's This Life For', a track also found on the Halloween H-20 soundtrack, gives us one of Creeds undoubted highlights - "Don't say a last prayer because you could never find. What's this life for" - a touching ode to suicide, the track seems somewhat under produced, something which gives it an edgier, 90's feel; one which does little to halt the PJ rip-off claims.

The albums best moments are unquestionably the massive selling 'With Arms Wide Open' and 'My Sacrifice'; the former a touching message from Stapp to his soon-to-be-born son ("Well I just heard the news today, It seems my life is going to change. I close my eyes, begin to pray, Then tears of joy stream down my face"), and the latter a crunching rocker ("When you are with me, I'm free...I'm careless...I believe") - although commercial, both show a different perspective to Creeds music, and thusly cannot be faulted.

'Higher', one of the bands live favourites, and undoubted best tracks, sees Stapp step up once more, giving another of his better performances. "Can you take me higher? To a place where blind men see. Can you take me higher? To a place with golden streets" - despite the quality of the song, the accompanying video sees Stapp as something of a Jesus figure, showing him for the pretentious sh*t he was soon to become.

Creeds downfall comes with Stapp. Tremonti is a fantastic guitarist and could easily of used the years 99-05 to much better effect than rotting away as part of this generic outfit. His introductions made half the songs, with Stapp merely showing himself on 50% of the songs, with the likes of 'Are You Ready' showing the Creed formula running a little thin - "are you ready? are you ready? for what's to come?". Erm, no.

As a package, it's pretty dire. Aside from the appallingly short 13 tracks, the track list misses off a couple of absolute certs, of which the fantastic 'Faceless Man' is one that simply had to make it onto the disc. The accompanying DVD is not worth a carrot - showing the bands videos and little more, it's a wonder what the point in it actually was.

Whilst 'Creed - Greatest Hits' delivers some truly brilliant songs (With Arms Wide Open, Torn), there's just something not right. As before, the track list is dreadfully constructed, the accompanying DVD will be best used as a frisbee in my house, and a couple of the songs, to be blunt, stink. As a huge fan of Tremonti's new outfit Alter Bridge, I can only recommend anyone with an ear for half decent rock music gives them a look.

Creed R.I.P. - you won't be missed.

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Tracklisting;

Torn
My Own Prison
What's This Life For
One
Are You Ready
Higher
With Arms Wide Open
What If
One Last Breath
Don't Stop Dancing
Bullets
My Sacrifice
Weathered