Published on Aug 24, 2000
What I remember best about the year 1997 is that three bands
came out around the same time who sounded like they were going for
the alternative music throne held by Pearl Jam. What was especially
interesting was that all three bands had a similar sound to them –
note I’m not saying they sounded exactly the same.
In one corner of the triangle, you had Seven Mary Three, who got
people’s attention with tracks like “Cumbersome”. In another
corner, you had Days Of The New, featuring Travis Meeks, his
acoustic guitar and his tempramental style, firing bandmates faster
than Spinal Tap could replace drummers.
And then, there was Creed – the band who were so popular yet
many people probably couldn’t name a single band member. Their
debut release
My Own Prison has some excellent moments on it – there’s a
reason this disc has spawned so many hits. But the funny thing is:
not only would I not have picked Creed to be the “survivor” (God, I
hate making any reference to that freak show, intentional or not)
in ’97, but I still wouldn’t have made that selection today,
knowing what I do.
Make no mistake, this band – vocalist Scott Stapp,
guitarist/vocalist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and
drummer Scott Phillips – had some great chops, and they know how to
create a tune that will lock the listener in from start to finish.
It’s also interesting that they were able to take a
pseudo-Christian approach to the lyrics and win over fans; usually,
the mere suggestion of spirituality sends people screaming for the
exits. While Creed states they’re not targeting themselves as a
Christian rock band, they could well be the most successful group
with that musical direction.
Just the mention of some of the hits – “Torn,” “One,” “My Own
Prison” – is enough to convince anyone that Creed was making sure
they were going to be in this for the long run. And admittedly,
it’s hard to find any fault with many of these songs – even if some
people
did get their panties in a bunch because Stapp dared to
utter the phrase “goddamn” on “What’s This Life For”. (My opinion:
I can understand its usage in this case.)
Yet there are signs that
My Own Prison shows off a band still learning its craft.
Some tracks, like “Sister” and “Unforgiven,” just fail to catch
fire like the smash hits, and even oversaturation on radio wouldn’t
help things. Likewise, other tracks have some level of
effectiveness, such as “Pity For A Dime,” “Ode” and “In America,”
but they don’t have the same level of magic that would set them
apart as being special.
For that reason, sometimes I find it hard to get through
My Own Prison, though I will admit that seeing some of these
tracks performed live helped things quite a bit. (Whenever I find
five free minutes, I still have to write up that show review for
“Power Chords”.)
In one sense, you have to admit that
My Own Prison is a powerful first effort from Creed, and it
held out the promise of much greater things to come. (It, along
with superstardom, would indeed come one album later.) But on the
other hand, one has to admit the weaknesses on this disc as well as
the strengths. After all, this was a band who was just starting
out, and had much to learn about themselves and their music. For
that reason,
My Own Prison remains an enjoyable, but flawed, first
picture of Creed.