Welcome to the Album Nerds Podcast with your
hosts, Andy, Don, and Dude. Let's get ready to
record rumble. We're back. This is the Album
Nerds Podcast. I'm Dude. I got Don with me. Unfortunately,
Andy can't be with us this week. He's trying
out for American Ninja Warrior. Yeah. Nice. So,
Don, guess what his ninja name is. You know,
all the contestants have ninja names. Hmm. I
don't know. He's the tea bag ninja. Oh, because
he drinks a lot of tea? No, but in the tea world,
he don't want no bags. He likes it loosely. There
he is. So, yeah, good luck to him there. I think
he'll destroy the competition. All right. So,
this is the Elm Nerds Podcast. We love albums,
the album format, and finding all kinds of stupid
ways to compare, contrast, and talk about them.
And this week we're returning for another slugfest
on our Record Rumbles series, where two albums
enter the ring to go head -to -head, track -to
-track, and toe -to -toe. As always, Don's going
to be asking us a deep question. We'll have some
shout -outs to some other albums and album -related
items we're digging. Then, of course, we'll spin
the legendary Wheel of Albumgeddon to learn the
topic of our next record rumble. But for now,
let's get it on! Well, prepare for a clash of
post -grunge titans as two of the most polarizing,
arena -filling albums from the heyday of radio
-friendly butt rock go head -to -head in a battle
of anthems, angst, and unapologetic power chords.
So, Dom, we should probably dig into the butt
rock. Yeah, so it refers to that period in the
late 90s, early 2000s, where this kind of mainstream
rock was played on. radio stations whose slogans
were things like nothing but rock. Yeah. And
so they used that. With one T. Right. But then
the second T came in to make it extra insulting
to the bands that were thrown into that category.
Indeed. So that would include, of course, the
artists we're talking about today, Creed and
Nickelback, but also Stained. Three Doors Down.
Shinedown. Theory of a dead man. Maybe, I don't
know. Puddle of muds. Yeah. Puddle of mud. Definitely.
So yeah, it's kind of a, it's a silly breaking
Benjamin. Yeah. It's a silly genre name or the
fact that it's even a genre, but it exists and
we're taking advantage of it. That's what we
do. And now it is time for the battle of the
butt rock behemoths. Choose your fighter. In
this corner, with over 8 million records sold,
packing platinum power from Canada, armed with
chart -topping anthems, it's the heavyweights
of Hook, Nickelback with Silver Side Up. Silver
Side Up is their third studio album by the band
formed in Hanna, Alberta, Canada. Features vocalist
and guitarist and lyricist Chad Kroger, his brother
bassist Mike Kroger, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist
Ryan Peek, and drummer Ryan Vledko. So wait,
so we got two Krogers and two Ryans? Oh yeah,
yes. Good observation. Thank you. That's what
they pay me for. So this was their breakthrough
album. This is the one that really, you know,
made them butt rock gods. I don't know. Butt
rock legends. There you go. Butt rock behemoths.
Yes. That's what we're calling this whole thing.
So that works. All right. Who's our next behemoth?
Choose your fighter. And in this corner, straight
out of Tallahassee, Florida, the post -grunt
preachers of pain and power chords, led by Scott
Stapp and guitar god Mark Tremonti. With over
20 million copies sold worldwide and Grammy in
hand, this 1999 juggernaut took us higher, welcomed
us with arms wide open, and rocked arenas with
righteous fury. It's the spiritual sledgehammer
known as Human Clay. By Creed. Nice. So yeah,
Creed was formed in 1994. Scott Stapp. I know
you love people's names. It's actually Anthony
Scott Flippin is his birth name. His stepdad
adopted him and his stepdad brought the Stapp.
Mark Tremonti on guitar, Brian Marshall on bass,
and Scott Phillips on drums. They blended aggression
with themes of inner struggle, faith, and redemption.
Their debut album, which was successful, even
though it was on a shoestring budget and they
made it piece by piece, dollar by dollar. And
despite critical panning, Creed sold over 28
million records in the U .S. But this is the
record that launched them into mainstream superstardom.
Coming off the unexpected success of My Own Prison,
they went more polished, more radio -ready, bigger
hooks. more uplifting tracks, and a sense of
spiritual searching that defined their identity.
The title of the album you love this on comes
from a lyric in the song Say I. The dust has
finally settled on the field of human clay. I
know you like it when they sneak in the title.
So human clay captured the earnest emotional
tone of a generation navigating the end of a
millennium, spiritual without being preachy,
aggressive without being alienating, and undeniably
massive in sound. A lot to say there, but let's
let the songs do the talking and get to round
one. And here we go! So this is opening cuts
for round one. The first song of any album should
immediately capture your attention, set a tone
for what's coming, set you up for success, right?
You want to take this journey. So Don, what are
we listening to here? It's time for Nickelback
to step up. Well, the opening cut for Nickelback's
Silver Side Up is never again. You should have
gone with the first few words when he's like,
it's a boxing ring in the living room. That's
right. Yeah, so that song, you know, is pretty
powerful. Nice driving rhythm behind it. So,
Never Again, if you couldn't tell, lyrically,
it adopts a child's perspective to narrate a
domestic violence scenario. I think he says clenching
his fists. It's not like he says clinking. I
don't know if that, is that how they pronounce
it in Alberta? It might've just been, sometimes
words get said weird because it sounds better
to the artist or producer. Yeah. So yeah, a pretty
raw sounding song with, I don't know, pretty
direct lyrics, you know, not the most imaginative
metaphors. You know, like you said, the living
room becomes a boxing ring. Yeah. It's. It's
kind of corny, but I don't want to say it's corny
because it's such an awful situation that they're
depicting. And it's gutsy to take that on. You
know, you may or may not remember this. We were
both working at a record store together at the
time, and we were roommates. And one of the other
songs on this album that we'll maybe get to later,
How You Remind Me. Both really liked it. I got
the promo copy, the free copy of the album, brought
it home, like, all right, this is on Roadrunner
Records. That's like a metal label. Let's listen
to this thing. And this was the first song, and
we both were kind of laughing at the lyrics.
Now, I don't see it that way anymore. I don't
think it's as cringy as I did then. Unlike the
introspective, metaphor -heavy approach favored
by earlier grunge acts, the bands that inspired
these bands, like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, the
storytelling here is... unambiguous and literal
right which lands more like headlines and poetry
so that's yeah that took i think that was the
adjustment i was trying to make their influences
were the bands that i wanted them to sound like
but they had to do it their own way right that's
true kicking your ass would be a pleasure yeah
well that's a i mean from little kids perspective
that's quite an advanced way to word things so
sure all right well how does creed start off
Well, I'll just ask a simple question, Don. Are
you ready? I'd say that Are You Ready serves
as a spiritual overture for the album. Slow building
intro blooms into a thick chugging riff from
Mr. Tremonti. It kind of sets a tone. for the
record's blend of introspection with the muscular
guitar work, quasi -religious overtones. It alternates
between heavy palm -muted verses, soaring anthemic
choruses, structure that Creed would refine across
the entire album, which I think is why this works
well as an opening track. Stapp delivers his
typical sort of mix of challenge and invitation.
Are you ready for what's to come? It's like a
call to awaken, maybe look back, reflect and
confront personal change. And maybe can you smell
what Creed is cooking a little bit? This band,
at this point, they had some success. Are you
ready for what we're about to kick your ass with
on this record? So as an opener, I think it functions
as a mission statement that this is a band that's
going big, both sonically and thematically, from
the very first note. After listening to the Nickelback
album all the way through, you know, then I put
on Creed and I kind of just expected more of
the same. But it's really, they are pretty different,
these two bands. Yes, more different than I thought.
This first song, it starts off with kind of atmospheric
guitar. You know, there's a lot of little lead
guitar parts that you just don't get with Nickelback.
You know, they're relying almost entirely on
the power chords. And, you know, Tremonti really,
you know. add some, some melody with the guitar.
Uh, and then when you get into the choruses,
that's when you get the, the heavy power chords.
Uh, but it's definitely different. If he had
been born a decade earlier, he would have been
in anthrax or something, you know, like, I think
he, that's where his heart lies. And this was
a period of music where that wasn't going to
work. So yeah. And same with Scott, Scott step.
I think he was more of a classic rock sort of
style. So they had to meet in the middle, which
is what I think they did here. Yeah, this one
actually gave me kind of a Soundgarden vibe at
the beginning. When he comes in, I mean, obviously
he doesn't have the range of Chris Cornell, but
he does, you know, kind of attack you with that
aggressive growl or something. Yeah. So, yeah,
pretty intense intro. Super intense. That was
a lot to take in. Those are two pretty hefty
songs, especially Nickelback literally bringing
it into a boxing ring. So why don't we take a
little breather, hear a little something something
from our friends over at Getting Down and Wordy.
Riz. Greetings. Gendered language. Onomatopoeias.
The ick. What makes some words sound funny. Why
just listen to music when you can overanalyze
the words in the songs? Music, language, and
Eurovision all crammed into one podcast. Find
us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Well, maybe
at some point they could have their own rumble.
Russell V. Hanna. Nouns versus verbs. There you
go. That's the fight of the century right there.
Back to the action. In round two, we're going
to select a standout cut from each album. attempting
to knock the other dude out with a wicked haymaker.
Don, what you bringing? I'm ready to take it.
Well, as dude mentioned earlier, this song actually,
I think, got both of our attention and we were
both excited about it at the time. A song called
How You Remind Me. I still love it, man. It's
a great song. It is a good song. I mean, when
we listened to that record that day I brought
it home, we turned it off after the first track,
so we didn't even get to the song we like. She
had to listen to the whole thing. That was dumb.
Yeah. We were jerks back then. Yeah, we were.
So the lyrics of How You Remind Me supposedly
stem from an argument Chad Kroger had with his
girlfriend at the time. Supposedly, he went down
in the basement, turned on his microphone, and
just started, I guess, singing into the microphone
down there. And he came up with these lyrics.
He was, I think, deliberately singing them loud
so she could hear them, hoping to... you know,
get some sort of response from her. Uh, and she's
was like, Ooh, that sounds good. You know, that's
a true mark of a good song. It's like, you know,
even though you're insulting me, I recognize
that this is quality stuff. Yeah. That's, that's,
I gotta give that lady credit. She should, she
deserves some piece of the. piece of the action
there. True. I mean, it's a pretty straightforward
rock song, but there's something about it that
sounds a little different. You know, it's not
a typical chorus. The rhythm of it is kind of
unique. I don't know. It just really stands out.
Just, you know, I think a powerful, you know,
rock single. As stupid as it is, one thing that
I remember... being impressed by at the time
and still kind of like is the these five words
in my head scream are we having fun yet and they
like remember counting them out yeah the five
like you know what i like that and i really do
like that i mean it's not complex but it really
works yeah i don't love the lyrics for lots of
the songs on this album but i do like them on
this one Well, it avoids the overly simplistic,
cringy tropes often associated with this post
-grunge era. It's heartfelt without feeling forced.
And the combination of the gritty guitar, the
vulnerable but strong vocals, there's a lot of
confidence there. I mean, these guys were a hardworking
band. This is their third album. I mean, their
first one was independently recorded and released.
They weren't just handed this like a lot of those
Seattle bands after grunge broke where it was
just record labels scooping up anything they
could. Both Creed and Nickelback had to claw
their way into the music industry. And I feel
that here. I like it. Good energy. Well, I can
picture a shirtless Scott Stapp winding up to
throw a big punch. So what do you got? Another
question. What if? I mean, I thought Creed sucked
at the time, largely probably because of With
Arms Wide Open being so huge and just being a
record store snob guy. But I always liked that
song. I love Stone Temple Pilots. It had a very
STP sound. And I remember thinking STP had been
sanding it down. And I was like, why can't they
do stuff like this? This band is able to do this.
And I feel like it's Tremonti's metal moment
on the album where he really gets to bash you
with his guitar. The song isn't about regret.
It's about vengeance and distrust of society
and the media and personal betrayals. And it's
one of the rare moments where they really sound
angry. And I like anger in my rock music, at
least in moments. And it works really well. It
proves Creed wasn't just about ballads and uplift.
They could bring weight, menace, and edge when
they wanted to. Haymaker! So even this one, even
though it's kind of a harder track, it still
has kind of a quiet intro, which was supposedly
inspired by the Rolling Stones' Painted Black.
Cool. Yeah. It's kind of funny. I feel like all
the grunge bands had kind of moved on and were
exploring other sounds, but the post -grunge
is kind of throwing back. I know. I should have
embraced it. I should have just. Gone along for
the ride. I hated my bands fading away, my Pearl
Jams and whatever, and Binaural was the Pearl
Jam album in 2000. This one's more fun to listen
to than Binaural. Binaural's all artistic and
cool and whatever, and it's Pearl Jam and poetic,
but if I could go back and do it all over again,
I would have embraced these records and just
enjoyed them for what they were instead of being
such a douchey snob. So yeah, I think we both
took it pretty hard. To the face. I'm seeing
stars. It's pandemonium. That was a very successful
and action -packed round two. All right, round
three, opponent cuts. So in this round, we each
try to land a critical blow by spotlighting one
of the weaker tracks in our opponent's album.
This is a fun one. I totally biffed it last week,
so hopefully this time I'll do a better job.
All right. Well, what's the weak underbelly of
Silverside Up? It's actually a very painful thing
that can happen on your finger. It's a hangnail.
Yeah. There are moments where it's okay. It tries
to be edgy and confrontational, but sort of ends
up incoherent and forgettable, but the memories
of it are of the bad parts. It's kind of awkward.
There's aggression, but not much artistry here.
It's a swing and a miss as far as I'm concerned.
Lyrics like, my hopes just fell and I can't see
the reason why, why there is blood on my sleeve.
Is that from having a fight? And then this life
you lead, like us living in a shiny ballroom,
next time you bleed, better ask before you borrow.
It just feels like chunks of stuff, but it's
like a breakup voicemail. screamed into a distortion
pedal. That distorted vocal layering, that weird
effects that they were putting on, it just didn't
fit the rest. It felt like they were trying too
hard to make an uninteresting song interesting.
It might be emotionally honest, but it's sonically
abrasive, lyrically jumbled, and structurally
weak. In a battle of haymakers, this is just
the glass jaw on Silver Side Up. Ooh. Yeah, lyrically,
it's certainly weak. I guess the only aspect
of it I appreciate is that it does break up the
album a little bit. As you're listening through,
it is kind of one note. And this one changes
up the tempo a little bit. Isn't it like the
second to last song? Maybe, second or third.
Yeah, I can't remember. Yeah, so it changes the
tone right before the last track. Come on. True
lose. Well, let me strike back. Come on. Stop
trying to hit me and hit me. All right. So the
weakness on human clay, I'll say, is with arms
wide open. I think it's wide open. Wide open.
So I am in danger of falling into the trap that
you did last week, going with the Cure's Love
Song. So I chose with arms wide open because
it is an interruption, I think, to the flow of
the album. At least musically, it's a pretty
dark album and a very heavy album, and this one
feels a bit out of place, which was also typical
in the 80s with your metal bands when they would
have that power ballad thrown into an album.
This kind of feels like that. But on the other
hand, I mean, I can't argue about it being a
good song and a huge hit. I mean, it is sappy
and sentimental, but I mean, there's many sappy
and sentimental songs like Lionel Richie's Hello
or something. If I can appreciate a song like
that, I should be able to appreciate this. Yeah,
it was huge. And it was the reason I didn't want
to listen to them because it was sappy. And it
was also something I didn't understand, having
a kid and how that makes you feel. But there's
an overwrought delivery, Hallmark -style lyrics.
It aims to be heartfelt, and I'm sure it is.
It totally is, and I think it's probably inspired
a lot of people. I mean, I watch on YouTube now
these younger people from younger generations
doing these reaction videos to songs they haven't
heard, albums they haven't heard, and the reactions
from people across the board. playing this song
is just that he's got this what a beautiful voice
what a powerful message like i think without
the uh the glasses we were wearing in 1990 you
know 99 2000 of the way we saw the world i think
this is this song can just be seen for what it
is When it's not in the context of the grunge
scene and all that other stuff that was going
on. I do think the vocals are a bit of a distraction.
Just his affect on it. I think it works better
with heavier tracks. I think because it's a quieter
song. It's easy to make fun of. Yeah. So you
have to draw words out when you're singing. So
with arms wide open. carry the emotion right
and i'm sure the producer probably pointed out
i mean it's like uh in sync it's it's gonna be
me no it's gonna be may yes see you tried to
cut me but i'd say creed still standing tall
arms wide open and middle finger raised don you
failed still probably my most skippable track
on the album so you still get that going for
you All right, so three rounds down. I think
it's time to take a break and then we'll get
back to the action. It's time. It's time to get
deep. Excuse me. I'd like to ask you a few questions.
It is time again for Deep Questions by Don. Oh,
yeah. Butt Rock took over the airwaves in the
late 90s and early 2000s, just as reality TV
was also. Destroying television. Yes. Dominating
screens. Did you have any favorite reality shows
at that time? Yeah. I mean, I bought in at first.
I mean, the very first reality show I remember
seeing was Cops. Oh, yeah. Even before like the
real world and stuff. But I watched the first
season of Survivor, never went back. I figured.
The formula is going to be the same every time.
I watched the first season of American Idol.
And then a few years later, I saw a couple of
seasons here and there. But in 2005, my very
favorite, probably the contender, it was a boxing.
Oh, yeah. Contest. It was hosted that first season
by Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard.
And it was independent boxers that hadn't made
it to the big time yet competing to, I think
if they had a championship, they would get representation
and get up into the ranks to - Fight the big
fight. Fight the big fights, yeah. Also Rockstar
in excess. Oh, yeah. It was one of my favorites
where the members of NXS and Dave Navarro, all
these contestants sang NXS songs and stuff to
prove they could be the next singer for the band
after Michael Hudgens passed away. So it was
usually music things that I was most into. Yeah,
speaking of music ones, I remembered one that
you and I used to watch together, Bands on the
Run on VH1. Yeah, that was awesome. It started
with four groups who had to compete, and I think
ultimately the winner got a record deal. Yeah,
that was so fun. I remember the first couple
episodes, the band that we supported, Flickr
Stick, we thought they were lazy and didn't,
but then their music like won out, won us out.
And I ordered their independent CD before, then
we went and saw them live. I mean, that was as
far of a journey you could take with a reality
show as possible where you go and meet the band,
you know, it was cool. Well, what were your favorite
reality shows? Let us know on Instagram and Facebook
or leave a comment on our website, albumnerds
.com. Back to the action. Finish them! So here
we are in round four. Now we're coming around
to those closing tracks, those final songs that
should wrap things up in a way that feels satisfying,
leaving the listener thinking about the music
long after it ends, potentially songs stuck in
head, play it again, Sam, all that stuff. A little
post -coital cigarette. I think they do vapes
now, Don. That's right. All right. Well, Nickelback
ended Silver Side Up with a song called Good
Times Gone. Good times were just starting for
these guys. They just didn't know it. Yeah. Yeah,
I should mention that this isn't even their best
-selling album. No. That came a few years later
in 2005. But, you know, Good Times Gone is another,
I think, kind of change of pace on the album.
It's just sonically different for the most part.
It has a more bluesy rock treatment. You've got
some harmonica in there, some slide. And it's
one of the moments where you actually have...
Some, I think, interesting guitar, some melodic
guitar. You don't really get a lot of that on
this album. So I really enjoyed this as the closer
for the album. I mean, I think we can all relate
to the idea of nostalgia and things not being
as good as they used to be. I mean, even when
you were 24 or something, you still feel like
things suck now compared to how they used to
be. That's stupid. Such a waste of time. We waste
so much time looking back, you know? Yeah. It's
kind of a weird end, especially given how aggressive
and riff -heavy most of the record is. So I appreciate
that. Odd placement of taking a stylistic departure.
It's either bold or baffling. I still haven't
figured that out. Were they going for like bluesy
or were they shooting for more of a Bon Jovi
dead or alive moment? Because I kind of heard
like a cowboyish kind of like Western thing going
on. There's definitely some of that. Yeah. It
felt like probably they did some experimenting
in the studio and took a chance on this one.
So I'll give them credit for giving it a shot.
I think it's probably just easier sometimes to.
put the interesting track at the end rather than
trying to sandwich it between. If you're not
expecting it to be a single, then yeah. All right.
Well, how does Creed attempt the final round
knockout blow? Well, they go with a reflective
spiritual track, kind of a sequel to the themes
explored in my own prison. Why don't we check
out a little bit of inside us all. i picked the
part of the song that saves it you know it's
because it's kind of like a mellow mellow track
you know that there's a piece inside us i'll
let it be your friend you know find find happiness
in life uh don't sweat the small stuff that's
kind of the the feeling i got from it but also
as with everything scott stapp's childhood upbringing
in the born -again church world, which I do have
experience with myself. So I do understand where
he's coming from spiritually, where there's still
this part of you tied to that world, but you're
also living in the regular world and trying to
have those two things fit together somehow. Stapp
holds back on the theatrics a little bit here,
a little more restrained. Feels like an epilogue.
It's not a hit single, but a meditative closer
that does invite introspection over chest thumping.
So I think it's a fairly strong close. I really
like the initial sound of the song, the verses.
I like that quiet, moody vibe. And then I feel
like the chorus doesn't really deliver. And that's
actually my criticism of kind of this. period
in rock anyway there there really wasn't a lot
of melody going on in choruses a lot of time
it was just all of a sudden you shift into like
a louder riff or something and the vocals remain
kind of monotone and maybe sung a little louder
and that's what creed does a lot on this album
and you know i wish they you know tried to to
be a little bit more melodic but i i know that's
not what they were what they were going for well
i mean they're way more melodic than their contemporaries
Yeah. At this time. Yeah. I mean, particularly
musically, the guitar parts are very melodic,
which I think is their best feature. I agree.
Okay. Well, that wraps up the standard sort of
portion of this fight. It's time for the final
round, round five, X -Factors. X -Factor KO.
All right. So here we are, the final round, round
five, X -Factors. We look at these five key metrics.
that we think help define great albums, and that
way we can get away from just the songs and look
deeper. Those factors are the digging factor,
like is it an enjoyable listening experience?
The killer to filler ratio, are all the songs
strong? Which ones are, you know, how many a
week? The production, which album hits the hardest
hits and delivers the true heavyweight listening
experience based on making the songs the best
they can be? The rematch. You said there wasn't
going to be no rematch. Do you want to listen
again? Will you return to this record? And then
the legacy, like what's its importance in music
and history and culture? Does it stand the test
of time? So Don, throw these together and what
do you get? What's your result? Where do you
land on round five, X -Factors? Yeah, now that
I'm less of an asshole, I think I can actually
appreciate both of these albums. Yeah, we're
not assholes, we're just butts, and it's butt
rock time. Right, buttholes. Well, I feel like
a lot of these are pretty even. I think overall,
I think the... Better listening experience, surprisingly
ended up being Nickelback, even though I was
partial to Creed initially. I think it's maybe
just a bit more consistent. I think with arms
wide open kind of kills the flow of the Creed
album. It plays very long. It kind of trudges
along in the middle. I feel like it loses some
momentum, even though I feel like it's a. The
Creed is kind of a bigger sounding album. The
production, I think, is basically even. I think
the legacy is about the same. Both of these kind
of represent kind of the death of rock. And it's
not the fault of these bands or the albums. It's
just they came at the end. Yeah. As far as re
-listenability, I think. Nickelback has an advantage
just because it's shorter, but it's a brighter
sounding album, and I think it maintains momentum,
whereas Creed kind of slows down at points. I'll
go with Nickelback there. Overall, I think I'm
leaning Nickelback for X -Factors. How about
you? Yeah, so for the dig in, I give it to Creed.
It was more emotionally resonant. Soaring moments,
better dynamics, I think, throughout. Just the
sound is bigger and more enjoyable to me. And
the musicianship, I think, is definitely better
than Nickelback's work on that album anyway.
Killer to filler ratio, again, that's Creed for
me. The killer tracks, Higher, which we didn't
get a chance to talk about, that's such an iconic
song. What If, Are You Ready, Say I, Faceless
Man, Inside Us All. I mean, there's just very
strong songs. Nickelback has How You Remind Me,
Never Again, and Too Bad, which was a radio hit
as well and a song I enjoy. But it's just kind
of those three and the rest of it, I just kind
of, I found myself being like, is it Creed time
yet? So production wise, I'm giving it to Nickelback.
Cleaner mix, more polished vocals, tighter overall
sound, very echoey for Creed, but that's part
of their whole spiritual big sound. They're more
of an arena rock and Nickelback's more of a,
garage rock type vibe or basement rock. As far
as re -listenability goes, it's got to be Creed.
I just think it holds up more cohesively over
time, more lasting appeal. You know, once the
sort of irony and memeness and all that fades
and the whole... anti -Creed, the butt rock that
these bands get. Once I got through all of that,
I just sat back and enjoyed the albums. So I
will go back to it, surprisingly. If it's a choice
between I'm going to listen to Pearl Jam verses
or Creed, Human Clay, it's probably going to
be Pearl Jam. But there are going to be moments
where I want to make a Jesus Christ pose and
throw my head back and listen to some Creed.
And with Nickelback, you can cherry pick the
hits, but as an album as a whole, it doesn't
invite a lot of full replays for me. Legacy wise,
I think Creed, it went diamond. It spawned Grammy
wins. There's praise, there's parody, but I think
they're just a more powerful band. I know that
Nickelback lived on and continued to record albums
and have even bigger hits than they did on this
record. So yeah, I'm giving the X Factor round
five to Creed, four to one. Let's send it back
to the center of the ring and hear tonight's
results. Well, I guess I'll go to my scorecard.
So I gave round one to Creed. I thought the Are
You Ready was a stronger opener. I thought How
You Remind Me was, I mean, it's just such a great
song. I had to give it to Nickelback. Round three.
I went with with arms wide open just because
it's such a strong song, even though it doesn't
really fit the record. Round four, the closer
I gave to Nickelback. It was, you know, it's
one of my favorite songs on the album. So they
get it. Round five was kind of all over the place.
I had a few wins for Nickelback and two draws.
But Nickelback takes round five. And so they
take my scorecard three to two. How about you,
dude? Round one, I'm giving that to Creed. I
think Are You Ready is just a much more grandiose
and less depressing entry, although I appreciate
what Nickelback was doing, setting a tone where
they were a different band than some of these
other behemoths at the time. Round two, that
Haymaker, I'm giving to Nickelback. I think How
You Remind Me is kind of their definitive song
and one of my favorites. I will never turn that
off if I happen upon it on the radio. Round three
for the opponent cuts. Creed's the winner. Just
Hangnail is just so yucky to me. And nice try,
because With Arms Wide Open is the song that
I have found the most eye -rolly, even though
it's a quality... track and it's a big one for
them but yeah i gotta pick that overhang now
round four for the closing cuts giving it to
creed they close with dramatic and emotional
track it fits the tone of the whole album doesn't
stray and good times gone experiments with that
other sound and it just doesn't quite land and
feels a little disconnected but i appreciate
the gust going for the gusto there And then,
yeah, going through my score for the X factors,
that's going to create, I think, overall, it's
just a better listing experience, even though
it's a little longer, Don. All right. Well, so
that's one to one. Let's go to the audience scorecard.
Yeah. We do a poll. Yeah. So we did post the
poll on our social media. Keep an eye out for
that before next week's show. So the audience
scorecard reads. creed human clay with 65 of
the vote and nickelback silverside up with 35
wow split decision well thank you uh listeners
for knowing what's up and giving creed the win
we have a new champion of the world i'm okay
with that decision so congratulations to creed
this record rumble coming to a close with creed
squeaking out The win for the Battle of the Butt
Rock Behemoths. And we'll never use that term
again, we promise. Can you dig it? Can you dig
it? Can you dig it? Well, we've been scratching
our butt rock itch all week. Gross. Did you have
time to dig anything else? I'll give you a pass.
We weren't going to say it again, but I'll give
you a pass on that one. I did, even though I
did listen to both of those records many, many
times. I considered going Miles Kennedy, who's
a member of Alter Bridge, because he put out
a solo album at the end of 2024 that I missed.
But I figured, enough. Enough's enough. So I
went with a newer band that I've been enjoying
sort of in that blues rock vein, Rival Sons type
of thing. You know, I love that stuff. So the
band Feel, that's the name of the band, Into
the Sun is the EP. And let's listen to a little
bit of Hands in My Pocket. They come from St.
Louis, formed in the 2020s. Blending classic
and modern rock, getting some acclaim, touring
with Cheap Trick, Blackberry Smoke, and Rival
Sons. Yeah. It's funny how that sound just pops
after a week of Nickelback and Creed. Yeah, I
listen to this a lot. It's kind of a chaser,
if you will. All right, and then as tradition
seems to state, I will go with something from
my vinyl collection from my second album I'm
digging. Just added this one. It's... one that
Andy actually turned me on to that I wouldn't
have had any interest in without him. It's D
'Angelo, and the album is Black Messiah from
2014. Let's listen to a little bit of Ain't That
Easy. So D 'Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer,
renowned American singer -songwriter, known for
his pioneering work in Neo -Soul and had the
big hits in... 95 with Brown Sugar and 2000 with
Voodoo. After 14 years, he came out with Black
Messiah. And it blends funk, soul, and rock.
And lyrics addressing political unrest, social
injustice. And, you know, it's some deep stuff,
but it's also funky and fun. And I'm proud to
have it in my collection. Just remember his lower
abs. Yeah, that was from 2000. I don't know what
the abs are like in 2014 or now, but if he's
still rocking... That 12 -pack, then congratulations,
D 'Angelo. So what are you digging there, Donnie?
Well, Alison Krauss and Union Station. I just
like the album title, Arcadia. A little throwback.
Of course. So Alison Krauss and Union Station,
they're basically kind of a bluegrass group formed
in Nashville in 1987. Here's a song called Richmond
on the James. Is James like a river or something?
Yeah, I believe so. Which means like a train
track or something? A road? Or a city? You'll
have to listen to find out. Yeah, ever since
Oh Brother Where Art Thou, I've just really had
a thing for this kind of rootsy bluegrass sound.
I think Alison Krauss in some form was on the
soundtrack to Oh Brother Where Art Thou, right?
I think so too, yeah. And another album. Kind
of digging. Billy Idol is back. I like the kinda
that you threw in there. I've listened to this
too. Yeah, I'm not sure if you missed him or
not, but he has a new album called Dream Into
It. And of course, Billy Idol is... You know,
I mean, he's a famous English rocker from the
80s, the lead singer of Generation X before that.
But I thought this album was at least interesting
because it is a concept album that kind of follows
his life. You know, so these early songs are
about, you know, his career starting. And then,
you know, you get this final track. He's still
dancing. Maybe not with himself, but. Right.
I got everything I need. Yeah, so this does tie
in with Nickelback. Did you know that, Don? No.
Well, Avril Lavigne does vocals on one of the
songs, and I believe she was married to Chad
Kroger for a period, or at least dating him.
That's right. She's on that track, 77. Yeah.
Very cool. Well, what are you digging? Let us
know. Join us on the socials, Facebook, Instagram,
and threads. Also on our website, albumnerds
.com. You fight great, but I'm a great fighter.
You ready? Well, it's about the time on the show
when I'm reminded of the words of the great Sugar
Ray Leonard. He said, we're all endowed with
God -given talents. Mine happens to be hitting
people in the head. With that in mind, let's
bring out the wheel of album getting and see
what types of albums will be featured in our
next record rumble. When the lights go down and
the crowd roars, legends are made. Next time
on Record Rumbles, it's the Battle of Legendary
Live Albums. Two iconic performances go head
-to -head, capturing the raw energy, epic moments,
and pure magic of rock at its most electrifying.
So, Battle of Legendary Live Albums. Oh, Andy.
If he was dead, he'd be turning over in his grave.
But he's not dead. No. No. Like we said, he's
going to be the next Ninja Warrior. So yeah,
that should be interesting, trying to find some
powerful live albums to... to compare, especially
those that are career -making on those rare occasions.
All right. So what albums should be in a record
rumble? What else are you listening to? Email
us at podcast at albumnerds .com. Follow us on
Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Blue Sky at
Album Nerds. And keep an eye out on the socials
so you can vote on the next record rumble and
be part of the audience scorecard. Visit albumnerds
.com to suggest topics for the show, peruse the
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And the best way to... Support the show as the
share it. Please subscribe, rate, and review
on your favorite podcast app. Thank you so much
for joining us once again on the Elbnerd's podcast
and another sweaty record rumble. We'll catch
you next time with those legendary live albums.
Three Doors Down would like a word. Oh, no. If
I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?
No, no, no. All the Superman songs at that time,
it was just too much. Five for Fighting. Yeah.
Yeah, that one, right? Was that it? Yep, that
was it. He should have done with arms wide open.
With arms wide open. With arms wide open. Sorry
to everyone involved. Sorry, five. Sorry, step.