14 Shades of Grey
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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14 Shades of Grey
- Artist: Staind
- Rating:
- Release Date: May 20, 2003
- Total Time: 62:32
- Type: Contains explicit content, Lyrics are included with the album, Enhanced CD-ROM
- Genre: Rock
Review
Staind broke through the nu-metal murk in 2001 with Break the Cycle because the band landed upon a rather ingenious formula -- toning down the aggression and turning up the emotion, all the while returning to the Alice in Chains-styled grunge that began the whole alt-metal mania of the '90s. Evidently, American audiences were hungry for big sensitive guys with tattoos crooning ballads, since Break the Cycle and its single, "Been a While," were inescapable throughout 2001, and soon Staind had eclipsed even its mentor, Fred Durst's Limp Bizkit, in popularity, raising expectations for the group's third album, 2003's 14 Shades of Grey. What they've delivered is a record that follows through on the neo-grunge and soul-baring, sensitive journal entries of Break the Cycle. There are plenty of loud guitars here, but the overall sense of aggression has been tempered considerably as Aaron Lewis' thoughts and feelings take the forefront, with the music used as coloring for his emotion. That means there's not much visceral kick in the rhythms, nor are there head-snapping hooks in the riffs, or catchy melodies. Like a metallic variation on emo, where expression trumps any other consideration, Staind is all about how Lewis is feeling -- whether it's about the world, love, his daughter "Zoe Jane," or his idol, "Layne." The tempos, even when fast, let Lewis emote, and he does so with a full-bodied croon, something that sounds particularly jarring when he sings "f***," which he does a lot, often in choruses. The croon, the profanity, and his obsession with documenting his emotions in detail -- an obsession with his feelings on the level of second-wave sensitive '70s singer/songwriters who also reveled in the specificity of their situations -- are in full bloom on 14 Shades of Grey, and they have the net result of either making listeners empathize completely or turning them off completely. That specificity of situation might, in fact, make the audience that connects with this smaller than the legions who loved "It's Been a While" -- particularly because there are no songs with hooks, let alone hooks as undeniable as that -- but those who connect with Staind will likely find this more consistently satisfying than Break the Cycle. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi| 14 Selected Israeli Melodies (2008 Album by Various Artists) | |
| 14 Shades of Grey [Bonus DVD] (2003 Album by Staind) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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14 Shades of Grey
| 14 Shades of Grey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Staind | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | September 2002 – March 2003 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Post-grunge, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 62:32 | |||
| Label | Flip, Elektra | |||
| Producer | Josh Abraham | |||
| Staind chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 14 Shades of Grey | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| E! Online | B link[dead link] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
14 Shades of Grey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Staind, released on May 20, 2003. The album continues the developed sound from the band's last album Break the Cycle, though the songs on the album are lighter in tone and have a less aggressive sound.
The album featured four singles and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 220,000 copies. By July 2003, 14 Shades of Grey had been certified gold then later platinum.[4]
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Contents
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Background
After finishing their tour schedule, Staind allowed frontman Aaron Lewis and his wife to conceive their first child and settle for a few months. They then took about five weeks to write new songs before they began recording in Los Angeles. The band also spent a week developing the songs at producer Josh Abraham's house. Guitarist Mike Mushok noted it as the first time Staind has actually written in the studio.[5]
In January 2003, Staind planned on a May 6 release date for their untitled fourth album. This date persisted into March during which an album title was announced. However, this would have to be delayed a few weeks.[6]
Aaron Lewis elaborated on the lighter direction of 14 Shades of Grey:
- "It's kind of a logical progression where we're getting older now. . . [Guitarist] Mike [Mushok] is married, and I'm married now with a kid and we're that much deeper into figuring out as far as lyrically goes and figuring out our trades as far as writing songs go."[7]
Guitarist Mike Mushok described the album title in a 2003 interview:
- "I think it's kind of referring to how in life there's black and white and then there's this grey area. . . I think the older you get you start to realize that more things are grey and not so much black and white."[8]
The song "Layne" is a tribute to Layne Staley, late Alice in Chains singer. The song "Zoe Jane" honors Aaron Lewis' firstborn daughter.
Release
First editions of the album included a limited edition bonus DVD featuring footage of the band from their early years to the present, along with album lyrics and new band photos. For a time, fans could use the CD to download a bonus acoustic song "Let it Out" from the Staind website, but the page was later removed. The song was later included on the deluxe edition of the band's next album, Chapter V.
Touring and promotion
The single "Price to Play" was released in early anticipation of the album's debut. Three more singles were released over the next several months with accompanying music videos.
Staind supported 14 Shades of Grey with a series of in-store appearances followed by free club performances. They also performed with Label mates Cold during the summer of 2003. Concert setlists incorporated songs from all the band's albums including a few tracks from Tormented, Staind's lesser known record.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Aaron Lewis, all music composed by Staind.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Price to Play" | 3:35 | |
| 2. | "How About You" | 3:57 | |
| 3. | "So Far Away" | 4:04 | |
| 4. | "Yesterday" | 3:46 | |
| 5. | "Fray" | 5:04 | |
| 6. | "Zoe Jane" | 4:36 | |
| 7. | "Fill Me Up" | 4:24 | |
| 8. | "Layne" | 4:25 | |
| 9. | "Falling Down" | 3:55 | |
| 10. | "Reality" | 4:37 | |
| 11. | "Tonight" | 4:24 | |
| 12. | "Could It Be" | 4:43 | |
| 13. | "Blow Away" | 6:14 | |
| 14. | "Intro" | 4:28 | |
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Total length:
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62:32 | ||
| Japanese version bonus track | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 15. | "Let It Out" | 4:48 | ||||||||
Personnel
- Aaron Lewis – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Mike Mushok – lead guitar
- Johnny April – bass guitar
- Jon Wysocki – drums
Reception
Initial critical response ranged from mixed to average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 41, based on 10 reviews.[9]
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Billboard 200 | 1[10] |
| Canada | 8 | |
| UK | 16[11] |
| Preceded by The Golden Age of Grotesque by Marilyn Manson |
Billboard 200 number-one album June 1, 2003 – June 7, 2003 |
Succeeded by How the West Was Won by Led Zeppelin |
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 14 Shades of Grey at Allmusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ Ousborne, Jeff (June 13, 2003). "14 Shades of Grey Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 96. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,452206,00.html. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Kot, Greg (June 26, 2003). "Staind: 14 Shades Of Grey: Music review". Rolling Stone (RS 925). Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071013190227/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/staind/albums/album/287336/review/6212442. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ Staind Gets Good News On The Home Front, Goes Gold Yahoo! Music (July 23, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
- ^ Fuoco, Christina liveDaily Interview: Mike Mushok of Staind LiveDaily.com (January 7, 2004). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
- ^ Staind Aiming For May 6 To Release 'Break The Cycle' Follow-Up Yahoo! Music (January 20, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
- ^ Staind's '14 Shades Of Grey' In Stores Yahoo! Music (May 20, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
- ^ Staind Shares Concept Behind '14 Shades Of Grey' Yahoo! Music (May 13, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
- ^ "14 Shades Of Grey Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/music/14-shades-of-grey. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
- ^ Chart information at Allmusic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ "Staind - 14 Shades of Grey - UK chart history". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=1145. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
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Mentioned in
14 Shades of Grey [Clean]
(2003 Album by Staind)
14 Shades of Grey [Bonus DVD]
(2003 Album by Staind)
14 Shades of Grey [Clean Bonus DVD]
(2003 Album by Staind)
14 Shades of Grey [DVD Audio]
(2003 Album by Staind)
14 Shades of Grey [Japan Bonus Track]
(2003 Album by Staind)
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