I won't disagree w/ you here... it is quite impressive that they had 4 #1 singles from a debut album. perhaps i slighted it a bit by placing it @ 1.5
The album didn't necessarily spend that long @ #1 b/c it was good. I mean, if I remember correctly, it was either NSYNC or Britney Spears that was challenging them in album sales on the Billboard list @ the time. I generally don't go by album sales when considering whether an album's good or not. esp when people bought all those in the first few weeks for one main reason: the anticipation leftover from such a great album as Human Clay. I guarantee you, had HC not done as well as it did, Weathered would not have done as well. Its success was a result of that of HC, plain and simple. Plus, their hit singles from Weathered, OLB & My Sacrifice, continue in the mainstream post-grunge vein that worked so well for them on HC.
Sophomore slump? I guess since you're so interested in album sales as an indicator of how good an album is (see Weathered remarks) you'll also notice that HC is 11x platinum in the US, according to the RIAA. And it's a good thing Wrong Way and Never Die are probably my least favorite songs on the album. And Weathered isn't quite as differentiated as you might think. Freedom Fighter and Bullets? Sure, they're different. But the theme of Bullets is quite similar to that of What If. Who's Got My Back? Only thing that makes it unique is that Indian dealywhopper at the beginning of the song. Otherwise, the rest is not that different from anything else. There's nothing particularly original about the lyrics in Weathered, just more or less your same-old-same-old post-grunge themes.
I believe you, my friend, are the crazy one, given that you place such high value in album sales, yet prefer Weathered over HC. And the names really don't do a whole lot as far as creating musical distinctions. Switchfoot has a song titled "Ammunition", and there's nothing particularly dark or brooding about that one. So just sit back, concentrate a little more on how formulated Weathered is, and remember how much Weathered owes its success to HC.
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