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14 Shades of Grey

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14 Shades of Grey
The gray words "Staind".
Studio album by
Staind
ReleasedMay 20, 2003
RecordedSeptember 2002 – March 2003
StudioWestlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length62:13
Label
ProducerJosh Abraham
Staind chronology
Break the Cycle
(2001) 		14 Shades of Grey
(2003) 		Chapter V
(2005)
Singles from 14 Shades of Grey
  1. "Price to Play"
    Released: April 1, 2003
  2. "So Far Away"
    Released: June 23, 2003[4]
  3. "How About You"
    Released: December 23, 2003
  4. "Zoe Jane"
    Released: April 5, 2004
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic41/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[5]
The A.V. Club(mixed)[6]
Blender[5]
E! OnlineB link
Entertainment WeeklyC[7]
Q[5]
Rolling Stone[8]
Uncut[5][9]
Yahoo! Music UK[10]

14 Shades of Grey is the fourth studio album by American rock band Staind, released on May 20, 2003. The album continues the post-grunge sound as seen on the band's previous album Break the Cycle, but the songs on 14 Shades of Grey have fewer pop hooks, focusing more on frontman Aaron Lewis's emotions.[3] It is the band's last album to be released from Elektra Records.

The album featured four singles and debuted at No. 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.[11]

Background

[edit]

After finishing their tour schedule, Staind allowed time for Lewis and his wife to conceive their first child and adjust to being parents for a few months. The band then took about five weeks to write new songs before they began recording in Los Angeles, including 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.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

The song "Layne" is a tribute to Layne Staley, the late Alice in Chains singer. The song "Zoe Jane" honors Aaron Lewis' firstborn daughter. Some shots of Zoe Jane are featured in the video for "So Far Away".

Release

[edit]

First editions of the album included a limited edition bonus DVD featuring home videos and 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.

A DVD-Audio edition of the album was also released, featuring a 5.1 surround sound version of the album, at high resolution (96 kHz/24-bit).

Touring and promotion

[edit]

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 the band's previous two albums.

Reception

[edit]

The album received mainly mixed reviews from critics. 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.[5]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Aaron Lewis; all music is composed by Staind

No.TitleLength
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
Total length:62:13
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
15."Let It Out"3:54
Total length:66:06
B-sides
No.TitleLength
16."Novocaine" (previously unreleased)3:15

Personnel

[edit]

Staind

  • Aaron Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Mike Mushok – lead guitar
  • Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
  • Jon Wysocki – drums

Additional musicians

  • Josh Abraham – keyboards (tracks 4, 14), programming (track 4), string arrangements
  • David Khane – string arrangements
  • Tony Reyes – keyboards (tracks 6, 7, 14)
  • Anthony Valcic – keyboards and programming (track 4)

Production

  • Executive producer: Jordan Schur
  • Produced by Josh Abraham
  • Engineered by Ryan Williams; assisted by Brandon Belsky, Jones G., Scott Gutierrez, Joey Paradise, Jeff Phillips, Mark Valentine and Darren Venditti
  • Additional recording by Anthony Valcic; third engineer: Jon Berkowitz
  • Mixed by Andy Wallace; assisted by Steve Sisco
  • Digital editing by Josh Wilbur

Design

  • Artist coordination: Cailan McCarthy
  • Art direction/design: Gregory Gigendad Burke
  • Photography by Anthony Mandlet

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[32] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Unconstrained, nu-metal Staind - Staind: 14 Shades of Grey".
  2. ^ "Staind faz nu-metal cheio de clichês em "14 Shades of Grey" - 31/07/2003 - UOL Música".
  3. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 14 Shades of Grey at AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  4. ^ "Post Modern" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Critic Reviews for 14 Shades of Grey". Metacritic. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  6. ^ Thompson, Stephen (May 27, 2003). "Staind: 14 Shades Of Grey". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  7. ^ Ousborne, Jeff (June 13, 2003). "14 Shades of Grey Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 96. Archived from the original on June 19, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  8. ^ Kot, Greg (June 26, 2003). "Staind: 14 Shades Of Grey: Music review". Rolling Stone. No. RS 925. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  9. ^ "Staind - 14 Shades Of Grey". Uncut. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  10. ^ Rogan, Josh (May 26, 2003). "Staind - '14 Shades Of Grey'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on August 23, 2004. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  11. ^ Staind Gets Good News On The Home Front, Goes Gold Yahoo! Music (July 23, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
  12. ^ Fuoco, Christina liveDaily Interview: Mike Mushok of Staind LiveDaily.com (January 7, 2004). Retrieved on 2-24-10. Archived July 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Staind Aiming For May 6 To Release 'Break The Cycle' Follow-Up Yahoo! Music (January 20, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
  14. ^ Staind's '14 Shades Of Grey' In Stores Yahoo! Music (May 20, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
  15. ^ Staind Shares Concept Behind '14 Shades Of Grey' Yahoo! Music (May 13, 2003). Retrieved on 2-24-10.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "Staind Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Staind". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  23. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  29. ^ "Staind Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  30. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  31. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Music Canada. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Staind – 14 Shades of Grey". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
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