Staind – The Singles: 1996 -2006

Greatest hits and best-of’s and singles collections are always interesting releases. I mean, who are they meant for? The big fans will already own every single track on the release on the actual releases, and will only buy it if they absolutely need the extra track that a band usually smacks onto the end of the release – but most will just download it instead of dishing out twenty bucks for one song. And in a way, that is the main purpose of these retrospective releases, it’s just to get extra money in the pockets of the ever greedy labels and take their fans for every penny their worth, of course, sometimes its done in hopes of resurrecting a career too – that’s always a possibility. But in the end, as I’ve said many times before, the most useful aspect of a singles or greatest hits collection is for the casual fan. The fan who is just getting into the band and wants to find out more about them, instead of buying five CDs off the back you just get the one and then if you like it you get the actual releases. Staind‘s new release, The Singles: 1996-2006definitely falls into the last category (particularly with the fact that there isn’t a single new track on here to trick their loyal fans into paying for songs they already have).

The Singles: 1996 – 2006 is just that, all the singles from the Springfield, Massachusetts rock band from the past decade. It features just under a dozen previously released tracks and then some acoustic and live versions for a little added bonus (like a live version of Outside from 1999 featuring an impromptu appearance by Limp Bizkit‘s Fred Durst). Throughout the album, you can’t help but feel that Staind has remained very consistent throughout their career, which is a feat itself considering how many bands change with the times and try to stay in the spotlight as long as possible. Instead, with Staind, what you hear on the first track is what you hear on the closer too, showing just how consistent the band has been over the past decade. Of course, while there is that solid united feel, the band has still evolved. Come Again is a much heavier, angrier and harsher track compared to the the slightly slower and more controlled output of their later releases. This slight change is worked seemlessly throughout the track, as the follow up,Mudshovel, already sees the band still keeping that same angst but keeping it in a more controlled setting.

While the album is consistent and strong, it’s still just a selection of greatest hits from a radio-friendly rock band that I’ve never really enjoyed. They are solid rock tracks, showing the band fighting between grunge-metal tracks and the acoustic ballads while maintaining a unified persona (thanks mainly to vocalist Aaron Lewis’ unmistakable voice), but there’s still something that pushes me away. Quite often it’s just because they rely too much on distortion, and you feel they need to break out of their self-pity undertone and just release all the angst. After a while all the songs become too consistent and mold into one another. There’s just not enough individuality between each tracks to keep someone entertained for an entire sixteen tracks.

Staind fans will already have all the tracks on here (except maybe for the odd acoustic cover track near the end). Fans of radio friendly grunge-rock will enjoy it, but it becomes repetitive after a while. They were huge at the beginning of the millennium, but seem to be slowly fading now. Whether this is one last ditch to grab for the ever dimming torch of popularity or if it’s just something to spit out while they work on the 6th release, either way, the verdict remains the same. A decent output, but one that becomes repetitive very soon.