It only takes a single album to truly build a legacy – or keep an entire genre of music afloat when the sun seems to be setting for good. It was successful because Nickelback are excellent at what they do, and not for one second do they pretend to be anything else. Coming just after Silver Side Up’s midway point, both songs are perfectly placed to start the transition between the album’s earlier classic-rock riffage and its closing ballad, Good Times Gone.īut Silver Side Up isn’t about transition as much as it’s about strife, adversity and, in true rock fashion, sticking it to The Man. Arguably the strongest track on the album, it features plenty of touches to keep things interesting throughout, including a bluesy, metal-esque bridge. Following straight after, Money Bought sees the group expressing disdain for materialism and the high life through what now appears to be a prelude to the tongue-in-cheek Rockstar. Released as a single, Never Again hit No.1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart – if raising awareness of the ongoing domestic-abuse problem is the bare minimum it ever does, it has done it well.Įlsewhere, songs such as Hollywood tackle a different social ill, as Nickelback take a fatalist look at drug addiction. It’s an all-too-real scenario, but also something that would have found a more natural home on a woke country album, not a hugely polished rock record made for radio. Opener Never Again explicitly deals with domestic violence, as Chad Kroeger itches to deliver comeuppance to the male abuser (“Kickin’ your ass would be a pleasure”) before the female victim takes matters into her own hands with a gun. Though Parashar’s multi-platinum-selling production style gives Silver Side Up cohesion, there is a surprising amount of variety to the record. Among an urgent surge of patriotism in the US, many listeners found that songs such as How You Remind Me and Too Bad helped the grieving process, while Nickelback’s live shows doubled as cathartic experiences. Silver Side Up also came perfectly timed for a world reeling from the events of 9/11, which led broadcasters and other media outlets to take a fierce position against dozens of albums and singles they perceived to be controversial at best, downright insensitive at worst. In fact, Nickelback were a little ahead of the curve here, paving the way for later genre high-water marks such as Jerry Cantell (of Alice In Chains)’s Degradation Trip (2002), Alter Bridge’s One Day Remains (2004) and Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge)’s All I Was (2012). Taken on its own merits, it’s arguably the best post-grunge record ever made. For one, Nickelback, who had formed in 1995, had over half a decade’s experience under their belts, ensuring that they wouldn’t be cowed by the latest trends and Silver Side Up isn’t anything like those other albums. Upon closer inspection, however, these bands weren’t really competitors at all. The White Stripes had recently released the all-conquering While Blood Cells Tool had unveiled their progressive magnum opus, Lateralus and The Strokes had sent the garage-rock revival into the stratosphere with their debut, I s This It. Released on 11 September 2001, the album was up against stiff competition – not to mention major cultural shifts in the wake of 9/11. In melding their twin influences of ZZ Top and Pantera on Silver Side Up, however, Nickelback struck gold for the first time, setting themselves up for the long-running career that earlier records suggested could be theirs. With production from the late Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains), Silver Side Up strengthened Nickelback’s already established sound, adding sparse groove-metal elements which the group would further explore on 2005’s All The Right Reasons and, in more fully realised form, on 2008’s Dark Horse. Hidden inside is a plethora of punchy rock tracks that can stand tall among the best Nickelback songs of all time. Undoubtedly, Silver Side Up’s success was thanks in no small part to its lead single, How You Remind Me – rivalled only by Rockstar in its claim to being Nickelback’s signature track – but the album has much more than just one tune to recommend it. Having grasped at the lower reaches of the US Billboard 200 with their first two records, Curb and The State, the group now found themselves topping the charts throughout Europe, the UK and their home country of Canada, and performing sold-out shows which proved their brand of post-grunge rock could hold its own against the garage-rock revival of the early 2000s. In 2001, Nickelback made the leap from cult act to global megastars off the back of their third album, Silver Side Up.
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