Scott Stapp/Creed

If you're in any way unfamiliar with these Creed Basics, welcome to the past decade of pop culture. "Higher," "With Arms Wide Open," "My Sacrifice" — Creed's finest virtually owned the radio dial. And with good reason: few other groups could match both their passion and god-of-thunder rock heroics. Add to these essentials Scott Stapp and Alter Bridge's first singles ("The Great Divide" and "Find the Real," respectively), and you've got yourself a raging slab of rock 'n' roll at its finest.

First and foremost, Creed was an album band, their long-players experiences that built in passion and momentum over the course of a dozen tracks. Our Next Steps gathers some of their finest album tracks ("Bullets," "Don't Stop Dancing," "Freedom Fighter," "Lullaby"), while throwing into the mix a few choice album cuts from Stapp and Alter Bridge's debut platters. The experience begins right here.

In the late '90s, just as arena-sized rock was being eclipsed by rap-rock, hip-hop, and industrial metal, post-grunge four-piece Creed emerged from Tallahassee, Florida, with a sound as large as it was earnest. In five brief, tumultuous years, they managed to reclaim BIG ROCK for angst-addled suburbia, their three albums, brimming with songs of faith and yearning, epic riffage and powerhouse vocals, selling a whopping 30 million copies. Then, just like that, it was over, Scott Stapp moving on to a solo career, the rest of the band re-forming as Alter Bridge. All said, the Creed family has left behind a mighty legacy — a legacy we've captured right here.