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Third Eye Blind (album)

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Third Eye Blind is the debut studio album by American rock band Third Eye Blind, released on April 8, 1997, by Elektra Records. The album was collectively written by Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan, while production was helmed by Jenkins and Eric Valentine. Recorded in and around San Francisco at Toast Studios, Skywalker Ranch, and H.O.S., the album incorporates elements of alternative rock, post-grunge, and power pop. Thematically, the album focuses on topics such as relationships, drug addiction, suicide prevention, and the band's experience of being signed to a major record label. Third Eye Blind was promoted with five singles: "Semi-Charmed Life", "Graduate", "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", and "Jumper".

Third Eye Blind
Studio album by
Third Eye Blind
ReleasedApril 8, 1997 (1997-04-08)
StudioToast, Skywalker Ranch, H.O.S. (San Francisco)
Genre
Length57:40
LabelElektra
Producer
Third Eye Blind chronology
Third Eye Blind
(1997) 		Blue
(1999)
Singles from Third Eye Blind
  1. "Semi-Charmed Life"
    Released: February 18, 1997[1]
  2. "Graduate"
    Released: July 15, 1997[2]
  3. "How's It Going to Be"
    Released: October 20, 1997[3]
  4. "Losing a Whole Year"
    Released: December 15, 1997[4]
  5. "Jumper"
    Released: August 4, 1998

Music and lyrics

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The central theme of Third Eye Blind is loss, with the album exploring subjects such as suicide, crystal methamphetamine addiction, and sexual abuse.[5][6] "Semi-Charmed Life", an alternative rock song composed with a rap-influenced singing style, was one of the first songs recorded for the album. The song focuses on a crystal methamphetamine addiction, although Jenkins contends that it more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life.[7]

Title and artwork

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When developing a band name and a title for their debut record, Jenkins sought a name with "wit and a sense of punk-rock irony".[8] The name "Third Eye Blind" is meant to refer to a metaphysical third eye; however, the band also intended to satirize the concept.[8] Alli and Ro-Starr were responsible for the album's art direction, with the latter also crafting the band's "falling man" logo. Kate Garner was responsible for the album's photography, with the exclusion of the album cover which was shot by Christine Alicino on December 16, 1996, in San Francisco, California.[9] The shot features model Shandra Boatwright, eyes closed with her mouth wide open, as her and Jenkins' hands are placed on her forehead. Alicino commented that she was hired to "photograph a young woman with an expressive mouth in my edgy polaroid style".[9] In order to achieve this expressive appearance, Boatwright wore bright red lipstick and dark eyeliner.[9]

The first pressing of Third Eye Blind in the United States featured a sepia-toned album cover with a red band logo. This pressing was limited to approximately 500,000 copies in the country. However, it was still employed in the United Kingdom and other European nations. The second pressing of the album featured these colors reverted, with a red-toned cover and yellow band logo. In Japan, the album was released with a cyan, negative photo cover.[10] The 20th anniversary edition of the album features a black-toned version of the cover.[11]

In April 2022, Jenkins stated on Twitter that the sepia-toned cover is "how [the artwork is] supposed to be," although the artwork was changed to a red-tone due to Elektra Records finding the latter to be "more flashy."[12]

Documentary

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In December 2019, a 22-minute documentary short film titled Motorcycle Drive By was announced on Third Eye Blind's Twitter page.[13] The documentary is directed by David Wexler and focuses on the backstory of the song of same name.[14] The documentary was originally planned to premiere on April 17, 2020, at the 19th Tribeca Film Festival, although the film festival was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] The documentary was then released on May 29, 2020, on YouTube as part of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival.[16]

Touring

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Third Eye Blind performed across the United States alongside Eve 6 on MTV's Campus Invasion tour.[17] The band also performed as an opening act for the Rolling Stones and U2 on their respective tours.[18] The band performed the album in its entirety during the first Summer Gods Tour in 2017.[19]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [20]
Christgau's Consumer Guide [21]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [22]
Entertainment WeeklyB[23]
Pitchfork8.3/10[24]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [25]

Critical reception to Third Eye Blind was generally positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Third Eye Blind as "easy on the ears," stating that "its straight-ahead professionalism makes it a pleasurable listen for post-grungers".[20] David Grad of Entertainment Weekly described the album as "balancing a cheery ear for harmonies with a finely honed sense of despair".[23]

Third Eye Blind was a sleeper hit, entering the Billboard album charts at number 135 and then peaking at number 25 nearly a year after release.[26] The album spent a total of 106 weeks on the chart, and was certified 6x platinum by the RIAA in August 2001.[27][28] As of April 2017, Third Eye Blind has sold over 6 million units in the U.S., selling approximately 84,000 units in its best week.[29][30] The album remains as Third Eye Blind's most successful release, accounting for the plurality of their career sales.[31]

Legacy

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In 2017, the band reissued the album to celebrate its 20th anniversary, which includes three rerecorded versions of their initial unreleased songs "Alright Caroline", "Scattered", and "Tattoo Of The Sun", and five demos.[32]

In 2022, Avril Lavigne cited the album as one of the biggest influences in her music career.[33]

Track listing

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Standard edition

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All tracks are written by Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Losing a Whole Year" 3:20
2."Narcolepsy" 3:48
3."Semi-Charmed Life"Jenkins4:28
4."Jumper"Jenkins4:32
5."Graduate" 3:09
6."How's It Going to Be" 4:13
7."Thanks a Lot" 4:57
8."Burning Man" 2:59
9."Good for You" 3:52
10."London" 3:07
11."I Want You"Jenkins4:29
12."The Background" 4:56
13."Motorcycle Drive By"Jenkins4:22
14."God of Wine" 5:17
Total length:57:29
Third Eye Blind – Japanese edition (bonus track)[34]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Tattoo of the Sun"
  • Jenkins
  • Cadogan
  • Arion Salazar
4:16
Total length:61:45

20th Anniversary edition

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Third Eye Blind – 20th Anniversary edition (bonus disc)[35]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Alright Caroline" (2016 recording)Jenkins4:50
2."Scattered" (2016 recording)Jenkins3:17
3."Slow Motion" (demo)Jenkins4:36
4."Semi-Charmed Life" (demo)Jenkins4:19
5."A Kiss Goodnight" (demo)
  • Jenkins
  • Cadogan
3:14
6."Scattered" (demo)Jenkins3:16
7."Heroin" (demo)Lou Reed4:44
8."Tattoo of the Sun" (2017 version)Jenkins4:30
Total length:32:46

Personnel

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Third Eye Blind

  • Kevin Cadogan – guitar (all except 11); backing vocals (tracks 1–7, 10); autoharp (track 6)
  • Brad Hargreaves – drums (tracks 3–5, 7–10, 12, 14)
  • Stephan Jenkins – lead vocals (all tracks); percussion (tracks 1, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14); brushes (track 3); guitar (3, 4, 7, 11); programming (tracks 3, 13); keyboard arrangements (tracks 4, 7, 11, 14); drums (tracks 11, 13); acoustic guitar (tracks 3,[36] 13)
  • Arion Salazar – bass guitar (all tracks except 11); backing vocals (tracks 2, 4–6, 9, 10, 13); piano (track 4)

Additional musicians

  • Michael Urbano – drums (tracks 1, 2, 6, 13)
  • Eric Valentine – programming (tracks 3, 11, 13); piano (tracks 7, 14); guitar (track 11); keyboards (track 11)
  • Ari Gorman – cello (track 6)

Production

  • Stephan Jenkins – production (all tracks)
  • Eric Valentine – production (all tracks); engineering (all except 6); additional engineering (6); mixing (3-5, 7-14)
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing (1, 2, 6)
  • Dave Gleeson – engineering (6, 7, 14)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Ren Klyce – additional arrangement (3); production (6)
  • Kevin Cadogan – additional arrangement, additional production
  • Arion Salazar – additional arrangement, additional production

Design

  • Alli – art direction
  • Ro-Starr – art direction, logos/design
  • Christine Alicino – front cover photo
  • Kate Garner – photography

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[44] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[45] Gold 7,500^
United States (RIAA)[46] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release formats for Third Eye Blind
Region Date Edition(s) Format(s) Label Ref.
United States April 8, 1997 Standard
Elektra [47]
Japan May 25, 1997 CD [47]
United Kingdom July 14, 1997
  • CD
  • LP
 [47]
Worldwide June 9, 2017 20th Anniversary
Rhino [48]

References

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  1. ^ Reece, Doug (May 31, 1997). "Third Eye Blind Shines". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 22. p. 17. 'Semi-Charmed Life,' which was serviced Feb. 18...
  2. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2163. July 11, 1997. p. A6.
  3. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2177. October 17, 1997. p. 60.
  4. ^ "ルージング・ア・ホール・イヤー | サード・アイ・ブラインド" [Losing a Whole Year | Third Eye Blind] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  5. ^ "Third Eye Blind Is Breaking Through". Chicago Tribune. October 17, 1997. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "'There Was No Overnight Success': An Oral History of Third Eye Blind's Self-Titled Debut". Billboard. April 6, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Pearlman, Mischa (October 18, 2020). "How I Wrote Semi-Charmed Life, By Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Bozza, Anthony (April 30, 1998). "Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Born in Shadow: Self-Titled, Behind the Photograph". Third Eye Blind Lifestyle. September 15, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  10. ^ "Third Eye Blind". Andrew-Turnbull.net. Retrieved on 12-12-08.
  11. ^ "Third Eye Blind - Self-Titled - 20th Anniversary Edition -IN STOCK - Third Eye Blind". 3eb.com. Retrieved on 10-29-17.
  12. ^ Jenkins, Stephan (@stephanjenkins). "The record label thought it was more flashy or something". Twitter. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Third Eye Blind (@ThirdEyeBlind). "A documentary is being made about our song Motorcycle Drive By. We would love to see your design for a poster! Submit them on socials with #3ebMDB". Twitter. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Martoccio, Angie (March 5, 2020). "Third Eye Blind Documentary to Premiere at 2020 Tribeca Film Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Garvey, Marianne (March 12, 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival postponed due to coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  16. ^ McNary, Dave (May 26, 2020). "YouTube, Tribeca Unveil Lineup for Free 'We Are One: A Global Film Festival'". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "Third Eye Blind, Eve 6 Head Back to School for Campus Invasion Tour". MTV News. September 25, 1998. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "News Flash: Third Eye Blind Opening for U2, Stones". MTV News. September 19, 1997. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "THIRD EYE BLIND CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SUMMER GODS TOUR". Live Nation Entertainment. January 23, 2017.
  20. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind". AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  21. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Third Eye Blind: Third Eye Blind". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. p. 307. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  22. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Third Eye Blind". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19531-373-9.
  23. ^ a b Grad, David (April 25, 1997). "Third Eye Blind". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. ^ Gordon, Arielle (January 23, 2022). "Third Eye Blind: Third Eye Blind". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  25. ^ Moon, Tom (2004). "Third Eye Blind". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 810. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  26. ^ "Top 200 Albums | Billboard 200 chart". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Third Eye Blind Chart History". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  29. ^ Joffe, Justin (April 7, 2017). "Stephan Jenkins on 'Third Eye Blind' 20 Years Later". Observer. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  30. ^ "Manson Bids to Be 'Golden' Boy". Billboard. May 24, 2003. p. 10.
  31. ^ Espinoza, Russ (August 17, 2019). "Third Eye Blind Set Fall Tour To Showcase New Album". Forbes. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  32. ^ "Now Available: Third Eye Blind, THIRD EYE BLIND: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION". Rhino. June 9, 2017.
  33. ^ Lentini, Liza (February 18, 2022). "5 Albums I Can't Live Without: Avril Lavigne". Spin. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  34. ^ Third Eye Blind (Liner notes). Third Eye Blind. Elektra. 1997. AMCY-2163.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ Third Eye Blind (Liner notes). Third Eye Blind. Rhino. 2017. R2 560000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ Semi-Charmed Life (United States CD single liner notes). Third Eye Blind. Elektra Records. 1997. 64173-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 278.
  38. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3320". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  40. ^ "Third Eye Blind Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  41. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  42. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  43. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  44. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind". Music Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  45. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  46. ^ "American album certifications – Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  47. ^ a b c Reece, Doug (May 31, 1997). "Third Eye Blind Shines" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 22. p. 17. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  48. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (May 11, 2017). "Third Eye Blind Unveil Never-Before-Heard Track 'Alright Caroline' From Self-Titled Debut: Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
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