Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind
You know those albums that have no skips? This is one of them and it kind of revived rock music in the post-Nirvana era of the late 90s. At the time radio was flooded with glossy pop like Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls. And then in 1996, a few weeks before the up and coming British rock band Oasis were scheduled to play San Francisco, an unknown singer named Stephan Jenkins was in the office of Epic Records executive Dave Massey (he signed Oasis to Epic). The demo tape for Jenkin’s rock band Third Eye Blind had come across Massey’s desk, so he invited him to chat. He asked when the band’s next show was and Jenkins hubristically replied, “why don’t you put us on the bill with Oasis?” Massey picked up the phone and said, “consider it done.” At the show the Oasis fanatic filled crowd chanted for an encore and the promoter paid them double—they loved it. This show kickstarted a bidding war among the top record labels in the country. A year later the band released their first album which went on to sell over 6 million copies in the US alone. 5 songs from the album charted as hit singles on the radio which was unheard of from rock albums at the time (especially debut). Jeff Buckley (who I wrote about a few weeks ago) raved about them, Oasis and U2 had them out on tour in 97. Like I said, there are no skips on the album. You’ve definitely heard Semi-Charmed Life but some of my favorites are Losing a Whole Year, Graduate and God of Wine. Jenkins lyrics blend candid personal stories with deep questions and there’s an uneasy and relatable undercurrent of longing buried in each song. It’s angry but sophisticated pop rock that helped bridge the gap between grunge and alternative rock. One reason they were successful at this was the wide range from pop to rock, heavier songs like Graduate fall heavy while acoustic songs like God of Wine show the softer side.
Before Third Eye Blind was writing vulnerable rock songs about mental health, this artist was winning Grammys while doing it. Chris Cornell started struggling with addiction and depression at the age of 12, saying once that his mom saved his life when he was 14 by buying him a snare drum. He started his first band at 16 and a few years later formed Soundgarden. The band’s 4th album Superunknown debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Black Hole Sun was a huge radio hit in 1994. Soundgarden disbanded and he started Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine (if you’ve never heard this album please do yourself a favor). Cornell passed away in 2017 (ruled a suicide) and has left behind a monolithic legacy. I heard this song for the first time last week after hearing Rick Beato play the intro in a YouTube video about the top 20 acoustic guitar intros of all time. This song is not only incredible but a great window into Cornell’s mind and talent. It’s just him without a band on an acoustic guitar hitting harmonics and keeping it interesting for 6 minutes. Talking about being lost and what he’ll never find. Truly one of the greats and his work will continue to influence generations.
Going To California – Led Zeppelin
John Mayer once spoke about how bands like The Grateful Dead require an entry point. You don’t just hear a song and immediately become a fan. Kind of like how coffee is an acquired taste. I might regret putting this on the internet but I’m honestly still waiting for my entry point into Led Zeppelin. Obviously they are one of the greatest bands ever and have influenced generations but, idk, it just hasn’t hit me. I do really like their acoustic songs though, particularly this song. Jimmy Page’s guitar playing really shines and Robert Plant’s dynamic vocal is phenomenal. Maybe I’m still freaked out from hearing Stairway to Heaven played backwards as a kid. Can someone convince me to really like Led Zeppelin?
Hope you listen to great music this week!
Dawson
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