Search - Third Eye Blind :: Third Eye Blind A Collection (The Best of)

This Band Deserves (Deserved?) Better

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 08/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Attention!! This is a 'Greatest Hits' collection, so I am writing this for everybody who does NOT already own the entire Third Eye Blind collection. If you're a true blue fan who has stuck with the band thus far, then a) you are a rare breed, and b) you do not need to read this review. As for the rest of you, please read on.

Sometimes, life is not fair, and this is one of those times. Releasing this `greatest hits' collection by Third Eye Blind is a lost proposition before it even begins, and I'll tell you why; the only people who remember Third Eye Blind are the people who bought their first album, and most of those people already have all of the Third Eye Blind music that they care to have. True fans know better, and Third Eye Blind is certainly one of the best post-grunge bands to emerge in the early nineties, but for reasons that I cannot adequately explain, most people simply ceased to pay attention. It's sad, but it's true that the public abandoned this band en masse after their first release. It may be an injustice, but due to public indifference, or wholesale abandonment by the group's label, Third Eye Blind vanished from the charts about as fast as you could say "Hootie and the Blowfish".

I myself must plead guilty to being completely ignorant of the material released after that first album, and I have no good reason for it. That was a great album, and if the record label did their job of promoting subsequent Third Eye Blind records, I'm sure I would have heard something that I liked, and I'd also imagine that I would have posted positive reviews. As it is, too many albums clamor for my limited attention span, so if a band goes AWOL I'm usually not the first to notice. The evidence provided on this collection indicates that the band continued to record good material, and it also signifies just how badly I lost track of them. For instance, I could have sworn that "Never Let You Go" was culled from the album I already owned. Wrong. This great track was the lead-off single to their second album, so why didn't it launch that album into `Mega-Platinum Land' and cultivate their huge fan base into a reliably devoted following?

If this album proves anything at all, then it proves that Third Eye Blind definitely had the goods that it takes for the long haul. "Semi-Charmed Life" still sounds great, even after hearing it seventy million times on commercial radio. Every other track taken from that first album still sounds great, too, and maybe that is the crux of the problem. The first six tracks on "A Collection" are spellbinding in their consistency and familiarity, but the disk continues for another thirteen tracks that were mostly unfamiliar to me, so the experience is like listening to a `greatest hits' collection that runs out of hits before it is half-finished. After multiple listens, I can honestly say that I like previously unfamiliar tracks like "Crystal Baller," and "Wounded," and I think you would too. But if you already own all of the song titles that you recognize, why would you spend the cash? The problem lies in convincing you to do the same as I did, and I doubt I could even persuade you to blow the dust off of their first album. You sure are a tough crowd. In a fair world, this record would sell millions but like I said, sometimes life just isn't fair. B+ Tom Ryan"

A great collection for those who only bought their 1st relea

guillermoj | Washington, DC United States | 08/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No one said that life was fair, but this band had the misfortune of exploding into the charts with their debut release and then suffered the back-slap of expectations that come from immediate success. Their second and third releases received good reviews from the critics, but it seems that only the band's hard-core fans bought them. Expectations were so high for this band by the powers that be (music executives) that they were actually dropped by their label. Absolutely crazy but Jenkins should have no trouble finding a home when he's ready to release something.



I am generally weary of releases that on the surface seem like final attempts to cash in on a band, but this one has most of the songs. Also, the inserts are informative with Jenkins giving the listener a little behind the scenes look at the origin of the songs. Nothing worth spending your money if you have their 3 releases, but a nice touch as these days inserts, esp. collections, don't do much except praise the artist in a one pager by a critic or fan of the band.



The Cd clocks in at 80 minutes so the selection is generous. The songs that you know are out there and some that I did not know or did not catch my attention before were nice surprises ("Tattoo of the Sun" and the intimate "God of Wine") so this pruchase was a no brainer for me.



Irrelevant Sidebar: I actually went to school with Steve J. since middle school, and he was always introducing people to new bands and the better bands of the time. He was serious about his music and is certainly not a creation of some producer. Best of luck and note that this review is based on the release itself. Don't hate him because he dated Charlize Theron! This release earns 4 stars. I;d probably give it 5 if there weere some songs that were accoustic, but that is neither here or there."

Three hard-to-find tracks

William C. Wedin | Garden City, New York USA | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are exactly three reasons to own this album:



1. Tattoo of the Sun, previously only available with one of their singles. An excellent song that should have been on an album years ago.

2. Slow Motion, with the lyrics, which anyone in the US missed out on. This alone is worth the price. Along with Motorcycle Drive By (also on this album), Slow Motion is Third Eye Blind at their best.

3. My Time in Exile, which is said to be on the DVD release of Out of Vein. Also an excellent track.



Even if you own every other Third Eye Blind album, it's worth it to pick up this one for these songs alone."