Record Store Day: Third Eye Blind – Rarities And First Drafts (Rhino)
To celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, Rhino Records is releasing an exclusive collection of previously unreleased rarities from 90’s alt-rock champions, Third Eye Blind. Rarities And First Drafts will be released on Record Store Day on limited edition translucent emerald green vinyl.
Third Eye Blind is led by the enigmatic singer-songwriter Stephan Jenkins, who blessed the 90’s and early 2000’s with infectiously catchy power-pop that was a welcome alternative to the post-grunge sound of the time, with one anthemic hit single after another that remain to this day inescapable and ingrained in the alt-rock DNA.
The 12-track collection, Rarities and First Drafts, is highlighted by a stirring acoustic version of their most beloved hit, “Semi-Charmed Life,” as well as alternative versions of “Motorcycle Drive By,” “Narcolepsy,” “Deep Inside Of You” and many more. The album opens with a nod to longtime fans of the band with the inclusion of “Invisible,” a fan-favorite deep cut from the Out Of The Vein era, that has never before been released and is worth the price of admission.
Another standout is the alt. version of “Burning Man,” a moody album cut from the multi-platinum self-titled debut album that easily could’ve been another hit single on its own. The closing track, “New Girl (Alt. Version),” is a super-charged slice of power-pop perfection making its vinyl debut, which was first released in its original form on the American Pie 2 Soundtrack in 1999 and as a Japanese bonus track on their sophomore album, Blue.
There is literally no better way to celebrate Third Eye Blind’s 30th anniversary than to run to your local record store on Saturday, April 18 and bring home Rarities And First Drafts. –Justin Kreitzer for Icon Fetch