Release date (US): November 23, 1999.

Front cover (62415-2 variation 1)

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Back of booklet (62415-2 variation 1)

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Back cover (62415-2 variation 1)

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Front cover (7559-62415-2)
Note the larger lettering.

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Label (62415-1)

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Back cover (62415-1)

Track listing:

1. Anything (2:00)
2. Wounded (4:51)
3. 10 Days Late (3:05)
4. Never Let You Go (3:57)
5. Deep Inside of You (4:10)
6. 1000 Julys (3:53)
7. An Ode to Maybe (2:36)
8. The Red Summer Sun (5:25)
9. Camouflage (4:45)
10. Farther (3:45)
11. Slow Motion (4:33)
12. Darkness (5:10)
13. Darwin (3:49)

Produced by: Stephan Jenkins, the Mud Sisters, Arion Salazar and Third Eye Blind
Mixed by: Tom Lord-Alge; "Camouflage," "Farther," "Darkness" mixed by Jason Carmer; "The Red Summer Sun" mixed by Toby Wright
Engineered by: Jason Carmer and Mike Cresswell
Mastered for CD by: Brian Gardner (Bernie Grundman Mastering)

Recording location: The Mud Room and Toast Studios, San Francisco; The Plant, Sausalito, Calif.

Lineup and other musicians: Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitars, percussion, keyboards), Kevin Cadogan (guitar, vocals, electric sitar, piano), Brad Hargreaves (drums, piano, vocals), Arion Salazar (bass, vocals, guitar, theremin, Optogan, keyboards); Caitlin Cornwell, Ledisi, Teal Collins, Mauri Skinfull, Chris Manning, and the Golden Gate Boys Choir (vocals), Marc Capelle (piano, clavinet), D.J. Chutney (tamboura box), Marika Hughes (strings), Carla Kihlstedt (strings), Ben Kramer (trumpet)

Comments

Recorded under a deadline and released when the band was at their tip of popularity, Blue may have something of a reputation of a flawed album in some quarters, a reputation that is ill-deserved. This album is actually a fine piece of work, with a dark, energizing feel that permeates the songs like an unforseen force. "Never Let You Go" may have pigeonholed the band into being something it wasn't, but in the context of the album it's just one (gloriously catchy) statement out of many. Several of the songs on this record (such as "Darkness") may be among the best the band ever did, and the rest of it isn't too shabby either. These factors propel Blue into the distinction of being my favorite Third Eye Blind album, and one of my favorite albums of any kind released in the last ten years.

Trivia

• Singles released from Blue included "Anything," "Never Let You Go," "10 Days Late," and "Deep Inside of You." None were released commercially in the US.
• The lyrics of the song "Slow Motion" were controversial to the record label. As a result, most non-promotional copies outside of the U.K. and continental Europe have the song mixed as an instrumental, with or without a chorus.
• The original, tentative title for the album was Sunburn. An early Blue-era merchandise catalog shows cover art with this title visible.
• U.S. copies of Blue contain a computer data track, though it amounts to nothing more than a link to an official website.
• The lyric booklets of U.K. and continental European copies note "Slow Motion" as an instrumental and note the presence of enhanced CD-ROM content, even though neither hold true for these copies.
• A reprise of "The Red Summer Sun" can be heard 18:49 into "Darwin." On later U.S. issues, this gap of time was reduced. Coincidentally, 1849 is the year of the California Gold Rush, when the band's hometown of San Francisco faced a period of rapid growth.
• Kevin Cadogan was replaced within the band by Tony Fredianelli very soon after this album was released. Thus, Tony Fredianelli played on most of the Blue tour but did not record on the album.
• This was the last Third Eye Blind album to be released on vinyl LP (a niche market nowadays) or analog cassette.

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