Third Eye Blind Album Cover- Released by Elektra Records in 1997
Third Eye Blind’s self titled debut album was released in 1997, despite the group having been together since 1993. The album features a lot of upbeat and angsty songs like, Semi-charmed Kind of Life, and Jumper, perfect for the summer. The band formed in San Francisco in the early 1990s with the front man Stephan Jenkins, Kevin Cadogan and George Slater. They had a pretty rough beginning with a lot of unfortunate circumstances, one of the most notable incidents was in 1995 with their disastrous “Battle of the Bands” performance when Cadogan blew out his guitar amp two songs into their set. These significant setbacks nearly led to a breakup of the band, but despite the hardships, two crucial decisions were made that would later set the group on the path to success. Brad Hargreaves would become the new drummer, and Eric Gotland would take on the role of the band manager. Though their first album was met with major success, the group had a lot of internal struggles. The band saw a turnover of many members during the years as they often clashed with one another due to creative differences. Despite the hardships, they put out seven albums, becoming an icon of the 90s and 2000s alternative music scene.