ALBUM OF THE WEEK #161 CANDLEBOX - CANDLEBOX (1993 - 2OTH ANNIVERSARY)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Candlebox

Genre: Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: No

Album: Candlebox

Released: July 20, 1993

Producer: Candlebox and Kelly Gray

Best Single: Far Behind

Best Album Cut: Rain

Additional Hidden Gems: No Sense/Arrow/Mother's Dream/He Calls Home

Lyric Of The Week: "Well I see him everyday in that blanket that he calls home,I wonder does he know that his family they're left alone, He says, Brother can you spare, can you spare a dime, I'm down to my last dollar this life of mine"

Yes, this week we dip back into 1993 with the self-titled debut from Candlebox.  So it's another band that sometimes gets lumped in with the grunge movement.  I don't consider them grunge.  The band's output has been sparse over the twenty years since this debut, but they are still active as recently as 2012.  The videos for Far Behind and You got quite a bit of MTV airplay back in the day, so I'll include a couple for you below.  Here are the album's specs:

• Candlebox has been certified 4 x Platinum by the RIAA.
• It reached number 7 on the U.S. album chart.
• The album remained on the charts for 104 weeks.
• Far Behind was the only single to crack the Top 40 (all singles marked with an asterisk).
• I like this, but I don't love it.  The guitar player (Peter Klett) is quite good.  So is the vocalist, but he can get a bit annoying at times.
• This album proves that the guitar was alive in the '90's.  I don't think it really died out until the '00's.

 

1. Don't You 

2. Change * (Did not chart)

3. You * (#78)

4. No Sense

5. Far Behind * (#18)

6. Blossom

7. Arrow

8. Rain

9. Mother's Dream

10. Cover Me * (Did not chart)

11. He Calls Home

[Jon]

I dread listening to this. Absolutely dread this. Despised this album back then, but will I now? We shall see!

[Jon]

Yeah, kinda just like I remembered it. The first songs kicks and then it all sounds the same until "Arrow" and then sounds all the same again. The geetaring is fine, but there's really anything that differentiates the songs from each other, except for maybe those two. Plus this is extremely long for an album of songs that sound the same. It's also to angsty for my taste, kinda like "pity me" songs. This was basically another wasted hour of my precious life. Can't wait till Creed is posted. 

[Gordon Williams]

I got this when it first came out. Liked it then, like it now.

There are tempo changes throughout. Not only on the album itself, but within virtually each and every song. Several songs have multiple tempo changes...start slow, speed up, calm back down, speed up, drift into a mid-tempo....back and forth constantly.

Lot's of tone changes in the guitar work. Quite a few bluesy tones throughout, but plenty of rockin', sizzilin', hard rock tones as well. Nice acoustic guitar in "He Calls Home". Outstanding melody and harmony in "Blossom".

This is a varied album to me...it really is. I go back again, one more time, to the tons and tons of tempo changes throughout. Very creative, in my opinion. I can tell you this...writing songs with constant tempo changes, tone changes, etc.....it's not that easy.

[Scott]

I posted a Candlebox track in a SHT list a long time ago.  Jon immediately panned it, so at least he's consistent...

This was one album I didn't mind at all, and from time to time I still will spin.  At one time I bought Lucy and Happy Pills at the used store, but they eventually made their way back into the used bin as they couldn't hold up over time, in fact it was a relatively short time, oh well...

You promised geetar solos, and I had a Candlebox premonition, and so here it is!  I must agree with Gordon, I like the pace changes.  The album kills it with the first 7 tracks, all solid!  But it never gets bad and there's not really a track I would call out as filler.  I think this was an outstanding choice for AOTW...

Nice work boss!!!

[Jon]

I think I liked "Lucy" better than this. I have it on cassette (like this one), maybe I'll listen to it. Probably not though. Or maybe "Lucy" really sucked and then I re-listened to this one and really liked it then. Don't know and really don't care.

[Gordon Williams]

I have "Lucy" and "Happy Pills" as well, and I was disappointed in both of those, compared to the debut posted here. Not terrible, just don't get played that often. One of these days, I need to go sell some old stuff to the used CD store. I'm running out of storage room, since I've kept all albums, cassettes, and discs.