The Ocean Blue, formed in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1986, is an American indie pop band that combines melodic guitars and synthesizers. Its core original members included David Schelzel (born September 26, 1967) on lead vocals/guitar, Steve Lau on keyboards/saxophone, Bobby Mittan on bass guitar and Rob Minnig on drums and vocals.
The band's sound may be best described as jangly guitar-based modern rock. Influences include such bands as The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, R.E.M., Echo & the Bunnymen and New Order. The Ocean Blue's earliest shows always consisted of a healthy dose of covers by these bands. To this day, The Smiths and New Order covers still punctuate concert encores.
The members of The Ocean Blue first met in junior high school. They cut a series of demos while in high school, with Scott Stouffer sitting in on drums. They managed to get two of these earliest recordings, "On Growing Up" and "Wounds Of A Friend", included on a local radio station compilation in late 1986. The compilation also included very early work from friends and mentors of The Ocean Blue, noted local artists, The Innocence Mission. Rob Minnig, would join as permanent drummer in 1987, and the classic line-up of Schelzel/Lau/Minnig/Mittan would continue through 1994.
The Ocean Blue's members were just teenagers and still in high school when they signed a three-album deal in 1988 with Sire Records, at the behest of Sire founder Seymour Stein. The Ocean Blue's self-titled album was recorded in London with producers John Porter and Mark Optiz, and many listeners were surprised to learn that the band wasn't British. The first single, the song "Between Something and Nothing", an Echo & the Bunnymen-sounding rocker, hit the top of the college and Modern Rock radio charts in the fall of 1989. The band's busy calendar included U.S. touring and an appearance on one of the first episodes of "Club MTV with Downtown Julie Brown". The follow-up single "Drifting, Falling" was also a top 10 Modern Rock radio hit, and featured a video of the band in various locations in and around their hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Track listing
01. Between Something And Nothing - 3:59
02. Vanity Fair - 4:37
03. Drifting, Falling - 3:53
Producer – John Porter
04. The Circus Animals - 3:54
05. Frigid Winter Days - 3:19
06. Just Let Me Know - 3:26
07. Love Song - 3:22
08. Ask Me Jon - 3:12
09. Awaking To A Dream - 4:10
10. The Office Of A Busy Man - 3:43
Producer – John Porter
11. Myron - 3:28
12. A Familiar Face - 4:32
Credits
Vocals, Guitar – David Schelzel
Bass – Bobby Mittan
Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals – Steve Lau
Drums – Rob Minnig
Design, Art Direction – T+CP Assoc., T.O.B.
Engineer – Kenny Jones, Mike Dignam
Engineer [Additional] – David Leonard, John Davis
Engineer [Assistant] – Derek Fischer
Lyrics By – David Schelzel
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Mixed By – Mark Opitz, Mike Dignam, Rob Minnig
Mixed By [Remixed] – Bob Rosa
Music By – David Schelzel, The Ocean Blue
Photography By – Laura Levine
Producer – Mark Opitz
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Eden Studios
Recorded At – Matrix
Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Manufactured By – WEA Manufacturing
Notes
Recorded at Eden Studios, London, England, recorded at Matrix, London. remixed at Electric Lady Studios, NYC. Mastered at Masterdisk, NYC.
Genre: Indie Pop / New Wave
Length: 45:44
© 1989
Label - Sire Records
The members of The Ocean Blue first met in junior high school. They cut a series of demos while in high school, with Scott Stouffer sitting in on drums. They managed to get two of these earliest recordings, "On Growing Up" and "Wounds Of A Friend", included on a local radio station compilation in late 1986. The compilation also included very early work from friends and mentors of The Ocean Blue, noted local artists, The Innocence Mission. Rob Minnig, would join as permanent drummer in 1987, and the classic line-up of Schelzel/Lau/Minnig/Mittan would continue through 1994.
The Ocean Blue's members were just teenagers and still in high school when they signed a three-album deal in 1988 with Sire Records, at the behest of Sire founder Seymour Stein. The Ocean Blue's self-titled album was recorded in London with producers John Porter and Mark Optiz, and many listeners were surprised to learn that the band wasn't British. The first single, the song "Between Something and Nothing", an Echo & the Bunnymen-sounding rocker, hit the top of the college and Modern Rock radio charts in the fall of 1989. The band's busy calendar included U.S. touring and an appearance on one of the first episodes of "Club MTV with Downtown Julie Brown". The follow-up single "Drifting, Falling" was also a top 10 Modern Rock radio hit, and featured a video of the band in various locations in and around their hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Track listing
01. Between Something And Nothing - 3:59
02. Vanity Fair - 4:37
03. Drifting, Falling - 3:53
Producer – John Porter
04. The Circus Animals - 3:54
05. Frigid Winter Days - 3:19
06. Just Let Me Know - 3:26
07. Love Song - 3:22
08. Ask Me Jon - 3:12
09. Awaking To A Dream - 4:10
10. The Office Of A Busy Man - 3:43
Producer – John Porter
11. Myron - 3:28
12. A Familiar Face - 4:32
Credits
Vocals, Guitar – David Schelzel
Bass – Bobby Mittan
Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals – Steve Lau
Drums – Rob Minnig
Design, Art Direction – T+CP Assoc., T.O.B.
Engineer – Kenny Jones, Mike Dignam
Engineer [Additional] – David Leonard, John Davis
Engineer [Assistant] – Derek Fischer
Lyrics By – David Schelzel
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Mixed By – Mark Opitz, Mike Dignam, Rob Minnig
Mixed By [Remixed] – Bob Rosa
Music By – David Schelzel, The Ocean Blue
Photography By – Laura Levine
Producer – Mark Opitz
Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Eden Studios
Recorded At – Matrix
Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Manufactured By – WEA Manufacturing
Notes
Recorded at Eden Studios, London, England, recorded at Matrix, London. remixed at Electric Lady Studios, NYC. Mastered at Masterdisk, NYC.
Genre: Indie Pop / New Wave
Length: 45:44
© 1989
Label - Sire Records
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