Blue Man Group Complex CD

Additional personnel includes: Dave Matthews, Tracy Bonham, Josh Haden, Esthero, Gavin Rossdale, Venus Hum, Rob Swift, Arone Dyer, Peter Moore (vocals); Spalding Gray (spoken vocals).

Tubular percussion abounds on the cerulean trio's second album, which intersperses instrumental segments from the ever-expanding organization's show with guest spots from Tracy Bonham, Bush's Gavin Rossdale, and Dave Matthews, among others. Musically, the Blue Men concoct a kind of quirky metal from their collection of found and conventional instrumentation that's effective in settings such as "The Current," where they're combined with Rossdale's grunge-lite vocals.

But the Men are also good at being laid-back and slightly sinister when occasion demands, one example being the accompaniment to Dave Matthews's distinctive vocal on the infectious "Sing Along." The outfit's crowd-pleasing version of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" is an ideal vehicle for Esthero's Beth Gibbons-like vocal, shedding the retro-jocularity of the live show version for something darker and more explicit. Ultimately THE COMPLEX neatly sidesteps any questions about translating the Blue Man oeuvre to a non-visual medium, with a combination of quirky arrangements and strategically placed guest stars.

Features Dan The Automator, Tracy Bonham and Dave Matthews.

Recorded at Blue Man 3rd Street Studio, New York, New York.

Blue Man Group: Matt Goldman (cimbalom, upside-down bass, air poles, low-octave PVC, big drum, drumbone, backpack PVC, shaker gong, Utne drum, ribbon crasher, dumpster); Phil Stanton (cimbalom, air poles, drumbone, tubulum, Utne drum, mid-octave PVC, extenstion cord bull roarer, ribbon crasher, dumpster, Phil drum, backpack tubulum, timpani, drum wall); Chris Wink (cimbalom, tubulum, high-octave PVC, air poles, piano smasher, cuica, doppler toms, drum wall, drumulum, drumbone, dumpster, backpack tubulum, Utne shakers).

Lyricist: Spalding Gray.

Personnel: Blue Man Group (cimbalom, dulcimer, drums, cuica, percussion, sound effects); Avram Glietsman (vocals, guitar); Peter Moore (vocals, keyboards); Dave Matthews, Esthero, Gavin Rossdale, Dave Mathews, Annette Strean, Josh Haden, Arone Dyer, Tracy Bonham, Venus Hum (vocals); Brooke Ferris, Spalding Gray (spoken vocals); Christian Dyas (guitar, baritone guitar, E-bow, zither, harpsichord); Larry Heinemann (guitar, zither, Chapman stick); Dave Steele, Jeff Turlik (guitar, zither); Nels Cline, Chris Traynor (guitar); Byron Estep (dobro); Elvis Lederer (zither); Todd Perlmutter (drums, percussion, programming); Ian Pai, Jeff Quay , Todd Waetzig, Dave Anania (drums, percussion); Jeff Torton, Matthew Kriemelman, Crag Rodriguez, Nick White , Chris Bowen, Jordan Cohen, Vince Verderame, Josh Matthews, Wendy Day, Peter Simpson, Jeff Tortora (drums); Dan the Automator (programming); Kid Koala (sampler); Rob Swift (turntables).

Audio Mixers: Andrew Schneider; Rich Costey.

Recording information: Blue Man 3rd Street Studio, NY.

Director: Seth Freed.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Larry Heinemann; Chris Wink; Matt Goldman; Phil Stanton; Blue Man Group.

Arrangers: Ian Pai; Dave Steele; Jeff Turlik; Peter Moore.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (5/1/03, p.56) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Chic Euro-techno atmospheres that won't wear off even after you've seen the live show..."
Q (10/03, p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...An engagingly quirky rock record....This is a concept album that actually works..."
CMJ (03/24/03, p.8) - "...Full of danceable arthouse takes on West African percussion, catchy '90s-era alt-rock and tons of high-profile guests givin' the blue stew some tubular balls..."