3 DOORS DOWN ![]()
It has been a long time since a record grabbed me the way the Invisible Eyes did. I was reminded of the first time that I heard “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down (the most successful rock band from the Mississippi Gulf Coast region) on the local alternative-rock radio station WCPR: I cranked the radio up full blast after I heard the first four or five notes, and I bet I hadn't done that for at least 20 years. This was long before they got their national label contract, when they were just a local band. It is a quite a success story actually: The song was the #1 request at the radio station for 15 weeks. Word was passed around, and they were flown up for a concert at the legendary CBGB club in New York, and they were signed by Republic Records on the spot. Their debut album, The Better Life (also the name of a foundation that the band established not long after) was released in 2000 and was the 11th best selling album that year, with worldwide sales of more than 6 million copies. “Kryptonite” was released nationally and also became a big hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 single charts. It was exciting to follow the progress of the single and the album; the local paper, the Sun Herald would show the 3 Doors Down music on the national charts in bold print. A year or more before all that happened, someone told me that they had recorded a CD; and I went all over the Coast looking for it, only to be told that they hadn't gotten it in, or they had sold out, or whatever. Finally – I believe it was in the Sound Shop at the mall in Gautier – I found a copy of 3 Doors Down; and it was every bit as good as I thought it would be. It is one of the true treasures of my record collection; it is not mentioned in the Wikipedia or Allmusic article on the band, and I have never seen it listed on eBay. About half of the tracks on this CD are on their debut album; I still hear the original version of “Kryptonite” on local radio once in a while. (December 2012) * * * Items: 3 Doors Down |