Album Essentials: Hootie & the Blowfish "Cracked Rear View"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
The post 'Nevermind' world of music in the mid-1990s truly was the wild wild west. It seemed at the time, that any new band, regardless of genre, was being run up the flagpole to see who would salute. This was a world where, at least temporarily, Beck, Butthole Surfers, Spin Doctors, Candllebox, and Hootie & the Blowfish would all be tagged 'alternative' simply because they weren't Poison or GNR.
This would change in short order as more and more people heard these, and countless other acts, only to realize none of them had anything in common! Out of all the new bands on the scene in this era, the one who made the most impact in terms of record sales and airplay was hands down Hootie & the Blowfish. Their debut album, 'Cracked Rear View' was everywhere that year, and beyond, going on to sell an astonishing 20 million copies, making it one of the best-selling debut albums of all time.
Released July 5, 1994, it hit number one on the charts, and was on radio more than it was off, with hits like 'Let Her Cry' and 'Only Wanna Be With You,' both of which seemed tailor made for the soundtrack of middle America. Coming on the heels of grunge, the sound put forth by Hootie & Co. was a far cry from the angst covered despair dished out by the flannel kids, something that would work in the favor of the band.
"Grunge was so full of anger and despair, that was tough for us when we were starting," recalled band leader Darius Rucker, in a recent interview about the album. "Even when we got our deal with Atlantic, one of the big guys at Atlantic went to the president and told him they couldn't put ‘Cracked Rear View’ out. If we put this out we'll be the laughing stock of music."
The band stayed true to themselves, and their own vision. "We had already staked our niche. We had already been playing for nine years before we got our record deal, we already had our following." Though out of step with the world of grunge, they weren't miles away from someone like R.E.M., a band that had a strong influence on them to begin with. "That jangly guitar we use definitely comes from Peter Buck’s guitar," Rucker told Billboard. "It was rock’n’roll, but it wasn’t metal. It was something we could do."
Guitarist Mark Bryan drew another line back to R.E.M. adding, "Not only did they inspire us musically, but they inspired us on the business side as well, because they did the same thing. That fit with the way we were writing together anyway because everybody was bringing stuff in. We’ve split our publishing right down the middle from the very beginning. Nobody knew whose songs were going to be the hits."
Produced by Don Gehman, best known for his work with John Mellencamp, as well as R.E.M., the album had a sonic kick ready for radio, without sounding overly processed, retaining that warm fuzzy glow. Three of the five singles released from the album made the Top 10, while concerts routinely sold out. All this from one of the more unassuming bands to spring forth from the 90s music explosion, and who had the last laugh at anyone who thought they had a dumb name and didn't fit in. Sometimes, not fitting in is the key to success!