Blue Man Group - The Complex

After devoting more than 15 years to building their unique fusion of edgy performance and advanced yet home-brewed technologies, the Blue Man Group moves aggressively toward the mainstream with The Complex. "Mainstream" is, of course, a flexible notion, so what passes as commercial for these guys is a lot more adventurous than most of the era's ear candy. These tracks adhere to clear song structures, with guest vocalists singing actual lyrics on original as well as cover material; a zombie-like cameo by Dave Matthews on "Sing Along" offers the wryest surprises. But an unmistakable imprint endures in the eclectic sonic references and, above all, thundering stage-oriented rhythms. The core members of the group play traditional instruments -- in this case, ranging from standard-issue electric guitar to Hungarian cimbalom, heard most clearly in the opening seconds of "Above" -- as well as their invented gear whose contributions to the din are, frankly, neither critical nor easy to discern. On their version of the disco classic "I Feel Love," for instance, the 16th-note pulse created via sequencer for the Donna Summer original is mimicked by the device they call the Tube, giving rise to the question of whether using something new to do what someone else did with old stuff 20-plus years earlier is worth the effort. But this is, of course, beside the point: Although its inspirations, musical and conceptual, trace as far back as Kraftwerk, The Complex serves as a reminder that modern devices and glistening production values can be applied to the most primal creative instincts, if utilized by the right -- blue -- hands. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide

Name Credits Andrew Schneider Mixing, Engineer Annette Strean Vocals Arone Dyer Vocals Avram Glietsman Vocals, Guitar Bill Bookheim Engineer Blue Man Group Cimbalom, Anvil, Cuica, Percussion, Tubulum, Drums, Dulcimer, Sound Effects, ?, Casio Bob Ludwig Mastering Brian Scott Tubulum Brook Ferris Voices Brooke Ferris Spoken Word, Voices Byron Estep Dobro Carl Plaster Drum Technician Caryl Glaab Development, Art Direction Charles Tyler Ensemble Art Direction Chris Bowen Tubulum, Voiceover, Drums Chris Traynor Guitar Chris Wink ? Christian Dyas Baritone, Guitar (Baritone), E-Bow, Guitar, Harpsichord, Zither CMP Producer Crag Rodriguez Drums Dan the Automator Programming, Producer, Art Consultant Dave Anania Drums, Percussion Dave Mathews Vocals Dave Matthews Vocals Dave Steele Guitar, Zither, Arranger David Bell Artwork Elvis Lederer Zither Esthero Vocals Gavin Rossdale Vocals Harmet Yellon Product Development Harriet Yellin Development Haru Furuya Icon Ian Pai Percussion, Drums, Arranger Jaime Ramírez Production Coordination Jeff Levison Production Supervisor Jeff Quay Percussion, Drums Jeff Skillen Executive Producer Jeff Torton Drums Jeff Tortora Drums Jeff Turlik Zither, Guitar, Arranger Jeffrey Doornbos Tubulum Jen Graffam Wink Design, Cover Image Jeni Ardizzone West Development, Product Development Jennie Willink Executive Producer, Product Development, Development Joe Hogan Engineer Joe O'Connell Engineer John Alagia Producer Jordan Cohen Drums Josh Haden Vocals Josh Matthews Drums Kid Koala Sampling Kip Kubin Vocal Producer Kip Rubin Vocal Producer Larry Heinemann ?, Bass, Guitar, Zither, Tubulum, Chapman Stick, Computer Engineering Marcus Miller Art Direction Mario J. McNulty Additional Production, Pro-Tools Matt Goldman ? Matthew Kriemelman Drums Michael "Puck" Quinn Development, Art Direction Michael Quinn Product Development Mike Napolitano Technician, Studio Assistant Nels Cline Guitar Nick White Drums Patrick Willingham Development, Product Development Peter Moore Keyboards, Arranger, Vocals Peter Simpson Drums Phil Stanton ? Rachel Matthews Consultant, Collaboration, Artist Relations Rich Costey Mixing Rob Swift Turntables Ronny Katz Technical Assistance Seth Freed Director Shannon Brunette Artist Coordination Spalding Gray Lyricist, Spoken Word Todd Perlmutter Drums, Programming, Producer, Engineer, Narrator, Percussion Todd Waetzig Percussion, Drums Tom Elmhirst Producer Toni Isabella Consultant, Collaboration, Artist Relations Tony Miracle Vocal Producer Tracy Bonham Vocals Venus Hum Vocals, Vocal Producer, Producer Vince Verderame Drums Wendy Day Drums Yuri Saniko Artwork