Audio is the debut studio album by Blue Man Group, released on December 7, 1999, through Virgin Records. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
This album was released in two versions: a DVD with 5.1-channel versions of the music in both DVD-Video (using Dolby Digital) and DVD-Audio formats (one on each side) and a CD with a 2-channel stereo mix of each track.
A behind-the-scenes video of the album is viewable on a promotional 2000 VHS known as Audio Video. This is also included as a bonus on the Audio 5.1 Surround Sound DVD.
Contents
Reception
Heather Phares of AllMusic rated Audio three out of five stars, stating that it "reflects over a decade's worth of musical and theatrical innovation". Although she mentioned that "the spectacle of the group playing its sculptural, surreal-looking instruments is absent from the album", she concluded her review by calling it "an album that proves the Blue Man Group is as innovative in the studio as it is onstage".
Personnel
Producer – Todd Perlmutter
Engineer – Andrew Schneider
Mastered by – Bob Ludwig
Mixed by – Mike Fraser
Blue Man Group
Phil Stanton – performer: air poles, extension cord bull roarer, ribbon crasher; percussion: drumbone, tubulum, mid-octave PVC, backpack tubulum, dumpster; drums: utne, drum wall, Phil drum; cimbalom, timpani
Matt Goldman – performer: air poles, ribbon crasher; percussion: low-octave PVC, drumbone, backpack PVC, dumpster; cimbalom, bass (upside down; gong (shaker); drums: utne
Chris Wink – performer: air poles; percussion:doppler toms, tubulum, drumbone, high-octave PVC, dumpster, backpack tubulum, piano smasher; cimbalom, shaker (utne); drums: drum wall, cuíca
Larry Heinemann – Chapman Stick, bass guitar, guitar (baritone), cuíca
Ian Pai – drums: drum wall, Phil drum; percussion: aronophonic, quellum grill
Christian Dyas – zither, bass guitar, guitar (12-string); electronics:electric dog toy
Todd Perlmutter – percussion, drums:drum kit, left-side double drum kit, drum wall, toy drum, Phil drum
Additional musicians
Jamie Edwards – performer: air poles (tracks: 1, 4, 14)
Chris Bowen – drums: drum wall (track: 7)
Clem Waldman – drums: drum wall (track: 5)
Cräg Rodriguez – drums: drum wall (track: 7); percussion: dumpster (track: 12)
Jeff Quay – drums: right-side double drum kit (tracks: 2, 4, 7, 8, 12 to 14) & drum wall (tracks: 5 & 13)
Byron Estep – guitar (tracks: 5, 7 & 9)
John Kimbrough – guitar (track: 7)
Bradford Reed – zither (tracks: 2, 4, 8, 13, 14)
David Corter – zither (tracks: 8, 9, 12, 13)
Elvis Lederer – zither (track: 1) & Pressaphonic zither (track: 5)
Jens Fischer – zither (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14)