Friday, April 1, 2011

The Ocean Blue (1989)

The Ocean Blue, formed in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1986, is an American indie pop band that combines melodic guitars and synthesizers. Its core original members included David Schelzel on lead vocals/guitar, Steve Lau on keyboards/saxophone, Bobby Mittan on bass guitar and Rob Minnig on drums and vocals.

Its current line-up includes David Schelzel on lead vocals/guitar, Oed Ronne on keyboards/guitar/vocals, Bobby Mittan on bass guitar and Peter Anderson on drums.

The band's sound may be best described as jangly guitar-based modern rock. Influences include such bands as The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons, Echo & the Bunnymen and New Order. The Ocean Blue's earliest shows always consisted of a healthy dose of covers by these bands. To this day, The Smiths and New Order covers still punctuate concert encores.

The Ocean Blue are practically masters of sweet, gentle, vaguely British pop, combining sparkling, jangly guitars with crisp, sweet vocals and thoroughly melodic songwriting. Their self-titled debut lays down the blueprint for this sound, which remained largely unchanged through releases like Cerulean (which sported slightly dreamier production and songwriting) and Beneath the Rhythm & Sound (the band's most polished and pop-oriented effort), falling somewhere between the squeaky-clean pop of the Housemartins and the gorgeous melodic elements of the Cocteau Twins. While its songwriting occasionally falters, and it lacks the sonic cohesion of its two successors, The Ocean Blue delivers on what makes all of the band's work so appealing: simple, beautiful hooks and melodies.

The Ocean Blue
1989
THE OCEAN BLUE
David Schelzel (v/g), Steve lau (k/s/v), Bobby Mittan (b), Rob Minnig (d)

Track Listing

1. Between Something And Nothing Outstanding Track
2. Vanity Fair
3. Drifting, Falling Outstanding Track
4. The Circus Animals
5. Frigid Winter Days
6. Just Let Me Know
7. Love Song
8. Ask Me Jon Outstanding Track
9. Awaking To A Dream
10. The Office Of A Busy Man*
11. Myron
12. A Familiar Face Outstanding Track

THE OCEAN BLUE LYRICS



BETWEEN SOMETHING AND NOTHING 
Words that form a sentence
Words that form a phrase
In a poem or a letter
Could not convey the meaning
Of what this man has done
In a painting
On canvas

As the colors fading
They dictate my mood
Can you see me
Are you near me
I find myself on canvas
I find myself on stage
Can you see me
Are you near me

And I long to know you're real
And I long for you to be part of me
I long to know you're real
And I long for you to be a part of me

In the fading twilight
I sit and stare at her
In all her beauty
Her beauty
You know I have to wonder
Why all great men must die
And leave their treasure
They leave their treasure

VANITY FAIR 
Walking strolling down
Down the gallery of memory
Pictures painted there
And it hangs on the wall
Calling out to me
Down the corridor to the left
Pilgrim walk away
Just walk away
Pilgrim beware of Vanity Fair
Pilgrim beware

Window shopping now
Window shopping down at Vanity Fair
Shall we go inside
Go inside and look around
Would you like to buy
The Red Man kindly asks me
Pilgrim walk away
Just walk away
Pilgrim beware of Vanity Fair
Pilgrim beware

Singing, calling out
Echoes of the truth somewhere
A sea of sinking souls
They can't really understand
Vain, it's calling vain
Watch them take another drink again
Pilgrim walk away
Just walk away
Pilgrim beware of Vanity Fair
Pilgrim beware

DRIFTING, FALLING 
You may find you're all alone
All around you not a sound
Drifting, falling on your own again
The walls of cold and grey surround
They surround

You may find you're by yourself
Friends have all grown up and gone away
Drifting, falling you can't stop yourself
The walls of cold and grey surround
They surround

Drifting, falling
Watching all your dreams roll by
They roll by
Somewhere out there

She sees you and she sighs
My, my, my, my, my
You may find you're all alone
All around you not a sound

Drifting, falling on your own again
The walls of cold and grey surround
They surround

Drifting, falling
Watching all your dreams roll by
They roll by

Somewhere out there
She sees you and she sighs
My, my, my, my, my

THE CIRCUS ANIMALS
You, the writer, knew
You, the writer cared
Sold, are things once told
Old, are things once bold

The diamonds and the gold
They are for real
Depending on the way they make you feel

We can touch the sky
You, oh you and I
I can count to two
But we can count to three

I line them up and they stare back at me
Creations in the mind and soul of me

Drift
Fall
Blue
Call

You, the writer, knew
You, the writer, cared

The diamonds and the gold
They are for real
Depending on the way they make you feel
Frigid Winter Days

Mr. Jones lives down the lane
He lives alone with his wife Jane
You know his car won't start on frigid winter days
He shovels snow so high on frigid winter days
blow by the, blow by the snow

Professor John gives an exam
Try to pass it if you can
You know he'll send you out to frigid winter days
Out with an 'F' you go to frigid winter days
blow by the, blow by the snow

Ba ba e ya um ba ba bae ya um ba a

Mrs. Smith has gotten old
Her family's gone or so I'm told
You know she stays inside on frigid winter days
she turns her heat up high on frigid winter days
twenty below

So quietly I walk back home
So glad that I am not alone
I love the blue of night on frigid winter days
I love the crystal light of frigid winter days
blow by the blow by the snow

Ba da da da da da da um ba da um ba e ya
Ba da da da um ba da um ba a

JUST LET ME KNOW
First she came right into my life
You know my life wasn't much of a life
Couldn't believe this could happen to me
Who, oh who, could ask for more

Just let me know
Just let me know
What you want from me

You were a friend when I hadn't a friend
One on whom I could always depend
Couldn't believe this could happen to me
Who, oh who, could ask for more

Just let me know
Just let me know
What you want from me

Wish I knew what you were thinking deep inside
Feel, those feelings that you hide
Wish in you I could confide
All my hopes, my fears, my love

First she came right into my life
You know my life wasn't much of a life
Couldn't believe this could happen to me
Who, oh who, could ask for more

Just let me know
Just let me know
What you want from me >




LOVE SONG
I'm in love
My friend's in love
We're both in love
For real

Singing ya oh oh
Ya oh oh
Ya oh oh

Love is kind
It does not boast
It is not proud
At all

Singing ya oh oh
Ya oh oh
Ya oh oh

And love always protects
And love always hopes all things
And love always trusts
And love always is there

Ya oh oh
Ya oh oh
Ya oh oh

I'm in love
My friend's in love
We're both in love
For real

ASK ME JON
Ask me, ask me Jon
Ask me, ask me Jon
How I got here
How I got up here Jon
How I got here

I'm in the bright light now
I'm in the bright light now

Ask me, ask me Jon
Ask me, ask me Jon
How I got here
How I got up here Jon
How I got here

If you don't come my way
Then you don't come my way

I'm in the bright light now
I'm in the bright light now

Ask me, ask me Jon
Ask me, ask me Jon
How I got here
How I got up here Jon
How I got here

If you don't come my way
Then you don't come my way

AWAKING TO A DREAM
No way in
No way out
I'm caught in this limbo-land
Can't go on
Can't go back
I cannot get out of here

Can't go on
Can't go back
I'm caught in this limbo-land
Camera's on
Camera's of
I cannot get out of here

No way in
No way out
I cannot get out of here
Camera's on
Camera's off
It's out on the radio

THE OFFICE OF A BUSY MAN
This is the office of a busy man
Can you hold the line?
In pipes the music you can't understand
Can you change the station?
Is there a message, he's on with L.A.
Big deal in L.A.
You see his time is his money, and his money is time
Can you hold the line?

Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?

This is the city of a busy man
It's New York, New York
There's millions of people and it's dog eat dog
Can you taste the smog?
You've got to rush here and you've got to rush there
Don't ask me why
It's the city of dreams, it's the right kind of place
For a busy man

Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?

This is the office of a busy man
Can you hold the line?
He is the music you can't understand
Can you change his station?

Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?
Do you know who I am?

MYRON
As night was falling down
His horse so swiftly flew
The wind, it beat him down
His outcried words they blew

He cried Myron
Where are you hiding
He cried Myron
Where are you hiding

The rain, it beat him down
The tears from heaven fell
He had to wonder why
But all he did was cry

He cried Myron
Where are you hiding
He cried Myron
Where are you hiding

He went looking for the truth
He went looking for his mom
He went looking for his dad
He went looking for himself

He cried Myron
Where are you hiding
He cried Myron
Where are you hiding

A FAMILIAR FACE
Back in the spring
When I thought of those things
I dodged the questions
I ducked the clouds
There were shadows in my heartland

Back in the fall when I knew it all
The wrong seemed right
And the right seemed wrong
There were shadows in the backyard

Listen boy when he talks to you
Listen to what he says
He wore a familiar face I know
Wake up and take a feel
A familiar face I saw
Wake up and take a feel

Back in the fall when I knew it all
I dodged the questions
I ducked the clouds
There were shadows in my homeland

Back in the spring
I thought of those things
In my mind

Listen boy when he talks to you
Won't you listen to what he says
He wore a familiar face I know
Wake up and take a feel
A familiar face I saw
Wake up and take a feel

DAVID SCHELZEL
Lyrics
DAVID SCHELZEL and THE OCEAN BLUE
Music

All songs © 1989 SBK/Blackwood, Inc./Flat World Music BMI

DAVID SCHELZEL
Vocals and Guitars
STEVE LAU
Keyboards, Saxophone and Vocals
BOBBY MITTAN
Bass guitar
ROB MINNIG
Drums

Produced by Mark Optiz except * produced by John Porter
Engineered by Mike Dignam
Additional Engineering, John David and David Leonard
Assistant Engineer, Derek Fischer
Mixed by Mark Optiz, Mike Dignam, and Rob Minnig
"Between Something And Nothing" and "The Office Of A Busy Man" remixed by Bob Rosa at Electric Lady Studios, NYC
*Engineered by Kenny Jones
Recorded at Eden Studios, London, England
*Recorded at Matrix, London, England
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, NYC
Management, Peter Freedman Entertainment, NYC
The Ocean Blue, P.O. Box 363, Hershey, PA 17033
Design, art direction T.O.B./T+CP Assoc.
London; Los Angeles
Photography Laura Levine

© 1989 Sire Records Company for the U.S.

THE OCEAN BLUE LINE UP

David Schelzel - Lead Vocals, Guitar (1986-Present)
Bobby Mittan - Bass Guitar (1986-Present)
Oed Ronne - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals (1993-Present)
Peter Anderson - Drums (2000-Present)
Rob Minnig - Drums, Vocals (1987-2001)
Steve Lau - Keyboards, Saxophone (1986-1994)
Scott Stouffer - Drums (1986-1987)

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