Third Day - Chronology Vol 1 (1996-2000)

Reviewed by Jeremy Williams

Considering the scarcity of Third Day's first recordings (eg, 1995's 'Third Day' on Gray Dot) it's a bit disappointing that this exploration of the Atlanta rockers' musical history doesn't more fully explore those early years. But with two new recordings of "Thief" and "My Hope Is You", six new mixes, a couple of tracks from 1999's neglected 'Southern Tracks' EP and two live recordings form 1998 and 1999 this is still brimming over with material for the hard core collector while the sheer gutsy energy demonstrated on the blistering remix of "Nothing At All" could possibly draw in new fans to the band's brand of Southern Fried rock. The 17 songs on the CD cover most of the band's stylistic changes - from riffing rockers to moody semi-acoustic practitioners to worship band - while throughout Mac Powell shows himself to be a great singer even if you're familiar with Pearl Jam. As well as the CD this handsome package also contains a DVD stuffed with fascinating videos - five short form items, live performances shot at various GMA Dove Award Shows between 1997 and 2006 and some 'Bootleg Videos' including Mac And Mark in 1992 and early performances at Chicago's Cornerstone Fest. Put all this together in a handsomely designed package (love the rare photos featuring Mac's constantly changing mullet) and you've got an album/DVD with appeal for both anorak collectors and rock fans who just enjoy Third Day's passionately bluesy rock. And there's a Volume Two waiting in the wings!