"The Ocean Blue"

Korda Records presents the vinyl reissue of The Ocean Blue’s debut 1983 LP mastered from the original archival tapes. When college radio and MTV picked up “Between Something and Nothing,” the first single from The Ocean Blue’s self-titled debut album in 1989, many listeners were surprised to discover that the quartet was not British but rather four recent high school graduates from Hershey, Pennsylvania. Between the jangly guitars, spiraling melodies, rural yet modern sound, and David Schelzel’s yearning delivery of his wistful lyrics, The Ocean Blue fit perfectly among contemporaries like The English Beat, Echo & The Bunnymen, and the then-recently disbanded Smiths. The Ocean Blue, formed in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1986, is an American indie pop band that combines melodic guitars and synthesizers. The band’s sound may be best described as jangly guitar-based modern rock. Influences include such bands as The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, R.E.M., 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.