| Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Collective Soul | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 at Rising Storm Studios, Atlanta, Georgia; Real to Reel Studios, Stockbridge, Georgia; MSE Studios, Miami, Florida | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 45:13 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Ed Roland, Matthew Serletic, Joe Randolph | |||
| Collective Soul chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Collective Soul | ||||
Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid is the debut album of Atlanta rock band Collective Soul. It was originally released as a demo on a small indie label in Atlanta called Rising Storm Records. However, the track "Shine" attracted attention to the band thanks to college radio. They signed on with Atlantic Records and, in 1994, re-released the demo as an official studio album under the Atlantic label.
The album's title is derived from the lyrics of Paul Simon's 1986 hit "You Can Call Me Al". The cover art itself is a modified version of the original logo of Stephen Sondheim's 1979 Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd. The album's opening track, "Shine," would become arguably Collective Soul's biggest hit.
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Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid was recorded in a basement in 1992 and intended as a promotional demo. Band frontman Ed Roland hoped to simply sell the songs to a publishing company rather than begin a band. He gave the demo to a small college radio station in Atlanta, Georgia which began playing "Shine." The track quickly became their most requested song and the band was asked to perform some concerts for the station. Favoring an opportunity to perform a few shows with his brother, Roland agreed and regathered the demo's guitarist and drummer as well as his brother Dean.
However, the attention gained by "Shine" allowed it to chart and catapulted the band to national stardom. They were soon picked up by Atlantic Records who wished to release the demo as the debut studio album of Collective Soul. In a 1995 interview, Roland elaborated on his mixed feelings regarding the situation:
Consequently, Collective Soul would regard their self-titled 1995 studio album under Atlantic as the band's official debut. Roland told Metal Edge, "It's so funny for people to compare the two. It's like comparing one band to another band. [Collective Soul] is our first record, flat out."[1]
Collective Soul performed at Woodstock 1994 and opened for Aerosmith during their Get a Grip Tour.
Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid featured three singles, the most successful of which was "Shine." Aside from radio popularity, the song also had a music video which received airplay on MTV.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ [3] |
| Robert Christgau | C− [4] |
The album gained overall positive reception from critics. Hints was given credit for its strong melodies but a less savory response regarding its apparent lack of originality. Also of note was Collective Soul's more upbeat sound amidst their more angst, grunge-influenced contemporaries.
Chuck Eddy of Entertainment Weekly gave a somewhat sarcastic review, describing the album as "bubble-gum grunge: an idea whose time has come."
All songs written by Ed Roland.
The 1993 version included an additional track not on the Atlantic version, an orchestral ballad titled "Beautiful World."
Although Ed Roland has stated that the musicians on the recording Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid were entirely different from Collective Soul's future recordings,[1] the follow people are credited in its Atlantic reissue:
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Top Heatseekers | 1 |
| 1994 | The Billboard 200 | 15 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Shine" | Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | ||
| Modern Rock Tracks | 4 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 4 | ||
| "Breathe" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 |
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