The Legend of Chin is the first studio album by the alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Switchfoot

Switchfoot

Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...

. It was released on June 17, 1997 under independent label re:think Records

Rethink (record label)

Re:think was an imprint label of under EMI. It signed several acts, including This World Fair, The Colour, Sarah Masen and Switchfoot. Re:think is well-known for supporting the ONE Campaign as well as the lowercase people Justice Fund.-History:...

, which was distributed by Sparrow Records

Sparrow Records

-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...

.

Track listing

All songs written by Jon Foreman

Jon Foreman

Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....

 except where noted.

1. "Bomb" – 2:46
2. "Chem 6A" – 3:11
3. "Underwater" – 3:46 (Foreman, Casey Gee)
4. "Edge of My Seat" – 2:47
5. "Home" – 4:03
6. "Might Have Ben Hur" – 2:38
7. "Concrete Girl" – 5:05
8. "Life and Love and Why" – 2:52
9. "You" – 4:13
10. "Ode to Chin" – 2:15
11. "Don't Be There" – 4:22

Credits

Switchfoot

• Jon Foreman
  Jon Foreman
  Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
  
   – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , vocals
• Tim Foreman
  Tim Foreman
  Timothy David Foreman is the bassist for the band Switchfoot. He was born in Lake Arrowhead, California but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and Virginia Beach, Virginia...
  
   – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , backing vocals
• Chad Butler
  Chad Butler
  Chad Matthew Butler is the drummer for the band Switchfoot which he co-founded along with Jon and Tim Foreman in 1996...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion

Additional musicians

• David Davidson – strings
  String section
  The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
  
  
• Peter Hyrka – strings
  String section
  The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
  
  
• Kristin Wilkinson – strings
  String section
  The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
  
  
• Matt Slocum
  Matt Slocum
  Matt Slocum is a guitarist, cellist, pianist and composer, known for his work as the principal songwriter and lead guitarist of Sixpence None the Richer....
  
   – strings
  String section
  The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
  
  
• Eric Darken – percussion
• Jimmie Lee Sloas – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• Charlie Peacock
  Charlie Peacock
  Charlie Peacock is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, session musician and author. While growing up in California Peacock was inspired by John Coltrane and began playing the piano. After completing his education, Peacock formed a band and began a career as a professional...
  
   – rhodes
  Rhodes piano
  The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
  
  , trumpet
  Trumpet
  The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
  
  
• Lucas Eddens – scratching
  Scratching
  Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
  
  

Reviews

The album got a positive review from Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 which called it "An intriguing and surprisingly mature effort for a debut release."http://christianmusic.about.com/od/upcomingreleases/a/aasfootearlyyrs.htm

Impact

While the album never officially charted on Billboard, tracks from Legend of Chin contributed to late 90's pop culture and were revitalized on subsequent Switchfoot projects. The song "You" (the answer to the questions posed in "Life and Love and Why") was featured on the soundtrack of A Walk to Remember, starring Mandy Moore. Switchfoot later released a 3-CD compilation entitled The Early Years: 1997-2000

The Early Years: 1997-2000

The Early Years: 1997–2000 is a three-disc set consisting of the first three albums by alternative rock band Switchfoot. This set was released after the band's meteoric rise to mainstream popularity with the double-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown...

 which encompassed their first three albums, including Legend of Chin. "Concrete Girl" was included in their greatest hits collection, The Best Yet

The Best Yet

The Best Yet is the first "greatest hits" album from alternative rock band Switchfoot, released on November 4, 2008.Columbia Records, the band's former record label, was the mastermind behind releasing the record, with heavy input concerning the tracklist coming directly from the band itself...

, and "Chem 6A" was included in the Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD of The Best Yet.

Music videos

Chem 6A (official music video from EMI

EMI

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

)