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American rockers 3 Doors Down are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut in March with a new deluxe edition. Debut album The Better Life will be pressed on two CDs or three LPs featuring the original sextuple-platinum album and the band’s original self-released demo album.

Hailing from Escatawpa, Mississippi, 3 Doors Down – singer/drummer Brad Arnold, guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson and bassist Todd Harrell – perfected the post-grunge style of angsty but thoughtful rock that came to dominate the airwaves at the turn of the millennium. A local radio favorite with their hard-driving track “Kryptonite,” the buzz around them was strong enough to earn a deal with Universal’s Republic Records, where they honed the songs from their live shows into The Better Life. The album hit Billboard‘s Top 10 and spun off the singles “Kryptonite,” “Loser,” “Duck and Run” and the ballad “Be Like That.” The first three all topped Billboard‘s mainstream rock chart for a total of 33 weeks, while “Kryptonite” crossed over to No. 3 on the Hot 100 – their first of three Top 5 pop hits.

Over the next two decades, 3 Doors Down would cultivate a loyal fan base thanks to a handful of Iraq War-era anthems that came to be identified with the struggles of American troops; they founded a charity named for The Better Life in 2003, and maintain a popular act for military functions and the inaugurations of the last two Republican presidents.

The vinyl box features The Better Life on two black vinyl LPs and The Escatawpa Sessions – the name for the band’s 1996 demos that caught the ear of local radio stations – on a green disc. A six-page book of liner notes and an exclusive lithograph round out the package. A 2CD edition adds the non-LP B-side “Wasted Me,” rare acoustic versions of “Kryptonite” and “Be Like That,” and a new remix of the title track by Chris Lord-Alge.

Having just livestreamed a full album performance of The Better Life from Nashville last weekend, the group are planning two more livestreamed concerts: an acoustic show on February 19 and an electric show on March 5. The expanded The Better Life is available March 26 and can be pre-ordered below.

The Better Life: 20th Anniversary Edition (Republic/UMe, 2021)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: uDiscover Music

CD 1/LP 1-2: Original album and bonus tracks (exclusive to CD)

1. Kryptonite
2. Loser
3. Duck and Run
4. Not Enough
5. Be Like That
6. Life of My Own
7. The Better Life
8. Down Poison
9. By My Side
10. Smack
11. So I Need You
12. The Better Life (XX Mix)
13. Kryptonite (Acoustic – 2000)
14. Be Like That (Acoustic – 2000)
15. Wasted Me

Tracks 1-11 released as Republic/Universal 012 153 920-2, 2000
Track 12 previously unreleased
Tracks 13 and 15 from “Kryptonite” European CD single – Republic 158 456-2, 2000
Track 14 from “Be Like That” European CD single – Republic 015 102-2, 2001

CD 2/LP 3: The Escatawpa Sessions (self-released, 1996)

1. Kryptonite
2. Loser
3. Life on My Own
4. Smack
5. Down Poison
6. Dead Love
7. Wasted Me
8. Man in My Mind
9. By My Side
10. Sarah Yellin’ 86