Dave Matthews Band: Busted Stuff (1 Viewer)

[Ron Reda]

The new album from DMB leaked out to the Internet on Monday and, after listening to it incessantly for about a week, I have to say it just may be their best effort yet! While the album is a bit darker than "Before These Crowded Streets" (both musically and in terms of subject matter), I really think DMB fans are going to be amazed, especially by the new tunes that weren't on "The Lillywhite Sessions." Particularly noteworthy is "You Never Know," which will have you putting it on repeat. Not only are the tunes of a high caliber, but IMO, so is the quality of the audio. Check out "Kit Kat Jam" and you'll hear what I mean. There will be some very happy people come Tuesday!

 

[Van Patton]

The best part about it is the CD's only 9.99 at Circuit City and BestBuy! I downloaded most of the songs off the album about 1 week ago and have been in love since.

 

[ChrisMatson]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=67058
I don't know if we can merge these threads, or if you want to keep this new one open to discussion and reviews of Busted Stuff. I am going out of town on Wednesday, but I may be able to post a quick review before I leave. I can't wait for Bartender in 5.1 on the bonus DVD!

 

[Jason Quillen]

Went out and picked it up today (I love those local "mom and pop" CD stores around DE that break street dates like its their job)...
Just for reference I'm a big DMB fan. I got to at least one summer show here in Philly every year since I was a sophmore in High School (Crash Tour). I think "Before these Crowded Streets is their strongest album in every respect and it is my favorite album by DMB. As far as I'm concerned "Everyday" doesnt exist. Its a horrible...thing...in my opinion and isnt worth the CD its burned on. Glen Ballard, IMO, is pure evil.
With that said heres a breif song by song review...
Busted Stuff - The weakest link of the album, IMO. While its got a funky beat and catchy lyrics it fails to bring anything new to the table. I've heard it live a handful of times and I think it works better as a live song. I dont know why it doesnt gel on the album for my...it just lacks something.
Grey Street - A good recovery from the first song. Grey Street seems unchanged from being played live from years, but they've tightened it up a lot for the album. You get a much better sense of the band on this track then you did on track one.
Where are you Going - We've all heard this on the radio or someplace. A nice refreshing non-lillywhite song. But something tells me this is will become the next "Crash" or "Crazy". No real surprises.
You Never Know - This is one of the best trakcs on the album. The whole band steps up into the light for it, the lyrics and meaningful, inspired, and catchy as hell. This track alone shows the distance DMB has come from the days of "Under the Table and Dreaming". A real sense of "Before These Crowded Streets" can be felt, too.
Captain - I didnt like this track at all upon first listen. Now its really growning on me. I think this may be the tightest track on the CD. The best part of this track is its unique - it doesnt sound like anything DMB has ever done before.
Raven - Easily my favorite track on the album. Raven has a similar feel to "Captain" - its completly unique. And a Boyd solo? Awesome. Just a fantastic track and the words to describe it arent coming to me (as I'm sitting here listening to it). Lots of layers on this one
Grace is Gone - A disappointment for me, and I cant put my figer on why. I think I've been spoiled by the Y100 Sonic Session version of this song with Dave solo. Its not a bad version on the album...I just think it might have been a better track had it been left a little more...bare bones-ish.
Kit Kat Jam FINALLY a studio DMB track that captures one of the best part of the live shows. DMB should take a page from their own book and cut the length of their live jams down. Keep things like "Kit Kat Jam" and people wont start yawning like at the end of a 30 min Buth Taylor Solo. Kit Kat Jam is a great track...no vocals, whole band type thing. Spontainous feel of it keeps it interesting. Remember those jams between songs on "Before These Crowded Streets"? This is a long one of those. Good stuff.
Diggin A Ditch - A good track, but...just feels like more of the same. In fact, this one feels it could have been a hidden track on "Under The Table". Everyone plays well and the singing is good...but it doesnt bring anything new to the table.
Big Eyed Fish - Another winner. Start off the same but it quickly moves into a feeling all its own. Only complaint is Dave changed the line "Monkey should know stay up in your fucking tree" to "What a monkey does - stay in your tree". A know it seems silly but that one "fucking" that was on the lillywhite version brought such an emphasis to the song it really made the message powerful. Oh well.
Bartender - This ones still sitting on me, but it feels like a pretty good representation of the song at any given live show. Again nothing really new in this track. Its still good - and has that classic DMB feel to it.
Overall - I still cant make up my mind about this album. Its mostly composed of road tested tracks that lack anything really new. But tracks like "You Never Know", "Raven", "Captain", and "Big Eyed Fish" show that DMB is still evolving in their old shoes. But to me this album seems like DMB decided to press the reset button after the mess that was "Everyday". They took the songs they knew were fan favorites, gave them little if any tweak in the studio (mostly just polished them), recorded them in a short time, and threw in two new tracks for good measure. "Busted Stuff" isnt a bad album by any means, but it sometimes feels like a handful of outtakes from every other DMB album thrown into one place. Its classic DMB and I'd say it in much the same vein of "Under The Table", but the tracks I mentioned above show the upward mobility DMB still has. "Busted Stuff" has enough going on in it too keep me happy for sometime, but I'll be even happier when DMB goes back into the studio and gives us some really new stuff that no one has heard and really shows us that they have really evolved in all these years. I'd give Busted Stuff 7 1/2 out of 10 stars.
JQ

 

[Ron Reda]

Jason Quillen,

I wanted to comment on some of the tracks as well, but it's getting late! Hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow...

So, how's the 5.1 version of Bartender? Can you also comment on the extra stuff?

 

[ChrisMatson]

I was pleasantly surprised to have the CD waiting for me in the mail yesterday. I have listened to the Lilywhite Sessions many times, so I am familiar with many of the songs that appear on the new disc. The earlier versions of the songs taint my review, and now I can understand why the band was unhappy that the Lilywhite versions were leaked. The new versions are sometimes dramatically different. I will try to judge each song on its merit, and not compare it to the leaked version.
1. Busted Stuff: I really like this song. This is a light, playful song that sounds different from anything they have done before. The falsetto is a nice touch. I can't keep my head from bobbing along to this one, even the bittersweet lyrics it remains up-beat.
2. Grey Street: Leroi shines on this song. This will never be a radio song, and I like it.
3. Where Are You Going: This is the most radio-friendly song on the CD. I don't fault that, as I like this one too. Hey, I see a pattern here...
4. You Never Know: This is the only song on the CD that I have never heard before. I have to give it a few more listens, but this one is very promising.
5. Captain: This "bluesy" tune reminds me of lounge band. Very relaxing.
6. Raven: Not my favorite on the CD. I do like Leroi's sax, chirping like a raven. Boyd's violin shares the spotlight with Leroi here.
7. Grace is Gone: This is a sad, sweet song. I have heard that will be the next single. I don't know if it will be a hit. This one has a country flavor to it.
8. Kit Kat Jam: It is nice to have an instrumental jam on a studio CD. This one is for the fans.
9. Digging a Ditch: I like this one too. It has a nice lullaby quality to it.
10. Big Eyed Fish: This one is growing on me. Yet another song with evolution and monkeys. I prefer Proudest Monkey to this one, but still a solid song.
11. Bartender: This has become one of my favorite DMB songs over the last two years from live shows. The lyrics, while not very long, contain some of the deeper messages I have heard recently. Dave's wailing captures the emotion well. This full studio version does not disappoint.
*BONUS DVD*
There are three songs on the DVD. The first two (When the World Ends and Bartender) feature live concert footage in full screen and stereo sound. The video quality was pretty poor for a new DVD. There was message stating that the video is from the 7/11/01 show at Folsom Field and that there will be a CD and DVD of the full 2 1/2 hour show coming this fall. I only hope that the DVD will be anamorphic widescreen.
The third track is an audio-only 5.1 DD mix of the studio version of Bartender. I only gave this DVD a single spin last night, but it sounded very good. I typically prefer listening to music in stereo and I was afraid it would sound artificial, but the remix seemed natural and gave this great song a nice, full sound.
All in all, this is a very nice package.
Highly recommended.

 

[Carlo_M]

There was message stating that the video is from the 7/11/01 show at Folsom Field and that there will be a CD and DVD of the full 2 1/2 hour show coming this fall.

This has me totally pumped! I love DMB's commitment to putting out live material on CD and DVD. I've been impressed with their output so far. If the concert's not anamorphic because it was shot in 4:3, I won't sweat it.
My girlfriend is going to Best Buy in 7 minutes (when they open) to get this CD/DVD for $9.99 for me.

 

[Jeff Keene]

No Spotlight? This is the one Lillywhite Session song I wanted. :frowning:

 

[ChrisMatson]

Jeff,
I have the Lillywhite sessions, and I'm not familiar with "Spotlight." Could you have the wrong name?

 

[MikeAlletto]

Just picked it up and started listening, so far I like it! I haven't bought a cd in maybe a year or so, but for $9.99 and with a dvd you can't go wrong! This is how all cd's should be priced!

 

[Ron Reda]

ChrisMatson,

I have the Lillywhite sessions, and I'm not familiar with "Spotlight." Could you have the wrong name?

"Spotlight" is a much older tune. However, I was unaware that it was recorded during the LWS. I did hear that #40 was recorded though...

 

[Jason Quillen]

Yeah, I dont think Spotlight was recorded for lillywhite, was it? I think it somehow just got lumped together with them. The versions I've heard all all love and from the early 90's.

I'll comment on the extras as soon as I start playing with them...I'm still taking the CD in.

JQ

 

[Ron Reda]

Well, here's my $.02 on Busted Stuff:

Busted Stuff - I agree with Jason in that it's the weakest link of the album, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. I think that it's meant to be sparse and not "busy" which, to me, lends to the feeling of loss or emptiness that Dave's singing about. I really enjoy Carter and Stefan's playing on this tune, especially the kick drum and the smooth bass lines. However, I don't foresee hearing this one live too many times...kinda like "The Dreaming Tree" off of BTCS.

Grey Street - A great tune considering it's darker tone and lyrics. I like how Dave's angst comes out in his screaming at the end. Carter's playing is killer on this one. It pretty much remains unchanged from the LWS and all of the other versions I've heard. Like Jason said, much more of a "band" song than BS.

Where are you Going - To me, this song is reminiscient of a cool summer breeze...very light and gentle. When I first heard it, I thought DMB was going a bit soft. It has since grown on me a bit although Dave does sing "WAYG" way too much...maybe that way he'll be able to remember the lyrics! Perhaps it just needs some extra umph.

You Never Know - IMO, this is easily the best track on the CD. The first time I heard it, I hit repeat and let it play about 5 more times. In fact, I was singing, "I think I can, I think I can" the rest of the day. It's also the most well-rounded tune on the CD as you can hear everyone's parts in the mix and the playing is stellar. When I finally figured out what Dave was singing, I'd get goosebumps when I listened to it which has been every day (no pun intended) since I got the CD last week. The part about the "moon is chasing me" reminded me of being a little kid, staring at the moon out of the back window of my Mom's red Monte Carlo. The mix of music and lyrics has me completely enthralled with this song. It will be a staple of many shows to come.

Captain - I too wasn't a big fan of this one both on this CD and when I heard shows of Dave and Tim performing it acoustically. However, it's growing on me as well. It's got a #41 sorta vibe to it...very jazzy, very smooth. The keyboard playing reminds me of the keyboard sound on the breakdown part of Pink Floyd's "Time" (where Gilmour's guitar is compressed and the presence is very close with no reverb). While Boyd is all over this track, it seems like his presence on the CD starts to fade and Leroi's horn playing takes off.

Raven - Another one that had to grow one me, but I have found myself listening to it quite a bit lately. For some reason, when I heard it on the LWS, I couldn't get past the first couple of bars, so I would skip over it. Leroi's sax interjections after the first verse are just amazing! This is the tune where he starts to assert himself and he never backs off. Pretty deep lyrics, but Dave pulls 'em off with his delivery.

Grace is Gone - This is another one of the darker tunes, both in the lyrics and the music, but I really dig the emotion it conveys. You feel the loss that Dave's singing about. Perhaps I'm the only one, but I like what they did with this song, especially with the bluesy intro and riffs throughout it. This is slated to be the next single, but I'm not so sure that's a good move on RCA's part...

Kit Kat Jam - Killer tune! Just the band jamming out. However, everyone's doing their own thing within the context of the song. The texture on this really stands out...Dave's acoustic playing on the right side and dirty electric on the left, Carter's drum acrobatics and Boyd's pizzicato violin plucking makes it sound very percussive. It will have you air drumming in no time.

Diggin' A Ditch - Another sparse track, much like BS, but with more of a somber tone to the lyrics. The tempo is slow, but it moves along quite nicely. Leroi's sax is warm, breathy and inviting. I'd like to listen to this tune during a good rainstorm that knocked out the electricity as it conveys a sort of simplicity.

Big Eyed Fish - Great tune as far as lyrics and music, even though it is pretty heavy in terms of subject matter. It's much the same as on the LWS, but on this version, Dave rearranged the verses. I personally liked the old way better as he ended with the verse about the fish. I am totally with Jason on this one...Dave should have left the "f@#king" part in...it gave more weight to it's delivery.

Bartender - A great DMB tune with some religious references that I really thought a lot about (is the "Bartender" God?). I like the build up with the "acoustic strumming" release at the end. Sort of an opus of a song. It's exactly the same as what was on the LWS, except for the pennywhistle part at the end by Leroi, which is a nice ending touch to the CD.

Overall - While I really enjoy this CD a lot, the lyrics are mature, deep, moody, sometimes somber and pessimistic and for the most part, the music helps to carry them across. I think it's strange that this CD was released during the summer, but perhaps if it was released in the winter, it would seem really depressing! But, ultimately for me, it's about emotion (whether it's highs or lows) and this CD has it in droves. You really get inside Dave's head and feel what he was feeling when he wrote some of this (busted) stuff. The music is complex and layered like most of the band's other recordings, but it's a lot less polished which, for me, helped it to sound more spontaneous and free, like it breathes more. Now, you won't find many upbeat numbers like "Ants Marching," "Best Of What's Around" or "Two Step" on this one, but that's okay in my book. Although I'm a fan that keeps his ears open for their newest tunes being played live, I too would like to hear an album of brand new material that has never been heard.

 

[Jeff Keene]

Interesting to find out Spotlight isn't really on the "official" Lillywhite sessions set. I got my copy from a friend of my brother's, and it's definitely on there (and my favorite). Even weirder, Grey Street is NOT on my copy, and I'll have to listen again but I don't remember the f-word in Big-eyed Fish at all.

Anyway... still waiting for Busted Stuff from Amazon. Grrrrr.

I'll probably take that collection and this album and make a CD with the best of both.

 

[Andy Anderson]

"In the spotlight--life is so peachy, yeah yeah yeah yeah.
Caught for stealing--somebody's riches, yeah yeah yeah yeah."
Spotlight is an OLD DMB song (in B-flat!) they sang when Peter Griesar was still in the group. Hardcore (and semi-annoying) DMB fans still scream at Dave to play it at shows, even though he hasn't played it in years. He was quoted in a Charlottesville interview once where he mentioned he didn't like the song, and never did very much. As a result, he doesn't see playing the song live anytime soon. It was not recorded for the Lillywhite Sessions/Summer So Far. As far as old Dave stuff, I'd much rather hear either Granny or Get in Line make its way onto an album. As far as the remaining tracks from Lillywhite/Summer So Far that didn't make it to Busted Stuff (JTR/John the Revelator, Sweet Up and Down, Monkey Man), I'm a bit bummed that JTR wasn't included. It's a fun song, with a great jam at the end. As far as the "fucking tree" line, it was not in the Lillywhite Sessions--the line from the sessions was "A monkey should know--stay up your tree" Lillywhite Sessions lyrics I have, however, heard him say "monkey stay up your fucking tree" in several live recordings, and I agree--it's a pretty cool line.
I definitely think the decision to take out the vocals from Kit Kat was a good one. The music really was the highlight of that song and the "Hey golden girl with your hair swingin' down" lyrics really did the song a disservice. The vocal melody was infectuous, but the words were distracting. Good call on their part, this track ROCKS on Busted Stuff.
It took me a while to like Captain when I'd heard in on live recordings. I grew to really like the song, and I love the change in overall groove for this album. Good stuff.
Bartender is definitely the highlight track for me (although an honorable mention does go to You Never Know for it's polyrythms and 5/8, 5/8, 5/8, 6/8 chorus). Bartender is an epic, and it builds to an amazing climax with each instrument and Dave's intense vocals in the jam in the end. Powerful, man. Powerful.
This album has been well worth the wait. The band feels comfortable playing these songs. The tracks seem tight and refined but not slick, superoverproduced, and cramped like the Ballard/Everyday stuff.
:star: :star: :star: :star:
NP: Dave Matthews Band "Busted Stuff" (of course!!)

 

[Roberto Carlo]

Bartender - A great DMB tune with some religious references that I really thought a lot about (is the "Bartender" God?).

That was my question. One thing is sure: God, or more precisely, God's absence, does occupy Matthew's thinking.

 

[Ron Reda]

Andy Anderson,

As far as the "fucking tree" line, it was not in the Lillywhite Sessions...

Our bad...good call. Maybe we've heard it so many times live that it's implied on the LWS?!
While I didn't really mind the lyrics on KKJ, I'm perfectly okay without 'em...either way it kicks ass!

 

[Andy Anderson]

Ron-

Oh hell yeah! I'm with ya on that one. For some reason, I thought I read that Granny was recorded at one point.

Yeah--the earliest recorded Dave in circulation is the Rutabega sessions (~Jan 1992) which was a demo of Dave solo--setlist:
Best of What's Around
Recently
Cry Freedom
Tripping Billies
Song the Jane Likes
I'll Back You Up (the first song that Dave wrote)
What Would you Say?
After Her (early version of Satellite)
Lover Lay Down
One Sweet World
Typical Situation

After that, the band did some small local touring in the Va area (I went to Va Tech 1992-1996) and tape trading was rampant (and encouraged by the band). One show I have on tape has Dave saying something like "..we've started recording for our new CD (the then upcoming Remember Two Things), this will be the first single.." They then went on to play Granny. Needless to say, it wasn't, and has never made it on to a studio effort. It's actually one of my favorites--it gets the crowd going.."Love! Baby! Love!"

Continuing the Bartender discussion..
A speculation of mine is that the verses might be coming from different points of view. Consider: Dave's deceased sister Anne (excerpt from Minarets on R2T: "..sister chained and bound, beaten and bleeding..") a victim of domestic abuse, whose husband murdered her, and then turned the gun on himself. UTTAD is dedicated to her--the child Dave is holding is his survived nephew, Anne's son. The first verse of Bartender:
"If I go before I'm old..oh brother of mine please don't forget me if I go.."
-later-
"If I die before my time..oh sweet sister of mine please don't regret me if I die.."
(note--Dave has a younger sister Jane)
a speculation of mine is that this may be coming from Anne's point of view. Just a thought, eh?

 

[Derek S]

if anyone would like a copy of the lilywhites, give me a shout, i also have about 200 of their shows here
www.bootleglists.com/lists/banky41
i have traded with Ron R. here before.
email me if you see anything you like
[email protected]
and yes this album is awesome, not sure if it will top Crowded Streets for me but it is close, bartender is a Seek Up type epic song. Grey Street is a great tune with deep lyrics.
I like the line in Raven, "what would jesus do? he would shake his head like and angry mother spoke the boy"
dave is a great songwriter for sure, and the other 4 guys are as tight as......Cameron from ferris bueller.
Peace
D
"everyday should be a good day to die"

 

[Andy Anderson]

and the other 4 guys are as tight as......Cameron from ferris bueller.

"If you shoved a lump of coal up his ass, in two winks...you'd have a diamond."