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Post by singingsparrow on Sept 26, 2007 23:19:38 GMT -5
Man, I am really kind of surprised that "All Your Reasons" isn't getting more love from everyone. I think that is one of my new all time favorites from MB20. Most of the hardcore fans seem to say that "These Hard Times" is their favorite from the new songs -- but I prefer "All Your Reasons" and "I'll Believe You When" over "These Hard Times" by far. The distinctive background vocals in AYR seem to turn a lot of people off, but I think they are great. "These Hard Times" is the only new song that I can say I LOVE, while I would say I less enthusiastically like "All Your Reasons", "Can't Let You Go" and "If I Fall", and I find "I'll Believe You When" only so-so. I really love the former because I think it epitomizes how the band has matured collectively in terms of songwriting. Rob Thomas used to call all the shots lyrically single-handedly prior to the "More Than You Think You Are" era aside from some co-writing with producer Matt Serletic, but since then the band has evolved more democratically, and I happen to think this is their crowning achievement thus far in banding together and writing a great song with meaningful lyrics that evoke some imagery as well. Now I like "All Your Reasons" musically in that I think it toes the line finely between modern New Wave and the Kinks perhaps, and "If I Fall" is a respectable composition overall, but in my view at least "These Hard Times" best highlights where this band has grown together. Sincerely, Noah Eaton
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Rumors
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Post by Rumors on Sept 27, 2007 4:58:49 GMT -5
I think I'll feel this even more after I'm able to listen to the songs in a good stereo system, but this sounds like an ALBUM to me...not just a collection of very good songs. Apart from each other, I'm not sure there is a sure fire hit anywhere and that's okay. However, I really just enjoy starting at the beginning with HFWC and going through CLYG. I can't even listen to the older songs because they just don't seem to "fit" to me now. The album experience is what the download generation is missing and that's a huge piece of the musical experience to me. Its rampant on this board. The cohesiveness of the songs creates a vibe and the vibe I get with these new songs is bouncy, happy, etc. One song by itself may not stand up to other previous Rob/MB20 songs for me but as a collection of songs I think these are their best.
Two complaints...they seemed to be in a groove, they should have just recorded 6 other songs (however that could have taken another month in the studio) and that 3 songs only clock in at 2:30 minutes. Rob did say that they purposely went with quick, get to the point, songs. It's not by accident that the songs are short. I just wish they had been longer for my listening pleasure.
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Rumors
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Post by Rumors on Sept 27, 2007 5:04:14 GMT -5
"These Hard Times" is the only new song that I can say I LOVE, while I would say I less enthusiastically like "All Your Reasons", "Can't Let You Go" and "If I Fall", and I find "I'll Believe You When" only so-so. I really love the former because I think it epitomizes how the band has matured collectively in terms of songwriting. Rob Thomas used to call all the shots lyrically single-handedly prior to the "More Than You Think You Are" era aside from some co-writing with producer Matt Serletic, but since then the band has evolved more democratically, and I happen to think this is their crowning achievement thus far in banding together and writing a great song with meaningful lyrics that evoke some imagery as well. Well, to me I'm gathering that the only way Paul and probably Kyle would come back to the band is if they got to write. I give Rob tremendous credit for putting his ego in check (not that he's got a big ego) and agreeing to do this. This is the sole reason many bands break-up. Rob said in an interview that it actually took some of the burden off him and that he can concentrate his writing for his solo albums now. That's a healthy attitude to take. His mother died this year and he said what he is writing now is pretty personal and it would be weird to have the band play those songs. I can't wait for his next album next year. I get the impression that he may have the songs written for the most part.
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arebomb
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Post by arebomb on Sept 27, 2007 9:53:16 GMT -5
If you've heard any of Paul's solo material, I think you'd agree that it appears as if his songwriting fingerprints are all over the new songs.
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atlantaboy
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Post by atlantaboy on Sept 27, 2007 16:48:29 GMT -5
up to #11 on the Hot 100. Its unfair that its #3 in the sales chart but stupid airplay makes them so low :( Billboard needs to stop using Audience Impressions IMO on the Hot 100 Airplay Chart cause there's no way a non-urban record can do well (cause urban stations are in huge markets that have double the audience impressions of other markets)
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Rumors
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Post by Rumors on Sept 28, 2007 5:10:02 GMT -5
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Sept 28, 2007 15:24:46 GMT -5
Good interview. I like the "somebody forgot to tell us that we're a 90's band" line.
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blurple
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Post by blurple on Sept 28, 2007 20:05:23 GMT -5
Man, I am really kind of surprised that "All Your Reasons" isn't getting more love from everyone. I think that is one of my new all time favorites from MB20. Most of the hardcore fans seem to say that "These Hard Times" is their favorite from the new songs -- but I prefer "All Your Reasons" and "I'll Believe You When" over "These Hard Times" by far. The distinctive background vocals in AYR seem to turn a lot of people off, but I think they are great. "These Hard Times" is the only new song that I can say I LOVE, while I would say I less enthusiastically like "All Your Reasons", "Can't Let You Go" and "If I Fall", and I find "I'll Believe You When" only so-so. I really love the former because I think it epitomizes how the band has matured collectively in terms of songwriting. Rob Thomas used to call all the shots lyrically single-handedly prior to the "More Than You Think You Are" era aside from some co-writing with producer Matt Serletic, but since then the band has evolved more democratically, and I happen to think this is their crowning achievement thus far in banding together and writing a great song with meaningful lyrics that evoke some imagery as well. Now I like "All Your Reasons" musically in that I think it toes the line finely between modern New Wave and the Kinks perhaps, and "If I Fall" is a respectable composition overall, but in my view at least "These Hard Times" best highlights where this band has grown together. Sincerely, Noah Eaton I'm so in love with "These Hard Times". It's definitely my favorite among all the new songs. "All These Reasons" is okay but for some reason it sounds weird for me to hear that song from them. I dunno, I can't explain why, lol.
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Sept 29, 2007 10:14:34 GMT -5
I've been searching around online for the best prices for the CD & MVI. The CD looks like it's cheapest at Walmart for $9.72. Their website doesn't even mention the MVI. In fact, I only found the MVI on the Amazon site. But there's a special Walmart exlusive CD/DVD which isn't the MVI content but has some neat stuff. I guess I'll run out to Walmart on Tuesday and see what they have and then probably order the MVI on Amazon.
I found this info about the Walmart exlusive on their website for $13.88:
About the Album
This Wal-Mart exclusive 2-pack includes CD Exile On Mainstreet plus VH1 DVD Selections From Storytellers And Hard Rock Live. After 28 million albums sold worldwide, 5 Grammy nominations, 3 American Music Award nominations, and more No.1 hits at both Adult Top 40 and Modern AC than any other artist in history, Mathbox Twenty is an undeniable part of American music history. Over the years, the band has also clocked countless miles touring the country and world performing in front of millions of fans.
VH1 and Matchbox Twenty are happy to bring you two very different looks at these performances with both the intimate VH1 Storytellers and the rocking MTV Hard Rock Live.
This limited edition DVD includes: Selections from VH1 Storytellers: "If You're Gone," "Mad Season," "Rest Stop" and "Crutch". Selections from MTV Hard Rock Live: "Bent," "Unwell," "Bright Lights" and "Push."
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Sept 29, 2007 10:49:25 GMT -5
Billboard review of EOM:
ARTIST: MATCHBOX TWENTY
ALBUM: EXILE ON MAINSTREAM (Melisma/Atlantic Records)
The six new songs on Matchbox Twenty's first greatest hits collection almost sound like a new band. The frenetic drums that kick off first single "How Far We've Come," the jangly folk of "I'll Believe You When," the doo-wop balladry of "Can't Let You Go" diverge from the usual Rob Thomas-singing-full-voice-over-guitar-bursts formula that has brought the band its decade of success. That's not a bad thing: "How Far" is great stuff, a personal narrative about apocalypse with a sunny "It's the End of the World As We Know It"-type hook that shows new depth in its irony alone. That's not to say that the remastered hits are undeserving: Songs like "3 AM," "If You're Gone" and "Unwell" are part of the American radio rock canon. If Matchbox starts diversifying now, it will only get more interesting.
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Oct 1, 2007 19:34:03 GMT -5
From All Music Guide: 4 out of 5 stars
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Say this for Matchbox Twenty - they've gotten better the longer they've stuck around. And that's not just their music, either: they dropped the pretense of spelling their name as matchbox 20, they've gone away from cumbersome album titles, and they've embraced their status as MOR rockers. All of this is evident on Exile on Mainstream, which is not only the first of their albums to bear a simple yet clever title, it's a collection of hits that traces their progression into a good, solid mainstream band which is also buttressed by an EP that finds them livelier than ever. Bolder, too, especially on the rockabilly of βI'll Believe You Whenβ and the slow oldies beat of βCan't Let You Go,β which are light and dexterous in a way they've never been before. These are balanced by a few cuts that don't stretch quite as far, but the propulsive pop βIf I Fall,β charging anthem βHow Far We've Comeβ and earnest ballad βThese Hard Timesβ are smooth, accomplished mainstream pop that are better-constructed in every respect than their earliest hits. That much is evident by this EP's juxtaposition with the 11-track greatest hits, which has all their big radio hits presented in chronological order. There are a couple of minor hits missing β βAngry,β βLast Beautiful Girl,β βDownfall,β none of which climbed that high on the charts - so this has everything that a modern rock or adult contemporary radio listener would know, and the striking thing about listening to the disc is to hear how they abandoned the angst-ridden cartwheels that weighed down βPushβ and built upon the snappy hooks of βReal Worldβ and β3 AM,β developing a sense of melodic craft that flourished in the smooth ballad βIf You're Goneβ and the arena-rocker βUnwell.β These were highlights on their respective albums, but when these moments are put together as a hits, it makes for a surprisingly entertaining collection of mainstream rock - but the real story is that bonus disc, which suggests that after this collection is out of the way, Matchbox Twenty may have their first very good studio album on the way.
(not sure this is the best thread for these reviews of the ALBUM, but here it is anyway)
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Kid Pulse
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Post by Kid Pulse on Oct 2, 2007 7:22:01 GMT -5
It's #4 now. :)
5 4 MATCHBOX TWENTY How Far We've Come 2007 Melisma/Atlantic 2838 2758 80 13.313
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seattle
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Post by seattle on Oct 2, 2007 14:00:01 GMT -5
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Kid Pulse
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Post by Kid Pulse on Oct 2, 2007 18:23:45 GMT -5
I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :)
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atlantaboy
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Post by atlantaboy on Oct 2, 2007 18:37:13 GMT -5
I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :) How do you like it?
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Oct 2, 2007 21:13:27 GMT -5
I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :) I almost did but then I realized that I REALLY need to stop spending money....! I'll want to pick this up sometime. The first album I bought the day of release was 'Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie' by Alanis. November 3rd, 1998. lol. Since then, I've gotten maybe 50 or so.
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atlantaboy
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Post by atlantaboy on Oct 3, 2007 16:17:12 GMT -5
I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :) I almost did but then I realized that I REALLY need to stop spending money....! I'll want to pick this up sometime. The first album I bought the day of release was 'Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie' by Alanis. November 3rd, 1998. lol. Since then, I've gotten maybe 50 or so. You were seven years old!
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Kid Pulse
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Post by Kid Pulse on Oct 3, 2007 17:12:34 GMT -5
I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :) How do you like it? It's great, but after watching the DVD and listening to the CD, I'm assuming that I would have preferred the Special Edition of "All The Right Reasons" even more, but I'll just get that on a later date. I bought the album today. That's the first time I ever bought an album on the day of its release. :) I almost did but then I realized that I REALLY need to stop spending money....! I'll want to pick this up sometime. The first album I bought the day of release was 'Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie' by Alanis. November 3rd, 1998. lol. Since then, I've gotten maybe 50 or so. I'd reccomend it. The DVD feature is really cool. That's really cool. Did you like that Alanis CD? And 50 is impressive. Do you still buy CDs on a regular basis though? Or are more into downloads now?
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Oct 4, 2007 14:49:17 GMT -5
I almost did but then I realized that I REALLY need to stop spending money....! I'll want to pick this up sometime. The first album I bought the day of release was 'Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie' by Alanis. November 3rd, 1998. lol. Since then, I've gotten maybe 50 or so. You were seven years old! x2, LOL. It's great, but after watching the DVD and listening to the CD, I'm assuming that I would have preferred the Special Edition of "All The Right Reasons" even more, but I'll just get that on a later date. I almost did but then I realized that I REALLY need to stop spending money....! I'll want to pick this up sometime. The first album I bought the day of release was 'Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie' by Alanis. November 3rd, 1998. lol. Since then, I've gotten maybe 50 or so. I'd reccomend it. The DVD feature is really cool. That's really cool. Did you like that Alanis CD? And 50 is impressive. Do you still buy CDs on a regular basis though? Or are more into downloads now? Does the DVD contain all their videos? If so, I'd get it. Otherwise, I'll probably pass since I rarely ever watch bonus DVDs... :( And yeah, I'm still a major CD buyer. This year alone I've probably gotten 15-20 CDs on their release date and a total of maybe 40? I kinda keep an Excel file complete with all of my CDs and when I buy them. Mostly to keep track of for when I move and stuff like that but it's neat to keep count. I need to update it though. I think 2004 was a peak year for me with CD buying but 2007 may pass it. ;) And yeah, I loved the Alanis CD when first bought it. I realized after that it's very inconsistant tho. I typically skip half the tracks but I still think it's classic now.
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Kid Pulse
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Post by Kid Pulse on Oct 4, 2007 16:54:00 GMT -5
^No, it doesn't contain any videos in it. It shows the band talk about thier past singles, and what each one meant to them. It was pretty cool to see some of my favorite guys in music recall thier often funny memories as a band. Also, they talk about the new tracks. Mine contains lots of features like "create you own mix of 'How Far We've Come'" and "create your own ringtone". That's an impressive list. :) There are a lot of CDs where I skip half the tracks, such as the first Jason Mraz CD. This MB20 CD has no tracks worth skipping to me though.
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Oct 4, 2007 20:18:23 GMT -5
I love the first Jason Mraz CD. There are a few songs that I sometimes skip but it was one of my favourites of 2003. I wish he'd hurry up with a new one. Mr. A-Z wasn't bad either and that live CD/DVD is pretty fun too!
The thing about MB20 for me is that they've never been an albums band for me. I own their three CDs but I've really only gotten into their singles and a few select album tracks. I don't know why.
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atlantaboy
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Post by atlantaboy on Oct 4, 2007 20:48:41 GMT -5
I love the first Jason Mraz CD. There are a few songs that I sometimes skip but it was one of my favourites of 2003. I wish he'd hurry up with a new one. Mr. A-Z wasn't bad either and that live CD/DVD is pretty fun too! The thing about MB20 for me is that they've never been an albums band for me. I own their three CDs but I've really only gotten into their singles and a few select album tracks. I don't know why. It's kinda the opposite for me (although I never bought a Jason Mraz CD) I remember lovin almost every song on "Mad Season"...one of my fav. tracks was "The Burn" and I remember bein upset that they didn't release it as a single Jason Mraz used a lot of the same lyrics on his second CD as he did on his first (i. e. "play on words" first CD, "wordplay" second CD) ...IMO he really needs to come up with a new style if he wants to ever hit CHR again
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Oct 4, 2007 22:21:31 GMT -5
I love the first Jason Mraz CD. There are a few songs that I sometimes skip but it was one of my favourites of 2003. I wish he'd hurry up with a new one. Mr. A-Z wasn't bad either and that live CD/DVD is pretty fun too! The thing about MB20 for me is that they've never been an albums band for me. I own their three CDs but I've really only gotten into their singles and a few select album tracks. I don't know why. It's kinda the opposite for me (although I never bought a Jason Mraz CD) I remember lovin almost every song on "Mad Season"...one of my fav. tracks was "The Burn" and I remember bein upset that they didn't release it as a single That's interesting because in Storytellers both Paul & Kyle expressed that they loved The Burn too. It never did anything at all for me. I just listened to Mad Season the other day and just love "Stop". I think I've come to the realization that I like MB20 and Rob's rock songs better than their ballads.
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Rumors
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Post by Rumors on Oct 5, 2007 17:53:52 GMT -5
I like The Burn but it had to grow on me. Stop and Feel are the worst two MB20 songs as far as I'm concerned. I don't care for either one of them. Feel was one of those songs that Kyle and Paul helped write. Thank goodness the new "collaborative" songs are much better than Feel. As for the new songs, HFWC I think is far the best of the six. Then I can't decide. I like them equally well for different reasons. Vocally I like Rob on These Hard Times and Can't Let You Go.
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Kid Pulse
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Post by Kid Pulse on Oct 5, 2007 18:13:50 GMT -5
Honestly, I think that "Feel" may be thier best album track, along with a few others.
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Oct 6, 2007 11:35:56 GMT -5
I think I started to really like "Stop" after seeing them perform it live. They really rocked out and Rob flailed around in wild abandon. Kyle too was just jumping up and down during it. Just a great head banging performance. I love Busted too. If I had to pick my least favorite MB20 song it would have to be "The Burn". It's kind of sad to think that the guys are getting older and more sedate in their performances. They still rock, but are more polished now and have definitely lost that youthful abandon. It's inevitable, but I miss it at times.
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NORTHCOAST
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Post by NORTHCOAST on Oct 6, 2007 12:45:43 GMT -5
Anyone see them perform on Leno Thursday night and Jimmy Kimmel Live last night?? The Kimmel performance was fantastic. It was an outside stage and they did HFWC and Push. They're in great form already. Can't wait for the tour. Jimmy Kimmel said the video would be up on his website if you're interested. I just checked it though and not yet. Oh, and they're on the Today Show and Ellen on Monday. Just found the Leno performance on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PkrdE8xT_s
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Rumors
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Post by Rumors on Oct 7, 2007 12:03:09 GMT -5
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Oct 7, 2007 21:45:59 GMT -5
I LOVE 'Feel'. I remember listening to it really loud back when the album came out. It was rockin'! Too bad it flopped on the rock formats... which is pretty much the only place it was released. Jason Mraz used a lot of the same lyrics on his second CD as he did on his first (i. e. "play on words" first CD, "wordplay" second CD) ...IMO he really needs to come up with a new style if he wants to ever hit CHR again 'Wordplay' was a play off of his pop career up to that point. I'm fairly confident that that was done on purpose for the point of making reference to it and stuff. 'Wordplay' wasn't that great a song anyway tho.
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arebomb
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Post by arebomb on Oct 8, 2007 12:31:41 GMT -5
Man, #1 is great! That might be matchbox twenty's first #1 album ever, in any country. That's pure speculation on my part. One interesting fact about matchbox twenty's album sales in Australia is that "More Than You Think You are" has actually outsold "Mad Season" in Australia. IIRC, Mad Season is 4x platinum in Australia, but MTYTYA is actually certified 5x platinum. That makes me thing that the Aussies know a lot more about good music than their American counterparts. IMO, MTYTYA is so far superior to Mad Season that it ain't even funny. I wanna move to Australia!
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