Best Dave Matthews Band Album

[singingsparrow]

Let me add also that I obviously didn't include EP's ("Recently" for example) and "Remember Two Things" can be argued to be up here but I added it because it's an LP and has a number of songs not included on other albums.

So which of his albums with his band is your preference?

Sincerely,
Noah Eaton

[WhySoSerious?]

Under The Table And Dreaming. It just edges Crash for me.

[singingsparrow]

And my vote is for "Before These Crowded Streets"

I feel this is Dave's deepest and most epic album to date with his band. Each track works like an epic, with the opening track the only exception, although it is basically kicking off the album with a theme or humanity that wheels between certain tracks toward the albums end. Much darker than any of their other albums, nevertheless some of Dave's strongest songwriting comes off of here. "Don't Drink The Water" and the Arabic-twisted "The Last Stop" especially. "The Dreaming Tree" and "The Stone" both have powerful cryptic messages, and the more modern version of "Halloween" truly is incredibly eerie it can have you a the grip of your seat. Nevertheless, you also have the sing-along "Stay" and "Rapunzel" to give relief to listeners through the heartwrenching epic, and "Spoon" with Alanis Morissette truly can leave you speechless. 5 out of 5 stars here.

"Remember Two Things" and "Under The Table And Dreaming" would then tie for my second favorite. Perhaps UTTAD would win the edge simply because it has more tracks, some of which are my favorites. "Dancing Nancies" and "Warehouse" are two of my favorites, and "Jimi Thing" and their singles also deeply get to me. Meanwhile, on RTT, "One Sweet World" and "Minuets" are powerful masterpieces. Each of these gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.

"Crash" and "Busted Stuff" would then be close for fourth, but I'd give it to "Crash". I'd give "Crash" 4 out of 5 and "Busted Stuff" 3.5 out of 5. "Crash" gets especially powerful toward the end, with "Lie In Our Graves" and "Cry Freedom" and the passion in Dave's vocals in "Say Goodbye". And, of course, who could forget the musical masterpiece "#41". #41 works like the centerpiece of the album.

"Busted Stuff" meanwhile ranks a bit lower than "Crash" simply because it was re-worked Lilywhite Sessions material. One of Dave's best songs he's ever written ("Bartender") stands out at the albums grand finale, while "Grey Street", "Grace Is Gone" and "You Never Know" each are high-points. But "Where Are You Going?", while a decent song, doesn't quite fit on the album somehow, and some songs originally on Lilywhite Sessions got reduced in its duration. So it kind of lacks the original plan.

"Everyday" is the only Dave Matthews Band I strongly dislike. I give it 2 out of 5. Only two songs really get to me ("When The World Ends", "Everyday"). Dave Matthews loses a lot of songwriting credibility here with his producer assisting him much of the way, some songs are just plain awful ("I Did It", "Fool To Think") and they lack cohesiveness as an album. Plus Dave's band agrees it was not a Dave Matthews Band album , it was a Dave Matthews album.

So BTCS is my all-time favorite.

Sincerely,
Noah Eaton

[allow that]

Crash is my favorite album of all time, so it gets my vote. Before These Crowded Streets is also one of my favorite albums of all time, as is Under the Table...

The only album I don't love of these is Everyday.