Dave Matthews Band
Under The Table And Dreaming
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Dave Matthews Band
Under The Table And Dreaming
RCA, 1994
RiYL: Phish, Ry Cooder, Paul Simon, Sting |
Under The Table And Dreaming shot the playboy singer Matthews and his backing Band to the top of the charts like a cannonball, fueled by a fresh sound, brilliant production and memorable melodies aplenty. Though Dave's name still hangs at the top of the sales standings, his subsequent works -- namely the lame Before These Crowded Streets -- provide minimal assurances that the now cheesed-out singer will ever return to the glory of Under The Table.
This album has tremendous focus, from the tightly written hooks of radio-ready "What Would You Say," to the carefully orchestrated chaos of "Warehouse." The band is concentrating on creating an intensity that attracts the listener's attention and holds it captive.
The songs are about surviving the dark realities of living by noticing the "Best Of What's Around." They revolve around deeper themes, touching on very personal issues -- including Matthews' own drug addictions and the recent murder of his sister. The singer asks the listener to confront the demons of young adulthood and ultimately find happiness within.
In "Typical Situation," he satirizes the followers of the world and presents a scary image of the people who draw them in: "Why are you different? Why are you that way? If you don't get in line, they'll lock you away."
He's talking about surviving. Even in the album's original chart-topper "What Would You Say," Matthews notes, "Every dog has it day, every day its way of being forgotten." How do you rise above it?
Listen to music. Find a love. Discover a "Jimi Thing."
Okay, so he is already a little cheesy. But the sincerity in his voice draws a curtain in front of his cliches to place the album's finer points in the spotlight.
Steve Lillywhite hands in what might be considered the decade's best-produced record. Proof: Listen to "What Would You Say," "Rhyme And Reason," "Typical Situation," "Dancing Nancies" and "Warehouse" with headphones on. Lillywhite uses every echo in the book to capture the full experience of the band without going too far. He records Matthews' voice a hundred different ways, with nameless effects, but never loses the delicate intricacies of the singer's well-groomed vocal chords.
What makes the production even stronger is the shrewd use of state-of-the-art technology. This isn't Dark Side Of The Moon -- the effects on this record never overwhelm the listener. Lillywhite lets us into the composer's mind to sample untouched ideas and savor the naturally sweet taste of the band.
The music itself ain't too bad either.
The hooks are absolutely mind-numbing, reminiscent of Paul McCartney's ear candy on Abbey Road. Try humming the "Everybody's happy, everybody's free, keep the big door open, everyone will come around" section of "Typical Situation" five times and see how many hours it sticks in your head.
The instrumentation on each number is equally well-crafted. Drummer Carter Beauford is responsible for skillfully navigating complicated transitions. Violinist Boyd Tinsley and sax man Leroi Moore build on each other's atmospheric contributions. And the driving guitar riffs -- especially those of "Rhyme And Reason" -- take the songs to frenzied climaxes, leaving the listener breathless.
"Warehouse" is another triumph, built on two clashing sections of music - the first a major-scale tour of an ominous mad house, the second a playful, sax-laden walk on the beach. Each part is distinct from the other, yet the two are pulled together with audible ease. Again, the scope of the songwriting (as well as its worldly pop feel) bring to mind the work of Paul Simon or Peter Gabriel.
Table is rounded out with lighter songs -- listen to "Pay For What You Get" and "Satellite" and the semi-hidden track "#34" -- on which Matthews' soft melodies grow slowly off the thin stems of his guitar's finger-picked notes. On the last of the three, the band's leader settles for an instrumental composition rather than a pop tune, letting Moore's horn take the place of his voice.
Easily one of the most addictive albums in recent memory, Dreaming provided a new direction for the mainstream, which had exhausted the hard-hitting "alternative" path not long after Kurt Cobain's death less than a year earlier. It showed that rock and roll is not just about depressing portrayals of Generation X's "teen angst," dysfunctional families and raging stomach aches.
In a stroke of genius (or luck), Matthews showed us there is also a chance to rise above the world's mire. He manages to find the perfect mixture of depression and redemption.
"Could I have been any one other than me?" Matthews asks the listener in his finest tune, "Dancing Nancies."
The singer is drowning in the deepest wells of his depression, even considering suicide. But he surfaces in the chorus with his reason to live: an audience. "I'll play for you tonight (for) the thrill of it all."
The entire album relates to the audience's perspective. Matthews forms a common bond and lets the relationship build energy. Then the music explodes with force:
"I'll look up at the sky," he screams triumphantly.
Simply essential.
BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.