Is Big Whiskey getting worse to anyone else?

[jaymas9]

Originally Posted by manderso

BW is radio pop. Sorry to burst your bubble.

This is really well-thought out and supported with excellent points. You should put on your biggest local top 40 radio station one day and see what comes out of the speakers. Big Whiskey it is not. Same goes for most of the very mainstream top 40/AAA bands like Nickelback. Big Whiskey is none of that.

[manderso]

Originally Posted by jaymas9

This is really well-thought out and supported with excellent points. You should put on your biggest local top 40 radio station one day and see what comes out of the speakers. Big Whiskey it is not. Same goes for most of the very mainstream top 40/AAA bands like Nickelback. Big Whiskey is none of that.

What the hell are you talking about? I hear BW on the radio all the time!

[jaymas9]

Originally Posted by btpeters

It's been said many time before, but, sorry the album wasn't Before These Crowded Streets Part 2 or The Non-Busted Stuff Lillywhite Sessions. Some people fail to see the evolution, refuse change and want the same thing over and over and over again. And if they DID get that, then they'd bitch that the music is boring and never evolves.

People are allowed to dislike the album. But, hey, that's their loss. Do i think its the best DMB album of all time? Not in my opinion, but i'm not going to let that stop me from listening and liking it. i'm still enjoying the hell out of it, and plan on continuing to do so.

. This is the key here, and of course what I am going to say doesn't include everyone, but I get the impression all to often that Big Whiskey isn't considered good because it doesn't match up with their best work. That just doesn't make sense to me. I think it is DMB's 4th best album, that doesn't mean I don't think it is good solely because it isn't the best thing they have ever done.

David Gray's A New Day at Midnight wasn't as good as White Ladder, that sure as hell doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. David Gray's newest record wasn't as good as White Ladder or Life in Slow Motion, it does not mean that there weren't 5 songs that were absolutely awesome on it.

[jaymas9]

Originally Posted by manderso

What the hell are you talking about? I hear BW on the radio all the time!

On the top 40 radio? You don't hear it there. You'll hear it on AAA radio absolutely, that is dmb's market, but listen to the rest of the work on AAA radio, specifically the shallower material, tell me what sounds like Big Whiskey...

[manderso]

Alright I take it back. The album is good.










For me to poop on!!

[HAWNEY HAWNEY]

I don't know why people get all bent out of shape when someone suggests DMB is pop music. They always have been, and always will be.

[jaymas9]

Originally Posted by HAWNEY HAWNEY

I don't know why people get all bent out of shape when someone suggests DMB is pop music. They always have been, and always will be.

I know they are pop music, it's not that, but to suggest Big Whiskey is the same as bad top 40 pop music is something entirely different.

[inmytree]

Originally Posted by HAWNEY HAWNEY

I don't know why people get all bent out of shape when someone suggests DMB is pop music. They always have been, and always will be.

That's not really what the guy was saying, however. He was saying that BW was watered down to appeal to mass audiences. Which makes no sense. Are they pop according how the word should be defined? Yes. Are they pop in comparison to what's typically at the top of the charts now? Not even close. Like I said before, I just think it's interesting that when somebody doesn't like an album or song, they often try to claim that the music has been watered down to be acceptable to the masses. That's just not the case with BW.

[Heyberto]

Originally Posted by inmytree

That's not really what the guy was saying, however. He was saying that BW was watered down to appeal to mass audiences. Which makes no sense. Are they pop according how the word should be defined? Yes. Are they pop in comparison to what's typically at the top of the charts now? Not even close. Like I said before, I just think it's interesting that when somebody doesn't like an album or song, they often try to claim that the music has been watered down to be acceptable to the masses. That's just not the case with BW.

Agreed.. DMB is not classic pop. If someone means pop as in popular music with radio airplay then yes. If you mean pop as a style of music, then no. Everyday was as close as they came to the pop style. Big Whiskey is not even close in terms of the pop style.

[arbseekup88]

Actually, the more I listen, the more I like.
Not as good as the big 3 (4), but way better than those other two.

[phatpig]

I still don't see how this album isn't widely considered the 4th best studio album. It's got some good music, has lasting appeal. I don't know how you can argue that Everyday, Stand Up, or BS is better than this record.

[Heyberto]

Originally Posted by phatpig

I still don't see how this album isn't widely considered the 4th best studio album. It's got some good music, has lasting appeal. I don't know how you can argue that Everyday, Stand Up, or BS is better than this record.

I think part of the issue is that people are a little hung up on evaluating the albums primarily on the material (songs) itself as the sole factor. Evaluating an album is much more than just the quality of the songs, although that is an important factor. So if you despise the songs that much, then ok.. but I have hard time understanding how anyone could dislike this collection of songs more than ED and SU material.. but that's just me.

I think that overall, the songs on Busted Stuff make it the better written material, but the production, while technically good, makes the album very vanilla and straightforward with little personality. As good as YNK is, it and WAYG feel out of place. I suppose we have the LWS to blame for that. ED and SU hold up well when evaluating them as albums... thematically they succeed on the level they're on as something of a concept, but the quality of the songs on both bring that level down.. way down in my book. Also, in the case of SU the production style just doesn't work with DMB.

BWGK may be flawed in some ways, but as a collective, cohesive work, I agree it is 4/5 depending on whether or not you include the LWS in the total body of work. It succeeds in being a good marriage of material, production and concept. In those three aspects it succeeds better than the 3 albums that preceded it by a good margin, so it's a pretty easy choice for me.

[phatpig]

Originally Posted by RobbtheRevelatr

I think part of the issue is that people are a little hung up on evaluating the albums primarily on the material (songs) itself as the sole factor. Evaluating an album is much more than just the quality of the songs, although that is an important factor. So if you despise the songs that much, then ok.. but I have hard time understanding how anyone could dislike this collection of songs more than ED and SU material.. but that's just me.

I think that overall, the songs on Busted Stuff make it the better written material, but the production, while technically good, makes the album very vanilla and straightforward with little personality. As good as YNK is, it and WAYG feel out of place. I suppose we have the LWS to blame for that. ED and SU hold up well when evaluating them as albums... thematically they succeed on the level they're on as something of a concept, but the quality of the songs on both bring that level down.. way down in my book. Also, in the case of SU the production style just doesn't work with DMB.

BWGK may be flawed in some ways, but as a collective, cohesive work, I agree it is 4/5 depending on whether or not you include the LWS in the total body of work. It succeeds in being a good marriage of material, production and concept. In those three aspects it succeeds better than the 3 albums that preceded it by a good margin, so it's a pretty easy choice for me.

Well said, really can't add anything else to that

[ibeheath]

I think DMB had a lot of pressure in the studio this time around. I think it is noticeable too in the recordings...We know from reports that the band was thinking of taking some time off because of tension in the band, and then... the death of Leroi, Stefan losing his home, new members being added to the band, Butch leaving the band, SU getting so so reviews from his core fan base...Dave's personal leaving/ moving on, Dave's voice barely making it through the SU tour, it all seems like so much was going on behind the scenes that it must of been hard for them not to become swallowed up by themselves and their problems. But they pulled of an OK album that got a Grammy nomination, I think we should probably be happy that an album was made and that the band didn't implode on themselves. I would imagine we don't see another DMB album for a while. It just doesn't seem like we should be holding our breaths for something magical to happen, at least I dont anymore. :-(

[koolout]

I enjoy it quite a bit. Just listened to it last night. Some
great tracks on there. Spaceman and Dive In are the only tracks I have to skip.

[Styx Cover Band]

Originally Posted by koolout

I enjoy it quite a bit. Just listened to it last night. Some
great tracks on there. Spaceman and Dive In are the only tracks I have to skip.

I listened to it yesterday too. I still enjoy it and I didn't think it's getting worse to me. Not their best album, but pretty solid and still seems good to me almost a year later

[dayswonder]

im not to worried about what the songs sound like on the album

i am looking forward to what the BW songs sound like on future live releases

[sir iggius]

I still love the album. Some I've grown to like better acoustic, such as Spaceman and Time Bomb, but overall, I like every song on the Cd.

[Simm0nS]

I really feel bad for you guys that hate this album. That means you probably hate the last 3 they've put out. Why are you still here then? Ive only been around since 05/06 so this is my first album release to be a part of. If I hated this album and hated the next two they put out I don't think id still be on these boards discussing their new material.

[thechad90000]

Originally Posted by Simm0nS

I really feel bad for you guys that hate this album. That means you probably hate the last 3 they've put out. Why are you still here then? Ive only been around since 05/06 so this is my first album release to be a part of. If I hated this album and hated the next two they put out I don't think id still be on these boards discussing their new material.

I personally like BW but I didn't care for Stand Up or Everyday a whole lot. Most people still love most of DMB's catalog though. Just because you don't like some of it doesn't mean you aren't a fan.

[ShotgunDMB]

Still feel the same way I've basically felt about it since it was released: it's pretty good. Not amazing by any stretch, but respectable.

Song writing isn't as good as Busted Stuff, but it's produced much better. Vocals aren't as good as Everyday, but the musicianship is much better. And it's just flat out much better than Stand Up, which still sucks 5 years later.

So, it's pretty good. Probably a 7/10. It's an enjoyable album, but not a classic, or even close to it.

[kingchrisII]

I liked it when it came out. I logged over 100 listens within a week of getting the April Sessions. Once the album came out I kept listening. Took a little break from studio material during the summer tour. Came back to it after the tour was over, loved it even more.

I have a Big 4, not a Big 3.

BTCS




Big Whiskey
UTTAD
Crash

[elitedrumer41]

big whiskey gets better as the temperature of the weather rises

[Bukaloo]

Originally Posted by elitedrumer41

big whiskey gets better as the temperature of the weather rises

Bingo. I was going to point this out. To me BWGK is a very summer oriented album. The weather is finally back up to the 80's here, from the 50's a few weeks ago. For some reason, it just changes my mood for what music I want to listen to. The others in the Big 3 tend to seem more mellow and even sometimes dreary, which is why I was obsessed with them in the fall/winter.

[RobRoy286]

Absolutely love this album, still. I have a tendency to burn it out, but that's my own fault for listening to it so much. It's still my second favorite album to BTCS, and like the 98 album it's good to listen to all the way through.

The only criticism I have is the mixing. Yes, I know Boyd has parts on it, but I should have to buy good headphones to hear him. It's actually fucking ridiculous. I love what Boyd does on Why I Am, and yes I can hear it on the studio album, but barely...why not turn it up in the mix? It honestly baffles me how they were satisfied with the final mixing without turning up Boyd in Why I Am or Roi in Seven. There are also some sloppy lyrical takes (2nd verse of Alligator Pie, 3rd verse of Spaceman).

Rob's whole thing, along with all of DMB, was to make a "band record," where everyone contributed heavily. That's why I'm confused with the choice to use so many damn keyboards/pianos, along with an orchestra for Dive In and Baby Blue. I enjoy the strings on Squirm, but songs like Dive In could easily have been recorded/finished with Boyd actually, you know, playing his damn instrument.

They recorded so many layers for these songs, but it's a bit of a waste because you can hardly hear the layers in certain songs. Big Whiskey would be sooo much better if Boyd were turned up, and I'm not buying the whole "get better headphones" argument.

[RobRoy286]

Originally Posted by kingchrisII

I liked it when it came out. I logged over 100 listens within a week of getting the April Sessions. Once the album came out I kept listening. Took a little break from studio material during the summer tour. Came back to it after the tour was over, loved it even more.

I have a Big 4, not a Big 3.

BTCS




Big Whiskey
UTTAD
Crash

Same order for me


I don't want my previous post to come off the wrong way. I am frustrated with the mixing in particular songs, but otherwise I adore this album. The Spaceman/Squirm/APie/Seven run is incredible.

[kingchrisII]

Originally Posted by RobRoy286

Same order for me


I don't want my previous post to come off the wrong way. I am frustrated with the mixing in particular songs, but otherwise I adore this album. The Spaceman/Squirm/APie/Seven run is incredible.

I have the same opinion in terms of the mixing, and love that run as well, except I add Time Bomb and Baby Blue to that run.

The only song I ever skip is Dive In.

[rickyh24]

Big 4 is correct.


UTTAD
Crash
BTCS
TLws

[btpeters]

Originally Posted by kingchrisII

I have the same opinion in terms of the mixing, and love that run as well, except I add Time Bomb and Baby Blue to that run.

The only song I ever skip is Dive In.

likewise

[Beefsteak1138]

Originally Posted by rickyh24

Big 4 is correct.


UTTAD
Crash
BTCS
TLws

Except for the fact that TLWS is not actually an album.