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Old 04-05-2021, 01:54 PM   #1484
KevinTH
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Re: New Album Coming Soon?

Quote:
Originally Posted by grilldanmo View Post
We are a myopic bunch aren't we?

A bunch of us hear a version of a some songs and have zero tolerance for an iota of variance. tLWS JTR is by far my favorite version, but I've loved the two times we finally got to hear it 2018 & 2019, as well as various live versions from shows we didn't attend. To get hung up on a tune changing and evolving in this of all bands always strikes me as odd. That said, I get liking what you like, but acting as if all other versions are trash is, well...silly.

Such silly folks we are.
My opinion is not myopic. My personal opinion is "Sweet Up and Down" has devolved into a shell of what it once was. In that case, I do not care for how it sounds anymore. When they brought it back in 2007 I was really disappointed. A lot of the things that made that song great were missing. I don't think the Lillywhite version is the best ever, but as a studio track I am satisfied with what we have. So I have no interest in hearing them record a new studio version the way they have been playing it the last handful of times. Songs change for the better and sometimes for the worst. In my opinion, that's what happened to "Sweet Up and Down". I would say the same thing about "Grey Street" had they not polished it to perfection on "Busted Stuff".

I've gone from really not liking the new DMB, to finding some real enjoyment in it. I've been listening to some of the 2019 shows from the Sirius rips, and there's some really great stuff. The version of "Sugar Will" from Bethel was fantastic, for example. I'd even argue it was the best version I've heard since 2004. I'm not myopic and down on the band, but there are things that I would say, yeah, maybe let well enough alone. "Monkey Man", "JTR" and "Sweet Up and Down" were part of a magical gift we all received as fans 21 years ago. It would be great to see them live more and more, but let them be as they are in the studio...unless of course they want to release fully mixed and mastered versions from those sessions. That would be rad.

I'd argue it's more myopic to just accept everything that's thrown at you. I'm not overly critical of this band, and have generally leaned in their favor, but as a musician and songwriter, myself, I enjoy being critical to some degree. this band has made some interesting choices musically and professionally, which has opened them up to criticism. It's genuinely interesting to me how bands work and function, so I enjoy studying the process and find criticism can be constructive.
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