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Originally Posted by Bafugama
Jim, What is your overall opinion on the album? You're one of the few people who's opinions I actually take seriously... May not agree with them, but you actually have them and back them up... What are your thoughts on the album, and where do you think it stands (not necessarily in terms of ranking the albums) historically with the band?
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I listened to The April Sessions only two or three times, then held off until I thought I'd be getting the final copy. The last thing I wanted was to get attached to something that wasn't the "real" thing. Most of TAS impressed me and was pretty good throughout. I loved Dive In, Squirm, and Baby Blue immediately; and reversely, I did not enjoy Spaceman, Time Bomb, and You & Me to an extent. Then the 320kb leaked, I gave it a listen numerous times, and now have some solid views on each track and the entire album.
1.) Grux. Obviously the saxophone work is good stuff; really don't think anyone is arguing that. Carter reminds me a bit of American Baby Intro, and whoever mentioned it earlier, yes, there's a ticking (clock/watch?) in the middle somewhere. Regardless if I'm first going to turn some music on, or of what music I'm listening to at the time, or what song ends, I really can't pass up this track both if my intentions are to hear SMLAM or pick a Big Whiskey song anyway.
2.) Shake Me Like A Monkey. As of TAS and up to right now, it's my favorite song of the 14 tracks. It doesn't seem to get the slightest bit old in any sense. With so much happening, it's still at the point of finding something new with each listen. Also hard to disagree with how catchy it is, and would make a monster single in my eyes. After the newness wears off and time passes, I definitely see this song remaining among my favorites, not only of this album but in my top 30 or 40 for sure.
3.) Funny The Way It Is. A lot of people said it doesn't fit too well with the rest of the disc, and sometimes I agree, and see where they're coming from. However, once I turn it on or it's up in a straight-through listen, it flows nicely. Maybe it's because it was released so much earlier, but I find myself forgetting I enjoy it as much as I do, then when it's on I can't skip it. From a personal experience, many of my friends who are casual at best DMB fans have unanimously enjoyed hearing it. If people consider it one of the middle of the road or even bottom songs on the album, well, obviously that says a lot for the other tracks since this one is solid.
4.) Lying In The Hands Of God. For whatever reason, the second I heard about/of this song, I figured it'd be my favorite. A gut instinct, I guess - and it's lived up completely, currently rivaling SMLAM for my favorite track. Unknowing that Big Whiskey is all new material, I easily could've believed this track was made/written/recorded/whatever years ago. LITHOG is the whole package in my book. This studio version has to be among the top songs the band has done, ever.
5.) Why I Am. I think this song is pretty basic, but it's been completed almost perfectly. The lyrics are very good, and I like that there wasn't an overload of Tim as there very well could have been. My only drawback is the horns from TAS were removed, but I guess that's what I get for listening to leaks and demos. I'd be okay with this being a single as most think will eventially happen.
6.) Dive In. Immediately enjoyed this song on TAS, and it remains a top track now also. A good example of how good it is, with probably my least favorite line/lyrics on the entire album ("Tell me everything is all taken care of/by those qualified to take care of it all"), it still finishes in my top 4 or 5. I like the piano a lot and the lyrics too, both things a good amount of people on Ants have noted as things that bring the song down. Oh well. Ah, and the fade downward at the end =
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7.) Spaceman. Again, first reaction was that I didn't like it. It's grown slightly on me since, but still is a bottom 3 song. Don't care too much for the lyrics, and something about this song I really can't stand, but haven't figured it out yet. Usually towards the ending of the song I am kind of like, "well, it wasn't
that bad after all", but maybe that's just because the song is over and something way better is coming up next.
8.) Squirm. Top 3 or 4 track for sure; just a straight up monster. It's one of the songs that can be described as both beautful and haunting at the same time. Sometimes I find myself irritated with the "drum beats louder" part, but that's more or less me subconciously trying to be picky with the song. I think this one is going to have a lot of staying power, both in the arguement of great studio tracks the band has done, and also potentially live. The strings are just amazing.
9.) Alligator Pie. The back and fourth pace is literally fun. It's not the "epic" track, but it could still wind up being one of the best live songs from Big Whiskey. Undeniably catchy, I've got it stuck in my head probably the most out of all the new stuff. I don't really agree with all the comparisons to Louisiana Bayou, but the fact this should basically shelf Bayou for a long, long time is one of the greatest +'s out there.
10.) Seven. The April Sessions version was weak on horns, but as expected they were all over the Big Whiskey cut; definitely my favorite part of the song, hands down. The lyrics are fine, but I think the "garden hose" line easily could have and should have stayed. That seems to be a minority stance, but whatever, I'm usually in the minority anyway. I also enjoy the falsetto to start things off, which again seems to be opposite of most people.
11.) Time Bomb. It got the most hype/praise, right? To me, that probably hurt it, as I don't think it's lived up whatsoever. The song starts off great, really. My gripe is obviously with the ending, since that's where most with a problem seem to have it. For the 100th time, yes, I understand the concept of the song and, "It's exactly like a Time Bomb, just blowing up out of nowhere!" Thanks for pointing out the most obvious observation, but just because it works in context or concept, doesn't mean it's good. The beginning/middle should have been drawn out and developed a lot more, leading to the build up in a much nicer approach. If the song was basically cut (and fixed up) around the 2:35 mark and the ending was made into a reprise, I'd probably like it more (again, a ridiculous idea and probably way in the minority on that). Thankfully LITHOG and Squirm had great build-ups; unfortunately Time Bomb couldn't follow suit. It's just compacted together too much and there isn't good flow. This big let-down is a bottom 3 song for sure. Also, what was the point of beating up Dave's voice like this? Not worth it, in my opinion.
12.) Baby Blue. I really want this song in my top 3, but despite how much I love it, there's a few others that beat it out. This song is amazing, regardless of the Sister riff or whatever. The lyrics have almost that double-meaning where someone might think it's about one thing, but it's really about something completely different. Being a fan of Sister, the slight modification or evolution from it definitely sits well in my book. The big strings are good on the final version, but honestly, I did enjoy TAS version better. Dave just going to town on his own, you could hear the feeling in his voice; it's straight up him pouring his heart out, so well too. It'll be hard to replace the album version on my iPod, but TAS cut somehow tops it for me.
13.) You & Me. Just because a song is low on a rankings list doesn't mean it's 100% a bad song. This song is in my bottom 3, but that's mainly because there has to be a song that finishes at the bottom; everything else is just that much greater work. Many people have been coming around to this after hearing the Big Whiskey version, so that's good. It was nowhere near as bad as many first said. The big strings also help big time. The way Y&M begins set me up for disappointment, as I thought the entire song would be at the same pace or in the same direction, but the chorus is both musically and lyrically weaker, thus dropping it in rank. It's not an auto-skip type of track, though - not yet, at least.
14.) #35. I don't know what some people were thinking was going to happen with this. I learned it was entirely made up of LeRoi playing a little part, then looping it as others joined in. It's a great way to close out an album all about and dedicated to him too. What anyone would get out of making this looped track longer is beyond me. It's not worth mentioning in a song rankings list, but still a nice treat.
I think Stefan and Carter crush this album, more Boyd definitely would've been nicer all throughout, and a good portion of the time there was too much Tim. Juding it as a new album on it's own, the work is there to be rated 4 out of 5, or a strong B/B+. In comparison to the rest of the band's work, I'd give it a 3 or 3.5 and B-. The "Big 3" argument, while overplayed (especially around here), is legit, though. Big Whiskey is still short of that status in my book, but with the road the band has taken since then, I think it's more that this album could easily be the first (and a big) step in a second "Big 3" scenerio. As good and borderline great as it is, assuming DMB makes another record, the next one could possibly top it - and that's somewhat amazing to me. Rob Cavallo returning would be big, and the usage of Rashawn and Jeff has a lot of potential too. As a tribute to LeRoi, I can see why and accept the way certain things ended up, and it's a fitting tribute to him in all ways possible.
I think Big Whiskey has a lot of staying power in all senses - live, studio, individually by track, and as a whole/complete album. This is "the answer" for sure many people wanted from this band. They're definitely "back". People are saying Why I Am and You & Me will probably be the next singles...? That's fine, no real argument against either I guess, but if the band released say Shake Me Like A Monkey as their second single instead...wow. I can't even imagine how big things could be.