flamepillar's Full Review: Under the Table and Dreaming [12-Track Pressing] b...
What do you do when it's the middle of summer, you're stuck without a job, sitting around the house all day making movies that nobody will ever watch, you're in love with one of the characters from said movies, and you're consumed by the mother of all depressions?
Occasionally for me, that answer would be to play Under The Table And Dreaming. One of my very first daring music purchases ever was this album, because at that time I just didn't see what was so great about leadoff single "What Would You Say" (I thought it to be a monotonic mishmash and a muddled mess actually). "Ants Marching" didn't exactly stir my echoes very much itself. It was like some carnival music with a lead singer who might as well have been wearing a clown suit. I couldn't possibly take it seriously.
It would take several years for me to appreciate those two songs, but there was something about the rest of this album that made the world go away, and I couldn't get enough of it.
The first time my sister and I put that tape in and heard "The Best Of What's Around", we were quite a bit surprised. At first, it's like a slower version of "What Would You Say". All of a sudden, it comes out swinging with the most jangly, cheery chorus imaginable.
Whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down
And if nothing can be done, we'll make the best of what's around
It's not very profound, but it was all I needed to hear. It's like he was telling me exactly what needed to be done, and the music just spoke an endless marquee of "It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay..."
I suppose there are thousands of songs that could've had that effect, though.
"What Would You Say" finds the band plowing ahead full-force, with every member (drummer Carter Beauford in particular) getting a piece of the action. John Popper of Blues Traveler jumps in with a sizzling harmonica solo. I'm not a big fan of songs that sound dirty or "muddy", as this one does, and Lord knows it makes a terrible Karaoke song. But its energy is undeniable.
The first time I ever heard "Satellite", I will always remember, I was taking a crap. So I could barely hear the opening acoustic action through the bathroom door. It wasn't until I learned a little bit of guitar myself that I came to appreciate the talent it must take to play this song. I'm not sure this is really one of my favorite songs from the album today; DMB have always been more interesting when they were rocking out and Dave was swinging his heels in and out like a moron. Dave's ardent falsetto notes in the chorus still remind me of the great relief they bestowed upon me when I needed it.
"Rhyme And Reason" is kind of an oddball. It is a song about falling into what Lifehouse might call a sick cycle carousel of bad habits. It's fast and furious, and Dave unleashes his signature growl, no doubt a carry-over from his "Halloween" side. Everyone has demons, and Dave is more than happy to set 'em up like a bunch of little action figures on the kitchen table.
What follows is one of my favorite songs of all time. People seem to either love or hate "Typical Situation", but it really is the song that brought me the most solace of them all. And it's almost kind of ironic, 'cause I was too naive to see the sarcasm of the song back then. All I heard was Dave singing...
Everybody's happy, everybody's free
We'll keep the big door open, everyone'll come around
You take words like that and toss them into a chorus with such a celebratory vibe as this one (not to mention a killer flute near the end), you're bound to have a few people misinterpret it I guess. But I'm glad I did. I was mad at all the pain and suffering in the world, and not just mad, I'm talkin' crazy mad, batsh!t mad. I needed to hear someone say "Everybody's happy, everybody's free". I may have eventually become smart enough to realize Dave was a big fat liar, but he wasn't lying about the second part. Everybody's free.
Old school fans of DMB more than likely have been hearing "Dancing Nancies" for the better part of two decades by now. I swear, this is like four different songs thrown down into one. The beginning is a blundering, brooding slow march of Dave contemplating what he "could" have been. And then, as if he were merely using this as a device to set the mood, he changes it up, into a third-person story (looking back?) about a pathetic 23 year old who's tired of life. In a bit of low-key humor, Dave reverts to introspection to say, "I am, who I am, who I am, well, who am I?" And if you think it's a mockery, it probably is, 'cause out of the blue, the entire band come to life and rip out this snazzy (yet still brooding) chorus:
Sing and dance
I'll play for you tonight
The thrill of it all
Dark clouds may hang on us sometimes
But I'll work it out
Another chorus I was just dying to hear, or perhaps living to hear. Leroi Moore jumps in with the sax and makes a brief riff that sounds like part of "Yankee Doodle", then the song changes completely again. Now all of a sudden we're looking to the sky, wondering what's the use in worrying? But Dave, hardened cynic that he is, is inevitably going to relapse...
Turn, turn, we almost become living
No such luck, though, right?
On a more cheery note, "Ants Marching" is a non-stop battle between the violin, the sax, and Dave's ridiculous falsetto notes. I don't know what in the world he's talking about for most of this song, although my best guess is that it's about somebody out there "living the life", but not realizing that there's no point to it. And maybe Dave is even jealous of that very fact. You can never be sure.
Up until this point, we've only had one ballad, so "Lover Lay Down" comes in to give us a second one. It's kind of a jazzy make-out song that meanders for like, ever. This is highly unlike anything else on the album, and to be frank, I usually skip it.
"Jimi Thing" brings up an opening acoustic riff that, if not for the speed, could be mistaken for the opening of "What Would You Say" (my sister and I used to call it "The other What Would You Say"). Here comes Dave with some more news, and I hope you're sitting down for this one:
Lately I've been feeling low
Sometimes the only way you can admit it to yourself is to hear someone else say it. Sad as that may be. Here, Dave is just singin' about listening to Jimi Hendrix, smokin' it up and just keeping himself going for one more day. The melody of this song is extremely clever (as most of the melodies on here are). Again we are seeing a chorus that looks like it could have been two entirely different songs spliced together. One moment, it's a blues romp, the next moment it is awash in the most glorious mix of violins and happy-sounding falsetto notes again. I especially love how Dave sings the third verse all in falsetto. That's definitely one of those parts you have to hear several times to fully appreciate.
Some frightening acoustic guitars jump on to take us into "Warehouse". Mr. Tinsley is completely sick on this tune with his violin. If there is a name for this type of music, I can't even begin to put my finger on it. It's like something you'd hear in a war. I hear about Nero fiddling while Rome burns, and this is what I imagine him playing. It's not comforting at all, and yet somehow it is, because it's not supposed to be. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, huh!
Although I do like this song, I don't like the way it turns into some happy-go-lucky Barney The Dinosaur fest about halfway in. I'm sure the intent is merely lost on me.
"Pay For What You Get" is a lot more popular than you might think. It's a huge fan favorite on the internet. This song seems to abandon all sense of rhythm, just hopping from one bluesy chord to the next. Meanwhile, Dave laments about an assortment of stuff. Some more dark humor creeps out in the lyrics:
Everybody asks me how she's doing
Has she really lost her mind?
I said I couldn't tell you
I've lost mine
Finishing out, we have an instrumental called "#34". Another big thing with Dave Matthews and the guys is their numbered songs. This one is a subtle ballad with guitars kind of "flying circles" around the somber center. It's kind of a weird effect, but it's interesting.
Overall, this is a very bizarre album. It has elements of just about every genre imaginable. Most of the emphasis is on blues, jazz and a bit of the ever-present pop (which if anything is why you even know that it exists). Under The Table to me is more than an album, it was my psychiatrist for a while. It took me to uncharted waters, it made my senses spin, and it reminded me that ultimately, we're all a little effed up.
Those who have only just recently become fans of Dave Matthews don't know what they missed out on. I'd like to say that albums like Under The Table and Crash were superior to the stuff that DMB put out nowadays, but I couldn't say for sure. 'Cause for all I know, the appeal of the previous albums could have as much to do with just having "been there". You know how people say that, "You had to be there." Maybe that's how it is with this music.
At any rate, I've only been waiting what, five years now to give this album five stars. And I was going to drop it to four for the longest time, until I rediscovered it all over again a couple months ago. That's how it goes.
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