Disco de Dave Matthews Band: “The Best of What's Around Vol. 1”

Few bands release more albums than DMB, which speaks volumes to their enthusiastic fan base. With annual live albums, it would appear DMB has pretty well covered the bases as far as their music goes, but with the release of The Best of What's Around, Vol.1, the fans have chosen some of the live tracks they love the most to appear on the double-disc. It makes for interesting listening, and is a solid pick-up for fans and those trying to navigate through the multitude of DMB releases.

Disc One is the studio track album, with 12 songs pulled from the spectrum of full-length albums. Each album gets two tracks, with the usual suspects making the cut. From Under the Table and Dreaming we get "Best of What's Around" and "What Would You Say." From Crash we get "Crash Into Me" and "Too Much", "Rapunzel" and "Crush" highlight Before These Crowded Streets, and Everyday contributes "So Right" and "The Space Between". Busted Stuff offers the excellent "Grey Street" and "Grace in Gone", and from Stand Up we see "Hunger for the Great Light" and "American Baby." For me, the exclusion of "Tripping Billies" is particularly egregious. Disc Two smartly offers live tracks that fill in some of the gaps from each album. The best versions are "Don't Drink The Water", "Two Step", "Ants Marching" and "Louisiana Bayou". Unfortunately, these are all songs we have heard many times on the live albums and they don't really add much to the compilation except for justifying its purchase price.

Overall, this album isn't amazing. It's the embodiment of the Itunes generation. It is fascinating hearing the evolution of the band through the six studio albums, and some of my favorite tracks are on the discs. Had this disc neglected "Crush", I would've put it back in the shelf right away. The studio tracks are not remixed and the sound quality is identical to the original album. The live mixes are fairly good, but again not impressive. This album feels like it was thrown together quickly with a profit motive in mind. Is this a must buy? For serious fans, sure. For casual fans this is a good addition to your collection, but you may want to download your own mix.

A.G. Corwin

St.Louis, MO

I want to start my review off by saying this: I am a member of the DMB fan club (not the paid one, just the one where you get all the emails.) When I got an email about the release of the CD, the email said something to the extent of "to fill a contract with RCA records, the Dave Matthews Band must release a 'greatest hits' compilation." SO for those of you who think it is not DMB's style to release the album, you are probably correct. But don't blame the band, blame the record label.

That being said...DMB then invited fans to vote for the songs that would make up the album, as well as provide the date of the shows for their favorite songs. I think the choices, similar to the band's fans, represent an ecclectic mix of DMB, both in and out-of the studio. The live tracks, as usual, bring an exiciting element to the collection. The choice to seperate the live tracks from the studio tracks is excellent, as you are free to jam out to some live Dave in the car, or opt to sing along with the songs as written (where the words are both predictable and coherent). Definitely not my favorite DMB album, and basically just another 'best of' album, but the best of the best is pretty good.

This is a great "review" disk. For a fan, disk one really isn't some we need to hear again. Honestly, I own everything I could have bought that has been released by this band, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Most die-hard fans would be willing to by a live album a month. But...this first collection is as the DMB's web-site put it, to fulfill contractual obligations. Otherwise, RCA made them do it. But as most already know, this is something to be heard. I suggest, skip the first disc and slap in the second. This is where you'll hear the best live recording released of Warehouse, Say Goodbye, Everyday, and a moving Two Step. Don't Drink the Water is strong...but not unlike all the other. I'd rather hear the Central Park version, or the Fenway Park cut. Stay is very clean, but I've heard this song plenty of times for the rest of my life. Louisiana Bayou is great, but pick up the Complete Weekend on the Rocks instead. And Ants Marching is...well, Ants Marching.

Everyday and Warehouse both are worth the cost of this album.

If you were lucky enough to order it through the band, you got the Encore CD which is outstanding. It opens with a solid Minarets from 1995. Goes into maybe the longest and greatest recording of #41. Over 30 mins worth of jamming by Bela Fleck & the Flecktones including solos by all the Tones. Dave does a little spoken word poetry in the middle about Bela & the The Flecktones being the best band ever. It then goes into by far the best I've ever heard of What You Are. An outstanding 3 minute intro to the song. And it closes with The Last Stop, maybe the most requested song at concerts. These 4 tracks alone are another hour plus.

Overall, I'm very happy with this collection. Greatest hits albums are lame, and thank goodness this isn't one of those. My only complaint: I would have liked live versions of Disc 1, but more than likely, that would end up being a 5 disc set with the wicked jams.

Most fans know that the DMB releases CDs that offer as a jumping off point. These guys are jazz musicians and every year, their songs will change. There are only a few that haven't strayed from the original sound. But I'd much rather hear a live version of So Much To Say into Anyone Seen the Bridge into Too Much with some of the new chord changes and Dave's always entertaining scats than to listen to Crash over and over. I'll always love the albums, but it's the concerts that make me listen over and over.

Without going into length, I didn't especially enjoy this compilation. Disc 1 was created by picking approximately two tracks from each officially released CD (in chronological order by release date).

I personally felt that the disc lacked something. For example, I would trade such tracks as "Hunger for the Great Light" for "Satellite," and "So Right" for "I Did It." While I do like "Best of What's Around," "Rapunzel," and "So Right" more than the released singles of "I Did It" or "Everyday," I think "Greatest Hits" CDs are generally created to cater to the people who've heard the stuff on the radio, but just haven't gotten out to buy the CD. There's not a huge need to introduce casual listeners to tracks they've never heard and aren't new, but are available on other CDs. Also, 12 tracks are simply too few for a band with this much in their catalogue. But I guess that's why this is a "Vol. 1," leaving them room to pitch future compilations.

I'm glad they included a "live" disc, because that is an integral part of the band's sound. My thought? Borrow the live disc from a friend and skip buying it, unless it's an incredible deal.

Only really listen to the live disk. Everything else is repetitive. Maybe another live album would have made more sense.