Dave Matthews Band, Live Trax Vol. 11 (Bama Rags/RCA/Sony BMG)
As an avowed DMB diehard, I can say there are better Dave Matthews Band shows, even within their own Live Trax series. This is their 19th live album against just six studio efforts. If you want to see the band in its tight, hungry youth, grab Live at Red Rocks, 8.15.95. Wanna see how well guests can compliment their sound? Live Trax Vol. 7, where Bela Fleck and the Flecktones drop in for most of the second set, is your bag.
What you're going to get here is a glimpse of the band during its 2000 summer tour at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The 2000 dates backed an album which was never issued — months locked in their Virginia studio in early '00 yielded the aborted Lillywhite Sessions, which would leak to the internet in March 2001. Only a few months after Live Trax Vol. 11, the group's namesake would enter the studio with producer Glen Ballard and churn out songs for the ill-received (at least, among the DMB faithful) Everyday. Most of the Lillywhite Sessions material was re-recorded and issued in 2002 as Busted Stuff.
This means Live Trax Vol. 11 — which is not available in stores, but for purchase here from the band's online store — includes Busted Stuff's "Grace is Gone," "Bartender" and "Digging a Ditch" in their pre-release infancy. Even unreleased Lillywhite leftover "JTR," which includes a whirlwind closing jam, gets some much-deserved lovin'. It's probably not necessary for those beyond the diehards, but a casual fan would find it as a nice stocking stuffer.
If I Were Really Rich …
— Counting Crows, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings (Geffen) — Berkeley septet — do they still claim their reppin' NorCal? — pushes its first platter since '02's Hard Candy, which had its biggest hit with a Joni Mitchell cover.
— Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple (Atlantic) — The Felix and Oscar of neo-soul, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, try to measure up to their debut and that catchy, hook-tacular "Crazy" s***.
— The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely — Jack White's other band (don't call it a side project!) seeks to escape the trappings of music critics who are quick to point out he's kind of The Man in this other, bigger band, The White Stripes.
Others
— The B-52s, Funplex (Astralwerks)
— Lindsey Buckingham, Live at the Bass Performance Hall [CD/DVD] (WEA/Reprise)
— Cavalera Conspiracy, Inflikted (Roadrunner)
— Day26, Day26 (Bad Boy)
— Heavy, Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (Counter)
— Lemonheads, It's a Shame About Ray [Collector's edition] (Rhino)
— Mike Oldfield, Music of the Spheres (Decca)
— Panic at the Disco, Pretty. Odd. (Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen) [No more! exclamation point in the middle of the name?]
— Pennywise, Reason to Believe (MySpace)
— Silver Mount Zion, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons (Constellation)
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