Product Description

So far, the year 1994 has been a splendid one for grass roots rock bands outside the New York/L.A./Nashville loop. Emerging from the pack with a unique sound of their own have been regional sensations such as Counting Crows, Collective Soul, Hootie & The Blowfish and now, the Dave Matthews Band.
Centred around the talents of their lead singer-guitarist, and featuring some of the top talents on the Charlottesville, Virginia scene, UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING is an exquisite polyglot of voices and moods. As their closing instrumental "#34" demonstrates, the Dave Matthews Band not only possess a sublime pop sensibility, they're able to move seamlessly from rock through jazz, blues, funk and a variety of pastoral folk sources--all the while maintaining a distinctive lyric perspective.
With a slamming, sensitive rhythm section, and powerful solo flights by violinist Boyd Tinsley and saxophonist Leroi Moore, the Dave Matthews Band keeps severalpots boiling all the time. Their vigorous group interplay compliments the leader's driving acoustic guitar, grainy, soulful vocals and gentle ambiguities on "Typical Situation", and his harrowing tale of addiction, "Rhyme & Reason". Matthews' sly humor emerges on the sardonic "Dancing Nancies", where he agonises over every variety of woulda, coulda and shoulda on top of a dancing flamenco groove, and the funky "WhatWould You Say", where his character urges us to live our lives, not lament them. UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING is positive, upbeat, exploratory pop.

Track Listing

1. Best Of What's Around
2. What Would You Say
3. Satellite
4. Rhyme And Reason
5. Typical Situation
6. Dancing Nannies
7. Ants Marching
8. Lover Lay Down
9. Jimi Thing
10. Warehouse
11. Pay For What You Get
12. No 34

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34677 in Music
• Released on: 2005-02-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
With popcorn acoustic guitars, trampoline fiddles, bumper-car bass lines, and caramel-coated sax, the Dave Matthews Band's major-label debut is like an evening at the fair. "The Best of What's Around" and "What Would You Say" swirl like the amusement-park ride on the album's cover, sweeping the exhilarated and light-headed listener higher as the ride spins faster. "Satellite" glides breezily like the prettiest horse on the carousel, "Ants Marching" runs around hitting the bell with the sledgehammer and winning the largest stuffed animals at the target-range booths, and "Lover Lay Down" is the quietest moment on the disc--like the sun setting on a baby's sleeping, snow-cone-stained face collapsed on her daddy's shoulder. --Beth Massa

Customer Reviews

Subtle and complex album which takes years to appreciate.
The title of this review may sound a bit pretentious, but I feel it is deserved. I have been reflecting on this album for about 5 years now, and I can honestly say that it is my favorite album of all time.

This band is loosely speaking a jam-rock band. Dave Matthews is the principle song-writer, and he sings and plays the acoustic guitar. His playing is not complex, but it is distinct and unique. His songwriting is where his true strength lies, and he is a true genius in this aspect. Listen to both the music and lyrics of 'warehouse' for a fine example. His voice is also distinct, and tends to divide listeners. However, if you like his vocals, then you will find them , as I think he has a polarizing quality. Carter Beauford is an technically-gifted drummer, and his playing is well exhibited on this album, although not in a flashy and distracting way. Stefan Lessard plays the bass, and Leroi Moore and Boyd Tinsley add rich textures to the album, playing saxophone and violin respectively.

The album's themes are generally mellow, searching, earthy and celebratory. The tracks are all excellent, and I will review them separately.

'The Best of What's Around' introduces the album by giving us one of Dave's most comforting messages: 'Hey my friend/It seems your eyes are troubled/Care to share your time with me/Would you say you're feeling low and so/A good idea would be to get it off your mind'. The music is hard to describe, other than uplifting. Leroi Moore's saxophone work is what really elevates this track along with the group vocals at the end, and it gives it an earthy and uplifting quality.

'What Would You Say' has a more bluesy feel, and puts Dave's acoustic guitar at the front of the mix. It features a poppy guitar riff along with an atmospheric harmonica section. The jams in this song are playfully bluesy, featuring masterful interplay between Moore's sax and the harmonica.

'Satellite' features Dave's guitar and Boyd's violin in a sweet and child-like song. It is a song which seems to represent the pure wonder of a playful child exploring the world for the first time.

The tone shifts with 'Rhyme and Reason', and the music takes a darker tone, as Dave explores the suffering of existence with lyrics such as: 'My head won't leave my head alone/And I don't believe it will 'Til I'm dead and gone'. It is a truly dark song which later deals with addiction and suicide, dealt with in a mature and searching way.

'Typical Situation' moves onto a more mellow 'come-down' feel following the emotional onslaught of 'rhyme and reason'. The music is subtle and comforting, and for me, acts as a calm conclusion to 'rhyme and reason'.

'Dancing Nancies' is a song which questions existence again, all within the framework of a song which seems to travel ideas and expressions, brought to life by Tinsley and Moore's interplay of sax and violin.

'Ants Marching' is an irresistibly fun song lamenting the monotony of everyday existence. It will have you tapping your feet, and again features amazing musicianship.

'Lover Lay Down' is a moving love song, and does not fall into any cliched lyrical traps along the way. The musicianship elevates it into the realms of the sublime.

'Jimi Thing' returns to 'What Would You Say' in bluesy feel, but the ending jams are different, and Tinsley really lays down some amazing violin work on this track.

'Warehouse' is masterpiece, and incredibly difficult to describe, as it moves from haunting to something more rocking, it really does move you. My words can do this song no justice.

'Pay For What You Get' moves into the feel of retrospection. It is a good song to reflect upon, on both life and the album which is nearly complete.

'#34' is a the last song and purely instrumental, and Moore gives this song a dream-like quality. It ends the album playfully, and it leaves us taking away perhaps this albums strongest message; the childlike joy of music.

Ultimately, this album is too great for mere words, and I do suggest you give at least one listen with an open mind. Nothing I can think of really compares to it. Special praise has to go to Steve Lillywhite who produced this album; he is the one who pushed the band to make something this uniquely sublime.

bloody good album
anyone who can't hear the magic and passion this album inspires deserves to have their head examined! I am a huge dmb fan and in my opinion this album is one of their best, for anyone who has heard of him recently and wonders wat some of his old stuff is like BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and u will discover u can't by an old dmb album ...his music is timeless...

World class
Under the Table and Dreaming is in my opinion Dave Matthews Band's best album. The music is a bit "nicer" than on later albums but it's still one my all-time favorite albums. If you don't own it - buy it right away.