Crash was on my short list of albums to draw from for the next hall of fame inductee, but after LeRoi Moore's death earlier this month, there was no question anymore.
Crash was the first Dave Matthews Band album whose release I anticipated. Their three earlier albums came out before I was really into the band, and were released on a smaller scale. Crash was a blockbuster album, the follow-up to the wildly successful Under The Table And Dreaming. It didn't disappoint.
The singles off of this album were Too Much, So Much To Say, Crash Into Me, and Tripping Billies. I wouldn't put any of them in my personal top half on the album, but they're all fine songs; it's just that the other songs are fantastic. You ask Sam Cole what his favorite Dave Matthews Band song is, and he'll probably tell you Two Step. Sammy T. might say #41. At one point or another, Say Goodbye, Lie In Our Graves, and Drive In, Drive Out would each have been my favorite. And the first song I ever solo-ed along with on guitar was Proudest Monkey.
The album embodies most of what people like about the band. It's got the smooth saxophone, searing violin, and transcendent drums that have attracted people of all ages to the band. Matthews' voice isn't as breathy on this album as it sometimes is in their newer songs, and that's to the benefit of the band. Drive In, Drive Out specifically is a showcase of how all of these different sounds and different musicians can weave a tapestry of song that explodes with precision and mayhem.
In thinking about this album, I've realized that it came out almost half of my lifetime ago. But instead of thinking of that and feeling old, it just makes me realize how strong the music is. The fact that I've enjoyed the same music for 11+ years speaks either to its magnificence or my own stubbornness. I like to think it's a little of both.
The funny thing is, Crash is definitely one of my top five favorite albums of all time, but it might not even be my favorite Dave Matthews Band album. Under The Table And Dreaming and Before These Crowded Streets are both elite albums, and all three are constantly jockeying for position on the metaphorical totem pole of my musical taste.
Normally I don't plug products for purchase in the text; I let my opinion make the recommendation, and you can either follow it or ignore it. But this time, I implore you, buy the CD. It's listed at under $10, and it's a steal at twice the price. Get it.
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