Dave Matthews Band Essay

Critical Acclaim

Many multi-platinum bands receive fortune and a loyal fan base but never critical acclaim, Fleetwood Mac and Dave Matthews band fill these shoes. Fleetwood Mac has had many member changes throughout the bands existence, which has had a huge impact stylistically on the band; they have gone from a bluesy sound to a more pop oriented sound. Dave Matthews Bands' sound has changed over time due to changes in production. The sound has gone from a loose jamming sound with a lot of Jazz influence to a more polished studio sound.
"Hollywood (Some kind of town)" from Fleetwood Macs' album Time (1995) has a light poppy melody. "Don't Drink The Water" from Dave Matthews Bands' Before These Crowded Streets (1998) is a darker song with a banjo added in for added effect. "Illume (9-11)" from Fleetwood Macs' Say You Will (2003) is a song where Stevie Nicks sound is very guttural, it shows the pain she feels when confronting the memories of 9-11and the time that followed and paying tribute to the 9-11 victims. "American Baby" from Dave Matthews Bands' 2005 album Stand Up has a rock and roll sound that
portrays America. Both Fleetwood Mac and Dave Matthews Band try to convey social issues to their audience that are important to their bands. In Fleetwood Macs' "Illume 9- 11" there is the use of a flute, which makes you feel as if you are on a never-ending river.
In Dave Matthews Bands' "American Baby" gunshots are played in the intro to paint a picture of the sounds of war.
The imagery of lyrics used in "illume (9-11 is very powerful, "Because it's just like a river, It's never ending" shows how the pain of 9-11 is never-ending. In Dave Matthews Bands' "Don't Drink The Water" the lyric "Don't drink the water, There's blood in the water" sums up the message the artists want you to come away with, that our history is tainted it hits you hard because the message is hard. Dave Matthews band easily pulled from the tough times America is facing today and confronted the war in Iraq in "American Baby" in Fleetwood Mac's "Illume (9-11)" they are not confronting 9-11 but paying tribute to those who lost their lives and the artist is saying that forever their will be sorrow in America for what happened on that
day.
Dave Matthews Band is passionate in their beliefs of their dislike for what is going on in America today and also for what has occurred in America's past and it comes across in their music. Their music is very passionate and clearly gets their point across. Fleetwood Mac is a little less hard hitting in their message in "Hollywood (Some kind of Town)" they are singing about not liking Hollywood because the song writer is away from their family.
In Dave Matthews Band "Don't Drink the Water" they are discussing the

genocide of the Native Americans from the prospective of the colonists. Our

history in America is tainted there is "Blood in the Water" we can not change our history

but we can pay tribute to it as Dave Matthews Band does. In comparison "Hollywood

(Some kind of town)" by Fleetwood Mac shows how Christine McVie is very

disenchanted with Hollywood and with the band as well. She does not like Hollywood

she wants to be back in her native England. She wants to be near those she love's those

that are not in this city. She wants to go back to a normal life of seasons and quiet nights.

She is looking back at the times she has shared with the band but it is time to go. Her

being in Hollywood was never right it was fun while it lasted but now it is over.
In Dave Matthews Band's "American Baby" the band is confronting the state of
America. They talk about how beautiful America was and how they hope it stays that

way. They talk about how the twin towers fell and made us lose faith in America. How

after the fall we went to avenge the deaths in the name of God but no one is happy or

proud of what we are doing but the devil. America is weary and we are losing the way,

losing our vision of the way life should be, baseball and American Pie. But the band

hopes that America will find it's way back to its' beautiful roots. In Fleetwood Macs'

Illume (9-11) it was written by Stevie Nicks immediately following 9-11 while she was

staying at the Waldorf in New York on tour. It is about sitting in her room smelling Nag

Champra to keep out the burning smell and taking an account of her life and how after

this event she will not take those close to her for granted and nothing in the world would

she trade those close to her for. Immediately following 9-11 America's consciousness

and hearts were filled with 9-11 and this song touches on that.