In the late '90s, the Dave Matthews Band was one of the biggest bands in the world. Each of their first three albums went multi-platinum, and their improvisational live shows made them a stadium headliner. And yet this hippie-friendly collective couldn't just put out any album that it pleased. In 1999 and 2000, they gathered at a house outside the band's hometown of Charlottesville, Va. to record songs that were eventually shelved in favor of a much poppier record released in 2001, Everyday. But when those songs, subsequently dubbed The Lillywhite Sessions — after the band's producer, Steve Lillywhite — leaked on Napster, they were adored by DMB's hard-core fans.
In this episode, I revisit The Lillywhite Sessions wth one of those fans, indie-rock artist Ryley Walker, for another installment of our Contrarian's Canon series. Unlike other albums discussed in Contrarian's Canon, Ryley and I disagree sharply on The Lillywhite Sessions — he loves the album so much that he covered it in its entirety for an upcoming record due out Nov. 16, whereas I ... can't stand this album or DMB in general. But I am willing to be persuaded! Can Ryley pull off the impossible make me actually like the Dave Matthews Band, the scourge of my late-'90s college years?
Season 2 Special Episode: RIP Tom Petty
Season 2 Episode 26: Dan Bejar of Destroyer Loves '80s Dylan and The Doors
Season 2 Episode 25: Are The Killers Good Or Terrible?
Season 2 Episode 25: Mike Gordon of Phish Is A Nice Guy
Season 2 Episode 24: The National Is Back With "Sleep Well Beast"
Season 2 Episode 23: The Rise and Fall and Rise Of LCD Soundsystem
Season 2 Episode 22: How The War On Drugs Became The War On Drugs
Season 2 Episode 21: A Short History of Queens Of The Stone Age
Season 2 Episode 20: 1987 Is One Of Rock's Best Years
Season 2 Episode 19: Top 10 Best Live Albums Ever
Season 2 Episode 18: The New Arcade Fire LP is one of 2017's Biggest Disappointments
Season 2 Episode 17: How Does Mitski Write Such Great Songs?
Season 2 Episode 16: Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra Was A Teenaged Rock Star
Season 2 Episode 15: Have I Finally Come Around On Nü-Metal?
Season 2, Episode 14: Radiohead's "OK Computer" Is The Best LP Of The Last 20 Years ... Or Not
Season 2 Episode 13: The Return Of '00s Indie Rock in 2017
Season 2 Episode 12:Har Mar Superstar Was Julian Casablancas' Bodyguard
Season 2 Episode 11: The Best Albums Of 2017 So Far
Season 2 Episode 10: The Grateful Dead Are Alive!
Season 2 Episode 9: The National's "Boxer" Just Turned 10
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