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 The creative process behind Dave Matthews Band's album Everyday was a large break from the band's prior tradition. Dave Matthews broke away from the band to write the music and lyrics for every song on the album with Glen Ballard.
Ballard is a legendary songwriter and record producer, who was mentored by Quincy Jones and wrote music for Michael Jackson. These accomplishments aside, his influence on the recording process of Everyday sent DMB's sound in a whole direction many of DMB's fans weren't comfortable with.
Traditionally, DMB's tunes go through tour after tour of refinement and polishing before being recorded in the studio. Even on Before These Crowded Streets, the band worked together in the studio to share ideas. Many fans cried fowl when it was revealed that Boyd, Stephan, Carter and LeRoi were largely left out of the creative process for the album.
The band had to put a good face on the new album, despite internal grumbling of how it was created. Ask any member what they thought of Everyday just before its release and you would have gotten a positive attitude. Check out the "Band Interview about Everyday" on the Official DMB site. This shows Carter with a big grin on his face saying:
"I'm very happy, like I said before this record is going to be the one.
I think to do some cool stuff."
-Carter Beauford, Official DMB Video
It is widely believed by the DMB community that this video, which was released before the public on-sale date of Everyday, is marketing fluff created with the single purpose of selling more records. Once the album had gone multi-platinum and the dust had settled Carter came out with his real thoughts on Everyday.
"'My creativity, my expertise, as well as that of the other guys in the band, was smothered. The record didn't need us."
and
"the Dave Matthews Band. It is two people [Dave Matthews and Glen Ballard] and they did an incredible job."
-Carter Beauford, RS 902
A second interview with Carter, this time in Yamaha All Access echoed these sentiments:
"With both Steve Lillywhite and Glenn Ballard, it sometimes felt as if the
producer was deciding my sound for me..."
- Carter Beauford, Yamaha All Access, Issue 5.
It is easy for many fans to blame Glen Ballard for Everyday's stylistic departure. Instead the shift points to to Dave's personal decision to work with only Ballard on the creation of Everyday. Whatever influence wielded by Ballard, the decision to create an album without the input of the other band members was stamped and approved by Dave.
Everyday was a new fan's album. It has radio friendly songs and the marketing of the album was more successful than ever before. The album reached a level of RIAA Triple Platinum or over 3 Million album sales.
The contrast between the sentiments of the band members in marketing material and industry interviews suggests two things:
- The band is more than happy to bury the hatchet and quell internal strife in the face of greater record sales.
- Industry interviews reflect the attitudes and feelings of of band members more honestly than official statements from the DMB Marketing Machine.
Read Reviews of Everyday on Amazon.com
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