Favorite DBT record ???

[revtodd]

Ok, first of all...... this is meant to be a POSITIVE thread

So, please, no negativity !

That being said..... I'm listening to BTCD on my Ipod (Thanks to the best gf in the world..she even had "What The Hell Was That?" inscribed on the back!)
with the headphones on and it has suddenly jumped up in my rankings. It all sounds so sharp...yet fuzzy. I love it. That being said, and I LOVE THEM ALL......
yet, in my opinion......... here are my personal favorites. How bout you?

The Dirty South
Gangstabilly
Pizza Deliverance
Southern Rock Opera
Brighter Than Creations Dark
A Blessing and A Curse (Sorry, but "World of Hurt" tops "Outfit" in my book)
Decoration Day
The Big To Do ( C'mon, it's too new to make the top five)
The Fine Print
Alabama Ass Whuppin'
Live From Austin


Lest we not forget......art is subjective

[Clams]

Brighter Than Creations Dark.

It was my first.

[emandrisdad]

Decoration Day

[RevMatt]

My favorite changes each day. I guess it rotates between SRO, Dirty South, and BTCD.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Decoration Day

[rlipps]

Toss up between SRO and DD, but I guess what pushes SRO to the #1 spot is the fact that I can't imagine ranking any other album ahead of one with Zip City and Women Without Whiskey.

[Penny Lane]

[Iowan]

In true album format (not counting Fine Print or live stuff):

Decoration Day
Southern Rock Opera
The Dirty South
The Big To Do
A Blessing and a Curse
Pizza Deliverance
Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Gangstabilly

I love all of these albums, but you have to rank 'em somehow.

[Gator McKlusky]

Tie between SRO and DD. (my first two--heard both of them for the first time the day I discovered DBT)

[RevMatt]

Guess I'll rank all of the studio albums.

1: (tie) The Dirty South -- Danko Manuel, Carl Perkin's Cadillac, Cottonseed, Goddamn Lonely Love, Tornadoes, Boys From Alabama, an album full of great songs.
1: (tie) Brighter Than Creation's Dark -- I really think this is Patterson Hood's best album. Plus lots of great Cooley songs. "I'm Sorry Huston" is a great song.
1: (tie) Southern Rock Opera Damn, this album works as a whole. Plus, you can isolate half a dozen songs from the album and they stand alone as classics. This album is both greater than and equal to the sum of its parts, if that makes any sense. Best concept album/rock opera ever.
2: (tie) Decoration Day Another album loaded with great songs.
2: (tie)A Blessing and a Curse Many people don't like it as much. I would agree that it is probably Jason's weakest DBT outing. And it only had two Cooley songs. However, "Space City" and "Gravity's Gone" are two of my favorite songs in the whole Cooley catalogue. Patterson has a number of fantastic songs on it as well including "Little Bonnie" and his answer to "Goddamn Lonely Love", "World of Hurt". I rank it highly and believe that if it had included "When The Well Runs Dry" and "You and Your Crystal Meth" (it fits in better thematically on this album than BTCD) most DBT fans would have ranked it higher.
4: The Big To Do This album may end up higher on my list, but it is too recent for me to rank it properly. It is different from the others in that the instrumental backing is used to help tell the stories much in the same way that a film score is used in a movie.
5: The Fine Print Great collection of covers, outtakes, etc...
6: Pizza Deliverance
7: Gangstabilly The first two albums are "good" and "promising". They show hints of what the band would become. But, IMO, the band moved from good to great to "best ever" from SRO on. I think a good parallel is with The Rolling Stones. They were a good and promising band in their earlier years. Certainly "Satisfaction" and "Paint it Black" were great songs. But it wasn't until Let it Bleed and Beggars Banquet that they truly became "The Greatest Rock and Roll band in the World."

[beantownbubba]

Oh no, not this one again! Perhaps we can sticky it so we can just have it in one place, one time, once and for all? But then again, what would we have to talk about if not for this evergreen topic?

1. Decoration Day - It was my first, so that gives it the edge. Practically perfect in every way.
1A. Southern Rock Opera - Bonus points for audacious reach, extra bonus points for not only reaching but getting there. You got a concept that works w/out being forced, you got some all time great songs, there's some great playing...what more can one want from a band?
2. Brighter Than Creation's Dark - Songs. Lots of 'em. Great, great songs.
3. The Dirty South - This is their FOURTH best album?? Must be one hell of a band!

The Big To Do might give TDS a run for its money over time.

Special mention of The Fine Print for being one of the few albums of its type (outtakes, rarities, etc) to be worth anything, and it turns out to be worth quite a lot.

[RevMatt]

A band with nine studio albums and five of the nine albums, IMO, are worthy of a number one spot? One hell of a great band.

While trying to rank the albums, I cannot help but make positive comparisons with The Rolling Stones. Consider every studio album they released from Beggars to Some Girls. Then try and rank them. Which one should be number one? Exile? Sticky Fingers? Some Girls? Let it Bleed? Eight albums in a row and not a stinker in the bunch. The only thing people come to some sort of a consensus on is that Black and Blue and Goats Head Soup may or may not be as great as the others. Just depends on who you ask. Consider every DBT studio album from SRO to TBTD. Seven albums in a row. The only consensus is that ABAAC may or may not be as great as the others and that the jury will probably be out on TBTD for another nine months at least.

What other band/artist can we make the same comparison with The Rolling Stones during their prime? I really don't think this is hyperbole.

[cortez the killer]

Sticking strictly to proper studio releases (no live albums or compilations):

[never going back]

Sticking strictly to proper studio releases (no live albums or compilations):

Yep. That's about right.

[Clams]

Remember we're talking about "favorites" and not "best." Big difference IMO, much more subjective.

If we were talking "best" I'd have SRO atop my list. But BTCD is my favorite.

[dbtfan4life]

Pizza Deliverance

[cortez the killer]

Remember we're talking about "favorites" and not "best." Big difference IMO, much more subjective.

If we were talking "best" I'd have SRO atop my list. But BTCD is my favorite.

To me the concepts are one and the same. If it is my favorite album, I think it is their best.

[RevMatt]

Remember we're talking about "favorites" and not "best." Big difference IMO, much more subjective.

If we were talking "best" I'd have SRO atop my list. But BTCD is my favorite.

To me the concepts are one and the same. If it is my favorite album, I think it is their best.

I don't think that is always true. For example, my favorite Beatles album is A Hard Day's Night, largely for sentimental reasons. (It was the first album I ever owned.) But objectively I must say that Revolver[/i or [i]The White Album is their best based on the songwriting and performances. But there is something about that Christmas morning in 1972 when I looked under the tree and sitting right there was the British version of A Hard Day's Night.

[Jeremy]

I was thinking about this the other day.

SRO
TDS
DD
PD
GB
BTCD
TBTD
ABAAC

[Emily]

The Dirty South and Decoration Day probably tie for first. Then:

Southern Rock Opera/Brighter Than Creation's Dark
The Big To-Do
Pizza Deliverance
Gangstabilly
A Blessing and a Curse

...or something like that.

[Jack Flash]

The Dirty South and Decoration Day probably tie for first. Then:

Southern Rock Opera/Brighter Than Creation's Dark
The Big To-Do
Pizza Deliverance
Gangstabilly
A Blessing and a Curse

...or something like that.

Pretty much this. You have excellent taste!

[mgsooner]

SRO
DD
TDS
BTCD
ABAAC
TBTD
PD
GB

[Tequila Cowboy]

Well if we're ranking (i thought this was just a one favorite thread), mine sits like this tight now:

Decoration Day
Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Southern Rock Opera
The Dirty South
The Big To-Do
Pizza Deliverance
Gangstabilly
A Blessing and a Curse

I'd add this though, on a given day any of the first four could probably change places, and any of the last four could change places. There isn't one I don't like 70% or better of the songs.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Pizza Deliverance

I would probably put Decoration Day first, but Pizza Deliverance is right up there. Nine Bullets, Uncle Frank, Love Like This, The Company I Keep...those are great enough that I can overlook Mrs. Dubose.

[cortez the killer]

Pizza Deliverance

I would probably put Decoration Day first, but Pizza Deliverance is right up there. Nine Bullets, Uncle Frank, Love Like This, The Company I Keep...those are great enough that I can overlook Mrs. Dubose.

You single out Dubose, but give a free pass to the song about the missing bologna pony of the leader of the free world?

[NC DBT Dad]

The Dirty South
and
Decoration Day

The best examples of a kick ass band with a kick ass attitude.

Lots to LOVE about every album.

[Rusty Shackleford]

You single out Dubose, but give a free pass to the song about the missing bologna pony of the leader of the free world?

That song is admittedly not the finest exhibit in DBT's canon, but it makes me chuckle. As for Dubose, I just don't like Malone's voice.

[RevMatt]

I think Mrs. Dubose is Malone's best song. As far as the number 3 songwriter in the band goes, I prefer both Jason and Shonna to Malone.

[beantownbubba]

The Dirty South and Decoration Day probably tie for first. Then:

Southern Rock Opera/Brighter Than Creation's Dark
The Big To-Do
Pizza Deliverance
Gangstabilly
A Blessing and a Curse

...or something like that.

Pretty much this. You have excellent taste!

Oh, get a room you two!

[Tequila Cowboy]

in ranking mine, I sorta went from the albums that are full of great songs with a few exceptions to the ones where the good songs ARE the exceptions. It hurts to put the record with The Living Bubba on it last, but I don't care for a lot of the other songs on it...

Seriously? I mean in my rankings it's second to last but damn there are a lot of incredible songs, aside from The Living Bubba (probably my favorite DBT song). It has The Tough Sell, Late For Church, Panties in Your Purse (GREAT Cooley song), Why Henry Drinks and Steve McQueen among others. The only reason that it falls on my list as far as it does is the production on the record, certainly not the quality of the songs.