Tequila Cowboy wrote:Agreed that the 'Mats influence was much more pronounced in the AHC days, but are you telling me you folks never noticed the Westerberg influence on Patterson's DBT offerings? Heck, that influence (obvious if not immediately apparent) was what made me such a huge fan of his writing. Now the real interesting part is at this point I think PH has far surpassed Westerberg as a writer. Whereas Paul was always able to write wry, sometimes biting love songs I think the fact that Patterson has spent most of his career writing darker tunes allowed him to write the beautifully sweet Mercy Buckets, his second best song IMHO, completely without irony.
By the time DBT started putting out albums the Westerberg influence was moderated by many other influences that I can't discern from the Adam's House Cat album. Yes, PH did maintain some of what he learned from Westerberg. But the band arrangements on the AHC album -- especially the guitars -- owe a whole lot more to The 'Mats than any DBT offering including ABAAC which is the most 'Mats influenced DBT album to date. The guitar weaving on the Adam's House Cat album sounds a whole lot like Westerberg and Stinson circa Let It Be and Tim.
Did Patterson Hood surpass Paul Westerberg as a writer? PH is certainly more prolific than PW, for whom music became more of a part time profession as he entered his forties and fifties. But Westerberg has a body of work that is as solid as any American songwriter. "Unsatisfied", "Here Comes a Regular", "Color Me Impressed", "I'm In Trouble", "Skyway", "Can't Hardly Wait"? Great songs, every one of them. DBT may be my favorite band ever but I can't take a single thing away from Westerberg. He deserves every accolade he's ever gotten and then some.