Matthew Sweet

dontlookdown · #1 05-08-2003, 07:00 PM

For those of you who haven't heard this (but I'm sure most of you have),
Matthew Sweet recorded a great album in the 90's that was produced by Richard Dashut. Mick plays drums on one track. It's called "Altered Beast" and it's a great album - as are all of Matthew's albums.
He once referred to Tusk as a "masterpiece" and said it was one of his all time favorite records.

I miss Richard Dashut's production on Say You Will and think it may have been a better album had he been involved. Having said that, I think it's still a brave effort from Fleetwood Mac and I believe it will stand the test of time right up there with Tusk, Rumours, and the white album.

wetcamelfood · #2 05-09-2003, 05:47 AM

Yeah, "Altered beast" is a good record, great guitar work from Robert Quine and Dashut is a good producer, maybe best with the Mac in the earlier days but I must say, I'm kinda glad RD isn't involved with FM now as, well maybe not, and I realize that FM/LB helped him get in to the "big time" etc. but it seems to me he's so far up Lindsey's ass that it would basically have just been LB's production and he would've been a waste of space in the proceedings anyways, but that's JMHO, I'm glad for those of you that think otherwise.

John

jeffles · #3 05-09-2003, 08:46 AM

I've been listening to Matthew Sweet for some time. Altered Beast is a good record, but not his best. His best, to me, is Girlfriend, widely considered a modern classic. Almost all of his albums are good.
Another interesting note is that Sweet and Buckingham did a version of Magnet & Steel, which rocks. The original was by Walter Egan, in which LB and SN were on.
Sweet, like Buckingham, is a multi-instrumentalist, but he was wise to incorporate some great side players on his album such as Robert Quine, Richard Lloyd (formerly of Television) and the late Nicky Hopkins (once the most in demand session pianist in rock).
I would have to agree that Richard Dashut is up LB's ass (so to speak...

) Aside from his work with FM/LB and this album, he never really did anything else.

wetcamelfood · #4 05-09-2003, 11:35 AM

Yeah, that's a cool version MS has of "Magnet & steel" from the "Sabrina the teenage witch" TV soundtrack CD. Great LB guitar stuff on that one.

"Dark secret" from "The craft" soundtrack CD is growing on me too.

A Sweet fave of mine is "Bovine connection" from the V/A CD from 1994 called "Yellow pills Vol. 2", Mick is on drums on that one. Very Alex Chilton that one, short but sweet (OK, bad pun).

John

Eric · #5 05-09-2003, 11:41 AM

I love Matthew Sweet, and feel he is one of the most under-appreciated artists of the 90's. His best two are Girlfriend and In Reverse - and I like the edge of a lot of Altered Beast - "Devil With The Green Eyes" is one of my favorites.

I'm looking forward to The Thorns - his CSN-type group with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge. It's coming out in a couple of weeks.

jeffles · #6 05-09-2003, 01:40 PM

The Thorns album should be pretty interesting when it comes out. I'm not too familiar with Pete Droge. The only song of his I know is the one from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack.

wetcamel--nice to see someone else here is familiar with Alex Chilton. Sweet has cited Chilton/Big Star as one of his biggest influences.