#8 -- Dave Matthews Band

What It Takes To Be Great

The way our Mighty 55 list is constructed, it is very hard for a relatively recent act to do well.  That's because 'Innovation' and 'Influence' are two of our four grades, along with 'Musical Integrity' and 'Do I Wanna Hear More'.  To have a high enough score overall, a group has to set themselves apart by adding something different, besides being really good at what they do.  This was easy for bands whose debuts occurred when singers wore uniforms, record executives told them what to sing, segregation was common, men and women played in different acts, many topics were taboo, foreign instruments and styles were unheard of, and there was no cross-pollination between musical genres.

Once those barriers were broken down, innovation was harder to come by.

Have a look at the record charts, though, and one is struck by just how good a few recent acts have been.  Dave Matthews Band, for example, has set a record for consecutive albums debuting at #1, with six out of their last six.  So, even though they score relatively low on 'innovation', they nevertheless join the other immortals at the top.

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Each band or performer is graded on four things:
  1.  Innovation
  2.  Influence in my life--as a typical American
  3.  Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)  
  4.  Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music

5/10/10/10 = 35 out of a perfect 40

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A Sign: I think it revealing that several times DMB entered the studio, worked on material, then decided they didn't have superior stuff, abandoned their work and tried again later.  There is simply too much half-hearted, ho-hum, blah-blah-blah in the music business.