This third and final installment of my Lillywhite Sessions/Busted Stuff retrospective homes in on DMB’s fifth formal studio set. The aptly titled Busted Stuff was released on July 16, 2002. This album is, in my opinion, firmly, the fourth-best DMB record. A tier below the so-called big three, but still slightly above Away From the World and Big Whiskey.
To DMB’s credit, the guys knew people wanted to hear those Lillywhite Sessions tunes on an official record. They had unfinished business to tend to. So, basically two years after the quintet assembled in Charlottesville for their failed first attempt, they instead flew across the country and met where they had recorded once before, in Sausalito, California.
They were going to record at the Record Plant, the site and studio where they made Before These Crowded Streets. But these Busted Stuff sessions would not be like the Streets sessions, even if there was eventually some magic that made its way into the room later on.
As you’ll learn on this episode, the band was building to a boiling point behind the scenes. Producer Steve Harris reveals a few never-before-disclosed details surrounding the making of the record. There was frustration rising within DMB’s ranks. In fact, as you’ll hear Harris explain, the atmosphere and intra-band tensions that have always been attached to the Lillywhite Sessions, in fact, was more of the reality through some of the making of Busted Stuff.
This LP’s reputation has always sat on a weird perch for DMB and its fan base. On one hand, it’s an obvious upgrade over Everyday. The timing and haste of its release was equal parts an acknowledgement by the band that they wanted those Lillywhite Sessions songs on a proper release, but Busted Stuff was also catalyzed by the immense push from the fan base to get that album done, to put out what the Lillywhite Sessions promised.
As Harris explains, Busted is in many ways a bare-bones record, and to hear it now, knowing how it got made, the decisions on it make even more sense. If anything, it makes me appreciate the efforts of this album all the more. A lesser producer might’ve cracked and had an even bigger disaster on their hands.
Harris also goes track-by-track with each song, detailing some of his favorite cuts and best stories. The highlight is “You Never Know,” a tune that comfortably ranks among the band’s best. How’d it get written? You find out on this episode. If you liked Harris’ insight on Part 1, this pod’s even better. Twenty years on, here’s a lengthy look back at Busted Stuff, and how busted it could have been.