Matchbox Twenty - Exile On Mainstream Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 10.02.2007
One of the last decade’s biggest bands returns with their biggest hits and an unprecedented six new songs…
My Story
Back in the early part of the decade, Matchbox Twenty ruled the airwaves. And just like any band who was highly favored by the rest of the radio listening world, I hated them. Their brand of alternative-lite just seemed to safe and too homogenized to me. But then, when Rob Thomas released his solo record, I started to enjoy the band a little more. Now, several years removed from their last album, time has been kind to Matchbox Twenty in my mind. Will this new hits set (plus wealth of new songs) remind the radio listeners of the world how much they loved this band? Or only serve to remind me why I didn’t care for them in the first place?
Their Story
Matchbox Twenty formed in Orlando, FL in the mid-90’s. The band was the brainchild of frontman Rob Thomas, bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette, all veterans of countless garage bands before meeting in a group called Tabitha’s Secret. Tabitha’s Secret wasn’t long for this world, but the trio went on to found another group with guitarists Adam Gaynor and Kyle Cook. That fivesome would come to call themselves Matchbox 20.
Matchbox 20 began recording and touring nearly as soon as they got together. They produced a demo with Collective Soul producer Matt Serletic (Hints, Allegations…), which helped them book gigs throughout the country. They signed with Lava Records in 1996, the year they released they Serletic-produced debut album Yourself Or Someone Like You.
Yourself hit shelves in the fall of 1996, but it wasn’t an instant hit by any means. The band’s first single, “Long Day”, began a slow climb on the Mainstream Rock charts and, coinciding with hard touring by M20, peaked at #8. “Push” followed the next year and became a Top 10 hit on several lists, including the Modern Rock chart, where it reached #1. The third single, “3 A.M.”, posted even better numbers, topping the Adult Top 40 chart. By the end of 1997, Yourself Or Someone Like You had climbed to an unprecedented #5. Even more amazing, the record had moved over 3 million copies, going multi-platinum. And Matchbox 20 was just getting started.
1998 saw even more hits. The band scored their first Top 40 tune on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Real World”, which reached #38, followed by “Back 2 Good”, which topped off at #24. Much like the year before, the band toured throughout 1998. And much like the year before, Yourself Or Someone Like You continued to fly off the shelves. By the end of ’98, M20’s debut had been certified 7x platinum.
In 1999, Matchbox 20 finally left the road to work on their follow-up album. Luckily, the band continued their radio presence throughout that downtime. Guitar legend Carlos Santana had been working on an album of collaborations, and he’d chosen a song by M20 frontman Rob Thomas called “Smooth” for the album’s inclusion. After hearing the demo, Santana asked Thomas to sing on the song as well, which became the first single for the record, called Supernatural. “Smooth” also became a massive success. The single was certified gold, reached #1 on the charts and won three Grammys in 2000, including Record and Song of the Year. Thanks to Thomas’ voice all over radio, Matchbox 20 enjoyed some run-off success, as Yourself Or Someone Like You was certified diamond by the end of 1999, despite no singles from the record being released that year.
When Matchbox Twenty (now spelling out their name instead of using numbers) returned with Mad Season in 2000, they were already one of the biggest acts in rock music. Mad Season pulled slightly better reviews than the band’s debut, but it’s success was much more immediate. The record reached #3 on the Billboard charts and spawned five more charting singles, including the Top 5 hits “If You’re Gone” (#5) and “Bent” (#1). “Bent” was also the band’s first gold single. By the end of Mad Season’s run, it was certified platinum four times and Matchbox Twenty’s debut had peaked at 12x platinum.
The band returned in 2002 with More Than You Think You Are, a #6 hit that has since been certified double platinum. The album produced three more Top 40 singles, including the #5 hit “Unwell”. Following the album’s success, Matchbox Twenty decided to take an extended break, as nearly seven straight years of touring had taken their toll. The band worked on solo projects throughout the next few years. In 2004, they released a live DVD to satiate fans. Show: A Night In The Life Of Matchbox Twenty was certified platinum.
2005 was an eventful year, as frontman Rob Thomas released his solo debut, …Something To Be, which reached #1 on the Billboard charts. Just before the album’s release, guitarist Adam Gaynor announced his exit from the band.
In 2007, the band entered the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite. Songs from those sessions were then announced for inclusion on an upcoming Matchbox Twenty compilation, which would also feature the band’s biggest hits. No tour in support of the album has been announced, though several TV appearances are planned. According to Rob Thomas, he will return to the studio to produce his second solo album in 2008, after which Matchbox Twenty may tour. The first single from the record, “How Far We’ve Come”, is currently #11 on the Billboard charts.
The Album
On October 2, 2007, Atlantic Records released Exile On Mainstream, the first compilation album by Matchbox Twenty. The double-disc set contains eleven of the band’s singles from their first three studio albums, as well as six new songs. It is their first album without guitarist Adam Gaynor. The iTunes pre-order version of Exile contains the bonus track “Come Dancing”.
The Band: 8.0
Rob Thomas: acoustic guitar, piano, vocals, melodica
Brian Yale: bass, background vocals
Paul Doucette: guitars, percussion, piano, drums, glockenspiel, vocals, voices, casio
Kyle Cook: guitars, glockenspiel, mandolin, vocals
Adam Gaynor (Disc Two): rhythm guitar, vocals
Matchbox Twenty has never been a band that drew heaps of critical praise. There’s really nothing amazing to their formula. A post-grunge band that draws on the radio-friendly rock of the 1970’s, Matchbox Twenty set what would become the sound of rock music in the late 90’s without ever really getting credit for it. The thing about Matchbox Twenty, though, isn’t what they do, but how well they do it.
Rob Thomas is a safe, attractive rock frontman, taking away all the danger and anger that grunge itself was about and turning that into something both sensitive and instantly likable. The band takes away the need for big guitar solos and replaces that with big melodies and hooks that shine on pop/rock radio. And speaking of shine, the production of both Matt Serletic and Steve Lillywhite puts a gloss music on this music that makes it both slick and smooth.
Now, with any other band, the above paragraph may have been a list of detriments, leading into a tirade on the forgetability of soulless, homogenized rock-lite. But I’ll be damned if Matchbox Twenty doesn’t make this work. Thomas relates these well played, well crafted pop songs so well that it creates an air of both hope and sweetness. To borrow an Elvis Costello-ism, this music sounds like pure honey.
The Songs: 8.5
Disc One:
1. How Far We’ve Come
2. I’ll Believe You When
3. All Your Reasons
4. These Hard Times
5. If I Fall
6. Can’t Let You Go
Disc Two:
1. Long Day
2. Push
3. 3 A.M.
4. Real World
5. Back 2 Good
6. Bent
7. If You’re Gone
8. Mad Season
9. Disease
10. Unwell
11. Bright Lights
The first disc of Exile On Mainstream contains six new Matchbox Twenty tunes recorded with famed producer Steve Lillywhite. It’s also the disc that is sure to draw the most scrutiny. Luckily, Matchbox Twenty brought their A-game. One noticeable aspect is that the full band is given writing credits on each song, continuing the collaborative songwriting effort of More Than You Think You Are. One has to believe that this change is more than nominal, as the new songs are some of the most well-rounded Matchbox Twenty tunes we’ve ever heard.
“How Far We’ve Come”, the opener and lead single, is a great, powerful rock anthem. “Can’t Let You Go” is an amazing pop ballad, the sort of song you’ll be checking the Stax catalog for to see if it’s actually a cover. Seriously, the only thing lacking is a sax solo. “I’ll Believe You Win” also introduces a sort-of country sound to the band, proving their trying new things. On the opposite end, “All Your Reasons” has a fun, sing-a-long acoustic intro, launching into a driving rock tune that is vintage M20. There really isn’t a bad song out of this bunch.
Disc Two contains eleven of M20’s biggest hits. Nearly half are drawn from the band’s diamond certified debut. Those early singles prove to be some of the most diverse in Matchbox Twenty’s catalog, as the slightly aggressive rock of “Push” stands in stark contrast to the college acoustic rock of “3 A.M.”. The hits are also presented in chronological order, which is nice, because you get to hear the band grow from a searching young post-grunge act to the hit machine that would produce rocking singles like “Disease” and modern power ballads like “If You’re Gone”. Good stuff from top to bottom.
The 411: In the age of song downloads and file sharing, Matchbox Twenty have figured out the best way to make a Greatest Hits album relative: by loading it with brand new songs. And unlike most new songs thrown onto compilations, the six tracks here are just as good (if not better) that the band’s biggest singles. The new cuts are a picture of Matchbox Twenty, rested after a long layover and still growing towards a bright future. Tracks like “How Far We’ve Come” and “Can’t Let You Go” will become fan favorites, there’s no doubt. On the other end, the eleven hits on this CD are the soundtrack of late-90’s/early 2000’s radio. The songs are just too good and too well known to deny. Even non-fans and M20 haters should give this set a listen as they may not realize all they were missing.
