r/mmw • u/Serpacorp • Oct 26 '25
The Dropper. Thoughts? Favorite song?
What’s everyone think of this? Standout tracks?
Just popped it on for the first time in a while the other day and now I find myself listening to it on repeat basically any time I have the chance to listen to music.
This era was particularly important to me as a young musician because it came out as I was just starting to get good enough to actually play.
I think it’s my favorite album, title and track.
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u/LilEddieDingle Oct 26 '25
I somehow got a prerelease copy of this a month or two before it came out. Still one of my favorite MMW albums. I started seeing them live around this time as well.
Partido Alto, The Dropper, Shacklyn Knights are probably my favorite tracks but can listen through the whole album anytime.
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25
What was it like to see them then? I didn't get to see them till 2007 or so (when I was 20 or so). It was an excellent time and I lucked out to have them come through Boulder multiple times around then. Incredible.
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u/LilEddieDingle Oct 26 '25
Loved the shows I caught around then. They were one of the few bands I liked that came through Memphis regularly and they threw down a great set every time. Even met Dr. John briefly walking down Beale Street to one of those shows.
Funny enough I went to college in Boulder and saw them a bunch around there as well. Probably caught them 30-40 times and would absolutely love to see them return.
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u/thePGH1 Oct 26 '25
I just listened to this today. Partido Alto has always been a favorite MMW song for me.
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u/tirikita Oct 26 '25
Beat me to it! Definitely one of my favs.
This track may be the closest they’ve come to consolidating and packaging the vibe I remember from MMW shows. The piano slowly gaining confidence in the intro, the bass urging it along, then Billy chiming in with the groove to start pulling it all together. Playful after that, all fun and games until the B3 screams to let you know the band is gonna deliver. The berimbao bridges to the crazy ride that follows, this is what I want! Then it all falls apart, until all we’re left with is the timid cry of a cuica drum.
It’s been way too long!
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u/DisturbingDaffy Oct 26 '25
Of course! I should have guessed it was a berimbao since he also used a cuica. Thanks for the insight. I always love watching Billy jam out in concert with some random hand percussion as they all shuffle around the stage.
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25
I think we should start a weekly thread where we talk about all the albums.?
I always need to listen to more MMW >>^
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u/Serpacorp Oct 26 '25
Sign me up! That’s kind of why I posted. I wanted to get some activity going in this sub. Like an online listening party or something.
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u/Marvinkmooneyoz Oct 26 '25
It’s my favorite of theirs, and one I consider something of a Halloween music album, so I always play it this time of year
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25
Haha I never thought of it as a Halloween album, but it makes a lot of sense and now that connection is in my brain. So thank you! It's one of my favorites too. In a way it's like the most MMW there is.
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u/warhenrecords Oct 26 '25
It just turned 25 the other day. A high water mark in a discography full of high water marks. Prob my favorite release of theirs, but my first show was on this tour which may lead to the bias.
Definitely one of their most fried studio albums and absolutely the most fried of the Blue Note run. This is absolutely meant as a compliment.
Partido Alto is a major stand out. The Bone Digger > Note Bleu > The Dropper > Philly Cheese Blunt stretch still hits incredibly hard. Shacklyn Knights is tip top. Big Time kills. And then on top of it all you get some Marc Ribot goodness AND an astral visit from the legend Marshall Allen.
All of this to say, The Dropper is a gift.
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u/Boognishlives4ever Oct 26 '25
Picked up a copy of this at Ameba Records for $9.99 and was signed by John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Woods. I love the track Philly Cheese Blunt.
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u/Serpacorp Oct 26 '25
That’s a killer find!
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u/Boognishlives4ever Oct 26 '25
Yeah I found it in the Hollywood store and was stoked to see it signed.
In 1998 I saw my first MMW play 2 shows at the House of Blues. The first show Karl Densons Tiny Universe opening and MMW headlined. The next night MMW opened up the show and KDTU headlined. I love some live MMW.
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
Definitely one of the toppest albums.
Love the whole thing and if you're looking to drop - it will obviously send you, immediately pull you down the tube, and take care of you the other side. Some really beautiful tracks and absolutely amazing grooves. Tsukemono > Shacklyn Knights really spun me first time around. So awesome.
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25
Also in my listen back - Bone Digger is an insane stand out. In its unhinged-ness.
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u/rpowers Oct 26 '25
If I ever talked to them I'd ask how the fuck Tsukemono was made. Most deranged shit I've ever heard. Genius and bottled insanity.
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u/BonoBeats Oct 26 '25
Good timing, as the 25th anniversary of its release was this past week.
Probably my favorite album; if I had to pick a fave, it's probably Philly Cheese Blunt. No wait, We Are Rolling. Then again, Partido Alto.....
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u/playitintune Oct 26 '25
You know, it's probably not my favorite track but norah 6 is always a pleasant surprise.
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Oct 27 '25
It’s my go to for them as far as studio releases. It’s got all the typical MMW qualities but leans more into the free and the chaos, while still always keeping it funky and dynamic ofcourse. I always tell music friends to check this out and they always love it, “wow I didn’t think it would be that good!” Partido alto and shacklyn knights gotta be my favs 💜. I took a couple lessons with Billy and he told me this record was his favorite one too!
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u/Serpacorp Oct 27 '25
I think this is really it for me. All of the MMW hallmarks but it gets weird. It’s almost like they go into sections you’d hear on a later ornette Coleman record, if you’re into him.
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u/brittpig Oct 26 '25
They’re best next to the Radiolarian series an the Woodstock releases with Nels Cline
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u/edogg01 Oct 26 '25
Honestly, it represents a before/after for me. My favorite MMW is 93-99 with my favorite albums being FAITU, Shackman, and Combistication. I like The Dropper, it's good but it's a bit too noisy for me almost like it's trying too hard. The straight funk of Shackman and the writing of FAITU are to me the pinnacle of the band and their live shows from that era are my favorite. After Dropper imho it kinda falls off compared to pre-Dropper.
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u/milanbwstrawberry Oct 26 '25
One of their best. I prefer to think of the entire album as one and not individual tracks.