Label: Bama Rags / RCA / Legacy
Reissued 11/17/2023, Originally released 1998
Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by Grammy award-winning rock band, Dave Matthews Band. Originally released in spring of 1998, the album received both critical and commercial success. Dethroning the Titanic soundtrack, which sat atop the Billboard 200 for 16 consecutive weeks, Before These Crowded Streets was certified triple-platinum and began the band’s impressive streak of six No. 1 albums in a row. The LA Times said: On this album, the band places an even higher premium on musical proficiency. Songs such as “Rapunzel” and “The Stone” are built around vertiginous polyrhythms and serpentine riffs that dart around Matthew’s clenched vocals, yet always manage to lock into an enjoyable groove. The band continues to play a majority of the songs from this album in their nightly sets while on tour as it’s been a favorite among fans for over two decades. The 25th anniversary edition comes as a standard black 2LP vinyl with an exclusive new booklet featuring rare photos. Lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Track listing:
- Pantala Naga Pampa
- Rapunzel
- The Last Stop
- Don't Drink the Water
- Stay (Wasting Time)
- Halloween
- The Stone
- Crush
- The Dreaming Tree
- Pig
- Spoon