Product Description

BEFORE THESE CROWDED STREETS is a true groove salad, as theD.M.B. reports in with even more creative eclecticism than usual. Guest appearances by artists as varied as Alanis Morissette, Bela Fleck and Kronos Quartet are a testament to thecollage of sounds present. Occasional ventures into Middle Eastern melodicism feel as natural a part of the band's sound as do its mellow folk grooves and funky rhythm flights. The lyrics are a glad swirl of pop storytelling and trippy mystery, brought to life by the usual confluence of saxophones,violin and precise guitar work that makes this group tick.
Over a fat backbeat, Matthews carries the clever, sultry lyrics of "Rapunzel" with a whimsical vocal blend of growls and falsetto jumps, culminating in a soprano rhapsody by hornman Leroi Moore. The funk-vamp "Stay" makes you want to do just that, featuring a joyous gospel chorus and peppery, staccato horn lines. Excellent, frenetic bowing by Kronos Quartet couples with Matthews' quick picking to drive "The Stone"to a 6/8 fury, only to be resolved with delicate grace. Morisette's lilt and Fleck's colourful banjo wrap this excellent album up tastefully on "Spoon".

Track Listing

1. Pantala Naga Pampa
2. Rapunzel
3. Last Stop
4. Don't Drink The Water
5. Stay (Wasting Time)
6. Halloween
7. Stone
8. Crush
9. Dreaming Tree
10. Pig
11. Spoon

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31488 in Music
• Released on: 2005-02-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Dave Matthews Band moves its music forward by increments on Before These Crowded Streets. While the album offers more of the folkish melodies and vaguely internationalist rhythms that made this Charlottesville, Virginia, group a major record and concert draw, it also finds them adding new colourings to the mix. Alanis Morissette guests on two cuts, "Spoon" and the disc's first single, "Don't Drink the Water", and banjo whiz Bela Fleck sits in, too. More interesting, though, is the modernist string arrangement played by the Kronos Quartet on the driving "Halloween". Matthews's obvious hopes to lead something other than a jam band are at least partly fulfilled here; at the same time, Streets should keep his customers satisfied. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Where did this come from?
In their first two albums, DMB not only marked out their niche in the market as a group of supremely gifted musicians and Dave Matthews himself as a very good song writer but Before These Crowded Streets takes them beyond that. This album shows that the real secret to this band is in the incredible arrangements and the layering of the talents involved and as a result this album is unlike any other.

Rapunzel is the first real track on here and its so incredibly funky but its not funk and that really sets the tone for the whole album as nothing is what you might think. Don't Drink The Water is full of brooding menace with Alanis Morisette contributing some of her best work since her debut album.

The most easily accesible and populist song would probably be Stay (Wasting Time) which harkens back to the glory days of R&B and Stax but without really sounding dated, more like how we might wish soul music had evolved.

The stand out track for me is Stone with its heavy strings and rolling rhythms and harmonious chorus. I once heard someone describe the opening tracks of Under the Table and Dreaming as sounding like a carousel and at the funfair, if thats the case then Stone is like skiing away from an avalanche before plunging into the ocean. Wonderful.

This is an album for real music lovers to enjoy great musicians having their talents used to their fullest. It might take some a while to really get deep into the multiple layers but once you allow yourself to be swept away by it your feet might never touch the ground again.

Dave Matthews Band is totally brilliant
I don't know what to say to the last review of Before These Crowded streets that thought it was awful after buying Everyday and enjoying it. I can only say this being a DMB fan for many years now and having seen them 7 times - Everyday is the least favourite of most people here in North America. It was not a Dave Matthews Band album but rather was Dave and Glen Ballard (Alanis Jagged Little Pill) writing songs that the band was instructed exactly how to play. The first two 5 star reviews of this album say it best - BTCS is an musically brilliant album with lyrics so intense and deeply moving you will shudder! The Dreaming Tree is so melancholy it makes me cry just thinking about it. The Stone is intense, Rapunzel's chorus is deliciously romantic, Alanis' little verse on Spoon is lovely. Please if you are in the UK and wish to know more DMB I would recommend getting all the albums and the live stuff. DMB live is what made them so famous today. Folsom Field is awesome as is Listener Supported. I hope DMB comes your way soon. Eat, drink and be merry, Steve

Worth Many A Listen!
It took me a while to get into this album but it was well worth the effort! It is not an album that you can simply put on as background music, or at least not without it being wasted. This is a very technical album, with many intricate harmonies from Dave and Carter, and a multitude of little "bonus" tracks after almost every song. This creates an effect of each song linking, making the entire album a continuous build up, culminating in the brilliant "Spoon". On the way you are treated to many a musical delight, in particular "The Stone" and "The Dreaming Tree" which are both very dark and yet pleasantly uncomplicated - which probably adds to the dark feel! This album is also the home of an amazing bass line from Steffan on "Crush". It also features two colaborations with Alanis Morisette in the form of "Spoon" and "Don't Drink The Water" - a song about the development of America at the expense of the native Indians. At the end of the day this is a fantastic album that can only really be listened to all the way through and with great attention to do it justice. It simply adds more support to the argument that everyone should own a piece of DMB work!