Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album from the Dave Matthews Band. It was released on 28 April 1998. It was the first album from the band to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. The album features several short studio jams in between certain songs. Four singles ("Don't Drink the Water", "Stay (Wasting Time)", "Crush" and "Rapunzel") came from the album.

Track List

1. Pantala Naga Pampa (0:40)
2. Rapunzel (6:00)
3. The Last Stop (6:57)
4. Don't Drink the Water (7:01)
5. Stay (Wasting Time) (5:35)
6. Halloween (5:07)
7. The Stone (7:28)
8. Crush (8:09)
9. The Dreaming Tree (8:48)
10. Pig (6:57)
11. Spoon (7:33)

Notes

The following songs segue into each other: Rapunzel > The Last Stop; Halloween > The Stone.

The album's title is derived from a line in "The Dreaming Tree".

A 90-second outro to "The Last Stop" appears as a hidden track after the end of "Spoon".

Other musicians

The Lovely Ladies - background vocals on "Stay"
John D'Earth - trumpet on "Halloween" and "The Stone"
Kronos Quartet - string section on "Halloween" and "The Stone"
Butch Taylor - organ on "Rapunzel" and piano on "Crush"
Tim Reynolds - electric guitar and mandolin on all songs
Béla Fleck - banjo on "The Last Stop", "Don't Drink the Water" and "Spoon"
Alanis Morissette - background vocals on "Don't Drink the Water", "Halloween" and "Spoon"
Greg Howard - Chapman stick on "The Dreaming Tree"

Live history

"Pantala Naga Pampa" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/6/08 for a total of 371 times

"Rapunzel" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/6/08 for a total of 326 times

"The Last Stop" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/12/06 for a total of 91 times

"Don't Drink the Water" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/5/08 for a total of 451 times

"Stay" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/6/08 for a total of 285 times

"Halloween" - debuted 10/31/92, last played 8/16/08 for a total of 127 times

"The Stone" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/5/08 for a total of 286 times

"Crush" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/7/08 for a total of 393 times

"The Dreaming Tree" - debuted 5/25/98, last played 9/5/08 for a total of 64 times

"Pig" - debuted 4/18/98, last played 9/25/07 for a total of 130 times

"Spoon" - debuted 7/13/97, last played 8/9/08 for a total of 40 times