"Well your CD collection looks shiny and costly. How much did you pay for your bad moto-roozy?"

My first selection off the shelf was chosen on Monday 1/31/11. By following the rules I closed my eyes and pulled down:

Dave Matthews Band's 1998 release Before These Crowded Streets.

So let's see where to begin. This is the 3rd studio release from DMB and definitely in my top few of theirs on my list. I really enjoy this record from front to back. It's one of those albums you can easily listen to start to finish due to the small snippets of jam in between each track to help transition to the next.

Many classic DMB tracks come from this release including "Stay (Wasting time)", "Don't Drink the Water", & "Crush". However I dig all of the tunes on this disc. I appreciate its flow. It's pretty fired up at the beginning as if starting off a party night out on the streets, drinking from bar to bar throughout the night, and slowly winding down to the calming tune "Spoon", featuring Alanis Morisette. Even the CD artwork has stains from a drinking glass as if it's a beer coaster you used during the night on the town.

Other special guests apply their skills on this release:

• Bela Fleck- who is in my opinion the best banjo player on the planet. He's the Hendrix of the banjo and we will definitely come across Bela in future posts for this blog.
• Tim Reynolds- Dave's pal appears on the entire record and brings an edge on guitar that only Tim can bring.
• John D'earth- if you don't know John and his trumpet skills, you need to. I had the pleasure of working with John for a while during my time in Charlottesville. I would sell him high end trumpet mouthpieces and accessories at Music & Arts Center. John would also give us a few tips and lessons to several of my clients in the Charlottesville area. A super top-notch guy and I'm glad to have met him along my journeys.

For those that have lived in Charlottesville know that DMB has made a huge impact on the community and organizations in the area. Especially when it comes to kids and getting them involved in music. The orchestra conductor for Charlottesville High School Laura Thomas, was also a great client of mine from Music & Arts. She and the violin player for DMB, Boyd Tinsley worked together to help establish an arts foundation to help local school music programs.

But enough about history. Before These Crowded Streets takes me back to college. I bought this disc the day it came out and have loved it ever since. I think this is one that deserves to stay in CD form. It's just that good.

Did I miss any rules?

"It's crazy, I'm thinking,
Just knowing that the world is round
And here I'm dancing on the ground
Am I right side up or upside down?
And is this real, or am I dreaming?"

-From "Crush"