I was introduced to the Dave Matthews Band by way of "Before These Crowded Streets," rather than going in the proper order. But when I finally did get around to buying "Under the Table and Dreaming," I was already perfectly confident that it would be just as fantastic as the rest of the DMB material I had heard/purchased up to that point.

I was right.

This was the second CD they released and the first studio CD (if you don't count the studio takes of "Seek Up" and "Minarets" on the "Remember Two Things" CD), and you can hear the limitations in their sound quality and a little less ambience than on "Crash" and "BTCS." They were just starting out with Steve Lilywhite and had not found their signature sound just yet, though you can hear it developing more and more throughout the disc.

Of course, everyone on Earth knows "Satellite" and probably "Ants Marching." They've been overplayed to death and stil I enjoy them when I hear them. That is one of the things that separates DMB from the rest of the crowd, to me anyway. I can listen to them over and over and not get tired of them. But back to the album.

Like I said, everyone is probably familiar with those two by now, but if you're not a Dave fan already, you probably have never heard the intricacy of ballads like "Pay For What You Get" and the beautiful "#34." You also may not be familiar with the rocking "Dancing Nancies" (which asks the question, "Could I have been anyone other than me?") and the poetically-inspired "Typical Situation."

I can't say that this is "early" Dave Matthews, because the order in which all the band's songs were written belies the order in which they appear on albums. But I can say with confidence that this is GREAT Dave Matthews... but then... what ISN'T?

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I loved every song on the album except "Rhyme and Reason," which I thought was not very well done. However, all the other ones are excellent, especially, "Best of What's Around," "Jimi Thing," "Satellite," "Warehouse," and "What would you say."

Just a phenomenal effort.

I'm a little worried about the future of DMB, however. I liked "Crash," but not nearly as much as "Under the Table," and I found "Before These Crowded Streets," to be a disappointment.

Of course it's tough to top this blockbuster. "Under the Table and Dreaming" is an incredible album.

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