Adam Duritz Recalls the Formative Period
The initial albums were primarily recorded in houses situated in the hills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a significant step for the band, as it was their first release on a large record company. Each member got an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to buy a classic red convertible and traveled to LA.
Each day, I would start by playing Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles venturing into country music. Also, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my father had acquired as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.
Mr Jones was part of a demo tape that we sent to record companies, but it proved a challenging track to finish. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a fast-paced rock song; instead, it gallops along, demanding a deep understanding to perform. It’s soul music – closer to the Memphis soul sound than folk.
Our drummer couldn’t hear the track like the others did – thus T Bone enlisted one of his idols to play it.
We looked at several production candidates, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he really understand where the group was at. There was a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we were still learning how to be a band. We removed all the synths and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so T Bone invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s heroes, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve at the time.
Marty Jones and I had played in bands together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area performing a tour. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians visiting bars. The next morning, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about our experience that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more confidently.
In my view, it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. We performed another track on SNL in 1994, the album climbed 40 spots each week for over a month. Following that, the song turned into a huge hit.
The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Memories
Back in the 80s, the band members were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an side project called Monks of Doom.
Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d created with Bryson. He played me this track called Mr Jones. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that resembled a video game or popcorn popping, but his singing were exceptional.
After the producer got involved, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.
Adam called me asking, “Hey, man, can you come down and contribute to this album?” When I got there, T Bone had moved us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – previously used by Tito Jackson. There were guitars that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.
T Bone told me to play my guitar slightly behind the beat. His words were, “Playing too fast before the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” He has a Texas drawl, and his guidance was to visualize putting your feet up on the mixing board and chewing gum while playing.
Counting Crows was, to an extent, a response to the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the final act. Back then, many were on heroin. The aim was obliteration, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something more human and sincere. Their music combined folk and rock with a heavy dose of soulful vibes.
Mr Jones remains timeless. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with the singer, I recall that time when he played me the early version. It’s insane.
