Adam Duritz Recalls the Beginnings
Our first albums were mostly recorded in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a major step for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a large record company. Each member received an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to purchase a classic red convertible and traveled to LA.
Every morning, I would start by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles exploring American folk. Additionally, I frequently played a jazz record that my father had picked up as a complimentary item at a Texaco station when I was young.
The song Mr Jones was part of a demo tape that we submitted to labels, but it proved a very difficult track to complete. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a straight ahead number; rather, it moves with a rhythm, requiring a deep understanding to perform. The style is soulful – closer to the Stax Records sound than folk.
Our drummer couldn’t hear the track as the rest of us did – so the producer enlisted one of his heroes to play it.
We considered several producers, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to understand where the band was at. There was a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to work together. Eliminated all the synths and effects pedals. The drummer couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so the producer called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve back then.
My best friend Marty and I performed in groups together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, David Serva, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the Bay Area performing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians visiting bars. The next morning, I went home and composed the song. The lyrics reflect our experience that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the girls more easily.
I believe, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve composed. After playing another track on SNL in 1994, the album jumped dozens of positions each week for five or six weeks. Following that, the song became a huge hit.
The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Memories
In the late 1980s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were living together in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with another band and had an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.
One evening, Adam had a new demo he’d created with Bryson. I heard this song titled the now-famous tune. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or random noise, but his singing were on another level.
Once T Bone got involved, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted toward roots echoing folk and soul legends.
Adam called me saying, “Hey, man, can you come down and play on this album?” By the time I got there, T Bone had moved us to a studio in LA’s Encino – previously used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found instruments that Dylan had just recorded on.
He instructed me to perform slightly behind the drums. His words were, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and staying casual during the performance.
The band was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the final act. Back then, many were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something emotional and sincere. Counting Crows combined acoustic and electric with a heavy dose of Van Morrison soul.
Mr Jones never gets old. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with the singer, I remember that moment when he first shared the early version. It’s insane.
