Counting Crows, "August And Everything After"

Ken strikes up a conversation about Picasso and grey guitars

Ken’s Pitch:

I’m not a fantastic cook.  There are about 5-6 things I make for dinner that are deemed acceptable by my kids, maybe 3 things that they actually love, and my specialty…chocolate chip cookies.  Now my recipe for these cookies is about 90% the same as the official Nestle Toll House recipe, but with just a tweak here, an extra pinch of this, and a little less of that, and the final product is pure gold, baby!  That’s what cooking is though - it’s creating something in which the whole is better than the sum of its parts.  When you start with simple ingredients like eggs, flour, sugar, butter, and vanilla you have the raw tools to make any of hundreds of things.  None of those ingredients stand out on their own, but when put together the right way, you can create culinary beauty.  And as you can probably guess where I’m going with this, music is sometimes the same way.

I don’t know if anything truly stands out as individually spectacular on August And Everything After, except that Counting Crows has a Simpsons’ character for a lead singer.  Adam Duritz’ vocals are definitely unique but he’s not the purest voice out there.  The guitars are somewhat pedestrian, the piano accompaniment is nice if not understated, and frankly, the drumming might actually be a little weak.  There is nothing complex or layered about the arrangements, and the lyrics are consistently depressing. 

But put all that into a studio, mix carefully and deliberately until smooth, then add in two cups of whine and a heavy layer of cheez, and you get the provocative yet fun album that was a highlight at every house party from late 1993 through 1996.

The secret ingredient is honesty.  What’s ironic is that Duritz’ ridiculous dreadlocks are arguably the single most dishonest look in the history of the music business, but aside from that you’ve got a band completely dedicated to saying some things they think are important, and they do it in ways that can make you sing along and dance, sit quietly and think, or just tap along with the beat on the steering wheel.  It’s an album with something for everyone that takes a little bit of this and a little bit of that to create something proprietary yet accessible.

There’s almost no one between the ages of 40-55 that doesn’t know the words to “Mr. Jones” or “Rain King”, which is a huge accomplishment in an era where there was a widening division between classic rock, grunge, metal, and pop.  Counting Crows managed to bring everyone together with an album that can be regarded as anything from inoffensive to masterpiece, depending on your personal leanings.

Now go enjoy this fine collection of songs and if you’re lucky I’ll give you my recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

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CJ’s Response:

It’s lazy and reductive to say that the 1990s were a terrible decade for music. But, it’s not too far a stretch to say that those ten years were very, very disappointing. It’s all the more disheartening because the ‘90s started with such promise. Nirvana ripped the cover off the music industry and put the final nail in hair metal’s coffin, which should’ve ushered in a whole new era of creativity. And certainly, several excellent bands picked up the gauntlet that Kurt and the boys threw down.

Then, something weird happened. Music just kinda quit on us. Suddenly, the world became a sea of Hooties and Matthews and Toads and Gin Blossoms. It was music to shop at The Gap by. Which is funny because a Hootie and the Blowfish concert was an excellent venue in which to show off your new Dockers.

For me, Counting Crows falls squarely into that pool of bland mediocrity. It’s music for newly married couples who mistakenly believe that this is what they’re supposed to listen to now that they’re adults. I’m sure it inspired thousands of men to turn to their significant others and say some variation of the following:

“Let’s grab some sliders and a flight of microbrews at the local gastropub, catch the Counting Crows/Wallflowers show and then, if we’re feeling naughty, stop at that little café for decaf cappuccinos and a slice of flourless chocolate cake. I’ll wear my weekend Dockers and you can tie a sweater around your neck.”

(raises fist in the air) Rock and Roll!

If you’ve been following us for the past few months, you know that I’m a hard rock/heavy metal fan. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like other kinds of music, though. But, for me to really engage with a band, they have make me feel that their songs would be something more than good background music for an especially poignant episode of Friends.

I can’t be there for you this time, Ken.

• Pitch Failed

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Mitch’s Response:

Being miserable was fashionable back in 1993, especially if you wanted to be seen as a credible artist in the grunge era. A bunch of mopey bastards wearing sweaters, mumbling, playing loud guitars and complaining about anything and everything. Even then it seemed like a crock of shit: a bunch of rock stars crying about how hard it was to be a rock star. People pretending to be miserable for the sake of their art. A bunch of real Van Goghs.

But Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows were different when they burst onto the scene. Their first hit, "Mr. Jones", was a catchy, upbeat tune that was actually fun - the polar opposite of most grunge era hits. Adam himself was a slightly ridiculous but endearing character, with his beautiful white boy dreads - the universal sign that he loved being barefoot, wearing pooka shell necklaces and just chillaxing. 

Listening to August And Everything After, however, revealed Mr. Duritz to be perhaps even more miserable than his perpetually put-out peers. The lyrics on this album often wash over you, but when you analyze them you realize just how sad they are. This guy just needed a hug!

The whole album is an enjoyable listen, but I think it’s best represented by the song “Sullivan Street”. The build up, the way the instruments hang back, the earnestness of his vocal, the way he holds certain notes, the crescendo - it’s ridiculously over the top, but it’s also incredibly effective and moving.

Ironically, the guy who looked like the least sincere artist of his generation actually turned out to be one of the most sincere artists of his generation, and August And Everything After is still a surprisingly fun way to wallow in some existential dread.

• Pitch Successful

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Don’s Response:

My fiancé and I wore out Counting Crows’ August and Everything After back in the ‘90s. It was a stellar debut with more than a handful of excellent songs. Of course, the catchiest was a single so sticky you couldn’t get it out of your head: “Mr. Jones”.

“Mr. Jones” is named after the protagonist’s wingman, but it’s really lead singer Adam Duritz’ first-person account of what it’s like to be on the outside looking in, longing to be a big, big star while staring at beautiful women in a San Francisco bar. 

Mr. Jones and me

Tell each other fairy tales

And we stare at the beautiful women

She’s looking at you

Ah, no, no she’s looking at me

Little did Duritz know that months after writing the tune, he’d be a household name, and everyone would be looking at him in shocked disbelief, because he had entered the pantheon of funny looking rockers dating the world’s most beautiful women against all odds. 

Move over Ringo Starr and Lyle Lovett. Step aside Billy Joel. Hey Ric Okasec, hold Duritz’ beer. Because good ol’ Adam -- *the* paragon of bespectacled, dread-locked, goateed pudginess -- was suddenly dating Jennifer Aniston.

Duritz claimed all he wanted was to be Bob Dylan, and his band made a damn good record. Their solid run lasted two decades, yet never quite lived up to the promise of their debut. But Adam Duritz surely made a name for himself.

• Pitch Successful

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Ken’s pitch was just funky enough to get the Counting Crows’ August And Everything After a spot in the Newbury St. Collection.

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As always, we appreciate you hanginaround with us here at EONS every week. Are you accidentally in love with the Counting Crows’ August And Everything After? Drop by the comments section and let us know what you think.

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Please join us next week as Don won’t back down on his quest to take back the top ranking with Tom Petty’s second solo album, 1994’s Wildflowers.