Adam Duritz Remembers the Beginnings
Our first albums were mostly produced in houses situated in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a significant step for the group, as it was their first release on a major label. Each member got an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to purchase a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.
Every morning, my routine included by listening to a Poco track, which sounds like the Beatles exploring country music. Additionally, I was into a jazz record that my dad had picked up as a free giveaway at a gas station when I was young.
The song Mr Jones was included on a demo tape that we sent to labels, but it proved a challenging song to complete. It lacked a clear direction at first. Neither a slow ballad nor a fast-paced rock song; instead, it gallops along, requiring a deep understanding to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Memphis soul style than folk.
Our drummer couldn’t hear the track as the others did – thus the producer enlisted one of his heroes to play it.
We looked at several producers, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he really understand where the band was at. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to work together. We removed all the synthesizers and effects pedals. 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 lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.
My best friend Marty and I had played in groups together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was returning in the Bay Area doing a series of shows. We went one of his performances and spent the night with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and wrote Mr Jones. It’s about me and Marty that evening, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the girls more easily.
I believe, it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. After playing Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record jumped dozens of positions each week for over a month. Afterwards, the song turned into a huge hit.
The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Memories
Back in the 80s, the band members were sharing a space in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and had an side project named Monks of Doom.
Returning home one night, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d just done with Bryson. He played me this song titled Mr Jones. It was done with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a video game or random noise, but his singing were on another level.
Once T Bone took over, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach back to basics influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.
Adam called me saying, “Listen, can you join us and play on this album?” By the time I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in LA’s Encino – previously used by Tito Jackson. There were instruments that Bob Dylan had recently used.
T Bone instructed me to perform behind the tempo the drums. His words were, “Playing too fast ahead of the drums makes you sound like an teenager hurrying.” He has a Texas drawl, and his guidance was to visualize relaxing on the console and chewing gum while playing.
The band was, in some ways, a reaction to the grunge movement. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the final act. At the time, many were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. That negativity had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something more human and sincere. Their music blended folk and rock 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. Absolutely incredible.
