The Story of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Crafted Their Signature Anthem

Adam Duritz Remembers the Formative Period

The initial four records were mostly recorded in houses located in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a major milestone for the group, as it was their inaugural 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 playing a Poco track, which sounds like the Beatles exploring American folk. Additionally, I frequently played a jazz record that my father had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station during my childhood.

Mr Jones was part of a demo that we sent to record companies, but it was a challenging song to complete. It lacked a clear direction at first. It’s not a slow ballad or a straight ahead rock song; rather, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to play. It’s soul music – more akin to the Stax Records sound than folk.

Our drummer struggled to grasp the song as the others did – so the producer enlisted one of his idols to play it.

We considered a few production candidates, but when I discussed things with T Bone Burnett, he seemed to get where the band was headed. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our sound – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman had trouble with the tempo, so T Bone invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I performed in groups together before Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was back in the Bay Area doing a series of shows. Attended one of his shows and hung out with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about our experience that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the girls more confidently.

In my view, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve ever written. We performed another track on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the album climbed 40 spots each week for over a month. Following that, Mr Jones turned into a huge hit.

David Immerglück Shares His Perspective

Back in the 80s, the band members were living together in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and was in an side project called Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a fresh recording he’d just done with the guitarist. He played me this track titled the now-famous tune. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or popcorn popping, but his vocals were on another level.

After the producer got involved, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach back to basics echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

Adam called me asking, “Listen, can you join us and contribute to this record?” When I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – previously used by a Jackson 5 member. There were guitars that Dylan had recently used.

He told me to perform behind the tempo the drums. His words were, “If you rush before the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to visualize putting your feet up on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

The band was, in some ways, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the final act. Back then, everyone were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not mind expansion. The nihilism had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something more human and heartfelt. Counting Crows blended acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

The song never gets old. Sometimes, when performing with the singer, I remember that moment when he played me the demo. It’s insane.