Counting Crows became big stars with the folk rock grooves and emotional expressiveness of these somber stories. Adam Duritz and David Bryson started the group as an acoustic duo and gradually brought in new members to record tracks that were later compiled as 'Flying Demos'. The demos and their building reputation as a live act around the bay area led to a deal with Geffen Records.
'August and Everything After' features Matt Malley on bass guitar, guitar, and vocals; Charlie Gillingham on piano, Hammond B3 organ, accordion, Chamberlin, and vocals; Adam Duritz on vocals, piano, and harmonica; Steve Bowman on drums and vocals; and David Bryson on guitars and vocals; with David Immerglück on guitars, mandolins, pedal steel guitar, mandocello, and vocals; Bill Dillon on guitar and guitorgan; Denny Fongheiser on percussion and drums; T-Bone Burnett on guitar and production; and Gary Louris, Mark Olson, and Maria McKee on backing vocals.
'August and Everything After' became a huge success, going to number fifty-eight in the Netherlands, fifty-six in Germany, twenty-four in Austria and Ireland, twenty-two in Sweden, sixteen in the UK, twelve in Australia and New Zealand, four in the US, and number two in Canada. It sold over fourteen million copies and made front man Duritz a celebrity: “Becoming famous made it a big issue being me. I couldn’t talk to anyone any more...Those songs aren’t even about the girls. In 'Anna Begins' Anna is a character, but really the song is not about me and her, it’s just about me. They are all just about me...I thought my songs were so personal on that record that no one else would be able to relate to them; but it turns out that the personal details you give make it much richer for everyone else.”
"Mr. Jones" went to forty-nine in New Zealand, forty-two in the Netherlands, twenty-eight in the UK, twenty-seven in Austria, thirteen in Australia, and number five in the US.
Sha la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh
Uh, huh
I was down at the New Amsterdam
Starin' at this yellow-haired girl
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation
With a black-haired flamenco dancer
You know, she dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful, we all want something beautiful
Man, I wish I was beautiful
So come dance this silence down through the mornin'
Sha la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Yeah
Uh, huh
Yeah
Cut up, Maria
Show me some of them Spanish dances
Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones
Believe in me
Help me believe in anything
'Cause I, I wanna be someone who believes
Yeah
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 is looking at me
Smilin' in the bright lights
Comin' through in stereo
When everybody loves you
You can never be lonely
Well I'm a paint my picture
Paint myself in blue, red, black and gray
All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful
Yeah, well you know, gray is my favorite color
I felt so symbolic yesterday
If I knew Picasso
I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
Mr. Jones and me look into the future
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you I don't think so, she's looking at me
Standin' in the spotlight
I bought myself a gray guitar
When everybody loves me
I will never be lonely
I will never be lonely
Said I'm never gonna be lonely
I wanna be a lion
Ah, everybody wanna pass as cats
We all wanna be big, big stars
Yeah, but we got different reasons for that
Believe in me 'cause I don't believe in anything
And I, I wanna be someone to believe
To believe, to believe
Yeah
Mr. Jones and me stumbling through the Barrio
Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women
She's perfect for you
Man, there's got to be somebody for me
I wanna be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody love you
Ah son, that's just about as funky as you can be
Mr. Jones and me starin' at the video
When I look at the television
I wanna see me starin' right back at me
We all wanna be big stars
But we don't know why and we don't know how
But when everybody loves me
I wanna be just about as happy as I can be
Mr. Jones and me, we're gonna be big stars
'August and Everything After'
full abum:
"Round Here" (Duritz, Dave Janusko, Dan Jewett, Chris Roldan, David Bryson) – 5:32
"Omaha" (Duritz) – 3:40
"Mr. Jones" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:33
"Perfect Blue Buildings" (Duritz) – 5:01
"Anna Begins" (Duritz, Bryson, Marty Jones, Toby Hawkins, Lydia Holly) – 4:32
"Time and Time Again" (Duritz, Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Steve Bowman, Don Dixon) – 5:13
"Rain King" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:16
"Sullivan Street" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:29
"Ghost Train" (Duritz) – 4:01
"Raining in Baltimore" (Duritz) – 4:41
"A Murder of One" (Duritz, Bryson, Matt Malley) – 5:44
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