The Lead Singer Remembers the Early Days
The initial albums were mostly produced in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a significant milestone for the band, as it was their inaugural release on a large record company. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to buy a classic red convertible and drove it to LA.
Every morning, I would start by playing a Poco track, which resembles the Beatles exploring American folk. Also, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my father had picked up as a free giveaway at a gas station during my childhood.
Mr Jones was included on a demo that we submitted to labels, but it proved a very difficult song to complete. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a leisurely tune nor a straight ahead number; instead, it moves with a rhythm, requiring a deep understanding to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Memphis soul sound than country.
Our drummer struggled to grasp the song like the others did – thus the producer enlisted one of his idols to play it.
We looked at a few producers, but when I spoke with the producer, he really get where the group was headed. We had great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our sound – we were still learning how to work together. Eliminated all the synthesizers and guitar effects. The drummer couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so T Bone invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s heroes, to play on it. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.
Marty Jones and I performed in groups together prior to Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area performing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and hung out with the musicians bar-hopping. The next morning, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about me and Marty that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the girls more confidently.
I believe, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve composed. After playing Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record climbed dozens of positions each week for over a month. Afterwards, Mr Jones turned into a huge hit.
David Immerglück Shares His Perspective
In the late 1980s, the band members were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an offshoot band named Monks of Doom.
Returning home one night, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d created with the guitarist. I heard this track called the now-famous tune. It was done with a basic drum machine that resembled a video game or random noise, but his singing were on another level.
Once T Bone took over, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.
Adam called me saying, “Listen, can you come down and play on this album?” When I arrived, the producer had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by a Jackson 5 member. There were instruments that Dylan had recently used.
He told me to perform slightly behind the beat. His words were, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent rushing.” With his southern accent, and his advice was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and staying casual during the performance.
Counting Crows was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain seemed the final act. At the time, many were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not mind expansion. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something more human and heartfelt. Counting Crows blended folk and rock with a strong influence of soulful vibes.
The song never gets old. Sometimes, when performing with the singer, I recall that time when he played me the demo. Absolutely incredible.
