The Story of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Developed Their Defining Track

Adam Duritz Recalls the Formative Period

The initial four records were mostly recorded in homes situated in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a significant milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a large record company. Each member received an advance of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Each day, my routine included by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles venturing into country music. Additionally, I frequently played a jazz record that my dad had acquired as a complimentary item at a gas station during my childhood.

Mr Jones was included on a demo that we sent to labels, but it proved a challenging song to complete. We didn’t have a clear direction at first. Neither a leisurely tune nor a fast-paced rock song; rather, it moves with a rhythm, demanding a deep understanding to play. It’s soul music – closer to the Memphis soul style than country.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the song as the rest of us did – so T Bone brought in one of his heroes to perform on it.

We looked at several production candidates, but when I spoke with the producer, he seemed to understand where the band was headed. We had great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to work together. Eliminated all the synthesizers and guitar effects. 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. It’s a funny story, but it was hard on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I had played in groups together before Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the Bay Area doing a series of shows. Attended one of his performances and spent the night with the musicians bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and wrote the song. The lyrics reflect our experience that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more confidently.

I believe, it’s one of the best songs I’ve composed. We performed Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record jumped 40 spots weekly for over a month. Afterwards, the song became a major success.

David Immerglück Shares His Perspective

In the late 1980s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were living together in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and had an side project called Monks of Doom.

One evening, I found Adam with a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. He played me this track called the now-famous tune. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his vocals were exceptional.

Once T Bone got involved, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. They shifted toward roots echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

Adam called me asking, “Listen, can you join us and play on this record?” By the time I arrived, the producer had moved us to a studio in LA’s Encino – formerly used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found guitars that Dylan had recently used.

He told me to play my guitar behind the tempo the drums. His words were, “Playing too fast ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent hurrying.” With his southern accent, and his advice was to imagine relaxing on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

The band was, to an extent, a response to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the culmination. Back then, many used heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something more human and sincere. Counting Crows blended folk and rock with a heavy dose of Van Morrison soul.

Mr Jones remains timeless. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with Adam, I recall that moment when he first shared the early version. Absolutely incredible.