The Creation of Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Produced Their Defining Anthem

Adam Duritz Shares the Formative Period

The initial four records were mostly produced in homes situated in the hills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a significant milestone for the band, as it was their first release on a major label. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; I used mine to buy a classic red convertible and drove it to LA.

Every morning, my routine included by playing a Poco track, which sounds like the Beatles exploring country music. Additionally, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my father had acquired as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was included on a demo that we sent to record companies, but it proved a challenging song to finish. It lacked a clear direction at first. It’s not a slow ballad or a straight ahead number; rather, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to perform. The style is soulful – more akin to the Stax Records sound than country.

Our drummer couldn’t hear the track like the others did – thus the producer enlisted one of his idols to perform on it.

We considered several producers, but when I discussed things with the producer, he seemed to understand where the group was headed. There was a lot of promise, but I didn’t like with our sound – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman had trouble with the tempo, so the producer invited Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was tough on Steve back then.

Marty Jones and I had played in groups together before Counting Crows. His father, David Serva, had made it in Spain and was returning in the San Francisco area doing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and spent the night with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. The next morning, I returned and wrote the song. It’s about me and Marty that evening, wishing we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the women more confidently.

In my view, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve ever written. After playing another track on SNL in 1994, the album climbed dozens of positions weekly for five or six weeks. Afterwards, Mr Jones became a major success.

David Immerglück Shares His Perspective

Back in the 80s, the band members were living together in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and had an offshoot band called 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. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, 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 folk and soul legends.

Adam called me saying, “Listen, can you join us and play on this album?” When I got there, T Bone had moved us to a recording space in LA’s Encino – formerly used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found instruments that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone told me to perform behind the tempo the drums. He said, “Playing too fast ahead of the drums comes off like an adolescent rushing.” With his southern accent, and his guidance was to visualize putting your feet up on the console and staying casual during the performance.

Counting Crows was, in some ways, a response to the grunge movement. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the culmination. At the time, many used heroin. The aim was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something emotional and sincere. Counting Crows combined folk and rock with a strong influence of soulful vibes.

The song never gets old. Sometimes, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that moment when he first shared the demo. Absolutely incredible.