| Counting Crows |
| This Desert Life |
Counting Crows — This Desert Life
♠ Bay Area folk–rockers whose quirky nature made them alternative figureheads during the mid–'90s.
Formed: August, 1991 in San Francisco, CA
Location: Berkeley, CA ~~ Greenwich Village, NYC
Album release: November 2, 1999
Record Label: DGC/Geffen Records
Duration: 59:50
Tracks:
01. Hanginaround 4:07
02. Mrs. Potter's Lullaby 7:46
03. Amy Hit The Atmosphere 4:37
04. Four Days 3:28
05. All My Friends 4:49
06. High Life 6:21
07. Colorblind 3:24
08. I Wish I Was A Girl 5:54
09. Speedway 3:44
10. St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream 15:40
℗ 2008 Geffen Records
AWARDS:
Billboard Albums
♠ 1999 This Desert Life The Billboard 200 #8
♠ 1999 This Desert Life Top Canadian Albums #8
♠ 1999 This Desert Life Top Internet Albums #3
Billboard Singles
♠ 2000 Hangin' around Top 40 Adult Recurrents #3
♠ 2000 Mrs. Potter s Lullaby Adult Top 40 #40
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Adult Top 40 #5
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Mainstream Rock #37
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Modern Rock Tracks #17
♠ 1999 Hanginaround The Billboard Hot 100 #22
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Top 40 Mainstream #21
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Top 40 Tracks #19
CREDITS:
♠ David Bryson Composer, Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Ac+El), Slide Guitar
♠ Eve Butler Violin
♠ David Campbell Arranger, Conductor, Orchestration, Strings
♠ Jim Champagne Engineer
♠ Joe Chiccarelli Engineer, Recording
♠ Larry Corbett Cello
♠ Gary Derosa Vocals (Background)
♠ Joel Derouin Violin
♠ Adam Duritz Art Direction, Composer, Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
♠ Matthew Funes Viola
♠ Charlie Gillingham Chamberlin Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Mellotron, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer, Vocals
♠ Richard Hasal Engineer
♠ Dennis Herring Keyboards, Loops, Mixing, Producer
♠ David Immerglück Bass, Guitar (Electric), Mandolin, Pedal Steel
♠ Clay Jones Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin
♠ Ok Hee Kim Engineer
♠ David Lowery Producer, Vocals (Background)
♠ Bob Ludwig Mastering
♠ Matt Malley Bass, Composer, Guitar (12 String), Vocals
♠ Dave McKean Art Direction, Illustrations
♠ Bill Merryfield Art Direction, Creative Director
♠ Ben Mize Composer, Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
♠ Martin Pradler Engineer
♠ Jack Joseph Puig Mixing
♠ Rocky Schenck Photography
♠ Jim Scott Mixing
♠ Chris Seefried Vocals (Background)
♠ Jeff Sheehan Engineer
♠ Janette Sheridan Production Coordination
♠ August Cinjun Tate Vocals (Background)
♠ Dan Vickrey Composer, Guitar (Ac+El), Sitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Product Description
♠ All Songs Were Written By The Band. Produced By David Lowery (Sparklehorse) & David Herring (Throwing Muses.) Includes Extra Track Not On the US Version.
Amazon.com
♠ Two years in the making, This Desert Life is the kind of collection that will please the Counting Crows faithful and leave doubters unconverted. Adam Duritz's recognizably emotive vocals and the group's classic–rock stylings remain in the fore as the Crows stick near the nest with their third studio outing. The Mellencamp–like opener, "Hanginaround," is one of the strongest tunes here, thanks to its laid–back passion and catchy piano and percussive elements. The familiar feeling "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is another lively offering, but at nearly eight minutes it's too long. The emotional, Van Morrison–like lament "All My Friends" feels self–pitying, while the balance of the album is simply bland. The sound is appealing (witness the spare "Colorblind" and the waltzing "Amy Hit the Atmosphere"), but This Desert Life is, on the whole, rather dry. — Katherine Turman
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine; Score: ****
♠ It's likely that critics and listeners will consider Counting Crows' long–delayed third album, This Desert Life, another retro effort by a traditionalist band, but it's actually their most individual and finest album yet. All the familiar elements are in place, from Adam Duritz's impassioned vocals and cryptic lyrics to the jangling instrumentation, but the laments gel better than ever before. Part of it undoubtedly has to do with David Lowery and Dennis Herring's organic production, which keeps the rough edges in place, helping the music to breathe, but the real success of the record is due to the band themselves, who have matured gracefully. They may have spent a long time recording this album, but the music feels natural and immediate. Upon closer inspection, the craft really shines through. The songs are tight, with strong hooks on the choruses, and nice, memorable melody lines; the arrangements may be earthy, but they're never cluttered. Most importantly, Duritz has reigned in his tendency to overwrite and over–emote, turning in his best sets of songs to date. But the best thing about This Desert Life is that it holds together as a cohesive album while providing the best individual songs in the band's catalog. And that just doesn't mean the best singles, although "Hanginaround" is their finest uptempo number to date; the album tracks are consistently compelling, ranging from the winding narrative of "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" to the measured ballad "Speedway." These subtle differences — the confident performances, cohesion, and assured songwriting — add up Counting Crows' strongest album to date. They may still recall rock giants, but only in the best possible way — by crafting an album that ebbs and flows like the best classic rock records. :: http://www.allmusic.com/
Website: http://countingcrows.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/countingcrows
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/countingcrows?_rdr
_____________________________________________________________
| Counting Crows |
| This Desert Life |
♠ Bay Area folk–rockers whose quirky nature made them alternative figureheads during the mid–'90s.
Formed: August, 1991 in San Francisco, CA
Location: Berkeley, CA ~~ Greenwich Village, NYC
Album release: November 2, 1999
Record Label: DGC/Geffen Records
Duration: 59:50
Tracks:
01. Hanginaround 4:07
02. Mrs. Potter's Lullaby 7:46
03. Amy Hit The Atmosphere 4:37
04. Four Days 3:28
05. All My Friends 4:49
06. High Life 6:21
07. Colorblind 3:24
08. I Wish I Was A Girl 5:54
09. Speedway 3:44
10. St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream 15:40
℗ 2008 Geffen Records
AWARDS:
Billboard Albums
♠ 1999 This Desert Life The Billboard 200 #8
♠ 1999 This Desert Life Top Canadian Albums #8
♠ 1999 This Desert Life Top Internet Albums #3
Billboard Singles
♠ 2000 Hangin' around Top 40 Adult Recurrents #3
♠ 2000 Mrs. Potter s Lullaby Adult Top 40 #40
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Adult Top 40 #5
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Mainstream Rock #37
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Modern Rock Tracks #17
♠ 1999 Hanginaround The Billboard Hot 100 #22
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Top 40 Mainstream #21
♠ 1999 Hanginaround Top 40 Tracks #19
CREDITS:
♠ David Bryson Composer, Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Ac+El), Slide Guitar
♠ Eve Butler Violin
♠ David Campbell Arranger, Conductor, Orchestration, Strings
♠ Jim Champagne Engineer
♠ Joe Chiccarelli Engineer, Recording
♠ Larry Corbett Cello
♠ Gary Derosa Vocals (Background)
♠ Joel Derouin Violin
♠ Adam Duritz Art Direction, Composer, Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
♠ Matthew Funes Viola
♠ Charlie Gillingham Chamberlin Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Mellotron, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer, Vocals
♠ Richard Hasal Engineer
♠ Dennis Herring Keyboards, Loops, Mixing, Producer
♠ David Immerglück Bass, Guitar (Electric), Mandolin, Pedal Steel
♠ Clay Jones Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mandolin
♠ Ok Hee Kim Engineer
♠ David Lowery Producer, Vocals (Background)
♠ Bob Ludwig Mastering
♠ Matt Malley Bass, Composer, Guitar (12 String), Vocals
♠ Dave McKean Art Direction, Illustrations
♠ Bill Merryfield Art Direction, Creative Director
♠ Ben Mize Composer, Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
♠ Martin Pradler Engineer
♠ Jack Joseph Puig Mixing
♠ Rocky Schenck Photography
♠ Jim Scott Mixing
♠ Chris Seefried Vocals (Background)
♠ Jeff Sheehan Engineer
♠ Janette Sheridan Production Coordination
♠ August Cinjun Tate Vocals (Background)
♠ Dan Vickrey Composer, Guitar (Ac+El), Sitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Product Description
♠ All Songs Were Written By The Band. Produced By David Lowery (Sparklehorse) & David Herring (Throwing Muses.) Includes Extra Track Not On the US Version.
Amazon.com
♠ Two years in the making, This Desert Life is the kind of collection that will please the Counting Crows faithful and leave doubters unconverted. Adam Duritz's recognizably emotive vocals and the group's classic–rock stylings remain in the fore as the Crows stick near the nest with their third studio outing. The Mellencamp–like opener, "Hanginaround," is one of the strongest tunes here, thanks to its laid–back passion and catchy piano and percussive elements. The familiar feeling "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is another lively offering, but at nearly eight minutes it's too long. The emotional, Van Morrison–like lament "All My Friends" feels self–pitying, while the balance of the album is simply bland. The sound is appealing (witness the spare "Colorblind" and the waltzing "Amy Hit the Atmosphere"), but This Desert Life is, on the whole, rather dry. — Katherine Turman
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine; Score: ****
♠ It's likely that critics and listeners will consider Counting Crows' long–delayed third album, This Desert Life, another retro effort by a traditionalist band, but it's actually their most individual and finest album yet. All the familiar elements are in place, from Adam Duritz's impassioned vocals and cryptic lyrics to the jangling instrumentation, but the laments gel better than ever before. Part of it undoubtedly has to do with David Lowery and Dennis Herring's organic production, which keeps the rough edges in place, helping the music to breathe, but the real success of the record is due to the band themselves, who have matured gracefully. They may have spent a long time recording this album, but the music feels natural and immediate. Upon closer inspection, the craft really shines through. The songs are tight, with strong hooks on the choruses, and nice, memorable melody lines; the arrangements may be earthy, but they're never cluttered. Most importantly, Duritz has reigned in his tendency to overwrite and over–emote, turning in his best sets of songs to date. But the best thing about This Desert Life is that it holds together as a cohesive album while providing the best individual songs in the band's catalog. And that just doesn't mean the best singles, although "Hanginaround" is their finest uptempo number to date; the album tracks are consistently compelling, ranging from the winding narrative of "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" to the measured ballad "Speedway." These subtle differences — the confident performances, cohesion, and assured songwriting — add up Counting Crows' strongest album to date. They may still recall rock giants, but only in the best possible way — by crafting an album that ebbs and flows like the best classic rock records. :: http://www.allmusic.com/
Website: http://countingcrows.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/countingcrows
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/countingcrows?_rdr
_____________________________________________________________