The Creation of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Crafted Their Defining Track

Adam Duritz Recalls the Formative Period

Our first albums were primarily produced in houses located in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a major milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a large record company. Each member got an advance of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Each day, I would start by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which resembles the Beatles exploring country music. Also, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my dad had picked up as a complimentary item at a Texaco station when I was young.

The song Mr Jones was part of a demo tape that we sent to record companies, but it proved a challenging track to finish. We didn’t have a solid grasp at first. It’s not a slow ballad nor a straight ahead rock song; rather, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to play. The style is soulful – closer to the Memphis soul sound than folk.

Our drummer couldn’t hear the track like the rest of us did – thus the producer brought in one of his heroes to play it.

We looked at several production candidates, but when I discussed things with the producer, he seemed to get where the band was at. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our sound – we were still learning how to be a band. Eliminated all the synths and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the song’s rhythm, so T Bone called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. It’s a funny story, but it was hard on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I performed in bands together before Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the San Francisco area doing a tour. Attended one of his shows and spent the night with the musicians visiting bars. Next day, I went home and wrote the song. The lyrics reflect me and Marty that night, wishing we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the women more easily.

I believe, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. We performed Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the album climbed 40 spots each week for five or six weeks. Afterwards, Mr Jones turned into a huge hit.

David Immerglück Recalls His Memories

Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were sharing a space in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and had an side project named Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. I heard this song titled Mr Jones. It was done with a basic drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his vocals 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, “Hey, man, can you come down and play on this record?” By the time I got there, the producer had moved us to a studio in LA’s Encino – formerly used by Tito Jackson. There were guitars that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone instructed me to play my guitar slightly behind the beat. His words were, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an teenager rushing.” With his Texas drawl, and his guidance was to visualize putting your feet up on the console and chewing gum 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, everyone used heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had reached an extreme, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Counting Crows blended acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

Mr Jones remains timeless. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I recall that time when he first shared the demo. Absolutely incredible.