The Story of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Developed Their Defining Anthem
The Lead Singer Shares the Beginnings
Our first four records were mostly recorded in homes situated in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album signified a major milestone for the group, as it was their first release on a major label. Each member received an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to purchase 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 sounds like the Beatles exploring American folk. Additionally, I was into a jazz record that my father had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.
Mr Jones was part of a demo that we submitted to record companies, but it proved a challenging track to complete. We didn’t have a clear direction at first. Neither a slow ballad nor a straight ahead rock song; rather, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to play. It’s soul music – more akin to the Stax Records style than country.
Our drummer couldn’t hear the track as the others did – thus T Bone brought in one of his heroes to perform on it.
We considered a few production candidates, but when I discussed things with the producer, he seemed to get where the band was headed. There was a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our overall tone – we were still learning how to work together. Eliminated all the synthesizers and guitar effects. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync 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 at the time.
My best friend Marty and I performed in bands together before Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the Bay Area performing a series of shows. We went one of his shows and hung out with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and composed the song. It’s about me and Marty that evening, wishing we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more confidently.
I believe, it’s among the finest songs I’ve ever written. After playing Round Here on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record climbed dozens of positions each week for five or six weeks. Afterwards, the song became a major success.
David ImmerglĂĽck Recalls His Perspective
Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were sharing a space in a industrial building in Berkeley. Previously, I performed with another band and had an offshoot band called Monks of Doom.
Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d just done with the guitarist. He played me this song titled the now-famous tune. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that sounded like a video game or popcorn popping, but his singing were on another level.
Once T Bone got involved, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics influenced by folk and soul legends.
Adam called me saying, “Hey, man, can you come down and play on this album?” When I got there, T Bone had moved us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by Tito Jackson. There were guitars that Bob Dylan had recently used.
T Bone instructed me to perform slightly behind the drums. He said, “Playing too fast before the drums comes off like an adolescent hurrying.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine relaxing on the console and chewing gum while playing.
Counting Crows was, in some ways, a reaction to grunge. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the culmination. At the time, everyone were on heroin. The goal was self-destruction, not enlightenment. The nihilism had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something more human and sincere. Counting Crows combined folk and rock with a strong influence of soulful vibes.
Mr Jones remains timeless. Sometimes, when performing with Adam, I remember that moment when he first shared the early version. Absolutely incredible.