(03) The Counting Crows - August And Everything After (1993)

Counting Crows is a rock band originating from Berkeley, California.
August and Everything After is the first commercially-released album, released September 14, 1993, featured the hit single "Mr. Jones". The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike & The Mechanics, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and The Band.
The album cover depicts handwritten lyrics to a song called "August and Everything After", but the band decided against featuring the song on the album of the same name; it wasn't until over a decade later that it was played as part of one of their live concerts. A live performance of the song can be viewed here.

Singer Adam Duritz (former member of the Bay Area band The Himalayans) and guitarist Dave Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991. As well as his experience in The Himalayans, Duritz had contributed to recordings by the Bay Area group Sordid Humor ("Barbarossa"), although he was never a member. Counting Crows began as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Another friend, guitarist David Immerglück played with them from time to time, though he was not an official member of the group, experimenting with other musicians in the area. As the emerging band recorded some demos, and later, as other musicians joined the duo to make a full band, Immerglück recorded with the others on some of the songs on their first album. He declined joining the band at the time, because of his membership in two other locally popular bands; Monks of Doom and Camper Van Beethoven. By 1993, the band had grown to a stable lineup of Duritz as vocalist, occasional pianist and primary songwriter, Bryson on guitar, Matt Malley playing bass guitar, Charlie Gillingham on keyboards and Steve Bowman, as drummer, and the band were regulars in the Bay Area scene. The same year, the band signed to Geffen Records. By January 16, 1993, the band, still relatively unknown, filled in for Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, and was introduced by an enthusiastic Robbie Robertson. At the ceremony, they played a cover of Van Morrison's "Caravan" that is available for free on some internet sites (www.AnnaBegins.com). They remain the only unknowns ever to play the ceremony.

All tracks written by Adam Duritz unless otherwise indicated.

Tracklist:
01 - "Round Here" (Duritz, Dave Janusko, Dan Jewett, Chris Roldan, David Bryson) – 5:32
02 - "Omaha" – 3:40
03 - "Mr. Jones" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:33
04 - "Perfect Blue Buildings" – 5:01
05 - "Anna Begins" (Duritz, Bryson, Marty Jones, Toby Hawkins, Lydia Holly) – 4:32
06 - "Time and Time Again" (Duritz, Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Steve Bowman, Don Dixon) – 5:13
07 - "Rain King" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:16
08 - "Sullivan Street" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:29
09 - "Ghost Train" – 4:01
10 - "Raining in Baltimore" – 4:41
11 - "A Murder of One" (Duritz, Bryson, Matt Malley) – 5:44

Length 51:42

Personnel
Matt Malley – bass, guitar, vocals
Charlie Gillingham – piano, Hammond B3 organ, accordion, Chamberlan, vocals
Adam Duritz – vocals, piano, harmonica
Steve Bowman – drums, vocals
David Bryson – guitars, vocals
Additional personnel
David Immerglück – guitars, mandolins, pedal steel guitar, mandocello, vocals
Bill Dillon – guitar, guitorgan
Denny Fongheiser – percussion, drums on 3
T-Bone Burnett – guitar
Gary Louris – backing vocals
Mark Olson – backing vocals
Maria McKee – backing vocals

Released: September 14, 1993 (1993-09-14)
Recorded: 1993, Los Angeles
Genre: Rock
Label: Geffen Records
Producer: T-Bone Burnett