The Creation of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Developed Their Iconic Track

Adam Duritz Recalls the Early Days

Our first albums were primarily produced in houses situated in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After marked a significant step for the group, as it was their inaugural release on a major label. We each got an upfront payment of $3,000; with it, I to buy a classic red convertible and drove it 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 was into a Benny Goodman album that my father had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

The song Mr Jones was part of a demo that we submitted to labels, but it proved a very difficult song to finish. It lacked a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a straight ahead number; rather, it gallops along, requiring a real feel to play. It’s soul music – more akin to the Memphis soul style than country.

The band’s drummer couldn’t hear the track as the rest of us did – thus T Bone brought in one of his heroes to play it.

We looked at several production candidates, but when I spoke with the producer, he seemed to understand where the band was at. 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 synthesizers and guitar effects. The drummer had trouble with the tempo, so T Bone invited Denny Fongheiser, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. It’s a funny story, but it was tough on Steve at the time.

Marty Jones and I performed in bands together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the San Francisco area doing a series of shows. Attended 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 night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could connect with the women more confidently.

I believe, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. We performed Round Here on SNL in 1994, the album jumped 40 spots each week for over a month. Following that, the song became a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Memories

In the late 1980s, the band members were living together in a industrial building in Berkeley. I had been playing with Camper Van Beethoven and was in an side project named Monks of Doom.

One evening, Adam had a fresh recording he’d created with the guitarist. I heard this track called the now-famous tune. It was done with a basic drum machine that resembled a video game or random noise, but his singing were exceptional.

Once T Bone got involved, it felt like a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach toward roots influenced by folk and soul legends.

I got a call from Adam saying, “Listen, can you come down and play on this record?” When I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a recording space in LA’s Encino – formerly used by a Jackson 5 member. There were instruments that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone instructed me to perform slightly behind the drums. He said, “If you rush ahead of the drums makes you sound like an adolescent rushing.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine putting your feet up on the console and chewing gum during the performance.

The band was, in some ways, a response to the grunge movement. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the culmination. Back then, everyone used heroin. The aim was self-destruction, not mind expansion. That negativity had gone too far, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Their music blended acoustic and electric with a heavy dose of soulful vibes.

Mr Jones never gets old. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that time when he played me the demo. It’s insane.