Management: Steven Jensen & Martin Kirkup, Direct Management Group Inc.
Creative Direction: Robin Sloane
Art Direction: Larry Vigon
Design: Larry Vigon & Brian Jackson
Photography: Michael Tighe
Second engineers: Brant Scott and Mark Guilbeault
Additional engineers: Howard Willing, Robert Hart and Steve Holroyd
Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded in the living room of our big house on a hill in Los Angeles.
Overdubs at Kiva West Recording Studios, Conway Recording Studios, Village Recorders, Sunset Sound, Los Angeles
Mixed at Ocean Way Recording Studios, Los Angeles
Counting Crows: Matt Malley: bass, guitar and vocals Charlie Gillingham: piano, hammond B-3 organ, accordion, chamberlain and vocals Adam Duritz: vocals, piano and harmonica Steve Bowman: drums and vocals David Bryson: guitars and vocals
Additional musicians:
David Immerglück: guitars, mandolins, pedal steel guitar, mandocello and vocals
Bill Dillon: guitar and guitorgan
Denny Fongheiser: percussion, drums on "Mr. Jones"
T-Bone Burnett: guitar
Gary Louris: background vocals
Mark Olson: background vocals
Maria McKee: background vocals
Mark Olson and Gary Louris appear courtesy of Def American Recordings, Inc.
Maria McKee appears courtesy of Geffen Records, Inc.
David Immerglück appears with special thanks to Monks of Doom and IRS Records
Submitted correction to change to international (If both cat# and barcode agree, then that'll just a bout do it I think).
One of my top 100 albums I'd have to say.
I know whatyou mean though Greg, you think: "Well, I've got it on the Hard drive, so don't really need the disc anymore... but personal attachment to it makes you keep it tucked away.
I played it through again yesterday through the big boxes... gets better every time I hear it.
A quick check reveals this has been issued in Israel/U.S.A./Europe with exactly the same Cat.No./barcode,so could do with changing to international.Both European variants were manufactured and printed in France.Good album,it's one of those which i can't quite bring myself to get rid of.
ReviewThis is one of those albums that has emerged from the 90s as being one of that decade's most enduring classics.
A strong seller at the time I recall, but largely drowned out in terms of media attention by all else that was happening in music then... The reason being that this is a straight "meat and potatoes" rock album, which doesn't, for that reason, align itself with any of the prevailing musical trends of which Counting Crows' contemporaries were "a part".
It is quite sparsely, but brilliantly produced arranged: essentially sounding like just a half dozen guys in a room playing straight through live, relying entirely on the strength of the brilliant songs, song-writing, and delivery. Adam Duritz stream of consciousness lyrics (and singing of those lyrics) largely just wash over you on first listen, and only on subsequent listens do you key into what he's singing, and how he's singing.
Anna Begins is a minor masterpiece, about a relationship where the chap is quite casual about the whole thing at the outset, but it meaning more to "Anna", and how this, over the course of the song, changes completely the other way, with her being exhausted by a non-committal partner, and him almost unconsciously becoming more and more in love with her... the punch line of each stage of the relationship being: "I'm not ready for that sort of thing"
...An uncomfortably true sentiment for many I should imagine.
But the other tracks here are equally brilliant, with Sullivan Street having an almost timeless quality about it... Rain King, and A Murder Of One are more vigorous, but this is one of those where you leave the skip button alone for the duration... brilliant throughout.
It will continue to appreciate as people like me, who had it first time around, find they can't really muster the energy or interest in the likes of Nirvana, or other of their contemporaries much anymore, and that "M" word: Maturity becomes a greater factor (I've heard!).
Over time, your ears, like satellite dishes begin to seek this album out even if your brain thinks otherwise, due to the strength of the tunes.
(Now try getting this on vinyl!!!)
- Regards this (And other) edition(s), the production and recording was so good at source, that I don't really think any re-mastered versions are really necessary, as this sounds great as it is. Maybe if they did versions with extra tracks, there may be reason to buy a new copy, but not in terms of sound quality -
Didn't realise, until I came to enter this on site, that it was a French copy... always assumed it was a UK or Europe, but as all components are made in France (Both disc and cover printed), I thought it best to enter it as French, and maybe later it could be changed accordingly if necessary.
(Odd then, that if it is dedicated French copy, that it should be printed in all English text, unless this is some kind of European standardisation of language for CDs (?))
Personally I suspect that other copies may be posted with identical cat# and barcode, but printed ad manufactured elsewhere, so I'll leave the decision to the consensus of others when that occurs.