The Story of Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Crafted Their Iconic Track

Adam Duritz Shares the Beginnings

The initial albums were primarily recorded in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. August and Everything After signified a major step for the group, as it was their first release on a major label. Each member received an advance of $3,000; with it, I to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and drove it to LA.

Every morning, I would start by playing a Poco track, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into country music. Also, I frequently played a Benny Goodman album that my dad had picked up as a complimentary item at a gas station when I was young.

Mr Jones was included on a demo that we sent to record companies, but it proved a challenging track to complete. It lacked a clear direction at first. It’s not a slow ballad nor a fast-paced number; instead, it moves with a rhythm, demanding a real feel to play. It’s soul music – more akin to the Memphis soul sound than folk.

Our drummer struggled to grasp the track like the rest of us did – thus T Bone enlisted one of his idols to play it.

We considered several production candidates, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he really understand where the band was headed. We had great potential, but I didn’t like with our overall tone – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. We removed all the synths and effects pedals. The drummer had trouble with the tempo, so the producer called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to play on it. It’s a funny story, but it was hard on Steve back then.

Marty Jones and I performed in groups together prior to Counting Crows. His father, a flamenco musician, had made it in Spain and was back in the Bay Area performing a series of shows. Attended one of his performances and spent the night with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. Next day, I went home and wrote the song. It’s about me and Marty that evening, wishing we were cool musicians so we could talk to the women more confidently.

I believe, it’s among the finest pieces I’ve composed. We performed another track on SNL in 1994, the record climbed 40 spots each week for over a month. Afterwards, Mr Jones turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Recalls His Perspective

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

One evening, I found Adam with a fresh recording he’d created with Bryson. He played me this song called Mr Jones. Recorded with a Dr Rhythm pocket drum machine that resembled a arcade sound or random noise, but his vocals were exceptional.

Once T Bone took over, it was a complete transformation of Counting Crows. The approach back to basics echoing Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam asking, “Listen, can you join us and play on this album?” When I arrived, the producer had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by Tito Jackson. Inside, we found guitars that Dylan had recently used.

T Bone told me to perform behind the tempo the beat. His words were, “If you rush ahead of the drums comes off like an teenager rushing.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to visualize putting your feet up on the mixing board and staying casual while playing.

The band was, in some ways, a response to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the culmination. At the time, everyone were on heroin. The aim was obliteration, not enlightenment. That negativity had reached an extreme, and the trend shifted toward something more human and heartfelt. Their music combined acoustic and electric with a strong influence of soulful vibes.

The song never gets old. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I remember that moment when he played me the early version. It’s insane.