bsr8j Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 The Counting Crows have always been one of my guilty pleasures and I think August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites both hold up really well a decade or more later. It's hard to believe they haven't put out a new album since Hard Candy, which came out in 2002. They're finally releasing a new album this year and it's called Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings. Side A (Saturday Nights) is the "heavier" side--as heavy as Counting Crows can get anyway. Side B (Sunday Mornings) is a lighter acoustic set. You can now download a song from each side on their website: http://www.countingcrows.com/digital45.html After a couple of listens, I like the new songs. "1492" might be a kind of grower song, but the parts of it I like remind me of the best parts of Recovering the Satellites. "When I Dream of Michelangelo" is more immediately likable and I love that it reminds me of the best thing the Counting Crows ever did: their VH1 Storytellers (released on Across a Wire with a "Live at the 10 Spot" full on electric show). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Just checked them out and I agree with your assessment. I'm not surprised they haven't put anything out since Hard Candy, because that album was awful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alison the wilca Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 i loved maybe 3 songs from hard candy and have always been a fan of the other stuff. i'll listen to these later but i really have low expectations... i hope i'm wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjfoas89 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Just so you know, 1492 was written for Hard Candy but never made the final cut, I have no idea why because it's not a bad track at all. Also I believe another track from Sunday Mornings, entitled Washington Square was written for or just after Hard Candy, so I'm looking forward to hearing new songs! Michelangelo is not bad though . I hope this new double CD is a return to form because they are a great band, and considering they've not had an album out in 6 years, you've gotta respect their commitment to keep going. Also Adam Duritz has written some of the best lyrics put to music over the past 15 years, or mostly 1993-1999 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I hope he got new, longer hair extensions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Counting Crows are a one album wonder for me. August was a big one in college for me. Every now and again I'll pull out the disc and give it a listen. It stills holds up more than a decade later. But their other stuff does nothing for me. Is Duritz still serial dating the cast of Friends? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I forget whose line it was in the grammy thread that year, but "Why's Sideshow Bob singing with the Counting Crows" is something I'm not likely to forget. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 i loved maybe 3 songs from hard candy and have always been a fan of the other stuff. i'll listen to these later but i really have low expectations... i hope i'm wrong. That's how it's been with every Counting Crows album for me except the first one--a few songs I love, a few songs I like, and a lot of songs that are just sort of boring. It's disappointing that they're so inconsistent, because they can be really good sometimes (I'm thinking of songs like Up All Night and Holiday In Spain off Hard Candy, for instance). I loved them for awhile when I was in my late teens, but I got bored with them. How many songs can Adam Duritz get away with writing about how he can't sleep? Also, from what I've heard, this won't be a double album. I think it's a single disc broken into two sections. I like the concept, though I don't really care for either of these songs. I hope this leaks, because if I heard the whole thing and liked enough of it, I might just be willing to give Counting Crows one last chance, but I don't know if I'd buy it without hearing more of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alison the wilca Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 he does seem to write about the same stuff over and over again... but i sort of like that. its like theres a singular theme through all his music. its kind of cool to see how different sings relate to each other. if you like the songs, that is. mrs potter's lullabye may be in my top 10 songs ever. it really gets me every time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 They seem to get a lot of shit, I don't really see why. I have always loved their stuff, even an album like Hard Candy which was a bit disjointed. As for the songs, I think they are pretty good. 1492 does feel like a "Recovering" track indeed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 These dudes actually played here where I live a while back. I think I have a couple of songs from their first album on a cdr. Sometimes, they make me think of the so-called faceless mid-western bands of the mid-to late 70s for some odd reason. I would think their chart-topping days are long past, just like Hootie & The Blowfish, or The Black Crowes for that matter, but yet they still have a audience and put out albums. And as a result - maybe they do what they want and don't bow to having to have hit songs. Wasn't Adam on a Ryan Adams album? Gold? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Sang on Answering Bell from Gold. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Sang on Answering Bell from Gold. Also, some of the tracks on the bonus cd - I think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 You have me there. I can't recall. I think C Crows have enough of a fanbase and a live audience that they just go out and make music and don't worry about hits or charts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Exactly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Oh right, you already said that. Don't mind me, I am battling a particularly crumbly piece of coffee cake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I don't mind the Counting Crows, but just don't ever go see them live. They may have the most annoying fan base on the planet. Think 22 year old drunk girls on their cell phones the entire show..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 yeah... not to mention that Duritz turns EVERY SINGLE FUCKING SONG into some spoken word shit. it's so god damn annoying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bsr8j Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Despite my love for their albums, I've never seen them live, mostly because I've never heard anything good about their live shows. And yet I love their Storytellers performance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 yeah... not to mention that Duritz turns EVERY SINGLE FUCKING SONG into some spoken word shit. it's so god damn annoying. Yup, that sucks too. I love Astral Weeks as much as the next guy, but Duritz takes it WAY too far! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 the last time i saw them (not by choice) was opening for The Who in 2003, yikes that was not pretty... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 the last time i saw them (not by choice) was opening for The Who in 2003, yikes that was not pretty... So, you are saying you won't get fooled again? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alison the wilca Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 i saw them at a 21 and up show in the palms casino in las vegas. not the most awesome crowd but not bad either. actually... everyone was pretty nice and no one even annoyed me the whole show, which is unusual. it wasn't phenomenal, but it was a good show and i don't recall any spoken word anything. i like when they mix tidbits of others of their songs together but i don't like it when adam repeats a line waaaaay too many times. i saw them again at bridge school in 2004 and it was a decent show, too. I still probably wouldn't pay to see then again, unless the price was very reasonable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 the last time i saw them (not by choice) was opening for The Who in 2003, yikes that was not pretty...Quite a pairing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I saw them once as well and Solace is right...he just goes on and on, half the time of the show was taken up with his prattling on instead of the actual songs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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