The Making of the Hit Song Mr Jones: The Way Counting Crows Crafted Their Iconic Track

Adam Duritz Recalls the Formative Period

The initial albums were primarily recorded in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a major milestone 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 classic red convertible and traveled to LA.

Each day, my routine included by listening to Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into country music. Also, I was into a jazz record 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 tape that we submitted to labels, but it proved a challenging track to complete. It lacked a solid grasp at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a straight ahead number; instead, it gallops along, requiring a deep understanding to perform. It’s soul music – more akin to the Stax Records style than folk.

The band’s drummer struggled to grasp the song as the others did – thus T Bone brought in one of his idols to play it.

We considered several producers, but when I spoke with the producer, he seemed to understand where the group was at. There was a lot of promise, but I wasn’t satisfied with our sound – we hadn’t learned how to work together. Eliminated all the synths and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone called in a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s heroes, to lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was hard on Steve at the time.

My best friend Marty and I had played in groups together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was returning in the Bay Area doing a tour. Attended one of his performances and hung out with the flamenco troupe visiting bars. Next day, I went home and composed Mr Jones. It’s about me and Marty that night, dreaming we were accomplished artists so we could talk to the women more confidently.

I believe, it’s one of the best pieces I’ve ever written. After playing Round Here on SNL in 1994, the record jumped 40 spots each week for five or six weeks. Following that, the song turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Perspective

Back in the 80s, Adam, David Bryson, and I were sharing a space in a warehouse complex in Berkeley. I had been playing with another band and had an offshoot band named Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d created with the guitarist. He played me this track titled the now-famous tune. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or random noise, but his singing were exceptional.

Once T Bone got involved, it was a total reinvention of Counting Crows. The approach back to basics influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam asking, “Hey, man, can you join us and play on this record?” By the time I arrived, T Bone had relocated us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – previously used by Tito Jackson. There were guitars that Bob Dylan had recently used.

He instructed me to play my guitar slightly behind the beat. He said, “Playing too fast before the drums comes off like an teenager rushing.” He has a Texas drawl, and his advice was to imagine relaxing on the mixing board and chewing gum during the performance.

The band was, in some ways, a reaction to the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain’s death seemed the culmination. At the time, everyone used heroin. The aim was self-destruction, not mind expansion. The nihilism had gone too far, and the trend shifted toward something more human and heartfelt. Counting Crows blended acoustic and electric with a heavy dose of Van Morrison soul.

The song remains timeless. On stage, when performing with the singer, I recall that time when he first shared the early version. Absolutely incredible.