Published on Nov 1, 1997
August & Everything After was a surprise success in
1993, and as a result Counting Crows became an “overnight
sensation,” largely on the strength of the mammoth hit “Mr. Jones.”
Ironically, the upbeat “Mr. Jones” was a stark contrast to the rest
of the album, which consisted of mellow grooves that were at once
easy to listen to and quietly unsettling. Obviously indebted to Van
Morrison and The Band,
August & Everything After offered consistently earthy,
somber musings about everyday life, and singer Adam Duritz’s (to
some an acquired taste, to others a unique, fresh new voice)
longings and desires dominated the album. Though their debut was
eminently soulful and consistently satisfying, it had a too similar
tone throughout, and I was hoping to see more variety on album
number two from this highly promising band.
After three long years, in 1996 Counting Crows finally returned
with their highly anticipated second release,
Recovering The Satellites. It sold well, unlike many recent
sophomore albums (Gin Blossoms, Blind Melon, Weezer, and Hootie and
The Blowfish are just a few recent victims of the sophomore jinx),
if not as stratospherically as the debut. Although there’s a great
album in here somewhere, ultimately Counting Crows fall victim to
their own ambitions.
The band has updated their sound (whereas
August And Everything After had a retro 70’s feel; perhaps
producer Gil Norton can take some credit for this) and
Recovering The Satellites is a much harder hitting and more
varied album than their excellent debut, with songs such as “Angels
Of The Silences” supplying a heavy post-punk kick. While the band
returns to their rootsy approach on lighter songs such as “Daylight
Fading” and the hit “A Long December,” Duritz goes overboard with
endlessly recurring images of sleep, dreams, angels, and rain. Like
many before him, Duritz is trying to come to terms with his band’s
huge success, noting “these days I feel like I’m fading away, like
sometimes when I hear myself on the radio,” while hoping “maybe
this year will be better than the last.” Duritz also continually
decries his lost innocence, and lyrics such as “I can’t find my way
home” act as a metaphor for Duritz trying to find himself.
Musically, on
Recovering The Satellites the band sometimes adds string
arrangements, keyboard textures, and atypical instrumentation such
as accordions, mandolins, and mellotrons to flesh out their sound,
keeping things fresh and exciting. “I’m Not Sleeping” has
(literally) heavy orchestration and “Another Horsedreamer’s
Blues”‘s weird atmospherics actually recall American Music Club,
but the band shows that they’re still at their best when keeping
things simple on songs such as the lovely “Goodnight Elizabeth.”
Other standout tracks include the passionate “Catapult,” which ends
with a ripping guitar solo, and the dreamy title track. If this
hour-long album had been trimmed down and Duritz had more lyrical
ideas it would’ve been more successful. As it is,
Recovering The Satellites was still a fine, brave follow-up
by a band who looks like they’re in it for the long haul.