The Creation of Mr Jones: How Counting Crows Developed Their Signature Track

Adam Duritz Shares the Beginnings

Our first albums were mostly produced in homes located in the foothills above Los Angeles. Their debut major label album marked a significant step for the group, as it was their inaugural release on a major label. We each got an advance of $3,000; I used mine to buy a 1971 cherry red VW Karmann Ghia and traveled to LA.

Each day, I would start by playing Pickin’ Up the Pieces by Poco, which sounds like the Beatles venturing into American folk. Also, I was into a Benny Goodman album that my dad had acquired as a free giveaway at a gas station during my childhood.

Mr Jones was included on a demo that we submitted to record companies, but it proved a challenging track to finish. We didn’t have a clear direction at first. Neither a leisurely tune or a straight ahead number; rather, it gallops along, demanding a real feel to perform. The style is soulful – closer to the Memphis soul style than folk.

Our drummer struggled to grasp the song like the rest of us did – so T Bone enlisted one of his idols to perform on it.

We considered several producers, but when I spoke with T Bone Burnett, he really get where the band was at. There was great potential, but I wasn’t satisfied with our sound – we hadn’t learned how to be a band. We removed all the synthesizers and effects pedals. Our drummer Steve Bowman couldn’t sync with the tempo, so T Bone invited a renowned drummer, one of Steve’s favorites, to lay down the drums. Looking back, it’s amusing, but it was tough on Steve back then.

My best friend Marty and I performed in bands together prior to Counting Crows. Marty’s dad, a flamenco musician, had succeeded in Spain and was back in the San Francisco area doing a series of shows. We went one of his performances and hung out with the flamenco troupe bar-hopping. The next morning, I returned and wrote Mr Jones. It’s about our experience that night, dreaming we were cool musicians so we could connect with the women more easily.

I believe, it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. After playing another track on Saturday Night Live in 1994, the record climbed dozens of positions each week for over a month. Afterwards, Mr Jones turned into a major success.

The Multi-Instrumentalist Shares His Memories

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 called Monks of Doom.

Returning home one night, I found Adam with a new demo he’d just done with Bryson. He played me this song called the now-famous tune. Recorded with a basic drum machine that sounded like a arcade sound or random noise, but his singing were on another level.

Once T Bone took over, it felt like a complete transformation of Counting Crows. They shifted back to basics influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and the Band.

I got a call from Adam saying, “Listen, can you join us and play on this record?” By the time I got there, the producer had moved us to a studio in Encino, Los Angeles – formerly used by a Jackson 5 member. There were instruments that Bob Dylan had just recorded on.

T Bone instructed me to perform behind the tempo the drums. He said, “Playing too fast before the drums comes off like an adolescent rushing.” With his Texas drawl, and his advice was to visualize relaxing on the console and staying casual while playing.

The band was, to an extent, a reaction to grunge. The tragic end of Cobain felt like the final act. Back then, everyone used heroin. The goal was obliteration, not mind expansion. That negativity had gone too far, and the pendulum swung toward something emotional and sincere. Their music blended acoustic and electric with a strong influence of Van Morrison soul.

The song remains timeless. On stage, when I am rocking out with Adam, I recall that time when he played me the demo. It’s insane.