Originally released in 1993, August and Everything After was hailed as an instant classic as it built off the enormous success of it's lead off single, "Mr. Jones." The album's success was hardly a revelation, however, as the band arrived with enormous expectations attached. Prior to August's release, they were tapped to fill in for Van Morrison who decidedly missed his own induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Proving to be well worth the hype, Counting Crows went on to deliver the feel bad album of the decade that everybody felt pretty good about. At a time and within a genre that celebrated it's most unlikely heroes, they also managed to deliver one of the feel bad albums that defined a generation.
Produced by T-Bone Burnett and not Butch Vig(Nirvana), Brendan O'Brien(Pearl Jam) or Steve Albini(the Pixies), the album was a different beast in the alternative jungle altogether. It was flush with mandolins, accordions, piano and acoustic guitars. As an alternative to alternative, it shamed the unimaginative drums-bass-guitar combo that defined the fuzzbox fury of everyone from Nirvana to Helmet. Additionally, it set the stage for left of everything bands like Wilco while still managing to honor the rock and roll traditions of everyone from the Band to R.E.M.
Armed with lush instrumentation and reliable songwriting, Counting Crows seemed like heavy contenders for the few markets interested in alternative but wary of it's "grungier" components like Pearl Jam. Similar to Pearl Jam, however, Counting Crows saw a meteoric rise in their fortunes and a large amount of this success was attributed to a troubled but charismatic lead singer. There was an undeniable gravitas to Adam Duritz' voice that seemed tethered to the same pained place as the ubiquitious Eddie Vedder. And despite the sonic differences of their bands, both delivered albums haunted by souls lost and isolated. As a result, the Crows legitimized alternative in a way that Pearl Jam, Nirvana and none of their peers could. They were angsty enough to romantically hypnotize my teenage brain and yet, they still delivered emotionally resonant music that favored talent over stylish gimmicry. It was the only time you'd find my father stealing my* albums.
In the time since that first album, a lot has happened. Duritz quit music- it was rumored he tended bars for a year before coming to his senses and returning with Recovery of the Satellites. Following that, Counting Crows would go on to release three more studio efforts, two live albums, a best of compilation and the inevitable re-release of the debut that started it all. In the process, they also managed to galvanize a sterling reputation as one of America's best live acts (alongside, who else- Pearl Jam).
Duritz, despite the myopic nature of his songs, has always entertained the public as a live wire singer full of warmth and humor he'd never get credit for otherwise. Additionally, the band has always seemed to delight in the malleability of their songs and arrangements as they'd take them from acoustic to blisteringly loud and back again. By focusing on substance over style, Counting Crows managed to build a catalog of work that translates easily from large arenas to small stages without sacrificing the emotional impact of their songs.
As deft as the band's performance is on Live at Town Hall, however, it's that emotional impact that fuel it's songs and it's success. Time has not dulled the wounded isolation for the protagonists that haunt Duritz' narratives. The heartache and sorrow that defines Maria in "Around Here" is still pulpable as is Duritz' exasperation and despair over her. The desperate need for validation that fuels "Mr. Jones" resonates as true as ever despite the narrator's oblivious irony to the song. The confounding "Anna Begins," the broken "Time and Time Again" and the plaintive "Murder of One" all still ring true in the hands of this band.
Ultimately, Live at Town Hall serves as a nice recognition of the benchmark that August and Everything After set not just for the band but for alternative music as well. By the current standards of music and technology, it's a singles market with not much room to spare for albums. But August and Everything After was released at a time when historic albums were released at a dizzying clip. Undeniably, there was a uniformity to the songs that rivaled only the best of their contemporaries, regardless of whether it was Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten or Red Hot Chili Peppers' BloodSugarSexMagic. And it's not beside the fact that Counting Crows have lived up to the standards of their early work with far more consistency than the majority of their peers. Late night pub talk could commence forever on which of their albums were classic and which were subpar. But the odds are that if you're a fan, you'd count at least three classic albums in their catalog.
*A total lie. August and Everything After was still a cd that I stole from my father. I just happened to hear them first.
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