I'm fairly certain Counting Crows is the best band that's arrived on the scene in my adult life. As I listened to this album, fresh with my reviewer-ears, I realized that I'd no idea all these songs were from the same album. iPods tend to de-educate album detail as it goes about rendering songs as singularities to sort and configure at will. I'm not sure that is A Good Thing. This fact is yet another sound reason for the Random Album Review.
I had one concert experience with Counting Crows at the Texas Motor Speedway in 1997. Their performance was extraordinary and had the effect of locking me in for life. As usual, I've laid out the tracks best to worst with the first half dozen or so very difficult to decide between.
5-stars
Goodnight Elisabeth (4:33) - Romantic and sappy and all that.
Another Horsedreamer's Blues (5:20) - I remember this song as particularly soothing to my daughter as baby. To this day, she's still not allowed to sing along to the "Stupid Mothers" line, but allowed to shout the "Drunken Fathers" line with impunity. Go figure.
Catapult (3:35) - Pulsing and pushing, great on the headphones on the big hills.
A Long December (4:58) - As great as this is, there's a couple live versions in my collection that are even better. Counting Crows is one of those great bands that encourages trafficking of their live bootlegs.
Miller's Angels (6:34) - Hey Romeo indeed.
Children in Bloom (5:24) - Someone finally takes of the handcuffs of the lead guitar.
4-stars
Monkey (3:02) - If Horsedreamer is my daughter's domain, this belongs to my son. All monkey everywhere on that boy.
Angels of the Silences (3:39) - Angels picks up the pace, an excellent respite among all the brooding ballads.
Mercury (2:48) - Harmonica?
3-stars
Daylight Fading (3:50) - OK, I guess.
I'm Not Sleeping (4:58) - Good but radio overplay diminished this one for me.
Recovering the Satellites (5:25) - Why do title tracks let down so often?
2-stars
Have You Seen Me Lately? (4:11) - Yawn.
Walkaways (1:12) - I'm not sure why this ditty was ever included.
If you're interested in a listen,
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