August and Everything After is the debut studio album by American rock band Counting Crows, released September 14, 1993, on DGC Records. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and featured the founding members of the band: Steve Bowman (drums), David Bryson (guitar), Adam Duritz (vocals), Charlie Gillingham (keyboards), and Matt Malley (bass). Among the several session musicians used for the album was multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück, who later joined the band as a full-time member in 1999, as well as Burnett, who also provided additional guitar work.
Four singles were released from the album, the highest charting of which was "Mr. Jones", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard US Radio Songs Chart and number 2 on several genre-specific Billboard charts. The album itself was well received by critics and has gone multi-platinum in several countries, including the U.S. where it has sold over seven million copies, and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The album cover depicts handwritten lyrics to the titular song, but the band decided against featuring the song on the album; it was not until over a decade later that it was played as part of one of their live concerts. The song "August and Everything After" was released on January 24, 2019, as an Amazon Original.
On September 18, 2007, a two-disc deluxe edition of the album was issued. The first disc contains the original album, remastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering, with six demos added as bonus tracks. The second disc is taken from the band's penultimate performance during the August tour, recorded at Élysée Montmartre in Paris, France, on December 9, 1994.
The album August & Everything After: Live at Town Hall was released on August 29, 2011, featuring live recordings of the songs from this album. More than 6 million copies of the album have been sold by February 2002 in the US.
Round Here and Mr. Jones have been songs I’ve been hearing for decades, but some of the fun of having an album that I knew back in the day come up again is hearing some of the less popular songs that I believe I like even more than the biggest hits. On this album it was wonderful to hear Rain King and A Murder of One again! Great to hear this again!
This is, without question, the best album Counting Crows ever made, and honestly, the only truly great one.
“Round Here” says most of what needs to be said. It’s a beautiful song, built on subtle tempo shifts and emotional restraint. Intimate and unadorned, it feels completely honest. The rest of the album maintains that standard. This is Counting Crows at their most focused and disciplined.
What they get exactly right here is minimalism. Less is more. Listen to “Anna Begins”: each instrument is given space, nothing crowds the song, and the arrangement quietly supports Adam Duritz’s story rather than competing with it. The song only works because of that restraint. That kind of control and trust in the material is something only a very good band can pull off.
Which makes the rest of their career all the more puzzling. Recovering the Satellites has flashes of quality and a rougher, rockier edge, but it already feels overworked and over-polished. Everything that follows never comes close. The subtlety, patience, and emotional honesty that define this album quietly disappear.
Why they never reached this level again remains one of rock’s smaller mysteries. But this album stands on its own.
In my DNA. I met 6 out of the 7 band members at their gig in Auckland in 2003, and they signed my fave album of theirs, Recovering The Satellites. And Adam signed the T-shirt I was wearing. The magic sloooooowly disappeared from album 2 onwards, with a scattering of truly great tracks on albums 3 and 4, then poof. But this.. this is magic.
I wouldn't know how often I listened to "August And Everything After" at the time it came out. It was everywhere. Now turning it on 30 years later, it is still a nice album. I understand that people get annoyed by hearing Adam Duritz his voice for a full album. Also apart from good songs ("Round Here", "Omaha", "Mr. Jones", "Time and Time Again" and "Rain King") there is certainly some filler.
This album is 33 years old 0.0
This is something I find myself going back to, the songs resonate with not only my life at the time, but seem to come back into focus now. Not an album for everyone, but it's a great debut with radio hits and memorable melodies that stick around with you.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la.
My mom liked Counting Crows! They have a slightly disarming rock sound that doesn't quite fall into soft rock or AOR. In truth, Adam Duritz knows how to write for pop better than anything else. His progressions are especially satisfying on songs like Rain King and Omaha, which makes me wonder if he has some sort of jazz background? Some people may be quick to handwave Counting Crows away as boring. I am not one of those people! I enjoyed the whole thing thoroughly, though not every song stuck for me. Could use a trim, maybe. Otherwise, a nice collection of songs! Isn't that what makes a good album, after all?
CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Hmmm not sure. I don't think Counting Crows was all that impactful within the music landscape aside from being fairly popular. I will put them down as a "no" but I'm open to opposing arguments.
Dang, has it really been 32+ years since this came out? I guess I'm old. I was really into this album when it came out, but I haven't listened to it in forever. And you know what? It still holds up. Excellent songwriting in a classic rock style. Nothing wrong with that. 4 stars.
I was dreading this one a bit, mainly due to my exhausting experience with 'Mr. Jones' which was the victim of constant radio oversaturation in the early aughts. Found myself mostly enjoying the rest of the album, though, which is especially surprising given my preference for uptempo, instrumental tracks rather than the slower songs here. The vocals walk a fine line between annoying and emotional, but mostly stick to the latter and suit the solid instrumentals well. This LP has aged decently compared to similar artists from the 90s', and I even felt a bit nostalgic for a time where these simple but well-done guitar + piano tracks soundtracked a simpler world.
Oh man, I recognize the greatness of this album in the history of rock and pop music in the 90s, but Adam Duritz is such a goofy dude. Insanely talented though. I think this albumis currently rated correctly (currently ~3.5 global). However, I lean more towards a 3 than a 4 as I just can't see myself ever choosing to listen to this album ever again on my own.
Recall this being huge in the latter years of my college radio days. Haven't listened to much of this band in a very long time. It strikes me as just too polished for roots rock, really its just pop with an accent. It is also a particular male vocal style Im not a big fan of.
Counting Crowd were the anti grunge sound in the 90s and Mr Jones has stood the test of time as an all time great song. This album starts with round here which is a great ballad like song that sets the emotional tone of the album. Outside of Mr Jones, this album has a more melancholy sound overall but it’s very enjoyable. This is one of the better albums from the 90s and Counting Crows best. 7.7/10
I mean it just kind of is what it is. Mid-tempo, a little bit whiny, production holds up pretty well, but the thing's just really boring to me. No peaks, no trenches. Not helped by all the times I've heard stuff from here in the wild is, like, shopping for clothes.
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