No, you didn’t read this wrong: NEW song from Counting Crows! “Come Around”
Today is a day I’ve been waiting for since July 9, 2002 — the day that Counting Crows‘ last studio album Hard Candy came out, and the last time I heard anything new from them (Shrek soundtracks notwithstanding). It’s a NEW SONG from this Berkeley band that I’ve long adored!
Usually I close pop-ups, I block them outright, I don’t look at them. But thanks to a little tipster in my inbox, I visited CountingCrows.com and let the pop-up of a Cracker Jack box advertising their summer tour appear and do its flash animation thing and wait and wait . . . until finally I got the prize – the first listen mp3 download off their upcoming album, Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings (due November 6th)! The opening notes sound bit Maggie May-ish, no? After listening to it seven times, I’m gonna fall firmly into the “love it” camp:
Come Around – Counting Crows
(link removed due to band request – apparently there was some miscommunication about what to release to the masses and I got caught in the middle, cozy with the RIAA. Stream the archived track on Hype Machine)
Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings was recorded as a two-part concept album. The Saturday Nights half was recorded New York City, and Adam Duritz says, “Saturday night is when you sin and Sunday is when you regret. Sinning is often done very loudly, angrily, bitterly, violently.”
Sunday Mornings (the acoustic regretful half) was laid down in Berkeley with Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Josh Ritter), and the whole shebang is currently being mixed and finished in NYC. The producer for this album is Gil Norton, who also worked with them on Recovering The Satellites.
Here’s a live version of one other new song that will be on the album, and old b-side that’s been kicking around for years. It’s an acoustic ballad called “Washington Square” (a lovely, lovely place in San Francisco, also immortalized in the Chris Isaak song of the same name, one of my favorites by him). This will be the first song on the Sunday Mornings half of the record:
Washington Square (live 8/4/07) – Counting Crows
Come on November 6th!
Name: Heather Browne
Yeah, glad you like that Kev. Thank YOU.
heather — August 7, 2007 @ 9:17 am
HOLY SH*T, thank so much for posting, I think I got to register pretty soon so I stop posting anonymously!!! At least I always have fantastic things to say about your blog… I think that I’ve passed a link out to your blog to about 50 people in the last month. Another impressive song by the CC’s, thank god they are finally getting us more tunes to listen to! November 6th is officially a look forward to NOW date on my calendar!
Thanks again – Matt
Anonymous — August 7, 2007 @ 9:22 am
Saw them in Buffalo last week. Great show. Played Washington Square (opened with it) and Cowboys (I think that will be from the Saturday nights part).
p.s. great site i check it out everyday. thanks for all your hard work
Brandon — August 7, 2007 @ 9:23 am
Counting Crows?
Anonymous — August 7, 2007 @ 9:43 am
Cool! Thanks for the Crows preview.
Greg — August 7, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
Sweet!
Dave Lifton — August 7, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
Thanks! I’ve been looking forward to new music from these guys for a long time now. I’ve been listening more and more to their b-sides and unearthed interenet gems. Thanks for the songs and info. Keep up the good work as always.
Stephen K. — August 7, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
Don’t forget between the sinning and regretting there are bagels from H&H and the newspaper to be had. I’m sure it’s on a track.
I love everything about this post heather.
debs — August 7, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
now, i’m not sure how it could get any more perfect than an electrifying Peal Jam performance… until this. i’m simply amazed. CC may just be my number 2. and after such a lengthy hiatus, what a way to bring it back. 2 discs and an excellent first single.
thanks so much, lady.
Kyle Meredith — August 7, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
You know, I never gave CC a fair chance until well over a year ago when you posted the ’93 Boulder show. Though I have a hard time moving beyond those stellar early years, I must say I’m very excited about this new album, especially the Sunday Morning side. Nothing beats their acoustic ballads (er, except Kristofferson’s). Am I allowed to think of Wash. Square as the one in NY?
Magic Johnson — August 7, 2007 @ 11:45 pm
Yes, Magic! I didn’t even think of the one in New York. You could totally be right. I just assumed with all the Bay Area imagery ALWAYS in their songs….but I could be wrong. Either way, it’s a pretty place.
heather — August 8, 2007 @ 5:46 am
So I was actually looking forward to this album. I figured they hadn’t done anything new in a long enough time that it would be great.
Not so enthusiastic after this one, but maybe it’s the dog in the bunch. Within the first 15 seconds, my overwhelming thought is that they’ve put together a lyric, chord and title machine that randomly takes parts from their other songs and puts them together.
I’ll still have to give the whole album a listen.
Jeremy
Anonymous — August 8, 2007 @ 10:00 am
YES PLEASE!
Brian Powell — August 8, 2007 @ 10:21 am
wait a second girlfriend!!!!!! this wasn’t even supposed to have been mixed yet….who got it going on!
Bruce — August 8, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
No, I think you’re right, Heather. The imagery and the mention of Berkeley definitely makes it clear, but given I live blocks from the East Coast one, I like to pretend he’s singing about it instead. But given he lives blocks away from the east coast one, maybe he pretends, too.
magic j — August 8, 2007 @ 11:14 pm
as a huge counting crow fan, i too believe these 2 new songs are not good. hard candy was so amazing, its almost if adam shot his musical load in that album.
Sean — August 9, 2007 @ 7:18 am
here is some great pics from the 1st gig on this tour-feel free to post…http://www.freewebs.com/thelastcrowonthewire/ …thanks for the mp3′s!
Anonymous — August 9, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
Thanks so much for posting this. Like you, I’d been looking forward to new stuff from the Crows since ’02, with only “Accidentally in Love” and “She Don’t Want Nobody Near” to tide me over (oh yeah, and those great covers you posted a few months ago). I’m looking forward to November; thanks for the sneak preview!
Michael — August 9, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
There’s not a chance in hell that that opening part wasn’t intentionally echoing “Maggie May.” I’m indifferent about the rest of the song, though. I’ll give it a few more listens and pray that I’m converted, but right now I’d give it a “meh”.
Andy Grabia — August 10, 2007 @ 11:37 am
your blog got flagged as objectionable..uh oh
Anonymous — August 11, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
Duritz is Jewish. What in the name of fuck does he know about sinning on Saturday night and regretting on Sunday?
He’s giving us Heebs a bad name. Someone stop him. Please.
Anonymous — August 13, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
this sounds pretty decent. i’m a huge fan of the august and satellites era stuff, but hard candy was a tough sell for me… the concept for the new album sounds pretty cool, though.
esreverniuoy — August 13, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
from the many bootlegs and articles ive come across, i have it in my head that washington square is indeed referring to the one in nyc, as duritz moved to the city after hard candy. also, i don’t believe this is a two disc set, correct? but a single disc having the two parts on it…
Rob — August 15, 2007 @ 12:58 am
man i wish i could listen to “Come Around”,, –its gone I guess?
Anonymous — September 2, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Hello. I just discovered your blog.
Good stuff!
I bought the CD.
-Come Around
-Cowboys
-When I Dream of MichaelAngelo
3 of my early favorites.
-SynicFan
Anonymous — April 4, 2008 @ 6:37 pm