Artist: Counting Crows
Album: Recovering the Satellites
Released: October 15, 1996
With the majority of bands I have discussed to this point, I have tried to post about their debut album first. I'll talk about Counting Crows' first album, August and Everything After, later on, but now I wanted to discuss their second album, Recovering the Satellites, I guess just to mix things up a little bit. With August and Everything After, Counting Crows achieved huge success in 1993. "Mr. Jones" was the big hit on that album, though a few other tracks from that album received a lot of radio airtime as well.
August and Everything After is a great rock album, combining elements of alternative and folk rock, filled with introspection that many listeners can just turn on and easily relate to. Yet, I've heard quite a few people complain that while it's a good album, it has been way overplayed and overhyped. Much of the same emotion and introspection is found on Recovering the Satellites, though it was largely a response to dealing with the major fame they achieved with their first album. It also is in many places a little edgier, at times featuring more hard rock elements and at other times displaying the same raw, straightforward emotion found with other late '90s bands such as Matchbox Twenty, Tonic, or Fuel.
The result here is an album with a little more angst and also more variety than August and Everything After, as the album establishes its own identity. "A Long December" is the best known hit from this album; it was on the radio frequently back in 1997, and I always enjoyed hearing it when it was played. For me, this song represents the best of all the qualities this album has to offer: simple yet deep and meaningful lyrics, slow and powerful instrumental performances, and just enough angst to give it an edge that makes it memorable. The placement of this song on the album, second-to-last, is interesting, though I guess given the lyrics it makes sense.
This is not an album that one can listen to one or two songs and get a good idea of what the album is about, as each song seems to build on the last. "Catapult" starts off slow and builds in intensity, followed by "Angels of the Silences", one of the fastest paced and hard rock style tracks on the album. "Daylight Fading", which also received some radio time, is somewhere in between the two extremes and has a folk rock feel to it, while "I'm Not Sleeping" is a return to the sound of "Catapult".
These are all good songs, but I think the best and most interesting part of the album is in the middle, where the tracks are much slower and the vocal talent of Adam Duritz and the musical talent of the rest of the band is on full display. "A Long December" is always going to be the signature track, but "Children in Bloom" is also a personal favorite, as it might be Duritz's best vocal performance on the album. "Miller's Angels" is close behind; it's longer than it probably should be, yet the vocals are great here too, and blend perfectly with the instrumental parts.
The rest of the album features some interesting tracks. "Goodnight Elisabeth" and "Another Horsedreamer's Blues" also follow the slower paced, vocal heavy formula mentioned above. They are good, but not as high on my list; I know that "Goodnight Elisabeth" is popular with many listeners. "Recovering the Satellites" is similar in a way, though this track doesn't draw me in all the way and isn't different enough from the other tracks to make it really memorable. "Have You Seen Me Lately?" is similar to the harder rock heard earlier in "Angels of the Silences", while "Monkey" and "Mercury" again feature more folk rock elements. "Walkaways" is a somewhat disappointing way to end the album; the acoustic sound feels forced and really doesn't work well with Duritz's voice.
I've found that as a whole, when you're in a calm and contemplative mood, August and Everything After would be a good album to listen to. Recovering the Satellites is more somber and diverse in terms of sound; they are both good in their own way. Recovering the Satellites many not quite match the quality depth of August and Everything After, and it certainly will not be remembered as much as a classic. But the fact that it is often overlooked and builds on what Counting Crows started three years earlier is largely what makes it so appealing. Fans of rock or '90s music in general trying to find something unique and not overhyped should enjoy this one.
Track #, Name of Song, Duration, My Rating
1. Catapult (3:34) - 8/10
2. Angels of the Silences (3:37) - 9/10
3. Daylight Fading (3:49) - 9/10
4. I'm Not Sleeping (4:55) - 8/10
5. Goodnight Elisabeth (5:18) - 8/10
6. Children in Bloom (5:23) - 10/10
7. Have You Seen Me Lately? (4:08) - 8/10
8. Miller's Angels (6:32) - 10/10
9. Another Horsedreamer's Blues (4:31) - 9/10
10. Recovering the Satellites (5:23) - 7/10
11. Monkey (3:01) - 8/10
12. Mercury (2:47) - 8/10
13. A Long December (4:55) - 10/10
14. Walkaways (1:12) - 6/10
