Customer Reviews

Saturday Nights

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Counting Crows were somewhat written off after 2002's Hard Candy. Adam Duritz and the rest of the band, in that CD, put out a self-consciously pop CD, without a lot of meat on it. Then you had the infamous Coke commercial, and Shrek 2, which earned them an Oscar nomination but no accolades for credibility.

Well, on Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows proves that they're not out of ideas, and haven't lost their drive. This is a fantastic CD that basically melds the folk sounds of August and Everything After with the harder edge and pathos of Recovering the Satellites.

If you're reading this review, you probably know by now the basic concept of the album: It's divided into a Saturday Nights portion and a Sunday Mornings portion. Saturday nights is when you sin, loudly and angrily. This "side" contains mostly electric guitar anger and bitterness, as the protagonist (i.e., Adam Duritz) slides deeper and deeper into depression and loss of self. The Sunday Mornings "side" contains songs of recovery, of trying to put your life back together. (The emphasis is on *trying*. Only in the final song, "Come Around", is there any kind of faint glimmer of hope on this CD.)

Here's how the songs pan out:

Saturday Nights:

1) 1492 -- This is a song about losing yourself in the party scene. It's about the meaninglessness of casual (if not anonymous) sex with Italian models and careening through the underbelly of night life like a drunken Arthur Rimbaud. And it's about all the "people who impersonate our friends" you meet along the way. You can download this as part of a "digital 45" from their site, so I won't bother describing it for you. 7/10.

2) Hanging Tree -- This is one of the best songs on the CD. It's basically about not being able to connect with anyone: "You open windows, and you wait for someone warm to come inside, and then you freeze to death alone." This is really a guitar-driven tour de force. 9/10

3) Los Angeles -- On this one, Counting Crows basically channel the Rolling Stones. Here, Adam gets a little self-indulgent, with lyrics like,

If you see that movie star and me
If you should see my picture in a magazine
Or if you fall asleep while you're watching TV
Well, honey, I'm just trying to make some sense
Out of me.

It sounds like a song designed to say, "Hey, I'm just trying to enjoy myself here. Cut me some slack." Like I said, a little self indulgent. 6/10

4) Sundays -- This one was a surprise. After 3 hard-driving songs, this one is more laid back. It's got nice music, but I don't really understand it, other than he's expressing a lack of faith. 6/10

5) Insignificant -- Here, it's all about a search for meaning. The protagonist (this time not explicitly Adam) stands on the ledge of a building, looking out over the crowd, believing he can fly -- *needing* to believe he can fly, to find some significance in his life. It's really a different way of expressing "Mr. Jones": He wants to be seen, to be noticed, and to mean something in the world. He also wants to be special, without feeling "different" because he's in some celebrity bubble. Great music, decent concept. 8/10

6) Cowboys -- Here, the protagonist is so desperate to be feel something, to mean something in the world, that he becomes a serial killer. The climax of the song is, "Oh, I will MAKE you look at me!". If it wasn't over 5 minutes long, this would be the perfect single. It's hard driving, wonderful, twisted lyrics (the protagonist is a paranoid schizophrenic), and every part of the music builds to the devastating, crumbling climax. 9/10

Sunday Mornings

7) Washington Square -- This is a song about picking yourself up and getting yourself together to go out and live your life again. Quiet, introspective music, and Adam is at his pensive best here. 9/10.

8) On Almost Any Sunday Morning -- Here, the protagonist has taken the wrong woman home, just because he doesn't want to be alone. But he wakes up, and he's alone anyway. He also talks about taking lithium here (to control his depression, apparently). By the end of the song, he vows to find someone real to be with, and not to settle for the one-night stands:

"You dig yourself a dream
That we won't be coming home alone
Not this time..."

This is really a brilliant song. It's the one that reminds me most of the sound of August and Everything After (and even more specifically "Round Here"). 10/10

9) When I Dream of Michaelangelo -- If you've ever wondered what the line "I dream of Michaelangelo when I'm lying in my bed", from "Angels of the Silences" means, this is the song for you. This song has been puttering around in Adam Duritz's head since at least Recovering the Satellites. It's a beautiful ballad about being so close to someone, yet never being able to touch who they really are. "Well I know, she is not my friend, 'cause there she goes, walking on my skin again and again". 8/10

10) Anyone But You -- The best way to describe this song is, the protagonist is in a relationship, and he can't handle it. His eye is on the door. He's not together enough for a relationship.

"I'm almost ready.
Yeah, it's almost true.
For almost anyone but you."

It's got a real 70's feel to it. Not my favorite song, but not unpleasant. 6/10.

11) You Can't Count On Me -- Adam has said he's got 4 albums describing why women should stay as far away from him as possible. This song basically sums it up. He's not Mr. Reliable. Again, not my favorite, but serviceable. 7/10

12) Le Ballet D'Or -- Think of this one as philosophically akin to Eagles' "Wasted Time". The protagonist is tired of being mired in self-loathing and self-pity, and wants to get out and live: "So come on now, let's go dance to the siren's song...". It marks a turning point in the CD, because it's the point where the protagonist realizes, finally, that although he's screwed up his life with the wrong turns he took, that he still has a life to live. A very beautiful, lilting song. 9/10.

13) On A Tuesday In Amsterdam Long Ago -- The protagonist remembers an old love, and laments her. It's the closest they've come to "Raining in Baltimore" for quite some time. I'm not a fan of "Raining in Baltimore", though. The song is too long and repetitious. (For fun, count how many times he says, "Come back to me..."). 2/10

14) Come Around -- This is, by far, the most hopeful song on the CD, and my favorite. By this time, the protagonist's fog has cleared. Things aren't great, but he sees the hope in life. His girlfriend just dumped him, but that's okay. The song ends:

"And one of the million lies she said
Is 'All of the things you loved are dead.',
But I've seen what she thinks is love
And it leaves me laughing
So we'll (meaning the band, I guess) still come around."


Overall, this is their best work since Recovering the Satellites, by a wide margin. If you lost faith after Hard Candy, give this a try. it won't disappoint you!

I've had a soft spot for Counting Crows, despite being a music snob (according to my wife, anyway). There's just something perfectly enjoyable about the music and lyrics. I've always felt Duritz was a great lyricist, even though he seems to come across as self-obsessed (his songs never seem to embody characters and so many of them are are about "looking at me" that it's hard to see any identities in the songs); his biggest weakness as a writer/singer is his proclivity to repeat certain phrases too many times. "American Girls" suffers from this a lot; on this album "Hanging Tree" has some annoying repetition. But his use of place and strange strings of imagery are always satisfying.

I've always held their first two albums as my favorites (both have different strengths). Saturday Nights... is quite strong, though it's not necessarily anything new or exciting. I think 1492, Insignificant, and Cowboys would make it onto any Crows mix I make from now on. "When I Dream of Michaelangelo" is a great call back to "Angels of the Silences" on album 2. "Sundays" moves from chipper to a more emotional chorus. And the band doesn't lose a chance to rock out when necessary.

We've waited 15 years for this! Finally, an album that has more of an "August and Everything After" feel! That is that Counting Crows freshman release that we all fell in love with. For Gen Xer's like myself, AAEA was a soundtrack to our awkward transitional years and will always hold a special place in our music loving hearts!

This album will replace "Recovering the Satellites" for those of you who ranked it as second best in your CC collection!

I own just about everything they have recorded. This effort reflects a band that knows its strengths and sticks with them. Nothing new here, in fact for those familiar with Counting Crows, you will notice several instances of lyrics recycled from earlier efforts sprinkled throughout. It makes you want to go back and listen to August and Everything After or Recovering the Satellites and hear songs that were truly fresh. Oh well, there are worse things than ripping yourself off!

4.5 Stars.

The Counting Crows are "back," although honestly I don't know where from. Their commercial zenith may have been August and Everything After, but their path from that record to Hard Candy has actually been one of growth and this new offering shows them continuing in an interesting and very heartfelt direction. What they've done here is to essentially create a Stones album, but it's a better one than most of what the Stones have put forth since Exile on Main St. Some of the songs have echoes of Springsteen at his bleakest (think Nebraska), such as "Cowboys" which speaks of everyday violence. This album also oddly reminds me of Gentleman's Blues, which tackles the downside of success. In fact the two discs are kindred spirits or even partners in crime with their raw bluesy attack and cynical take on the concept of fame or at least the hedonistic lifestyle that often accompanies it (footnote: it's unclear whether these songs are about actual experiences that singer-songwriter Duritz has had or instead are based upon things that "could" happen to someone in his position; however the subject matter is dealt with in a manner that keeps it feeling personal, real and even relatable).

Listening to all of this in one sitting is a little difficult, especially after reaching the halfway point on the somber "second side" where the slow tempos begin to drag a little. Perhaps mixing it up might have made for a somewhat easier listening experience. But from a purely artistic perspective, the concept works. Additionally, taken song-by-song this is a very strong disc, each contributing thought-provoking ideas in a tumble of words set against the rootsiest, rawest rock n roll I have heard since Marah's Angels of Destruction. My favorite songs here are "Hanging Tree," "Insignificant," "Cowboys," "Washington Square," "When I Dream of Michaelangelo" and "You Can't Count On Me." I'm not going to do a track-by-track analysis because that has already been covered very well by other reviewers. I will say however that each track merits full attention from the listener. They all contain plenty of interesting ideas and a lot of imagery which will take time and thought to decipher. It's serious music for a serious music lover, and this band maintains its integrity by continuing to produce such music in an era when that sort of thing has become very scarce.

As you can see from the other albums I have referred to in my review, this disc echoes an earlier time when big, sprawling roots-rock albums were what was considered "pop" music. There's no fooling anyone that this sort of thing is really "pop" in the "popular" sense anymore. Yet there are bands and individuals out there creating truly classic rock albums (Marah, Wilco, REM and Ian Hunter to name a few) if you are willing to dig a little deeper. I suppose the greatest praise I can give any new release these days is that it sits proudly alongside the better works of its predecessors from both current and past eras. This album does that in spades. A worthy addition to any true rock fan's collection.

Let me start off by saying I am not a BIG Counting Crows fan. Don't get me wrong, I loved their debut album "August & Everything After", (a masterpiece) but everything since than has been a drop in notch. And without great songs and music, lead singer Adam Duritz's voice just gets boring album after album. But finally, with "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings", the band has hit a more unique hard rockin and bluesy style and better yet, the songs are VERY good. Not just lyrics which have always been profound and dark, but the music and the instrumentation is fantastic! Every song is catchy! Adam's voice is being put to VERY good use here, this is material aorthy of the artist and the band. The experimentation done on this album was a big winner! I know some people liked the album "Recovering the Satellites", which certaintly had some good songs, but for me the album was uneven. So I'll go out on a limb and say the new CD is the best releases since "August And Everything After". That's because every song is good, it's good all the way through. The style is catchy, after several listens, I still like the sound of it! I see it started off number three on the billboard charts, I hope that a lot of people will appreciate Counting Crows return to form. This album should be a comeback for the band!

So yes, I'm the guy who has every Crows album since the early 90s; has collected import CD and radio performances; occasionally trades on the Counting Crows trading network with other music dorks; and has gone on several man-dates to Crows concerts with my buddies. Sure the man-dates have been accidental - i.e. we didn't realize until we were sharing a blanket at Shoreline drinking Coors Light just the two of us that we were on a man-date - but that excuse really only covers you the first time, right?

Moving on.

I love the Crows. And people often think that this means they get a free pass because I get so geeked up to hear the new albums that I'll dig anything they put out. I argue it's the opposite - my expectations are so high, and I have so many awesome memories tied to Crows songs, concerts, car rides, life experiences, etc. that I'm actually twice as hard on the band as your casual fan.

And this, in my opinion, is their strongest album since Recovering the Satellites. Duritz has apparently gone down some crazy life paths since the release of the last album that wasn't live or a best-of compilation. And that's been 6 years. I think Hard Candy was 2002. This sounds like Duritz's most inspired album maybe ever - the emotion is there, each track is pretty solid, and after only one full listen I'm ready to anoint this top 3 status in the Crows' catalog (which I realize isn't that extensive).

Bottom line Johnson - if you like the Crows, you'll enjoy every minute of this album. It's what you expect, but it surpasses those expectations and over-delivers. I'm (clearly) impressed.

ok, why are you all praising this album? Best since Satellites? Ok, so Hard Candy saw a decrease in the lyrical genius of Adam, but it's still got great music and is a good album if you delete that one bad song (I hate Maryann, whoever she is) - so what it's a bit pop-y. then they say comparable to August? bah. What are they thinking? This is their worst album and it's only got a couple decent cuts.

Here's where I'm coming from: I'm a dedicated fan. Seen the Crows in concert 8 times (5 since 2000), and every time I think it's the best concert I've ever seen (not limited to crows). I think the evolution in their music is amazing - how can they keep making great songs even better. Their last tour included a version of Rain King that topped the "New Amsterdam" version, which bested both "Across a wire" versions which far outstripped the album version which is a fantastic song. I think every song they've recorded is at least good (with the aforementioned exception), and all their studio albums are great to listen all the way through. I think their best 5 recorded songs are: Round here (Across a wire cd 2), Perfect blue buildings (New Amsterdam), Anna Begins (Across a wire cd 1) Hanging around (New Amsterdam), Up all night (Hard Candy). Of course if you're a fan of these songs too, you've already bought this album, so I guess I'm just venting.

Ok, so back to Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. I guess I just had high expectations. Today, I expected to see a bunch of ratings trashing this album when I came on here to do that. But no. I can't understand. I've tried to like this album. I've tried very hard. But I think I would be embarrassed to play it in my car. It's got some annoying sections, some bad lyrics, and some worse vocals. It's got almost no emotion. It's got no good rock. It's got no great lines that aren't reused. It's got a bit of innovation, but the album has no flow. I think it was a double album that got shrunk because it was even worse. Jeez, what did they throw out?

A few months ago, I heard a new track that I wasn't on any major album (live or studio), called "Baby I'm a big star now". Great song. I had hoped that song was a preview of the brilliant new album on the way. urgh

I'm sad. waiting over 5 years for this?

Good cuts:
Cowboy - will be one of the best concert songs in their repertoire and certainly on this album
le Ballet d'Or - the only really good song on the album - interesting, new, but it builds and never gets anywhere
On almost any sunday morning - nice harmonica
decent cuts:
Come around
On a tuesday in Amsterdam long ago

That's it man.

not a fan of the big single, "you can't count on me". Just does nothing for me. And even some of the lyrics are a bit annoying.

yeah, I mean, you've got to buy the album, just don't expect great things. Or better yet, wait till you find one on the street that's been thrown out of someone's car in a fit of frustrated "why did they do this to me" agony.

It's a Counting Crows CD, so it has to be good. But they have produced better albums.

If you are new to Counting Crows and want to start in the best place, get August & Everything After instead. Then follow that up with Across A Wire: Live In New York City.

I love this album. There's so much honesty in the lyrics that makes it appeal to me on a personal level. I find myself relating to the lyrics in ways I never though possible. I'm 24...I usually listen to punk/alternative rock..and found myself loving the honesty and soul-searching on this album. The music is excellent but I find myself drawn to the lyrics. This is my first Counting Crows album...and I went back to check out their discography. I can honestly say that by listening to this album I have grown to respect the band a great deal.

I have a feeling that like some people, I only knew this band from what I heard on the radio. I thought their past songs were "okay" but I didn't give them much though. I can honestly say this is one of my favorite albums that I've heard in a long time because they put it out there with a degree of honesty unheard of in many bands. Much respect. Much love for this band and album.