August and Everything After

Counting Crows

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 1993)
• Original Release Date: September 14, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000003TAP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (288 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #973 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's amazing the difference a year makes. Upon its release, August and Everything After sounded remarkably fresh, a welcome change from the crunch and screech of grunge. Blending the vocal athleticism of Van Morrison with the moody rock of The Band, the Counting Crows turned on a whole legion of fans turned off by modern rock. But what sounded fresh soon became stale as dozens of bands flocked to the radio with euthanized versions of the Counting Crows' sound. But you shouldn't hold that against the Crow boys. August and Everything After is a fantastic rock album. Though "Mr. Jones" was the moneymaker, the disc features such standout cuts as the dark lilt of "Anna Begins," the morose "Rain King," and the outstanding U2-meets-Grant Lee Buffalo anthem "Murder of One." Maybe time, and another listen, will heal the damage wrought. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviews won't help, September 3, 2001

By	"7icha7d" (UK) - See all my reviews

Many people have stories to tell about this album, about how it changed their life, helped through tough times, about how a particular song always makes them cry. I haven't experienced any of those, but it is still the most emotionally charged album I have ever heard. It is not the kind of music I usually listen to - I usually go for harder bands - but once i had listened to this album properly, absorbing every heart rending facet of Adam Duritz' moving, touching, emphatic vocals I was hooked. This album has so many classics - Round Here, Mr Jones, Anna Begins, Murder of One - that a day rarely goes by 3 months and 6 albums later that I don't listen to some of it. The truths contained within the lyrics are timeless, the emotion within the singing heartfelt - by both Adam and you. The music mostly serves to lift Adam's vocals to a new level, enhancing and augmenting it. Really, though, it is impossible to tell whether or not you like other than sitting down and listening to it properly. No amount of reviews can really help you with this CD - if I had read a description of the music (country/folk/soft rock) before hand, or the bands they are compared to, I never would have bought it. But I did, and I'm glad, as it is one of my favourite albums. Just try it. It's also worth noting that if you really want something rockier you can get Recovering the Sattelites, but this is the classic and really should be your first Counting Crows album.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite CD, period., January 1, 2000

By	J. DEATS (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I hate reviews because outside of factual information all you have is opnion, and if someone disagrees with your opnion they like to grab facts and start sling.... So I'll just say, yeah... On this album, you can hear REM, Van Morrison, U2, if you want to strike off marks for unoriginality then go ahead... But none of those bands have ever put togeather an album this great, with every song containing epic songwriting on a Dylan scale and simplistic deep melodies that haunt you with the lryic (Sullvan Street, Time and Time Again), never have I ever felt an artist pain more... Where REM touched on with hits like "Losing My Religon" Counting Crows almost bring the listener to tears with tracks like "Raining In Baltimore". Every track is incredible bringing imagery to live, from the opener Round Here, Adam Duritz pulls the listener in and begins talking "Step out the frontdoor like a ghost into the fog where no notices the contrast of white on white/and in between the moon and you, the angels get a better view of the cumbling differences between wrong and right" from their your drawn into Adams world and with every song you can feel his emotions....

If you're just into listening to music and being happy, this one probably isn't for you, if you want to hear the work of a group of artist expressing themselfs, you won't be able to stop listening.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crows Fly High, December 21, 2000

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

August & Everything After is the amazing debut from Counting Crows. They mix the lyrical stylings of Van Morrison and the rustic sounds of The Band with a dash of U2 thrown in for good measure. But despite these obvious influences, they band has a fresh and unique sound all their own. Adam Duritz uses a sharp pen in his writing and he has one of the most soulful and expressive voices in music. He practically bleeds on songs like somber "Round Here", the condemning of suburban life of "Perfect Blue Buildings" and the gorgeous and lilting "Sullivan Street". "Anna Begins" is a sweet love song and "Rain King" has a soaring sound to it. "Murder Of One" closes the album in a U2-esque, spiritual like rocker. "Mr. Jones" was the breakout song from the album and the one that gained the band large airplay. It is an immediate classic with a memorable guitar riff and vivid lyrics. Mr. Duritz says he wants to Bob Dylan in the song and he comes damn close on the song. The album was an alternative to the alternative music that dominated the airways at the time. The album was heaped with well-deserved praise, as it is one of the ten best of the 90's.