Ranking All the Counting Crows Studio Albums
Counting Crows is a rock band that was formed in Berkeley, California, in 1991. The band consists of lead vocalist Adam Duritz, drummer Jim Bogios, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, bassist Millard Powers, and guitarists David Bryson, David Immergluck, and Dan Vickrey. Since they formed, Counting Crows have released eight studio albums, two compilation albums, five live albums, and 32 singles. Here are all the Counting Crows studio albums ranked.
7. Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation) (2012)
‘Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation’ is the only Counting Crows album not to reach the top ten on the Billboard 200, as it peaked at number 11. It also reached the same position on the album charts in Ireland. All the other albums released by the band predominantly feature original tracks. However, this album consists of cover songs of singles from the 1960s through to the 2010s. It was the first album the band released after leaving Geffen Records, and they released it independently. The band members all contributed to the choice of cover songs by naming their favorite songs. They recorded the album in Burbank, California. In a rather unusual move, the band commissioned their fans to design the album cover.
6. Somewhere Under Wonderland (2014)
The most recent studio album released by Counting Crows is ‘Somewhere Under Wonderland,’ which was released in 2012. It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and reached number 10 on the Canadian album chart. The album was the band’s first release with Capitol Records. Prior to this album, Counting Crows had not released an album of original songs since ‘Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings’ six years earlier. Between the two studio albums, Counting Crows released a studio album of cover songs and two live albums independently as they had parted ways with Geffen Records. The band began writing original material for this album while performing in the traveling festival show ‘Outlaw Roadshow.’ All the tracks’ lyrics are written by Adam Duritz, and other band members contributed to the music composition.
5. This Desert Life (1999)
‘This Desert Life’ contains a good mix of uptempo songs and emotional melodies, says BB Chronicles. It was the band’s third studio album, and it reached number eight on the Billboard 200 and number seven on the album charts in Canada. By 2002, the album had sold more than two million copies worldwide. The band released three singles from this album, the first of which was ‘Hanginaround.’ This single was followed by ‘Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby’ and ‘All My Friends.’ The album’s cover was designed by comic book artist Dave McKean, who is best known for his work with author and comic book writer Neil Gaiman. The design is an adaptation of the book cover for Gaiman’s picture book ‘The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish.’
4. Hard Candy (2002)
The fourth studio album released by Counting Crows was ‘Hard Candy.’ It was a top ten hit in the United States, the UK, and Ireland. In the same year as the album was released, Counting Crows released the singles ‘American Girls’ and ‘Miami’ from the album. The following year, they released the single ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ a cover of the Joni Mitchell song. It was originally a hidden track on the album, but it became the album’s biggest radio hit. The song was used in the movie ‘Two Weeks Notice’. A later version of the song featured Vanessa Carlton. Other singles released from this album were ‘If I Could Give You All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead’ and ‘Holiday in Spain.’
3. Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (2008)
Counting Crows’ fifth studio album was ‘Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings.’ It reached its best chart position in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200. In Canada, the album reached number eight on the album charts. An unusual feature of the album is its division into two music styles. While the Saturday Nights section of the album features rock music, the tracks on the Sunday Mornings side of the album are influenced by country music. Counting Crows released the singles ‘1492,’ ‘You Can’t Count On Me,’ ‘Come Around,’ and ‘When I Dream of Michelangelo’ from this album.
2. Recovering the Satellites (1996)
The most commercially successful Counting Crows album is ‘Recovering the Satellites’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovering_the_Satellites), which was released in 1996 and was the band’s second studio album. It is their only album to top the Billboard 200. The album was also a top ten hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States. Counting Crows used the style of music from their debut album and developed their sound further. The three singles released from this album were ‘Angels of the Silences,’ ‘A Long December,’ and ‘Daylight Fading.’ Lead singer Adam Duritz has said that ‘Recovering the Satellites’ is his favorite Counting Crows album.
1. August and Everything After (1993)
Return of Rock says that ‘August and Everything After’ is the best Counting Crows album. It was the band’s debut studio album, and it was released in 1993. It topped the Canadian album charts and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. Adam Duritz wrote all the songs on the album, and the singles released were ‘Mr. Jones,’ ‘Round Here,’ ‘Rain King,’ and ‘A Murder of One.’ It has sold more than seven million copies in the United States and has been certified multi-platinum in several countries.