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E11: Recovering the Satellites Celebration (Part II)
399 Plays1 year ago
Eric, Chris, Geoff, Zephry, and "Florida Eric" continue their deep dive into the RTS songs. They talk about what they believe are the "Top 8" songs from the album, all while Geoff provides the requisite history and trivia. Zephry and Florida Eric end by talking about some personal experiences with the band.
Zephry's Youtube Channel (and Walkaways Cover)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFq-yWmrRBdbFXn8SMEtDQ/videos?app=desktop&view=0&sort=da&flow=grid
Rain King Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Rain-King-Music-Duritz-Counting/dp/B0C5241RM4
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to episode eleven of Sullivan street part two of two of our recovering the satellite celebration deep dive etc we got our group of five and in progress we have a coming up little deep analytics into what we believe are the top eight songs from the album.
00:00:18
Speaker
We had some trivia about it, what the songs mean to us, et cetera. Also near the end, we got Zephrey and Florida Eric talking about some of their experiences meeting the Crows. And of course, Jeff Harkness is the guest and he's great about knowing some of the history behind the album and the songs. Enjoy.
Discussion on 'Miller's Angels'
00:00:56
Speaker
So we've gone through six or seven, one, two, three, four, five, six songs, eight to go. Now we're into what I'm calling the top two tiers, okay? So there's three songs in my next tier and then there's a top five, three songs in the tier two. So here we go. On this one, this was...
00:01:13
Speaker
Okay, one person had this very low, two of us had it in the middle and two of us had it very high. So let's see where we go here. And the contrarian on this one, don't worry, there's some other contrarians coming up. The contrarian on this one, again,
00:01:28
Speaker
Rain King author, Jeff Harkness, who had Miller's Angels as his lowest. I had it in the middle of seven and so did Zephry. And then Florida, Eric and Chris both number four, Miller's Angels. So let's start with Chris of having this at number four. So again, I think this is similar to Mercury, a very, very difficult song to rank for me because I think it's a great song on its own.
00:01:55
Speaker
But most importantly, and the reason why this is number four is in part, that last section, which is used as an alt in Mr. Jones and the acoustic versions used as an alt in Perfect Blue Buildings, I think is some of Adam's, in terms of his lyrics, that has always deeply, deeply affected me. Specifically, where is it? There it go.
00:02:25
Speaker
Can't you hear me? Cause I'm screaming and I didn't go outside yesterday. Don't wake me. Please don't wake me. Cause I was dreaming and I might just stay inside again today. I don't go out much these days. Sometimes I stay inside all day. And like, first of all, um, in terms of songs that are pandemic appropriate, um, nothing better. Um, and I, I've said, I think this record, this, the weird sense of isolation, um, that's in this record that
00:02:55
Speaker
And here's just sort of one thing I want to point out here. Adam talked a lot about this record being about a record about him coming to grips with fame. I think if he hadn't said that so much, a lot of these lyrics are very open to interpretation and paint a picture that is not just about like, well, I'm famous now and that's awkward. It's really about
00:03:22
Speaker
sort of isolation and longing and feeling sort of distant from yourself. And I think this song is a spectacular version of that. And again, just the way it's used, like at the end of Perfect Blue Buildings, I think if you put those two songs, when you put those two things together, that actually is very, very high on my list of sort of counting, the live version of Perfect Blue Buildings that has this.
00:03:51
Speaker
So yeah, I just think that aspect is so perfect. And I think that's what sort of drove it up the list for me at number four.
00:04:00
Speaker
Chris, I think this might be one of the first times that we are 100% in agreement. We're usually like 80%, which is good. It makes us better hosts. But I agree with you. And the way he sings it, actually, also, not only the lyrics, but that is really hard, but I'm screaming. And he gets the tone right with all of it. And to me, I don't know.
00:04:24
Speaker
to me that was kind of showstopping I guess the first couple times I heard end of this day it just sounds very real feels very real and as someone who you know a lot of people think I you know I can be very gregarious and the center of attention when I'm at a party atmosphere but I also have no problem just literally not leaving the four corners of my room for days and I really really you know from either depression or whatever and really relate to that so yeah that's partly how I ranked it number seven
00:04:53
Speaker
Well, in that aspect that they're with he's there's you can hear a different live different times. But in that recorded version, he's whispering. Can't you hear me because I'm screaming? Yes, which is an incredible delivery. Yeah, that's great. Jeff, we'll we'll get your take on the I know you still like the song number 14.
00:05:13
Speaker
All right. Yes. And as I listened to the album too, I wondered whether I should have moved it up a little bit in the rankings. A little bit of history. One is this is the one song on the album that features David M. Merglock who plays Petal Steele and Mandolin. This was not recorded in the house. This was recorded at a studio in San Francisco. The song itself was not written for the album. It was recorded before the album and it was written for
00:05:39
Speaker
The Crossing Guard, the Sean Penn movie. He was friends with Adam and Adam played, or Sean Penn played Adam a cut of the movie when they were opening for the Stones in New York. And Adam wrote this, Adam and I think it was Dan Vickery wrote this song that night or the next night in a hotel room. The whole band recorded it out in San Francisco. And it was supposed to, I believe, close the film, but at the last minute Sean Penn used a Bruce Springsteen song instead.
00:06:09
Speaker
So basically, I mean, this is a song that even though I do like it, in some ways, I think Children in Boom is another example where this song was not really intended for the album, but album was like, well, we can wedge it in here and we'll just put it in here and it'll become part of whatever suite it's part of. So to me, it always stood aside for that.
00:06:36
Speaker
do have to mention, though, that it's an incredible vocal performance. And listening to it, I wondered, like, did I rank this too low? Should I have put this a little bit higher? Because as we've all said, this is an album where there really aren't any bad songs.
00:06:53
Speaker
I think I know there's probably been other songs that had it, but looking at the lyrics and I've been looking at the lyrics as we're going through songs. And this is one of the first times that and I think it comes up a lot later, particularly in somewhere on the wonderland and a few other songs and hard candy.
00:07:09
Speaker
where, you know, the kind of pervy lot, you know, that Miller's fingers are traveling down the length of her thigh. But not only, but while he's saying that the music behind it, you can almost feel the finger moving, at least I can, like down her thigh. It's not just him saying it. Somehow, like, I say that about Palisades Park when he talks about shimmying down the
00:07:31
Speaker
To me, I can feel him shimmying with music, but that's just me a little bit. I think they capture movement a lot, and I'm going to mention that actually in a song that we still have yet to talk about. Florida, Eric, your thoughts on Miller's Angels? I think it's fantastic. Six and a half minutes of goodness. August is my favorite album, and I think Chris brought it so well that it fits right in with, they've done it with Round Here and Perfect Blue Buildings. It's really a bridge to me between the two albums, which is great for an August lover like me.
00:08:02
Speaker
The lyrics are great, vocals are great. Like you said, I can also sense him moving or your brain is imagining somebody moving along with the lyrics. And I think it's fantastic. Zephry.
00:08:14
Speaker
Yeah, this one I actually was struggling to figure out where to put it. I moved it around a lot in my rankings because it's just such a beautiful song. I mean, it just, again, this band is like just a master of dynamics and taking you on a musical journey. You can either listen to the lyrics or you can just hear the passion in Adam's voice. And sometimes I do both. But this, just all the different
00:08:40
Speaker
areas this song takes you it's just it's a musical journey and i love all the little there's like little guitar swells and then i think right at the end of the don't come around here part it maybe it's in me i don't know it sounds like it
00:08:54
Speaker
like a like a 12 string, there's some like little like three or four strums of some guitar. I don't know what that is. Maybe a 12 string or something. Right. And let's go to let's go to Jeff. I have something to add to that. But Jeff, let's go to you first. Oh, well, I was just going to add that the the song itself, you know, Adam said that it was written for the crossing guard.
00:09:18
Speaker
But I always assume maybe he had the lyrics or something because it doesn't really, you know, match up with anything in the film. When I was at the Las Vegas show, you know, whatever it was a couple of months ago at the soundcheck, somebody asked Adam, I think jokingly, they said because he was he was taking questions. And someone asked, is Miller's Angels about Millard Powers, you know?
00:09:48
Speaker
And of course, it's like, well, he wasn't in the band, so I don't think so. But Adam's response was no. You know that movie The Crossing Guard? It's about the guy in that. So that's what Adam says, is that it is about The Crossing Guard. Although I have to say, it's hard to find it. But that's what he says. Zephyr, you brought up a great point here. And I'm not saying I don't like
00:10:10
Speaker
Like you know i mean i love bringing baltimore and that's basically just him in the piano right and then i you know that's all used to make me cry but. The one interesting thing that miller's angels could have been just a piano song right.
00:10:23
Speaker
And what you said is exactly right. They add just enough sound to the right parts that I think, really, that's why this shoots up for me as an amazing song for a ballad. Okay, great. So let's go to number seven. We're at the basic halfway point, or we just crossed the halfway point.
00:10:44
Speaker
And as much as I just said to Chris how I'm so glad we 100% agreed on this, this next one is the one that makes me want to invite none of you back for the next one. Maybe, Jeff, you can only give the history and then quit. Chris, maybe you'll call out sick. Because this is where I'm the first person to lose my number one choice.
00:11:05
Speaker
Okay, so here we go. The song that Chris though, Chris, I will let you come back on because you did have it in your top five, just not number
Exploring 'Recovering the Satellites'
00:11:12
Speaker
one. But Jeff had it in the middle. Zephry in the middle and they're quite low. Recovering the satellites. I adore this song.
00:11:23
Speaker
And it probably, when the album came out, I probably would have had it like number seven. And I remember telling my friend, I think we were getting ready for this desert life, or we were listening to this desert life when it first came out, but then I said, let's put in recovering just to change it up. And I remember saying, I said, do something.
00:11:40
Speaker
really unique. I forget there's one of the earlier songs one of you said like such a unique song and I felt that way about recovering the satellites. I've never heard anything like this. When you guys go I'll look up again some of the lyrics which I think are some of the best. I think Chris this is a great example of
00:11:57
Speaker
um exactly what you just said before that it's really about him kind of trying to I don't know find himself or re you know re get after fame but I think you can interpret it to anything his references to his you know the mother and um and the extra the for lack of a better word the satellite sound effects
00:12:18
Speaker
that go along during, it still blows me away how appropriate and key timing they are. But before I gush too much, I'll move on to Chris, who also had it in the top five. Yeah, I had it fifth. I think it's a great tune. Interesting sort of story that Adam told before what they played at one time this summer that apparently this song, or at least the bones of it, dates actually maybe the earliest because he
00:12:47
Speaker
had someone send him a cassette of August and everything after the song, thinking maybe it would fit on the album, and he decided that didn't work. But this was on the flip side, that he'd written this song, or at least the bones of it, in like 93 or something, and now just seemed very appropriate for where he was. He'd sort of left this breadcrumb of a song that how could he have possibly known how it would make sense to him several years later. Yeah, and I think it's interesting. This one's very much a,
00:13:17
Speaker
It's it's very ambiguous, but it paints this beautiful picture of that sort of disconnection and the longing I particularly like live.
00:13:27
Speaker
the way he'll sing your everybody's satellite. God, I wish that you were there's some particularly good versions where he really nails that line. Yeah, I've always just kind of felt that weird. I don't know just certain kind of connection to that one. So yeah, there's something so unique about this. And that's why like the album is named that and then the the symbol right the recovering the satellite shooting star which he mentioned it's so it's so
00:13:51
Speaker
um it's so kind of crows if you're a hardcore fan and as you said this is a song that they actually reference there's a reference to monkey in here there's another aim i mean he loves referencing angels um but i like that it catches on things again that you could relate even if you're not a star or a next star like about coming it's a coming home to sleepless town i think someone that goes back to visit
00:14:11
Speaker
a town that you're from and you don't feel connected to anymore but you kind of do again how your mother if you're turned into a different person how your mother might recognize how you're kind of desperate and and but then also you know a reference to a lover I think when do you see yourself in me and we're so messed up right
00:14:29
Speaker
you and me. So and then I guess if you're thinking about mortality, which I do actually as just as a human and part of my work as an aging scholar, I guess, but you know that we only see when he's saying about being famous for you're only in orbit for a moment of time, but I know that but I also relate it to our life, right? How we're only in orbit for a moment of time and that you're eventually going to come down. That's how I interpret it, even though I know it's about him. But Jeff, let's go to you.
00:14:56
Speaker
Yeah, this was maybe one of the first songs where I was like, this really needs to be higher on my list. I don't know how this ended up so low on my list. I still am not sure because it's one of the ones where you go, this could have been in my top five, you know.
00:15:12
Speaker
It's a great song. It's, you know, it does, as you say, sort of reference all these other songs. In some ways, it's a unifying, you know, song. And you can see why they, you know, used it as the title track for the album. And really, in some ways, it's what it is the steam of the album of like trying to find our
00:15:33
Speaker
You know our way back from this craziness of fame one little piece that I really really love about this song and you got to get the headphones on to hear it is that it's very much a Live, you know take
00:15:48
Speaker
And Adam's kind of urging the band on at the end. But in the very last one, listen to the headphones, he says last one and you can hear it. And now the band closes out and he calls calls the band to the end. So you really hear, you know, I mean, they're really just playing this in the studio. And, you know, when Adam calls it the song to an end, that's when they end it. You know, you know, you're listening to a real band here. So this was one to me that I just went, I don't know how this ended up so low on my list because it's it's one of my favorite songs on the album, honestly.
00:16:19
Speaker
Florida Eric you take on recovering satellites. I kind of agree with Jeff. It kind of falls under for me the horse dreamers blues category where I should have rated a little bit higher because because like I said it is really good and I think there's almost a bridge to where Chris was saying you know when he goes back to his old life you know he's changed and maybe the town's not the same and people don't view him the same and I think the desert life deals with that so it's almost like a like a like a harbinger or foreshadowing of
00:16:44
Speaker
of themes to come on this desert life. But, you know, I told you recently, we've had an illness in my family diagnosed. So that that line of, you know, mortality really kind of hits with me, too, as I listened to it to prepare for the pod. So, yeah, overall, it's a great song. Maybe I should arrange a little bit higher, but it's solid. Zephyr.
00:17:03
Speaker
yeah i agree with you guys this was another tough one to place i could easily have put it higher um but this song like obviously we all know adam's known for changing up melodies live over the years and this one in particular i think he's probably changed the melody up the most with the verses mostly the verses and so to me i love looking at nugs and finding different versions of different songs and this one in particular because
00:17:30
Speaker
It almost has like a different feel, like it elicits a different emotion, a different feeling when you listen to the different eras of the song. You know, the satellites tour, he was singing it more like the album. But even, you know, on the Desert Life tour, there's some versions where he's singing it a little bit differently. And so it kind of has a different feeling to it. And, you know, it's obviously a song about their little satellite that came crashing to the ground, getting it back up and
00:17:53
Speaker
it's almost like the second part of mr jones in a way because it's talking about okay now we've we've got our fame and what does that mean that doesn't solve all of our problems but it's something that we have to deal with we can't run away from it and i think they talked about after the first tour how there's an interview i don't know if it's on youtube anymore where charlie called up adam he's like hey you want to write some songs and adam's like oh i'm not in the band right now like he was tending bar at the viper room or something like he was taking that time
00:18:22
Speaker
So I think this song is a really interesting take on, you know what, we are famous and that is weird and it's definitely not what we thought it might have been when we wrote Mr. Jones, but we have to find a way to deal with it and to use it to our advantage in the sense of reaching people. And I think this song can reach you whether you're famous or not, you know, whatever happens in your life, this song can kind of be a cool way of like telling you that it might be different than you thought, but here's how you get through it.
00:18:53
Speaker
Great. No, thank you so much. I'm very glad you all did appreciate my song, even if you didn't have it ranked as high as me. So OK, you get a pass on that. I love what you all said about it. So the last song of tier two, which would be number six in our ranking, is one that I thought absolutely for sure would be in the top five.
Analyzing 'Angels of the Silences'
00:19:13
Speaker
It snuck a little bit outside of the top five, mostly because of Chris. So let's see what it is, which is
00:19:23
Speaker
Okay, so which is Angels of the Silences, three of us had it in the top five, Jeff had it number eight, and Chris number 13. So let's start with Chris. Actually, yeah, let's start with Chris just for fun. I know you love those. Okay, you want to pass? Yeah, I really know. I really like the acoustic version. I was really enjoying it. And as I was doing the rankings, I was just kind of surprised. I was just, I couldn't
00:19:48
Speaker
it didn't seem like it was pulling up above anything and I was just like, well, I guess that's where it lands. Something has to be 13th. Yeah, I was a little surprised at it too and I don't...
00:20:01
Speaker
certainly don't hate the song. But yeah, just sort of fell below other things. So I'll turn it over to the people who appreciated this more. Right. Jeff, let's go to you. And of course, by the way, this was supposed to rank the album version of the song. So because some people like angels as their favorite from the acoustic stuff. So Jeff, your thoughts on Angels of the Silences?
00:20:22
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, I love it. Another one where, to me, I went, how is this not higher on my list? Because I think it's great. To me, this song is, again, kind of a pair with Have You See Me Lately. It's a real hard rocking song, one of the two on the album. Exactly. I always thought of them as a pair. Yeah, really rocks hard. And so of those two, which one? And for me, this landed a little bit lower than Have You See Me.
00:20:47
Speaker
but i love it and you know it's interesting one of the one of my thoughts on this this song and and have you seen me lately is it's like that's not really their lane this isn't really where the counting crows are you know in their comfort zone they're they're this is a little you know up tempo for them in terms of
00:21:07
Speaker
you know, where they're comfortable. And I think it's very successful. I think there are other songs where they've attempted to do this, where it hasn't worked as well. But here it really clicked. It's like, yeah, you guys are able to pull this off and you have to be a really, really hot band that's toured for about 18 months to pull off a song like this and they do it. So I love it. Uh, Florida Eric.
00:21:35
Speaker
I had a number five, as you know, and I think it's a perfect marriage of my love with the crows with nineties rockers. It's almost like, you know, like a Pearl Jam S song, but, you know, written and performed by the crows. So it's a marriage of, you know, two of my first loves. I thought it was, I think it's fantastic. It really kind of goes along well with catapult as well. Yeah. Zephyr, your, your take.
00:21:55
Speaker
Yeah, I love this song. I couldn't put it higher because I put it at four. The ones I have above it, those are kind of all in the number one and two category. I just had to rank them.
00:22:06
Speaker
But this song I actually played when I went to Musicians Institute in Hollywood for a little mock audition with one of the producers. This is one of my guitar songs that I chose. I think it's phenomenal guitar work on this song. And I just love the energy and the drive. And I think, yeah, like Jeff, you were saying,
00:22:26
Speaker
how it's definitely different for them in terms of how heavy it is and eric you were saying kind of pearl gem ask but i think that shows their versatility it shows that we can play anything and we do it with a hundred percent and we do it well and we do it right it's not like oh they tried this and it didn't work and then you got the acoustic version of angels of the silences which is amazing as well and a totally different you know variation of that song so it just shows how incredibly
00:22:55
Speaker
gifted of songwriters these musicians are.
00:22:59
Speaker
Yeah, I had angels at number four. And besides just being a great rocker and like the change of tone a couple of times in the song, even with the ending, the I'm gone, I'm gone is a great ending to the song that wasn't shown earlier in the song. Obviously, which he mentions now, the first reference to Michelangelo, which he brings up in a later album. One thing I used to love about the song when I was younger and still do is I could feel
00:23:28
Speaker
the silhouettes and the angels coming into his head a little bit when he was talking about that. Like that imagery actually
00:23:36
Speaker
As you kind of said in the beginning, Zephrey, some of his, I don't know if it's his singing or the imagery, and later he talks about sucking his blood and breaking his nerve. Maybe that, not as much. But yeah, anyway, it always hits me. It's definitely, it's one of those songs that I will never skip when I'm listening. Oh yeah, absolutely. It's remarkable. I mean, punk bands like the Crows, and like, if there's any song of theirs that actually sounds like
00:24:03
Speaker
a punk band could kind of play it straight. It's probably Angels of the Silences, you know? Yeah. And now we have reached the top five of our official rankings in big quotes, because the five of us came up with it, of the, of the recovering the satellites album. This is what I'm calling the tier one, because there was some big separation between the number five and number six song. And all of these were, you know, just a few points separated.
00:24:30
Speaker
Um, I think there's only one sub in my guest. Uh, I mean the order was a little surprised to me, but I think there's only one song that was kind of a surprise. I mean, you can guess what's in the top five. I kind of thought angels would be in the top five and this other song would not be, but it's not the
Ranking 'Catapult' and Comparisons
00:24:44
Speaker
case. Uh, so let's go with number five and this is where the group.
00:24:48
Speaker
broke my heart a second time because uh my number two at least it made the top five but my number two and um somebody else had this as a number two but it was brought down by two of you having in middle rankings and one of you having a slightly low ranking
00:25:03
Speaker
which is Cannon Crows' kick-off song, Catapult. I have lots to say, but let's go to Zephry first, who also with me understood that this is the second best song on the cover. That's all opinions. It's hard. At this point, the top five songs, it's very hard to rank them.
00:25:22
Speaker
Yeah, this song has grown on me over the years and they played it during the sound check at the show. It was cool to hear and they opened with it. So it was cool to hear it in sound check where there's nobody in there and they're kind of, you know, testing their sound and testing their mixes and stuff and then hearing them perform it. I just love this song. I mean, it's it's so high energy. What a way to kick off this second album. And I think when you when I first listened to the songs, probably the first song off the album, you're like, whoa, this is a very big direction from
00:25:52
Speaker
like anything else they've done up to this point. And I just love the guitar work. I mean, especially when Emmy joined the band, they have three guitars and there's all different parts going on. And I love how high energy the chorus is. And at the very end of the song, they've changed the format a bit live. They have some breaks and some stops that they started doing maybe in the early 2000s. And that just makes it makes an amazing song, even more amazing. So I have nothing to say to this song, but I just,
00:26:20
Speaker
I was singing at the top of my lungs, driving the people next to me nuts half the show because I was just belting out all these songs. But I just love Catapult. I really have nothing more to say than just such a great song.
00:26:32
Speaker
Yeah, I'd like to I'd like to find out for sure. I always got the impression that Jim was the one that kind of changed the way that they play that actually, but I could be wrong. I like that with those little stops and he had some extra drums. I thought the same as you. Like one thing I love about this song is like you hear it. Well, I mean, you're right. Even though it's a rocker, it also starts very slow, too. It's not like
00:26:52
Speaker
A rocker the whole time like have you seen me lately in angels like it's like has that less slow and the organ But even when it starts I'm like, okay, this is not the August and everything after album You know that right away and him talking about being cut like, you know the knife that cuts into his hand and you know somebody save me please and a little bit of that that that angst is
00:27:15
Speaker
really coming out. I know the first album has a lot of his personality, but this feels like more angst, I guess, and maybe even a little that mental. And of course, I love the last line about, I want to be the last thing you hear when you're falling asleep. I think that's definitely one of his best lines. So I don't know. I love Catapult. I love that they still kick off some shows with Catapult.
00:27:38
Speaker
You know, not a lot, but maybe like one out of 10 or something like that. They they've never really taken it out of the rotation too much. Chris, let's go to you who you're the one that had this a little lower and I don't know. Sorry. Sorry. You had it in the middle. You had it in the middle. And it had eight. And it's in, I will say it's to me. We'll talk about this when we get there. I feel like I had a top three and there was a kind of a bunch of stuff like kind of bunched in the middle.
00:28:04
Speaker
Yeah, I love, my favorite part of the song is the intro. Is that like a, is that like a melotron? It's a real melotron too in the recording. It's, right. Well, as we talked about, they spent a lot of money on this. They weren't gonna get a fake melotron. This is a real, not screwing around. Yeah, and again, I, this is actually, I think to me, one of those songs when people talk about like, oh, it's a song about like fame. It's like, no, this is a song about like,
00:28:33
Speaker
again, disconnection and the feeling and feeling lost and all these things that are specific to Adam, but very, very universal and very, this is one of those songs to me that paints a feeling, even if you can't connect to the words quite exactly. You're like, I don't know, what does it mean to be scattered from a catapult? I don't know exactly, but it affects and it works in that way.
00:28:57
Speaker
And I guess it is kind of the companion song to recovering, which is why, right? Cause like satellites and catapults and these got like metaphors. And I think both of them are kind of rockers, but kind of slow and have this other imagery. And I just realized, I mean, I guess I knew it, but I mean, yeah, and catap, wait, catapult, unless I'm missing something references three weapons, a revolver, a knife and a catapult. So, uh, so, um, right. It's a little different than him, you know, talking about, you know, whatever in the ghost train.
00:29:27
Speaker
like that. Jeff, your take on Catapult? Yeah, I think the perfect opener. I had it ranked number 10. So it's another song that probably could have been higher. But one thing is, I think it's like a jam, not necessarily a song. It has this great build, but it's kind of built around this riff and this idea more than it is like a song.
00:29:55
Speaker
That's what makes it such a good opener to the album is the build that it provides. There's a little echo of kind of around here with that melotron. And in some ways, to me, one of the things I really appreciated about it as the opener is that it's kind of an answer or response to A Murder of One, which closes out August. And that song he's kind of saying, hey,
00:30:20
Speaker
Do I want to make something of myself and make something of my life? In this song, he says, yeah, that's exactly what I want to do, that I have ambitions like you never could even believe. I want to be the last thing that you hear when you're falling asleep on the radio. I want to burn the whole thing down. I do love so much about this song.
00:30:45
Speaker
I can't really justify ranking it other than the same thing. Where do you put all these great songs? But I think to me, it's the perfect opener for this album. Great. Florida Eric, your take on Catple. I had it at six. It's also a really, really good song. Jeff brought up a really great point of being almost like a part two to Murder of One, which is one of my favorite all-time kind of gross idol. I never get tired of that song. It's fantastic. But Eric kind of took my line of
00:31:13
Speaker
you know, thinking it's, you know, the build up slow and thinking it's going to be one way. And I remember going to, like I said, specs record store, grabbing the CD and come home, tear off the plastic. I threw in the CD player as like such an August lover. I'm going to be like August part two. Oh, no, it's not. No, it's not. No, it's not. Which is fine. Which is fine. But, uh, I think it's a, it's a great song to open up an album. If you want to have a, like a different album than the feel of, of August. And, uh, I think it's well done. I had, like I said, I had it at six. I could have had a little bit higher.
00:31:42
Speaker
Yeah, one thing, and I'm going to talk about one other change when we go to the next, when we go to the top four, but one thing that's so weird for me is I can't explain it, but in the August rankings, I had the top three as, you know, the top two would be the most poppy songs. I had Mr. Jones and Rain King as my top two, and then Anna Begins, which is very soft. And here, you know, the two songs I write ranked, Recovering and Catapult, aren't poppy at all, I guess. So, you know,
00:32:10
Speaker
That's just how it moves me, which is one of the great thing about the crows. Okay. Number four. This is the one that I thought was a little bit of a surprise. I thought it was going to be like seven or eight and ended up being number four. And part of this was because one person had this as their number one song, which is Zephry, the song.
Appreciating 'Daylight Fading'
00:32:27
Speaker
A single like i said before daylight fading so uh zephryd and uh and i'm kind of glad to see it in the top five because i think it's almost the forgotten about crow song um and zephry please uh say why you had it as your favorite song yeah this song the melody
00:32:42
Speaker
just is taunting to me. It's so beautiful. And I remember when I was first listening to this album, that opening kind of country guitar riff caught me right away. And it starts in, I think, the key of G, if I remember correctly. But then it goes to that E minor.
00:32:59
Speaker
there's that E minor section so it's like happy and sad and so to me this song is the perfect blend of happy and sad and it blends the two emotions that we all feel at all times and you know happiness is fleeting sadness when it happens when it comes it feels like it's gonna stay forever but then the next day you're happy again or something so this song blends those two elements so beautifully and I love Dan's harmonies throughout
00:33:23
Speaker
Not only the chorus but the verses and it's just one of those underrated songs that a lot of people I've shown this song to and they're just like I don't get it and I'm like well more for me I just love this song. It's just it's so beautiful and it's I love how it goes happy and sad. It's a beautiful perfect song I mean some record exec must have thought the same because they released it as you know, they're single so so you're not the only one let's go let's go to Who else had it in the top five Jeff you did so let's get your take
00:33:57
Speaker
Are you muted there, Jeff? Did you mute yourself? Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, you did. Yep, you're back. That opening lick, it's like that's what Dan Vickery brings to the proceedings. It's such a great song. To me, this is... And I love the lyrics, the moonlight creeping on the lawn and just these beautiful lyrics. I agree. It's one of their best songs, one of my very favorite ones from this album.
00:34:22
Speaker
It brings something new to their sound, which is there's a little bit of ranking here, but also it's got this kind of like country sound that we haven't heard before, but that becomes a huge part of their sound for the rest of their career. And here, you know, you really start to see that, you know, come out for the first time.
00:34:40
Speaker
Although, you know, there are always echoes, but I think here it's a little bit more overt. And so, yeah, I think it's one of their best ones. Also, it's a theme that will come up again and again. But I see this song is really very much about touring and about hitting the road and going on
00:34:57
Speaker
the road with the band and he revisits this theme again and again but come around is another example and so you know the lights are going down and we're about to hit the road and go waste another year and it's kind of a celebration of the band and being on the road and again that makes it so perfect for an album like this which was you know born of live performances and the band really coming together on the road.
00:35:22
Speaker
Hey, good call, Zephry, with your hauntingly beautiful. I never really thought of that about that. And I had this as number five, and I think you're exactly right. You're both, you know, for some reason, I don't know why I never realized until, I don't know, maybe five years ago, 22 years after it came out, that the country influenced. I guess I didn't think about that. And to this day, it's like, you're right, Jeff, of course, the country influence grows in later albums. This might be my favorite song of them that
00:35:50
Speaker
perfectly blends, I think, country and rock for them, in a way that maybe they didn't have that great balance. I guess I'll mention before we move to Chris, that one verse, I guess officially it's the third verse or whatever, I think it's classic, that she said everybody loves you, she said everybody cares, but all the things I keep inside myself that vanish in the air.
00:36:13
Speaker
If you tell me that they'll wait for me, I say I won't be there. I don't want to say goodbye to you. Goodbye to all my friends. Goodbye to everyone I know. I just think that's one of their best. Chris, your take on the song. Again, another one that I had this sort of right in front of Catapult, interestingly enough, on my list. It was at number seven.
00:36:33
Speaker
People have mentioned, I think, Agria, that Dan's guitar work is great here. I think this is a great guitar solo. I think every time it's one of Dan's, to me, highlights that I think he really... It's a really beautiful guitar work in the middle of the song there. And yeah, that haunting, that... Again, this is another one like Catapult in a lot of ways that's very much a feel song to me.
00:36:59
Speaker
This could be about touring, but this could be about so many different things. But it's really, there's a certain feeling that kind of gets into you listening to the song that has always affected me. Again, even if I couldn't exactly tell you what I think it's about or what it's about to me. Eric, your take on the song. Well, it's a common theme. I could have had a little bit of ire. I really didn't dislike the song at all. In fact, I have in my notes, when I listen to it,
00:37:26
Speaker
first three or four times trying to get ready for the show. It reminded me of another band in the 90s that I love that you guys kind of agree or disagree. They kind of had a little bit of a country influence out of Arizona. Yeah. To me, it had a gin blossom feel to it. It really, it could have been a blossom song to be honest with you. And I love them. So therefore it's a crows are doing. I'll definitely love it. So I thought the themes were good. The guitar riff at the beginning, like I said, major to minor, I kind of noticed that too. And
00:37:54
Speaker
It was really, really, really good. And also, this is the first song that implements strings, because I don't think, correct me if I'm wrong, is there any strings on August? I don't recall, I don't think so. At the bridge, where Bryson's playing 12 string, and then there's the string arrangement happening right before the guitar solo, so they're starting to implement those themes, which are a major part of their sound throughout the rest of the album and the rest of their discography, too.
00:38:23
Speaker
I also said, Eric, it's a great shout I think to Jim Blossom and the way that sounds, which is such a of that time period. There's a certain those two that Jim Blossoms I feel like were very definitional. I actually saw Jim Blossoms open for the crows at a fair in Minnesota in 2009. The taste of I believe was the taste of Minnesota.
00:38:48
Speaker
Yeah, I believe the taste of Minnesota was mostly lard there, although I think I had some tacos. But good show, good show. Yeah, this is the one thing, the last thing I'll say about this song, and it goes back to the hauntingly beautiful and kind of, I guess this kind of mix of, what did you say, I guess, Efri? A mix of like happy and sad and nostalgia. And one reason
00:39:14
Speaker
One reason I really get that, this is kind of a weird take, but maybe you'll agree, is that this is also the last time in their career, which is pretty early, that they would release a song like this as a video.
00:39:31
Speaker
you know what I mean? Like where it's not a super poppy, like hanging around or accidentally love or Big Yellow Taxi or American Girls. This is kind of like, you know, this is the kind of single you release when you think you're going to release six singles from the album or something like that, or four singles, right? At least in my opinion, because not one that stands out right away. So something, and it's the fact that, yeah, so the fact that
00:39:54
Speaker
They had a video that you can actually watch it, but it's one that nobody knows and as you said kind of unappreciated It actually makes me a little nostalgic of when kind of crows were kind of on top of their game actually in a lot of ways Maybe this was released right after warm December. I think
00:40:09
Speaker
So yeah, so that's, so, so, you know, even though they're still number one in my heart, as far as maybe the American influence, I guess, in some ways kind of showed near the top of that. Okay, we'll go to the top three. Here we go. Now I will say before we get into it, Jeff, you'll see that I'll have my revenge later on some of these.
00:40:29
Speaker
how the rankings played out. And believe me, I put my rankings before everybody else. So you all know what the top three are, if you've been paying attention. But the order of it may be somewhat surprising. So this one, somebody had it as their first. I had it in the bottom, geez, I guess bottom five, which many Crows fans would say, are you out of your mind?
00:40:50
Speaker
Uh, and I'll start let's go and everybody else had it near the middle, uh, somebody in the top five and I'll start with the person who
'Goodnight Elizabeth' and Emotional Depth
00:40:56
Speaker
had it. Number one, which is Chris megs. Good night, Elizabeth. And I know it's a fan favorite, but I had it lower, but Chris, why is this the best song and recovering the satellites? I think this is actually, and not just one of the best songs recovering satellites. I think this is one of the most quintessential counting crows songs. I think if you're a fan of counting crows.
00:41:16
Speaker
there's very low likelihood that you do not connect to the lyrics. If you wrap yourself in daffodils, I will wrap myself in pain. And if you're the queen of California, I'm the king of the rain. That to me is like one of Adam's best lines. And I think obviously it's one of their best live songs. There's so many beautiful, long versions of that song that I think really, but even the song sort of on the record,
00:41:44
Speaker
has a lot of great things. I actually really liked that this summer he was going back to using one of the lines that he dropped. Why can't I think of the line? The line that he had dropped that he went back to was, oh,
00:42:11
Speaker
Like, oh, the moon's a satellite. He hadn't said that many- Oh, the moon, the satellite, yeah. Yeah, which is interesting, because it's such a evocative line of sort of the rest of the title of the record. But yeah, I've always loved this song, and it's a... No, it's this sense of longing and this sense of defeat. He's...
00:42:38
Speaker
not speaking well of himself, but he's sad about how someone else is treating him. And I think that's sort of, I don't know, it's one of the kind of classic ways. I also love how this song, to me, this song and Rain King pair together. And if you actually listen to some of the 94 bootlegs, he actually would literally sing.
00:42:55
Speaker
at the end of Rain King, Goodnight Elizabeth, I'm so sorry now. And yeah, to me, those two songs together, it's like the basis of my love of the band and the basis of sort of my connection to them, the sort of feelings that are in those two songs. So yeah, I love this song and number one for me. Florida, Eric, you had it number three, so let's go to you. Yeah, I agree with Chris. This is such a fantastic song, man. It's just really great.
00:43:25
Speaker
the depth of the lyrics and him you know out on the road and then missing somebody special to him and I just I could really connect with it because I think I told Eric before we we had the whole chat before we uh jumped on the pod tonight um when I saw them in 97 and we'll get to that a little bit after the after the rankings um I saw them with Live and the 97 tour of West Palm Beach at Coral Sky Amphitheater um
00:43:46
Speaker
And they played this song and I remember I pregnant my main car taken away. But remember, keep in mind, I was only 21 at the time, so keep that in mind. But I was having a long-distance relationship with this girl who lived in Carmel, California, you know, out in Carmel. I was here in Florida. And back then, in the 90s, it wasn't as easy as the kids have it now with the FaceTime and all that. We didn't have that. So I hardly ever got to see her. You know, when I did, it was special, and I got to talk to her in special.
00:44:05
Speaker
And so when he said, you know, I will, you know, wait for you and Baton Rouge, I'll miss you down in New Orleans. I just lost it. I started crying, man. I just, luckily nobody saw me and everybody's partying and listen to the crows or whatever it was packed. It was in the lawn section and it's packed. Nobody could see me, but I just started falling. I can't take it. And that's one of the good things that the crows that does elicit that, elicit that emotion. And I always see the crows are like for high emotional IQ people, you know, as people that can, can have empathy and sympathy for others that were ourselves.
00:44:31
Speaker
We'll usually get another crows and that's just one way the song unpacked me. So I echo what Chris said. It's a fantastic song Let's go to Jeff who had it as you had also number. No. No you had it number four number four. Yeah
00:44:48
Speaker
Well, this was the song that moved up the highest for me in sort of revisiting this album for this podcast, only because I tend to be somebody who discounts the hits or like the really big songs because this is one of those songs that
00:45:06
Speaker
is almost so good you can forget how good it is you know like one that oh yeah good night elizabeth i really thought this was going to be lower on my rankings and i listened to it and i went wait a minute you know like i i forgot how great this song is and i listened to it over and over again in fact kept going back to it and i was like this is not a song this is like an achievement you know it's it's um
00:45:27
Speaker
I do think that, especially for this album with its themes and about the road and all that kind of stuff, and this song was really written from that perspective. And his lyrics about being on the road and the clown out on the wire and his beautiful lyrics, it's really one of the best songs that
00:45:50
Speaker
that I have heard about that topic. He took on a difficult task with the lyrics for this album, visiting well-worn terrain. This is an example where he just almost superseded what he was trying to do. To me, a masterpiece, a flat-out masterpiece, no question about it. It could have been my number one too.
00:46:15
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, really. Before I get this, before I get this Zephry, I will say that, and I guess there's not as much of it anymore because of maybe the way Adam's changing his songwriting to do a little more third person. But I love, like you said earlier, Chris, the references to other songs. And you just said, Jeff, there's another wire line, right? The aggressive wire.
00:46:39
Speaker
What else is the cowboys are mentioned in here and there was something else? Oh king of the rain, right? And right the callback to other songs. Yeah, the satellite I love I exactly right. They said the moon the satellites, right? I never never get sick of the callback to other songs because I don't think it's excessive The most excessive one probably is the reference to maria and what's that six times or something?
00:47:02
Speaker
Um, so any anyway, uh zephry let's go to you and you're ranked I had it at number six and it's almost not fair because I just like everything you guys said I absolutely love this song It's just so hard when you get to the top five or six songs on this album But I love how this song has grown over the years because on the first tour they were playing it I don't believe they had dan's little
00:47:24
Speaker
intro at the very beginning which to me it's just sets the tone so beautifully for this song and then you have all the different versions over time when they went into um was it screw your christmas and slip away and now they're doing pale blue eyes by velvet underground so it's like all these different variations of the song have just made it even better for me like it's so good on the album because it's only like
00:47:47
Speaker
four and a half minutes or something and now it's like 12 minutes with pale blue eyes but it's just so beautiful and I love all the variations and the passion and how personal it is to Adam and I think it resonates in some way with all the listeners too. Yeah I think I will say my favorite and we'll probably do a whole episode about this one at some point but I think my favorite version which I think the only did once it's with the song Chelsea which is obviously a b-side from this record
00:48:13
Speaker
in the middle and I think I remember being in college and sort of finding that version on some website and just listening to it like over it or just like again and again just like nah just let's just I could listen to something eh let's just go let's go around one more time um yeah it's uh it's a perfect song I will also add Eric the um
00:48:34
Speaker
Wasted in the Afternoon takes me to Mrs. Potter's, like waking up in the middle of the afternoon. Yes, yes. That's actually my favorite lyric of this song. This is the first actual couple lines about wasted in the afternoon on a train. And sometimes I still, right, either I think back when I did sometimes drink in the afternoon or sometimes when I see trains or I'm waiting on a train, I sometimes think of this song. And if I feel like I'm a good train,
00:48:59
Speaker
And I feel like I've done this before, especially if I was traveling in another country or something like this. And I feel like I'm kind of repeating the same cycle. Well, if you didn't, yeah. And I'll try not to mention that I actually had this number 10th. So part of that destroyed your ranking, Chris. I just, you know what? I like Goodnight Elizabeth. It's funny because it's funny how you and I agree on so much. But when you said like that one of the definitive counting pro songs where I don't feel that even though I like it. And it's weird because I find that a companion piece in a way to
00:49:27
Speaker
Anna begins and I did put Anna begins in the top three and both of them are ballads that are huge fan favorites and they've never really taken them away from the rotation even though neither of them were singles. So yeah I and I don't know why Anna begins hits me a lot more than good night Elizabeth I have no idea I will say and again it's not the only reason but just like
00:49:47
Speaker
Anna got a tribute of one of my kids name I actually have Elizabeth as one of my child's middle names as well So I have to this is the second of my kind of grows tribute that will be passed on to my children. So Whether they like it or not. Okay, so no, but they so here we go the top two very exciting stuff
00:50:11
Speaker
Now, number two, also, I was this I destroyed, so I will go last again.
The Universality of 'Long December'
00:50:18
Speaker
But this is a song that the rest of you all had in your top three. It ends up in number two. Adams, the only song that Adam said is a perfect song of his, which is Long December. Let's go to Jeff, who's even though the rest of you had it in the top three, it was actually Jeff that had it number one. So let's go to Jeff.
00:50:39
Speaker
Yeah, well, you know, again, this was one that I honestly, I could have put this as first or last in terms of how I rank it because, you know, it's almost like a stairway to heaven or let it be your, you know, it's one of those songs that is
00:50:54
Speaker
has transcended the band. And this is something that Michael Stipe said about Losing My Religion. He said, this is a song that became everyone else's song. It was no longer our song. It was everyone's song. And he said, because this song affected people so deeply, we felt honored to play it. And we always played it at every concert because it just affected people that much and became everyone else's song. It wasn't ours. And I think long December,
00:51:23
Speaker
is the one song on this album that belongs in that category. It's no longer the Counting Crows' song, it's everyone's song. This is a song that's almost become a Christmas song. It's a classic. It just supersedes it. It is a Let It Be. It's a Yesterday. It's in that category of the most classic songs that have ever been written. To me,
00:51:48
Speaker
It's the only one on this album that really belongs in that category of like the world has adopted this song and so to me it's a great song and I love it and you know Adam said it was like other than around here one of the that round here with the two songs that just completely flowed out of him and almost you know one piece
00:52:10
Speaker
but it is another masterpiece. To me, I felt like I had to rank it number one only because the world has decided that it's one of their best songs.
00:52:24
Speaker
Florida Eric, you had it number two. Let's go to you. The song is on public domain, right, Jeff? Everybody owns it. Right. But no, I agree with everything Jeff said. This is one of the, not that there's many crows songs. It's like I said, I wouldn't be here, but one of the, one of the crows songs I never get tired of, like any version, you know, any live version, any, you know, talk show version, any, you know, either the CD version and album version. I just, I love it so much and, and
00:52:49
Speaker
First first glance it looks like another Oh another crow suppressing saw but it's really about as you guys know You know longing for the year ahead and having a sense of optimism And I just like I said the piano with it the lyrics the melody. It's just a perfect plan, man It's just a 10 out of 10 song for me I've also kind of thought about you know, my daughter's going away to college next year She's gonna be 18 and writing a version just saying, you know About her growing up and in leaving the nest but as an inspiration, but it's just such a such a great song
00:53:20
Speaker
I mean, this is, I put it at number three, but it could arguably go anywhere. This song, Adam has said, was both written and recorded in under 24 hours, which is unbelievable to think, but that tells you that such, he said it's the most perfect thing he believes he's ever written and ever will write.
00:53:40
Speaker
um which I don't think is true but that's what he said and um it just tells you that like the best songs are just come from that that that place of sincerity and honesty and this is one of those songs I think I think they said for Adam said in an interview they did like three or four takes and then just did like an overdub on the vocals and that's it that's what's on the record like that's just insane to think of
00:54:04
Speaker
And it's such a beautiful song. And it just really gives you that sense of hope, especially at the end of a year, especially the last couple of years we've all had. And I think it's become everybody's song because it's so inclusive and because everybody can really grab a hold to some of, if not all the lyrics, certainly one of the verses, if not all the verses, it's got something for everybody and it can be interpreted many different ways. And it's just beautiful and awesome to sing along with, especially at their shows.
00:54:36
Speaker
Chris Miggs, your take on Long December. It's a shocking take, but it's one of their best songs. I think, as far as Eric had mentioned it, it's kind of amazing that they've played it as many times they have. And I have never been mad when they pulled up to play it in a show. I've never been like, oh, that one again. Adam's right. It's just kind of a perfect song.
00:55:06
Speaker
Yeah, if there was one song they were going to play every night, it kind of should be that one. It's interesting. It's probably one of the first Counting Chorus songs that I really love. I know I knew Round Here and Mr. Jones and Like Them, but I remember watching the video for this and just really
00:55:24
Speaker
finding it very affecting. And again, I'm sure that this is the song that's why I told someone to get me this CD for Christmas. It's also one of the few songs that in sort of a positive way, I think is the soundtrack of our lives, right? That it's, I don't know, if you love this song and have it at some point thought to yourself about reminding yourself to hold on to these moments as they pass,
00:55:50
Speaker
Like I can literally like hear every time I hear that line, I can literally, I can think of my wife walking up on our first date and think, literally thinking to myself, like, because I heard the song so many times at that point, it's like, this is a moment you will want to hold on to and just holding onto it. And I think of that every time. It's connected to all at once you look across a crowded room and see the way that light attaches to a girl, right? One of those perfect, like,
00:56:17
Speaker
It's so simple. You can't believe no one had written that before 1995 or 96 when every year he wrote it. But it's wonderful. And again, and that idea of particularly on an album that's really about feeling dislocated and feeling
00:56:34
Speaker
losing yourself, right? That sense of maybe this year will be better than the last, you know, we're gonna, there's a tomorrow, there's like kind of keep going is I think a very valuable feeling, especially at the end of the record, right? It's the next to last song. And after all this feeling of like, I don't know where I'm going with this, I don't know, it's like, no, but keep going, you know, this maybe next year will be better than the last.
00:57:01
Speaker
So yeah, I think it's a wonderful song. Interestingly, they've played it live so many times. Very, very similar. I mean, he's played it solo piano a few times. They added some extended bits at the end at times. And there was one period, I think it's like 06, 07, where he was adding a little bit of, maybe even into 08, but adding
00:57:24
Speaker
of murder of one right before the end. I will walk along these hillsides in the summer and eat the sunshine. I am feathered by the moonlight and into the not a nah part. Other than that, it's like, well, this is pretty good. Let's just do it. I liked when they started with Good Night LA and then went into that like him solo Good Night LA. That was beautiful. Oh, yeah.
00:57:45
Speaker
Yeah, there's a lot. There's such a cool thing where every song that he plays right in front of that sounds, there's a certain way he plays that, including the one by Taylor Swift and Live Forever. Sorry, I cut you off. No, that's fine.
00:58:04
Speaker
Yeah, sorry. Yeah, this is- I hear you're a monster, Eric. Where did you put this? I swear I'm not a counting cruise- Let's put this. Yeah, I had it as, I hate to say, I had it as number 12. I am the count- Wow! This is my counting cruise, contrarian. Well, it's this one in round, this one in round here, but I'm not too contrarian, because again, I am Mr. Jones High, so I'm not gonna be on Rain King. But round here and along the set, I always liked long December, but it never, it like never was my top,
00:58:33
Speaker
10 and it's probably even moved down a bit but you're I mean Chris the one thing I do appreciate well you know you both said because um Zephrey said almost oh you could wreck you could connect to every lyric or at least some of it and I will admit Chris the lyrics that you brought up were exactly the three that I loved
00:58:48
Speaker
about to hold on to these moments of the past. That is absolutely classic. The next year might be better than the last and about the light attaches to a girl. Those are the best. The stuff about the winter and the hospital and Hillside Manor, I just didn't connect to as much. And I don't know. I like the song a lot. It's just that some of the other songs just hit me a lot more, like Catapult, Recovering.
00:59:13
Speaker
And yeah, there I had it, you know, down with horse streamers, horse streamers blue somehow. But I do agree with you, Jeff. And it's funny that you said that I do agree that it is there. Let it be in Stairway to Heaven and losing my religion. And actually, those are some of my least favorite songs from there. Right. From those bands. I don't know why, but I agree with you that it is that
00:59:34
Speaker
And I yeah, so so I get it but I'll trust Adam that he said that it's the only perfect song and He also said it was his best song
00:59:44
Speaker
or his best writing, but then he kind of replaced that later. He puts it in, as you probably heard, with Palisades Park and The Current Suite. So now he kind of combines those, or the best songs he's written, but he also says this is the only perfect song he ever wrote and the only song he'll play every time, you know, basically. So something to be said that. Anything else about Long December? Oh, one of the interesting things with Long December, someone on Reddit did like a video
01:00:12
Speaker
of like, it's basically using setlist.fm and of like most played songs by the band. And it's interesting as you can just watch long December, just slowly creep up over those August songs, just slowly. At some point it just takes over and just nothing's touching it.
01:00:29
Speaker
I'll just throw this in here, by the way, because he didn't do it on this tour. But when you were talking, I guess he did it. I thought it was only the one tour, but I guess he's done it at least once. We'll talk about this when we get to the live. But one thing I absolutely am in love with Long December is the live version when they do the extended nah, nah, nah at the end. Yeah. Jam out.
01:00:49
Speaker
I can listen to that over it is so good and I can listen to that over and over and I think they did that on the Sunday Saturday night tour and Sunday mornings and also on the butter butter miracle tour but
01:01:00
Speaker
We'll talk about that later, but that I never get sick of. Anyway, okay, so that means that the number one song is a bit of a shocker, probably because of me, because I would have probably put Long December, Goodnight Elizabeth, but it's one that most of us had in the top five, but only one of us had number one, and one of us had a little lower, which is, Have You Seen Me Lately?
Concluding with 'Have You Seen Me Lately'
01:01:23
Speaker
And Florida Eric called this as putting his number one and ended up being number one,
01:01:28
Speaker
uh eric do you have any please give your thoughts on it you know you know what's funny about this song is it it really hits me a lot different it's the acoustic version you know this record is not the acoustic version doesn't hit me as much but i remember was it um bh1 storytellers or is it which album is the acoustic one off of
01:01:47
Speaker
I remember hearing it for the first time in a while off the Bear soundtrack of the TV show and this is fantastic. It really encapsulates the message of the whole album in one song and I think the slowed down, stripped down acoustic version for me hits a lot better than
01:02:06
Speaker
the the electric studio regular version on the album but either way i think it's just a fantastic song and i think it sums up the whole entire message that the the band is trying to convey on this album but i think it's it was either this or long december i went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth so i started to
01:02:21
Speaker
I decided to break it up a little bit and put this one number one and just number number two. But that's the way I saw it. Well, Florida, Eric, I'll give you credit for you had one, two and three in order. And but but Chris, you were pretty close because you also had one, two and three. It's just that Goodnight Elizabeth was a little lower. So why did you have Have You See Me Lately as your second favorite song?
01:02:39
Speaker
Another, to Eric's point, I think this is one that really shines sort of across all the versions of it, like the way they've played it, the original version, the live, upbeat versions, the slowed down acoustic versions. There's even some, there were time periods where they were playing kind of in the middle. And it just kind of always works. There's something about the song that just is great in that way. I also think these lyrics, again,
01:03:08
Speaker
This is a topic he's covering on a lot of this record. But to me, this is one of the more universal expressions of it, that feeling of, I don't know if I've even seen me. Who am I? Where am I? What am I trying to do here? That feeling of kind of disconnection. You talked about in the last episode, I really love this in the middle of round here too. I think those two connect so well together and they kind of buoy each other and push them upward.
01:03:39
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's a real, and again, a really perfect song, a pandemic song to me, that feeling of like, because no one's seen you. So who are you anymore kind of feeling? One of the reasons why I think this record, it's very precious, 27 years old, but feels in a lot of ways just as current as it did in 1996. Yeah, I think it's just a classic and yeah, a number two, but again, I wouldn't argue with it as number one.
01:04:06
Speaker
Yeah. And how many people, I mean, every person, I think you talk about a universal feeling. I think there's a universal feeling that as far as I know, at least in modern American society of that people remember you a certain way and you've changed or your situation has changed, but there's, but maybe they don't recognize that and you feel that they don't recognize that. And so have you seen me lately, right? Yeah. And also I played, yeah, please.
01:04:30
Speaker
Well, you know what's interesting about that, that feeling of change, but also the specific aspect of the lyric. I was out on the radio starting to change. Right. Was is a unique experience in 1996 that as five of us talk on a podcast right now is a much more universal experience in the 2020s. Right. We're on Zooms. We're all
01:05:00
Speaker
out on the radio and the social media. You know, we're all out there and we're all starting, you know, just sitting alone and talking and changing in that way. And it's interesting how that, to me, that aspect has sort of become even more universal over time. Now that's interesting. And I always had a love for radio and I was on it for a little bit. So I guess that hits a little hard for me. And I was number three. Jeff, let's go to you.
01:05:24
Speaker
Yeah, well, just echoing everything else. Everyone else is saying one of their great songs. I have the number six, but could have been higher. Charlie's piano playing, I think. Got to give a little shout out there because it really you can hear that Adam wrote so many of these songs on piano as he does. But
01:05:44
Speaker
You know charlie's piano playing really stands out on this on to me as really part of what's driving the song and it's not just the guitar it's also the piano and and you know charlie has always been so you know kind of the secret weapon of the band musically in some ways and the mvp yeah and and you know you really i mean he just he's a dude.
01:06:06
Speaker
going to town on this whole album. The other thing that I love about this song is it really is a direct answer to Mr. Jones and you know where he's talking about wanting to be a star and seeing himself on TV and then here he's talking about what that experience is like and so you know in some ways he's talking to himself and to this that song which was so powerful to those of us who who fell in love with it
01:06:31
Speaker
And then you have this theme about memory, all the little things that make up a memory, which memory, of course, hard candy, you have watching him sleep, love to watch him sleep, like in Anna Begins, you know, so it's, again, sort of calling to all of these other songs and, you know, pieces of the sort of crows, you know, lyrics, so.
01:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, to me, again, we talked about the two rockers on the album, this and Angels of the Silences. And to me, I placed this one a little bit higher. To me, it's like maybe their best rockin' song that they've ever delivered. I love it.
01:07:07
Speaker
It's interesting, Jeff, I was thinking about, I had never made this connection before, you're talking about, she said she loved to watch me sleep, but he's not sleeping. Because we know that. That's true. He's not sleeping anymore. That's true. He doesn't do that, you know? So it's just, again, that sort of loss of who he was. Yeah. Zephry, any, uh, your take on what we thought was the best song from Recovering to Satellites?
01:07:30
Speaker
Yeah, I love this song. I'm sounding like a broken record. Again, it could be anywhere. There's so many good ones. But to me, the coolest thing about this song is all the different variations of it. You've got the album version, which is similar to the version on Across the Wire at Hammerstein Ballroom, just so rocking and so high energy.
01:07:51
Speaker
And then you've got the really stripped down version at Chelsea Studios, which was beautiful. And I think Woodstock 99 was when they introduced the middle of the road version. And then there's a show on YouTube from like Amsterdam and 03 where they do that middle of the road version. I feel like they really figured out that arrangement. And it's got Emmy's mandolin solo with the distortion on it. It's just so amazing how they can take one song and bring it in so many different directions.
01:08:18
Speaker
And I just think it's a song that, again, like almost all the other songs on this album speaks to people because it can be about me. It can be about you. It can be about anyone. It's talking about obviously their fame and have you seen me lately compared to where we were before we were successful. But it's so it resonates so much with with with anyone and anywhere you're at, especially where we're at in life these days. And I just think it's another great song.
01:08:44
Speaker
Now, great. And you're right. We'll see how things go when we deep dive into the end of the future, the other albums. But it is kind of nice for me, for a band that's known for around here long December, like to see a rocker, have you seen me lately, you know, be one that we kind of thought consensus might be the best song on the album and where he shows a little bit of anger and whatever, part two. Yeah, I thought it's great.
01:09:10
Speaker
Just as an aside, Jeff, and something I'll think about when we're listening, but I've said it a hundred times and I'll keep saying it, that I think Charlie's the MVP of the band. I don't think it's a...
01:09:20
Speaker
Coincidence that he was there from the beginning or almost the beginning Dude, I did think in that his the mix in this album He's not featured or you don't notice him as much as in the later albums that it's there But I think they could have raised him up a little bit on some of the songs on recovering That's just my opinion that I don't know if it was to emphasize the guitar, but I agree with you as some of these songs He makes the difference, but it's tough to notice it unless you're listening very closely
01:09:49
Speaker
Yeah, that's a
Personal Stories and Fan Interactions
01:09:51
Speaker
good point. That's a good point. Alright, so thanks for the fans and we're almost done. We've been going for a little over two hours, which makes sense. It's such a major album and we've had five people on. There's 14 songs on it. 14 songs exactly.
01:10:11
Speaker
And while I hope to have them on again, I do like to end when we have new guests talking about any, maybe a short personal stories about The Crows. And we'll start with Florida Eric, who said he did have a personal story, I think, from interacting with the band at one point. Yeah, well, yeah, it was that 97 tour with Live, I think, at Coral Sky Amphitheater. And they opened up. They were great. And then The Crows came on, had the time of my life.
01:10:35
Speaker
You know moded over the elizabeth song or what i was going through at the time with that girl and and i i've lived i've lived a fun life so the details a little bit hazy remember i was 21 so i don't remember the details but uh i remember at one point the buddy i went with he's like hey uh i think the trailers pull around there maybe we'll come out and see if they come out or whatever and chat with us or maybe sign an autograph or two whatever i'm like all right so we just kind of follow and
01:10:57
Speaker
I guess everybody wanted to get home. There wasn't a big crowd following us around. Him and I and like maybe six or seven other people. And we go around the back where the trailers are and it's a massive facility. And as a lot of the computers are, we finally found it. We kind of wait outside these wooden gates, you know? And then all of a sudden they open up and Adam comes out. I'm like, holy shit, he's here. This is great. Now you guys have probably met him a million times and like zee, zee, zee falling asleep. But to me, it was awesome, you know? And here he is. I just remember him. I don't remember a whole lot. I remember him being quiet.
01:11:26
Speaker
He signed everybody's shirt. I got my tour shirt signed and just very briefly chatted. I went back out back inside and I went home happy and I had my tour shirt and I gave it to that girl that I told you about. And like six months later, like I said, in the 90s was hard to conduct along this relationship. It's a little bit easier now, but she was a little bit younger than I. I was only 21, a little bit younger and we just wanted different things. We broke up. She still has my shirt, man. I want it back.
01:11:53
Speaker
I'm pretty active on Twitter from from sports and music or whatever and I see her on there but it's not risk worth risk of my marriage even just to ask her that I don't want it so I'll look her up question without risking your marriage I think I'm I think you got to find out if she's still got the shirt
01:12:09
Speaker
Yeah, I'm with you, man. I'm with you. If you're on the Counting Crows podcast and she still has your shirt, I'm going to say that she sounds like Mercury to me. That's my take on it. Zephry, would you want to share a little bit about any of this personal story at all about the Crows? Sure. So being a fan of only nine years or so now, I've only seen them six times. I wanted to go to more shows on this tour than just one, but just couldn't really afford it.
01:12:39
Speaker
But on this tour, because I was sitting front row, I mentioned this in our break, it was really cool to go to their soundcheck and kind of see that whole experience of them setting their gear up and getting their mixes ready and them in a different headspace than the show. And after the show,
01:12:56
Speaker
I didn't really think about it but I was sitting kind of in front of Dan and between Dan and Adam and and normally from what I've seen of their videos on YouTube they kind of just walk off the stage really quick but they were kind of hanging around and and Dan in particular was kind of you know he had some guitar picks and I don't know what made me do this but he started handing out picks and I just like shoved my way up front I just I was
01:13:21
Speaker
I mean, I was maybe, there was a couple people in front of me, but I was just like, I plowed right through, just extended my arm. Oh my gosh. It was just, Dan, Dan, I want to pick. And I got a pick. And it's framed on my, on my wall. He's one of my biggest guitar idols. So Dan Vickery, if you're, if you're listening, you're a huge guitar influence of mine, and they really need to
01:13:44
Speaker
teach your methods at a musician's institute because as much as I love all the other guitar players, he's influenced my playing more than anybody else. So I'll plug there. That's great to hear. Zephry, did you want to plug your YouTube channel or no? Sure. Yeah. My YouTube channel is Zephry Line Music. It's one word Z-E-P-H-R-Y-L-Y-N-E music.
01:14:09
Speaker
And it just has various stuff. I've got some original content, some cover content. It's kind of like my online resume. I've done various sessions, like I mentioned, and I'm in a couple of bands. And it's usually the link I send to people I'm new working with, like, hey, we want to check out your playing. It's kind of like a resume. So there's lots of stuff on there. Like I said, walkaways. I do a little cover. I'm not really a singer. I'm a guitar player.
01:14:35
Speaker
I gave it my best shot. So there's a cover of walkaways on there. So go check that out. And yeah, thank you. Well, thank you so much, Zephyr. It was great having you on the podcast and great to see you. And I'm glad I could tell you that you made the Jumbotron. Florida Eric also agreed to have you on the show.
01:14:54
Speaker
Yeah, I want to almost give a shout out that your Florida State Seminoles are doing well, but I'm not too happy about that, but that's okay. But by the way, don't be so down on yourself. I've seen them a lot. You had more interaction with Adam than I really have. I'm more talking to the other band members. He's kind of interacted with me a little more during the shows, even the last after the YouTube. After that, when he was walking off the stage, I didn't say this, but I came down to the front, Zephrey, because people were leaving, you know, because I was there playing all, you know, all the leaves are brown, California Dreaming,
01:15:24
Speaker
And I went down, and I gave, right before he got off, I gave him this huge wave. And he definitely looked, because he's like, does this guy know me? Like the way I waved, he definitely thought, and he waved at me back, and then he looked at like, wait, I don't know you, and it turned around. So, but anyway.
Connections Between Bands
01:15:40
Speaker
Okay, but I guess that's about it. Jeff, any last thoughts? We already plugged your book, so.
01:15:46
Speaker
Well, I want to ask Zephry just because he mentioned it, and I'm so curious. Since you're a fan of these two bands, is there a connection for you between Rush and the Counting Crows? Do you connect them somehow?
01:15:59
Speaker
Yeah, you know, they're both my number one band. I could not, could not rank one higher than the other. There's something like we talked about when we talked about all podcasts, along with the sincerity with their music and the fact that they were always going to do things their way. They were never like, oh, well, this is popular, so let's start doing that. And if they did something like that, they still did it their way. You know,
01:16:22
Speaker
Rush evolved over the years. I think we can all agree Counting Crows has evolved over the years. And they're the types of bands to make this real streamlined, but to make it very clear, to me, all their albums and all their songs sound, to me, they sound different from each other, but they still sound like the same band. And there's no mistaking it's the same band. It's not like, who's this? It's like, yep, that's Counting Crows. Yep, that's Rush. Like you always know. And that's just what draws me back.
01:16:50
Speaker
Yeah, cool. Thank you. That's great. Well, thank you so much. And thanks for listening.
Engagement and Farewell
01:16:55
Speaker
And by the way, Florida Eric, thank you for people wondering how he got on the podcast. He wrote the podcast and said, you know, and just said, Hey, I want to be on. I love what you're doing. So I also appreciate everyone listening to the podcast. If you want to get in touch with us, Sullivan street PC at protonmail.com. Email will be in the description. Thank you so much for listening, listening to us talk about recovering the satellites.
01:17:18
Speaker
See you later down here. Thanks for having us. Oh, you're welcome. And we'll see you down here on Sullivan Street.