What does it sound like?:
It sounds amazing! The Crows got hold of the London Symphony Orchestra for some sweeping strings and Duritz is on top form vocally and lyrically – there are so many sound bites that you must discover for yourselves.
What does it all *mean*?
This is the title track of their debut album released in 1993 but the song itself was not completed until last year. So it means that sometimes you have to stick at things to attain perfection.
Goes well with…
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
“Country Rock” with a cutting edge.
I’m a little confused here – are you saying that the album been rerecorded and released or is it just the title track that doesn’t appear on the album of that name has now been released with the LSO?
If just the single track, is it a stream/download only or available in physical formats?
Just the title track, it seems. Dunno where it’s available.
On the Underwater Sunshine podcast they said that it’s an Amazon Music only download. They start talking about the song at around 25.5 minutes from the end, and eventually play the track.
You can listen to the song here
http://countingcrows.com/uwspodcasts/episode-49-august-and-everything/
It starts at around 16.5 minutes from the end of the podcast
And here is the video
I wonder when they did that? I’m not too far from Haverstock Hill where AIR studios is located. I could have sneaked in as a delivery guy or something.
From their website…..just the one song available via Amazon it seems.
Originally a concept from the band’s frontman Adam Duritz, “August and Everything After” was the song the first album was named after but was a never completed track. The only place it survived was in the iconic album art. The lyrics seen in the background on the album cover released in 1993 are the original set of lyrics to “August and Everything After.” With the lyrics rewritten to complete the song, “August and Everything After” finally comes to life over two decades later as the band celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Of completing the recording Adam states, “I never really thought much about this song back in the day because it wasn’t finished. But when we got the chance to work with Vince Mendoza, I thought it was a good time to rewrite it and get it right. He came up with really interesting arrangement – not the whole band or the whole orchestra but parts of each – drums, bass, and pedal steel from us plus the string section and one cor anglais (kinda like a big oboe) from the LSO. It was magic recording it at AIR Studios in London. You can just feel the cool when you listen.”
I’m like famous I am
The song has been played many times live in the last fifteen or so years.
A live version was available on the CD single of “She Don’t Want Nobody Near” in 2004 and on bootlegs before that. I prefer the piano/voice only version.