August and Everything After is the debut studio album by American rock band Counting Crows, released September 14, 1993, via DGC Records. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and featured the founding members of the band: Steve Bowman (drums), David Bryson (guitar), Adam Duritz (vocals), Charlie Gillingham (keyboards) and Matt Malley (bass). Session musicians used for the album were multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück (who later joined the band as a full-time member in 1999) and Burnett (who also provided additional guitar work).
Four singles were released from the album, with the highest charting being "Mr. Jones", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard US Radio Songs Chart and number 2 on several genre-specific Billboard charts. The album was well received by critics and has gone multi-platinum in several countries, including the U.S. where it has sold over seven million copies, and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The album cover depicts handwritten lyrics to the titular song, but the band decided against featuring the song on the album. It was not until over a decade later that it was played as part of one of their live concerts. The song "August and Everything After" was released on January 24, 2019, as an Amazon Original.
On September 18, 2007, a two-disc deluxe edition of the album was issued. The first disc contains the original album, remastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering, with six demos added as bonus tracks. The second disc is taken from the band's penultimate performance during the August tour, recorded at Élysée Montmartre in Paris, France, on December 9, 1994.
The album August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall was released on August 29, 2011, featuring live recordings of the songs from this album. More than six million copies of the album have been sold by February 2002 in the US.
Critical reception
The Washington Post wrote: "Enlisting accordions, mandolin, pedal steel, and harmonica to flavor the usual rock instrumentation, the Crows play transliterated Celtic rock not unlike The Hooters. Such music seems to require a sense of self importance, and the quintet is not lacking".
Rolling Stone placed the album at number 67 on its list of the 100 Best Albums of the '90s, published in October 2019.
Track listing Original release
2007 deluxe edition bonus disc
Personnel Counting Crows Steve Bowman – drums, vocals David Bryson – guitars, vocals Adam Duritz – vocals, piano, harmonica Charlie Gillingham – piano, Hammond B3, accordion, Chamberlin, vocals Matt Malley – bass, guitar, vocals
Additional personnel Bill Dillon – guitar, guitorgan Denny Fongheiser – percussion, drums on track 3 David Immerglück – guitars, mandolins, pedal steel guitar, mandocello, vocals Gary Louris – backing vocals Maria McKee – backing vocals Mark Olson – backing vocals T Bone Burnett – guitar, producer Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, CA Adam Ayan – 2007 Deluxe Edition mastering at Gateway Mastering, Portland, Maine
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1993–1994) PeakpositionCanada Top Albums/CD's (RPM)1European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)37US Cashbox Album Charts1
Chart (2001)Peakposition.Irish Albums (IRMA)24
Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) 29Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)3European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)94 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 18 Spanish Albums (AFYVE) 30 US Billboard 200 5UK Albums (OCC)120 Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200 63
Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999)PositionUS Billboard 20066
Certifications
References