This Desert Life
Encyclopedia
This Desert Life is the third studio album from Counting Crows
. The cover art is by noted comic book artist Dave McKean
, best known for his work with Neil Gaiman
, and is in fact an adaptation of the cover art McKean did for Gaiman's picture book The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish.
except as indicated.
The CD cover lists tracks one through five as "side one" and tracks six through ten as "side two". "Kid Things" is a hidden track
as part of "St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream". The vinyl release of this album also contains "Kid Things" as a hidden track along with another hidden track called "Baby I'm a Big Star Now", which is featured in the film Rounders
. They are both on the side D with a text asking you not to play that side.
"Colorblind" was also featured in the film Cruel Intentions
, as well as the Cruel Intentions
soundtrack album, and was covered by progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me
in their 2006 album The Anatomy Of
, as well as Natalie Walker
on her 2006 LP Urban Angel.
The song "Amy Hit The Atmosphere" was featured in the television show Roswell. In the show, the main character Max is shown listening to the song and it is stated he listens to this particular CD frequently when upset.
Additional musicians
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
. The cover art is by noted comic book artist Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
, best known for his work with Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, and is in fact an adaptation of the cover art McKean did for Gaiman's picture book The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish.
Track listing
All songs written by Adam DuritzAdam Duritz
Adam Fredric Duritz is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. He is best known for his role as frontman and vocalist for the rock band Counting Crows, in which he is a founding member and principal composer of their catalogue of songs.Duritz has recorded solo...
except as indicated.
- "HanginaroundHanginaround"Hanginaround" is a hit single by the American rock band Counting Crows. It is the first track on their third album This Desert Life . The song managed to hit number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, being their biggest hit on said chart to this date...
" (Duritz, Dan VickreyDan VickreyDaniel Vickrey is an American musician. He has performed since 1994 as a lead guitarist in the alternative rock band, Counting Crows...
, Ben Mize, David Bryson) – 4:07 - "Mrs. Potter's LullabyMrs. Potter's Lullaby"Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is a single by the American rock band Counting Crows. It is the second track on their third album This Desert Life .This song was written after singer/songwriter Adam Duritz saw actress Monica Potter in a film....
" (Live) – 7:46 - "Amy Hit the Atmosphere" (Duritz, Matt Malley) – 4:36
- "Four Days" – 3:28
- "All My FriendsAll My Friends (Counting Crows song)"All My Friends" is a single by the American rock band Counting Crows. It is the fifth track on their third album This Desert Life ....
" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:49 - "High Life" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 6:20
- "Colorblind" (Duritz, Charlie GillinghamCharlie GillinghamCharlie Gillingham is best known for his performance on the Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, piano, and keyboards for the band Counting Crows...
) – 3:23 - "I Wish I Was a Girl" (Duritz, Gillingham) – 5:53
- "Speedway" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 3:44
- "St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream" – 15:40
- "Kid Things" (hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
)
The CD cover lists tracks one through five as "side one" and tracks six through ten as "side two". "Kid Things" is a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
as part of "St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream". The vinyl release of this album also contains "Kid Things" as a hidden track along with another hidden track called "Baby I'm a Big Star Now", which is featured in the film Rounders
Rounders (film)
Rounders is a 1998 film about the underground world of high-stakes poker. Directed by John Dahl and starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, the movie follows two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a large debt...
. They are both on the side D with a text asking you not to play that side.
"Colorblind" was also featured in the film Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
, as well as the Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions (soundtrack)
Cruel Intentions is the compilation soundtrack to the 1999 film of the same name. The film's soundtrack peaked at #60 on The Billboard 200...
soundtrack album, and was covered by progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
in their 2006 album The Anatomy Of
The Anatomy Of
The Anatomy Of is the first cover album by the American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me. It is the second release to include Dan Briggs, Blake Richardson, and Dustie Waring.-Track listing:-Reception:*Allmusic [ link]*Lambgoat...
, as well as Natalie Walker
Natalie Walker
Natalie Walker is an American vocalist, songwriter and musician from Indianawho first came to prominence as part of the group Daughter Darling. While her time in the low-key electronica trip hop outfit was promising, Walker decided on a solo career, and released her first album Urban Angel in 2006,...
on her 2006 LP Urban Angel.
The song "Amy Hit The Atmosphere" was featured in the television show Roswell. In the show, the main character Max is shown listening to the song and it is stated he listens to this particular CD frequently when upset.
Personnel
Counting Crows- Dave Bryson – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, - Adam DuritzAdam DuritzAdam Fredric Duritz is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. He is best known for his role as frontman and vocalist for the rock band Counting Crows, in which he is a founding member and principal composer of their catalogue of songs.Duritz has recorded solo...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals, art direction - Charlie GillinghamCharlie GillinghamCharlie Gillingham is best known for his performance on the Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, piano, and keyboards for the band Counting Crows...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, piano, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, ChamberlinChamberlinThe Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by Iowa, Wisconsin inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. Various models and versions of these Chamberlin music instruments...
, WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
, vocals - David ImmerglückDavid ImmerglückDavid Immerglück is an American multi-instrumentalist who is best known as a guitarist in the alternative rock bands Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven and the Monks of Doom...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, electric guitar, pedal steel - Matt Malley – bass, vocals, twelve-string guitar
- Ben Mize – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion, vocals, - Dan VickreyDan VickreyDaniel Vickrey is an American musician. He has performed since 1994 as a lead guitarist in the alternative rock band, Counting Crows...
– acoustic guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, vocals
Additional musicians
- Chris SeefriedChris SeefriedChris Seefried is an American record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of bands Gods Child, Joe 90, Low Stars and producer co-writer for the neo soul band Fitz and the Tantrums....
– backing vocalistBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - David LoweryDavid LoweryDavid Lowery is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter; he is the founder of alternative rock band, Camper Van Beethoven, and co-founder of the more traditional rock band, Cracker...
- backing vocalist, producer - Dennis HerringDennis HerringDennis Herring is an American record producer, engineer, mixer, and musician. Herring has produced for The Hives, Elvis Costello, Counting Crows, Modest Mouse, Camper Van Beethoven, and Jars of Clay. Herring owns a 24-track recording studio, Sweet Tea Studios, which is located in Oxford, Mississippi...
– producer, keyboards, loops, mixing - Gary DeRosa – backing vocalist
- Cinjun Tate – backing vocalist
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– mastering - Matt Funes – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Eve Butler – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Joel Derouin – violin
- Larry Corbett – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- David CampbellDavid Campbell (American arranger/composer)David Richard Campbell is a Canadian-American arranger, composer and conductor. He has worked on over 450 gold and platinum albums including Death Magnetic , Minutes to Midnight , KISS Symphony: Alive IV Spirit , These Days , Fallen , and various albums by his son...
– string arrangements, conductor, orchestration - Joe Chiccarelli – engineer
- Jim Champagne – engineer
- Richard Hasal – engineer
- Clay JonesClay JonesClay Jones, , was a horticulturist and broadcaster best known as the Chairman of the BBC Radio 4 programme Gardener's Question Time....
– acoustic guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Ok Hee Kim – engineer
- David McKean– art direction, illustrations
- Bill Merryfield – art direction, creative director
- Martin Pradler – engineer
- Jack Joseph PuigJack Joseph PuigJack Joseph Puig is a Grammy Award-winning music engineer and producer with a long track record of successful productions, including the mid-1990s production of Tonic. Puig also worked with Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Green Day, The Counting Crows, No Doubt,...
– mixing - Rocky SchenckRocky SchenckRocky Schenck is an American music video director and photographer. He has worked with such artists as Adele, Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell, The Cramps, Alice in Chains, Redd Kross, Godsmack, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Rod Stewart, and Van Halen, among others...
– photography - Jim ScottJim ScottJim Scott is a guitarist, singer/songwriter and composer in the genres of jazz, classical and folk music.-Life:Jim Scott has made it his business to create and perform music that celebrates peace, justice and the earth. He co-wrote the celebrated Missa Gaia - Earth Mass and many other pieces with...
– mixing - Jeff Sheehan – engineer
- Janette Sheridan – production coordination
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
November 1, 1999 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
November 2, 1999 |
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
8 |
| Billboard Top Canadian Albums | 8 | |
| Billboard Top Internet Albums | 3/18 | |
| UK Albums Chart | 19 | |
| Australian Albums Chart | 20 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Hanginaround" | Billboard Adult Top 40 | 5 |
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 37 | ||
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 17 | ||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 22 | ||
| Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 21 | ||
| Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 19 | ||
| 2000 | Billboard Top 40 Recurrents | 3 | |
| "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" | Billboard Adult Top 40 | 40 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – USA | Gold | December 10, 1999 |
| Platinum | January 24, 2000 |