Films About Ghosts: The Best of the Counting Crows [ECD] by Counting Crows (CD, Nov-2003, Geffen Records USA)

This is so weird, 'cause it wasn't until right around ten years ago today that I started to show any interest at all in modern music of any genre. Now I see all these artists who first emerged around that time putting out Greatest Hits/Best Of compilations (this being a Best Of) and it's like wow, I've actually been following music long enough to see an artist grow from the first big hit to the first big compilation. Of course, these days, it isn't saying much, considering you have artists like The Gin Blossoms, Silverchair and Fastball (yeah, Fastball) putting out Greatest Hits collections. .

It's hard to believe it's already been a decade or more since the Northwest Rock Movement was the biggest thing on earth, and music by bands that actually had something to say other than wanting nothing but a good time or girls to talk dirty to them. As such, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that "best ofs" and "greatest hits" collections are appearing with more frequency for the artists who have actually lasted this long. Though I give Counting Crows credit, as their best of makes a lot of sense, given that it was 10 years ago they broke through with Mr Jones, and so a decade of music seems..

For me the Counting Crows are one of those once in a lifetime bands that seem able to do no wrong. The first album I heard was their second, Recovering the Satellites, which is widely regarded as their weakest album. I would subscribe to that opinion. But it was one of the most astonishingly accomplished albums that I had heard in a long time back then. If on their weakest outing the Crows can so hook me, then I was bound to fall head over heels in love with the rest of their music. Which means that there is no chance whatsoever that I will be objective about this album. I love every single...

I've never met Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, but I can tell you that he's an intensely fascinating person. That's because Adam Duritz is one of the most genuine singer-songwriters of the past decade or so; Films About Ghosts is the Crows's post-decade retrospective, and like a Counting Crows album, it's long and rambling, but jammed with stunning hooks and imagery. The Crows are best described as either alternative-rock for grown-ups, or classic rock for alt-rockers. Deeply immersed in rock's rootsy past, schooled by Dylan and The Byrds, the Crows weaved the kind of nostalgic, jangly...