Recovering the Satellites

"Walkaways" redirects here. For other uses, see Walk Away (disambiguation).

1996 studio album by Counting Crows

Recovering the Satellites

Studio album by

Counting Crows

Released| October 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
Recorded| January–March 1996, Hollywood, San Francisco and The Sound Factory, Hollywood
Genre| Alternative rock
Length| 59:28
Label| Geffen
Producer| Gil Norton
Counting Crows chronology
| August and Everything After
(1993)  | Recovering the Satellites
(1996)  | Across a Wire: Live in New York City
(1998)

|
|

Singles from  Recovering the Satellites

1. "Angels of the Silences"
Released: October 7, 1996[1]
2. "A Long December"
Released: December 2, 1996[2]
3. "Daylight Fading"
Released: May 19, 1997[3]

Recovering the Satellites is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Counting Crows. It was released in the United States on October 15, 1996, three years after their debut album and following two years of worldwide touring. With producer Gil Norton, it features founding members Adam Duritz, David Bryson (guitar), Charlie Gillingham (keyboards), and Matt Malley (bass), as well as new additions Ben Mize (drums) and Dan Vickrey (guitars).[4] Multi-instrumentalist and eventual band member David Immerglück played on the album as a session musician, as well.

Three singles were released, with "A Long December" being the best charting, peaking at number 6 on the US Radio Songs chart[5] and number 1 in Canada.

The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart in the US, No. 4 on the OOC album charts in the UK, and No. 7 on the ARIA charts in Australia. It has been certified double-platinum in both the US and Canada, and well as gold in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It received generally positive reviews.

## Recording and release

[edit]

As with their debut, August and Everything After, the band recorded the album with Norton by renting a large house and using the acoustics of the space for unique sounds. Marvin Etzioni produced the album's eighth track, "Miller's Angels".

Duritz recorded two songs for the album on piano with friends from the Soul Rebels Brass Band playing horns that were ultimately cut: "Chelsea" and "Good Luck". He has said that he could not figure out how to sequence the songs with the rest of the album.[6]

"Chelsea" was eventually released as a bonus track on the live double album Across a Wire: Live in New York City. "Good Luck" was presumed lost for several years until in the early 2020s. Geffen Records were contacted by filmmakers making a documentary on the band for HBO, covering the period between August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites, for music and archive information. Original masters of the recordings, once thought lost in the 2008 Universal Studios fire, and video performances were provided by the label, including "Good Luck".[6]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [7]
Entertainment Weekly| C[8]
Los Angeles Times| [9]
MusicHound Rock| [10]
Q| [11]
Rolling Stone| [12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [13]
Spin| 6/10[11]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis gave the album four out of five stars. He said that the band's second album develops the sounds of August and Everything After and that they "largely achieve their serious ambitions". He praised Adam Duritz's lyrics and called the album "deeply satisfying".[12] Andy Gill from The Independent gave the album a more negative review. He criticized Duritz's song-writing as "self-pity[ing]" and called him a "classic solipsistic soul-barer, he just won't shut up about himself". He called the album "bland" with "obvious" influences (including R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen and Lynyrd Skynyrd). Gill had some praise for producer Gil Norton's work on the album.[14]

In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker also had negative feelings about the album, and gave it a "C" grade. He criticized Duritz's "yowling" and "moans" and called Counting Crows a "pastiche of its influences".[8] The Los Angeles Times concluded that "there are precious few of the killer pop hooks that made such songs as 'Mr. Jones' and ''Round Here' irresistible despite their lack of originality."[9]

In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a "self-consciously challenging response" to their successful debut album. He described the songs as "slightly more somber" than those on the first album but "more affecting". He noted an occasional "pretentiousness" on the album but praised "A Long December" as particularly articulate.[7]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by Adam Duritz unless otherwise indicated

1. "Catapult" (Duritz, David Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Matt Malley, Dan Vickrey, Ben Mize) – 3:34
2. "Angels of the Silences" (Duritz, Gillingham) – 3:39
3. "Daylight Fading" (Duritz, Vickrey, Gillingham) – 3:50
4. "I'm Not Sleeping" (Duritz, Bryson, Gillingham, Malley, Vickrey, Mize) – 4:57
5. "Goodnight Elisabeth" – 5:20
6. "Children in Bloom" – 5:23
7. "Have You Seen Me Lately?" – 4:08
8. "Miller's Angels" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 6:33
9. "Another Horsedreamer's Blues" – 4:32
10. "Recovering the Satellites" – 5:24
11. "Monkey" – 3:02
12. "Mercury" – 2:48
13. "A Long December" – 4:57
14. "Walkaways" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 1:12

## Personnel

[edit]

Counting Crows

* David Bryson – guitars, Dobro, tambourine, vocals
* Adam Duritz – piano, tambourine, Wurlitzer, lead vocals
* Charlie Gillingham – Hammond B-3, piano, Mellotron, Wurlitzer, accordion, harmonica, vocals
* Matt Malley – electric bass guitar, double bass, vocals
* Ben Mize – drums, tambourine, percussion, light bulbs, Zippo lighter, vocals
* Dan Vickrey – guitars, vocals

Additional musicians

* Paul Buckmaster – Orchestra conductor on "Daylight Fading", "I'm Not Sleeping", and "Another Horsedreamer's Blues"
* Charlie Gillingham – string arrangements on "Daylight Fading", "I'm Not Sleeping", and "Another Horsedreamer's Blues"
* Marvin Etzioni – mandolin on "Mercury"
* David Immerglück – pedal steel guitar and octave mandolin on "Miller's Angels"

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1996–1997)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] | 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] | 28
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] | 19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 54
European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[20] | 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] | 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] | 20
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] | 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 6
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] | 22
UK Albums (OCC)[27] | 4
US Billboard 200[28] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1997)  | Position

|

Canadian Albums (Nielsen Soundscan)[29] | 93
US Billboard 200[30] | 35

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[31] | Gold  | 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[32] | 2× Platinum  | 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] | Gold  | 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Gold  | 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[35] | 2× Platinum  | 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. October 5, 1996. p. 37.
2. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. November 30, 1996. p. 45.
3. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 17, 1997. p. 36.
4. ^ "Adam Duritz on Reconnecting with Rob Thomas | Long Island Pulse Magazine". August 11, 2016.
5. ^ "Counting Crows: Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
6. ^ a b Pelsor, Matt (May 29, 2023). "WTTS in Conversation – Adam Duritz of Counting Crows". WTTS. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
7. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Recovering the Satellites: Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
8. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (October 25, 1996). "Recovering the Satellites Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
9. ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (October 13, 1996). "Counting Crows 'Recovering the Satellites'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 85.
10. ^ Schwager, Jeff (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 277–279.
11. ^ a b "Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
12. ^ a b DeCurtis, Anthony (November 4, 1996). "Counting Crows: Recovering the Satellites". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
13. ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Counting Crows". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 195. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
14. ^ Gill, Andy (October 11, 1996). "Album Reviews: Counting Crows Recovering the Satellites". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
18. ^ "Counting Crows Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
20. ^ "Eurochart Top 100 Albums - November 2, 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 49\. May 21, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
22. ^ "Charts.nz – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
28. ^ "Counting Crows Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
29. ^ "ALBUMS: Top 100 of 1997". Archived from the original on March 20, 2001.
30. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
31. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
32. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Music Canada. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
33. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
34. ^ "British album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
35. ^ "American album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Retrospective by The A.V. Club

* v
* t
* e

Counting Crows

* Jim Bogios
* David Bryson
* Adam Duritz
* Charlie Gillingham
* David Immerglück
* Millard Powers
* Dan Vickrey

* Steve Bowman
* Matt Malley
* Ben Mize

Studio albums|

* August and Everything After
* Recovering the Satellites
* This Desert Life
* Hard Candy
* Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
* Underwater Sunshine (or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation)
* Somewhere Under Wonderland
* Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!

EPs|

* Butter Miracle, Suite One

Live albums|

* Across a Wire: Live in New York City
* New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall February 4–6, 2003
* iTunes Live from SoHo
* August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall
* Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow

Compilations|

* Films About Ghosts (The Best Of...)
* Aural 6

Singles|

* "Mr. Jones"
* "Round Here"
* "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)"
* "Rain King"
* "A Murder of One"
* "Angels of the Silences"
* "A Long December"
* "Daylight Fading"
* "Hanginaround"
* "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby"
* "American Girls"
* "Miami"
* "Big Yellow Taxi"
* "If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)"
* "She Don't Want Nobody Near"
* "Accidentally in Love"
* "Holiday in Spain"
* "1492"
* "You Can't Count On Me"
* "Come Around"
* "When I Dream of Michelangelo"
* "Palisades Park"

Other songs|

* "Colorblind"

Concert videos|

* August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall

Related articles|

* Discography
* The Himalayans
* Sordid Humor

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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