COUNTING CROWS' LIVE 1-2 PUNCH.Byline: - Boston Globe The Counting Crows took a look on the Internet and found that more than 250 bootlegs of their music were available. That included ``almost every show on our last tour,'' says singer Adam Duritz, who wasn't happy to learn that some of the bootlegs cost an ungodly $40 each. So the Counting Crows took action, creating their own ``official bootlegs,'' as it were. They'll release a double CD of live performances today, consisting of their trimmed-down acoustic gig on VH1's ``Storytellers'' and a full-blast electric show recorded for MTV's ``Live at the 10 Spot'' at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom last November - the last date of their tour. Best of all, the two CDs are being priced as one. ``It's like $16 or $17,'' Duritz says from his Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. home. ``You get better sound quality, and you get two full concerts.'' The Crows, whose song ``Mr. Jones'' remains one of the most influential modern-rock hits of the decade, have nothing against bootlegs per se, unless they're total copies of their records. ``But bootleg concerts? Hey, I have vinyl bootlegs from when I was a kid,'' says Duritz. ``I have Springsteen. I have Petty. I have some really good ones. I've never believed that bootlegs take away from your album sales. They're strictly for fans.'' Which is exactly the intent of the fan-friendly Crows with their new double CD ``Across a Wire - Live in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of .'' ``If you're a big Counting Crows follower, you'll probably love it,'' says Duritz. ``If not, chances are you probably won't get it. We're not going to beat anyone over the head to go buy it. And we're barely promoting it at all.'' Both CDs are impressive and show why the Crows, who carved their reputation by touring, have become such a popular band. The ``Storytellers'' CD is a special treat, as the Crows strip down their personalized per·son·al·ize tr.v. per·son·al·ized, per·son·al·iz·ing, per·son·al·iz·es 1. To take (a general remark or characterization) in a personal manner. 2. To attribute human or personal qualities to; personify. pop-rock and find new ways to frame songs. They add banjo banjo, stringed musical instrument, with a body resembling a tambourine. The banjo consists of a hoop over which a skin membrane is stretched; it has a long, often fretted neck and four to nine strings, which are plucked with a pick or the fingers. to ``Catapult'' and a new intro to the Dylan-esque ``Mr. Jones,'' which now starts with Duritz intoning the Byrds' ``So You Wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? Be a Rock 'n' Roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. Star.'' ``You know, if we didn't come up with a completely different version, we didn't do it,'' Duritz says of the band's modus operandi [Latin, Method of working.] A term used by law enforcement authorities to describe the particular manner in which a crime is committed. The term modus operandi is most commonly used in criminal cases. It is sometimes referred to by its initials, M.O. on the ``Storytellers'' CD, which he describes as ``the real keeper of the two.'' |
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