This Desert Life | 
| Artist: Counting Crows
Label: Interscope Records
List Price: $13.98
Buy Used: $1.52
You Save: $12.46 (89%)
New (62) Used (83) Collectible (4) from $1.52
Rating:  362 reviews
Sales Rank: 5785
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 490415
UPC: 606949041526
EAN: 0606949041526
ASIN: B00002JXF8
Release Date: November 2, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: disc and insert only, no jewel case. cd plays fine.
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| Tracks:
| • | Hanginaround | | • | Mrs. Potter's Lullaby | | • | Amy Hit The Atmosphere | | • | Four Days | | • | All My Friends | | • | High Life | | • | Colorblind | | • | I Wish I Was A Girl | | • | Speedway | | • | St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Two years in the making, This Desert Life is the kind of collection that will please the Counting Crows faithful and leave doubters unconverted. Adam Duritz's recognizably emotive vocals and the group's classic-rock stylings remain in the fore as the Crows stick near the nest with their third studio outing. The Mellencamp-like opener, "Hanginaround," is one of the strongest tunes here, thanks to its laid-back passion and catchy piano and percussive elements. The familiar feeling "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is another lively offering, but at nearly eight minutes it's too long. The emotional, Van Morrison-like lament "All My Friends" feels self-pitying, while the balance of the album is simply bland. The sound is appealing (witness the spare "Colorblind" and the waltzing "Amy Hit the Atmosphere"), but This Desert Life is, on the whole, rather dry. --Katherine Turman
Album Details
All Songs Were Written by the Band. Produced by David Lowery (Sparklehorse) and David Herring (Throwing Muses.) Includes Extra Track Not on the Us Version.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 357 more reviews...
 This album made me a fan December 24, 1999
32 out of 34 found this review helpful
I was not a Counting Crows fan before I bought "This Desert Life." In fact, I had never even owned or listened to an entire one of their albums. When I heard the song "Hanging Around" for the first time, (in the car on a 14-hour road trip) it made me want to hear the whole disc. In short, this cd is amazing. Songs like "Colorblind" and "All My Friends" are pure poetry come to life. Where on the other hand, you have songs like "Mrs. Potter's Lullabye" and "Hanging Around" which are just great, upbeat roadtrip songs. Luckily, the album is not limited to just a few great tunes. Every song on "This Desert Life" is well-written and orchestrated. The album never loses speed or flavor--in fact, the songs just seem to get better and better. A great thing about Counting Crows' sound on "This Desert Life," is that you can hear different influences in their songs (for instance REM ("Colorblind"), Van Morrison ("All My Friends"), Bob Dylan ("St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream"), but they never lose sight of their own sound. I highly recommend this album. And especially to those "non-fans"--at least give it a listen. It's definitely worth it.
Slowly Fading Away February 11, 2000
Kris B (Texas)
29 out of 33 found this review helpful
You know one of best things about the counting crows last two albums and the live album is that it got rid of all of the "followers" who have been looking for Mr. Jones 1, 2, and 3. Adam Duritz writes from his heart he is not singing lyrics that 5 executives wrote in 5 minutes. The meaning of a great songwriter is one when you listen to the music after a while you start reflecting on the expiriences that have happened in your own life. Counting crows are one of the few bands that constantly do just that. Also about the van morrison, the band, and bob dylan reamrks. you tell me the name of your favorite band and i will tell you their influences. there is noone that you can compare the counting crows to in this day and age. no one! unlike most bands counting crows do not follow the trends and it has paid off. Now TDL is a great album worthy of 5 stars Adam puts his heart and soul into everysong that is performed on this album. He brings you into his lyrics with his voice. True it is more like AAEA than RTS from the instrumental perspective but has the same powerful lyrics.
Another great album by the 90's best band November 27, 1999
Jonathan Dalecki (Wilmington, Delaware U.S.A.)
21 out of 27 found this review helpful
Finally, after a long wait, there is a new CC album. If you are reading this, read the next sentence very carefully. Those who give this CD a bad rating care only about what the radio stations say they should be listening to. They come to the conclusion that if they don't hear it on their local station, it must not be worth owning. Don't listen to these people. This band isn't for those who can't decide for themsleves what to like. But if you're a free thinker who appreciates great songwriting, great music, and thoughtfull lyrics, you would do well to buy this CD. This band doesn't get anywhere near the credit they deserve in this pop-dominated world. In a perfect world, everyone would know what I know: That "August and Everything After" was the best album of this decade; that "Recovering the Satellites" was the perfect follow-up; and that "This Desert Life" is yet another masterpiece. I took this CD with me to visit my girlfriend, and we listened to it all weekend. Maybe I'm just a softie, but I get choked up everytime I listen to Colorblind. My guess is you, my fellow listener, will to. So, make the right decision, buy this CD. I'm sure you, or someone you know, would love to have it. Say as a Christmas present perhaps?
Musics only hope, and the worlds last poet May 7, 2002
19 out of 28 found this review helpful
Someone labeled this album as being "rather dry". And while everyones entitled to their own opinion, its still incredibly too easy to spot a person with no musical taste; Or maybe its just the musical environment we live in that has dulled the senses of music fans everwhere. Awful bands like blink182(music consisting of two chords; lyrics written for 10 year olds) and limp bizkit(the singers ideals and words seemed to be inspired by cartman from southpark) are more popular than fast food. The music created by the counting crows is so honest and emotional, its seems to be out of time. Counting crows relate more to great bands like LIVE,RADIOHEAD,DMB, and older legends such as eric clapton and bob dylan.
This Desert Life is a beautiful album filled with haunting music and poetry. Durst sings about love, sadness, hope, and change like he always has, and it comes through in a vein of honesty that no other singer-songwriter will ever equal(not even dylan).
All of the albums by the crows are special, but i think the crows hit their perfect balance between adams singing and the music. it seems like they got it right, it seems perfect.
There next album is called Hard Candy, and it is being released on June 25th of this year. PLEASE Beg your radio station to play their first single "American Girls"......its time that a band purified the condition of music...only a few can do it, The crows are like a glimmer of hope....
A good step in the same direction December 24, 1999
Wade Tomlin (Toronto, Ontario Canada)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
If the Counting Crows had never released August and Everything After, anyone who listened to This Desert Life would be hooked instantly. All the same qualities that dominated the bands first offering remain on the third, something that couldn't be said about Recovering The Satellites. Hanging Around is the albums Mr.Jones equivalent with its upbeat guitar and laid back vocals, while tracks such as All My Friends and Colorblind reach the same level of beautiful melancholy that has come to epitomize the Crows sound. The only thing that's going against the record is the fact that August and Everything After still holds such a special place in many music listeners hearts that unless the Crows put out a complete masterpiece, many consider the Crows career over and done with. So if your just dying for the classic Crows sounds on your CD player, This Desert Life will not dissapoint, if you want Adam Duritz and company to go exploring into new musical territory don't bother.
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